Aligned: Volume 4 (20 page)

But I hear Ethan talking. I hear him threatening Alex, and I try to force my eyes open. It’s no use, though. I’m trapped in a body unable to move.
 

I feel Ethan kick me, and I should gasp for air to try to reclaim the oxygen he knocked out of my body. But my body doesn’t respond. Instead, I feel like I’m suffocating. It takes a long time for my body to receive enough oxygen to breathe properly again.
 

I feel Ethan tie ropes around my arms and legs. I feel him punch me in the jaw. I try not to focus on the pain my body feels, though, because whatever I feel, Alex feels worse. Much worse.
 

I try instead to focus my mind on what I need to do to save us, but my mind spins. I can’t focus on one thought at a time. Everything swirls around in my head causing more confusion; the only thing I can focus on is the pain.
 

And then I hear silence. I don’t know if it’s from me losing my hearing as well as my sight and mind, but I hear nothing for a long time. It scares me; the silence worse than when Ethan was talking because I have no idea what is happening. I have no idea if I’m still alive or already dead.

But slowly, I feel my mind clearing. I can feel enough to move a finger and then another. And then, finally, I open my eyes.
 

I look straight to her. Straight in her eyes that are staring at me. I see relief fill them when she sees me open my eyes. Mine fill with relief too seeing that she is still alive and no other damage has been done.
 

I try to speak. To tell her it’s going to be okay. That we will find a way out of this and not to give up hope. But the duct tape prevents me from speaking, and it all comes out in grunts and groans.
 

She nods her head at me, though. She understands.
 

I begin looking around the room, knowing that I can’t waste my time looking into Alex’s eyes as much as I want to. We need a plan to get out of this.
 

I can’t believe I never saw it before. I can’t believe I never realized what Ethan was. I can’t believe that Alex hid this from me. This was her secret. She went back to stop him. She didn’t trust me with this secret. If we do ever get out of this, I’m never leaving her alone again. Even if she won’t be with me, I will never let her hurt again.
 

I test the bindings at my wrists and ankles. I can’t break free. I try moving the chair. I can move just an inch by rocking the chair back and forth, but it’s slow and exhausting. I don’t have the energy to move far enough to do anything. Not until the drugs are completely out of my system, but I can move I just have to figure out where. I glance around the room trying to find something useful — something to break our bindings or defend ourselves with — but I see nothing.
 

I glance back at Alex. Just for a second, just needing to see that she’s still okay. Her eyes smile at me and then she tilts her head to the nightstand and grunts.
 

I tear my eyes from her to the nightstand and see the gun. He left the gun on the nightstand. I just have to find a way to get there.
 

I begin moving again. Inch by inch. Until I’ve moved three inches, then five, then seven. Each move gets me closer, but each move drains me even further. I have to make it, though. It’s our only chance.
 

I hear the door swing open. “Going somewhere,” Ethan says smirking at me.
 

I try to yell at him, but it comes out in a groan. He walks to me, grabs my chair, and drags me back to the corner until I’ve lost all of the inches I have gained.
 

“Glad to see you are finally awake.”
 

I glare at him with my eyes.
I am going to kill you
, I moan.
 

He just smirks at me. “I’ve been thinking while you were out what I should do to torture you first. What would bring me the most pleasure?”
 

He walks to Alex stroking her leg. “And I think I’ve finally decided.”
 

My eyes widen in fear as I watch his hand inch higher between her legs. I turn my face away for just a second as his hand travels between her legs.
 

“Ah ... I guessed right. Watching her struggle through pain isn’t what would torture you the most. Seeing her being fucked by another man is your worst nightmare.”
 

I don’t look at him. I don’t give him the pleasure of knowing that he’s right. That I can’t stand to look at what he will do to her.
 

“Look at me!” he shouts as he grabs my chair jerking me until I face him. He watches my eyes until he’s content that he’s guessed right. That seeing him fuck her will be more torturous than watching him beat her. The only thing worse would be watching her die.
 

He grins as he walks back to her.
 

“We’ll take it slow,” he says keeping his eyes on me reading my reaction. So I give him none.
 

“This first time, I’ll just taste her. I’ll taste her and make her squirm in pleasure beneath my lips. Next time, I’ll claim her pussy. Then, I’ll claim her ass.”
 

I watch as he walks over to the edge of the bed. I watch him crawl up between her legs and place his hand on her pussy.
 

I watch until he sinks a finger into her and her body tries to squirm and she groans in pain. Then I close my eyes. I can’t be here. I can’t watch this.
 

I hear him laugh. “I don’t know what you saw in him, Alexa. He’s not even strong enough to watch the love of his life being fucked by another man.”
 

I open my eyes to glare at him again, but he’s not looking at me; he’s watching Alex. I turn my gaze to her and find her watching me. She isn’t watching him. She isn’t focused on what he is doing to her. She’s worried about me.
 

I have to do the same for her. I have to be strong for her. So I don’t look at Ethan anymore. I keep my eyes on hers. I let her know I’m okay. I tell her that I’m going to get her through this.
 

I see her eyes brighten just a little as I look at her and she realizes what I’m saying. We are going to get through this together.
 

Ethan moves his hands again, and I watch her face squirm in pain.
 

I try to catch her attention with my eyes, and after a few seconds, she stops squirming and moaning and calms.
 

“You like that, baby,” Ethan says as he must intensify whatever he is doing because her eyes widen and she lets out a soft moan.
 

I glance back at Ethan for just a second to see him untie her legs from the posts. I watch his head disappear between her legs as he pushes her legs back causing her to moan.
 

I try to push the image out of my head, but my anger at what he is doing is almost too much. I groan and thrash in my chair trying to get him to stop.
 

“Do you hear her moans? Do you hear what I do to her?”
 

He does something that makes her moan again, but when I catch her eye, there is fear. Fear because I know she is enjoying whatever he is doing to her and she can’t stop her body from responding.
 

“She’s mine. Her pussy is mine.”
 

He disappears between her legs again, but this time I know how to help Alex. I know how to win this fight.
 

This time, when she looks at me, I implore her to keep her eyes on me. I try to make my eyes as lust-filled as possible. I try to show her how turned on I am by her moaning. If she can just imagine it’s me licking her. It’s my fingers thrusting inside her. It’s my tongue swirling over her clit. Then she can get through this. Then she can carry the weight of this moment with her forever because she wasn’t strong enough to hold back her pleasure at the hands of a monster.
 

She keeps fighting him. Fighting the pleasure as she looks at me quizzically not understanding. But when a pleasurable moan escapes her lips, I nod my head as my lust grows stronger. It takes me a second to realize, though, that my lust for her is growing stronger at the moment instead of just pretending.
 

When she realizes what I’m doing, what I want, she moans loudly as her eyes stay on mine. My eyes intensify seeing the pleasure on her face.

“Your pleasure is mine ...” Ethan continues speaking thinking he’s winning. That Alex is enjoying herself because of him. That he is torturing us both by what he is doing.
 

He’s not, though. Somehow, instead of torturing us or tearing us apart, he’s bringing us together. With every touch of pleasure he brings her, it brings us closer together.
 

Our eyes connect in a way that I don’t understand. Our hearts connect as Alex moans louder. Our souls connect as she screams her orgasm.
 

He may claim that she is his. But no matter what he does to her. Or what he does to me. Or what the world brings. She is mine. And I am hers.

Despite it all, our worlds are perfect. At this one moment, we both find pleasure together.
 

And then in a second moment, our worlds come tumbling down again.
 

“You fucking bitch! You did that on purpose.”
 

Alex’s eyes leave mine, and I follow to see what happened. I see Ethan holding his face that looks like he just got hit by her prosthetic leg. I know the feeling.
 

He grabs her leg, though, and rips it off her leg. He stands holding the leg like he did her the honor of removing it from her body.
 

I watch as he holds it in his hand with disgust on his face.
 

He looks at me. “I fell for her when she was still whole. I don’t know how you could fall for her now that she’s a disgusting cripple.”
 

The last bit of drugs in my body holding me captive leaves my body at his words. I find the strength to push forward more than an inch this time. I’m going to kill him.
 

She pulls me out of her mouth just as I come. I come all over her perfect breasts.
 

I place the grilled cheese I made in front of her and add an apple and banana. She smiles at my addition of something healthy to her lunch, even though she only asked for the grilled cheese.
 

She takes a bite of the grilled cheese and then a bite of the apple. It makes me smile to see her eating something healthy.
 

“This is the spot,” she says between bites.
 

I look at her quizzically, trying my best to be patient but not understanding.
 

“This is the spot where Landon asked me to marry him.”
 

I suck in a breath and then slowly exhale. I’m not sure why I asked why she is in love with Landon and why she wants him. I thought hearing her explanation might somehow bring me closure. It might help me move on, but I’m afraid it’s just going to rip out my heart.
 

“I thought my life was going to be perfect from that day on. But nothing is ever perfect, is it?”

I shake my head. “No, nothing ever is.”
 

She eats the first half of her sandwich without another word.
 

“I want Landon because he was the only one who ever protected me. He was the first person to ever care about me or tell me he loved me who wasn’t my father.”

I narrow my eyes at her. She’s wrong if she thinks he’s the only one who has ever protected her or loved her.
 

She closes her eyes as she imagines it, and she starts talking, telling the story in exact detail as if she was reliving it.
 

I smile as the sun shines in through my window waking me. I smile because today is my favorite day of the year. Today is my eighth birthday.
 

I roll over, but I don’t see the candy my father usually puts on my pillow. I frown. He must have forgotten. I guess it will have to wait until after school. Until after he gets home from work.
 

I put on my favorite pink dress with butterflies on it. And then comb my hair into pigtails like Mama taught me. I frown when I see them in the mirror. They are lopsided, but I don’t know how to fix them.
 

“Caroline! We have to go!” my brother, Sean, shouts.
 

My body startles at his loud voice as he bursts into my bathroom. He grabs my hand a little too hard as he pulls me out of the bathroom and to the car. It hurts, but I don’t tell him. He’s just taking care of me like an older brother should.
 

I walk into my classroom with excitement on my face. My teacher always does something special for each of her students’ birthdays, and I can’t wait to see what she has done for me.
 

“Good morning, Mrs. Franklin.” My smile is bright on my face as I look up at hers. She doesn’t return my smile, though. She doesn’t say a word. Her tears say it all, though, as she reaches out and takes my hand to tell me why my father didn’t leave chocolates on my pillowcase this morning.
 

The walk to the principal’s office is long and quiet. I know something is wrong, but Mrs. Franklin won’t tell me. She just walks me to the office. She holds my hand as we step inside. I see my mother with tears in her eyes. I see my brother sitting next to her stoned face. I don’t see my father, though.
 

“What’s wrong?” I ask looking at my mother, but she doesn’t say anything.
 

I look at my brother, but he just stares straight ahead and doesn’t answer me either. I look at the third person in the room. A police officer. He looks sad as he kneels down in front of me.
 

“Caroline. I’m so sorry to tell you this, but your father passed away this morning,” the officer says.