the driver’s seat of her car out front. Holden opened the passenger side door and ducked his head inside.
“Everything set?”
“All good,” she said. “Full tank, I checked the tire pressure. Should be an uneventful trip.”
Holden nodded and straightened, looking at me.
“You’re gonna be fine,” he said for what felt like the millionth time. “I promise. It’s gonna feel so good to see your dad in person.”
I tried to smile, to show him I appreciated everything he was doing.
“You promise you’ll be here when we come back?” I asked. “You won’t lock us out or anything?”
“Security knows to let you back in whenever you come. They even have a picture of your dad.” Holden smiled. “I promise. I’ll be here for you whenever you want me.”
He pulled me into a deep kiss, so slow and passionate that it almost felt at odds with what we’d just done upstairs. I savored it, trying to memorize the feel of his body pressed against mine. My cock tried yet again to get hard, and I gave it some encouragement, rubbing up against his groin. But a loud ‘ahem’ from the car made him pull back with a jump.
“We need to get going if we’re gonna be on time,” Daisy said.
“Aye, aye, Captain.” Holden gave her a mock salute, then ghosted his lips across mine. “Brave, remember? You’ve got me with you.”
I smiled through the tears that formed in my eyes and nodded, slipping into the car without a word. Sometimes it was easier not to talk. Especially when you weren’t sure you could do it without crying.
Holden watched us drive away, waving at the car until we pulled out of sight.
“You wanna listen to music or anything?” Daisy asked as she swept along the driveway.
I shrugged listlessly. “I don’t really care. Up to you.”
She gave me an indecipherable look, but she didn’t press. Maybe she’d used up all her words yelling at us earlier, or maybe she could just tell it wouldn’t do any good now. She didn’t object when I turned and looked out the window. Glistening, ice-wrapped trees flashed by like diamonds.
I tried to imagine that Holden really was with me now. That his strength and certainty were backing me up. But all I felt was empty. Literally and figuratively.
I’d wanted him to fuck me so I wouldn’t be able to forget being with him. My ass ached from the punishment it had received, and normally, I’d savor that delicious soreness, relish the way it hurt to walk.
But all I felt now was sad. Sad and tired, since I hadn’t gotten any sleep since my mom’s call at four in the morning. The trees and icy blue sky blurred as we got on the highway, and my eyelids sank shut. Within moments, I was asleep.
Maybe it was inevitable that I’d have the dream again. Now that my real-life nightmare was so close to being over. Or maybe it was just chance.
But within seconds of falling asleep, I was back on the boat. The rocking of the floor under my body was familiar now. The cramped closet welcomed me back with open arms.
My blindfold came off, and the hatchet-faced man was back, glaring at me. I hated the way he looked at me, hated the fear that rose in my stomach every time. So I reacted the way I always did—twisted and turned, kicked and lashed out. Broke free, and made it out into the hall.
Thunder rumbled overhead.
Knowing it was a dream didn’t make it any less terrifying, and it didn’t give me any power to get out of here. I had to play it through to the end.
I sprinted to the end of the hall, threw open the door, scrambled up the stairs. Lightning split the sky as I made it out onto the deck, illuminating the boat as I looked around for somewhere to hide.
The deck was empty now, but I knew the guy from the closet was only moments behind and knew, with stomach-churning dread, that behind him would come the second man, the one whose presence chilled me to my bones, despite me never having seen his face.
I was only halfway across the deck when the hatchet-faced man grabbed me, throwing me against the railing so hard my teeth rattled. I fought him—I always fought him—but my eyes kept returning to a spot behind his head, where I could just make out the door that led down below deck.
And sure enough, a moment later, the second man appeared.