Be Quiet and Obey

Chapter 9 - Who's Rex?

Branton surveyed the dining room, his brow furrowed in anger.

The room was trashed; The stale smell of cigarettes and the empty bourbon bottle on the dining table were clear indications of His presence.

He started tidying up but stopped to observe one of the dining chairs. Crouching down, he prodded the broken cable ties. He noticed a large stain on the carpet and after smelling the liquid, realised that bourbon had trickled down the damp chair and pooled underneath.

He slowly stood up and rested his hands against the table. He bowed his head in an attempt to control his rising temper. Based on the smell of alcohol that clung to Evie's skin and the raw marks on her wrists and ankles, it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.

His poor sweet Evie.

A loud bark of laughter rang through his head. "You don't know her at all."

His eye twitched as he ignored the voice and headed into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

"I'm afraid that your impression of the so-called 'sweet girl,' is all wrong pretty boy."

Branton took a deep breath and focused on flipping pancakes.

"You know what," the voice prodded, "At first I just wanted to fuck with her because she was yours. But after last night, I think I might make her mine."

Branton clenched his teeth, his fist tightly clenching the spatula.

She's mine.

His comment earned him another laugh. "Oh really? She doesn't seem to think so. I'd say she'd choose me over you."

Branton released a humourless laugh.

You're delusional.

"We'll see," the voice scoffed, "Why don't you ask her who Rex is?"

What?

Branton frowned as the voice went quiet. He grabbed whipped cream and strawberries and placed them on a tray with the pancakes.

He knocked on Evie's door and waited a few seconds before unlocking it. He approached the bed and was met by her back. Her wet hair signalled she had showered but to his disappointment, she had dressed in another pair of plain sweat shorts and a tank top.

Taking into consideration the ordeal she had been through last night, he was willing to let her attire slip for the day.

"Would you like to discuss what happened last night?" He asked while resting the tray on the bed.

She shook her head. "I just want to forget about it."

He stormed towards her, all sympathy gone, and swiftly grabbed the glasses off her face and held them up threateningly. "What did I tell you about these?"

Her eyebrows shot up in shock.

He shoved her glasses in his pocket and dropped a small paper bag on the bed. "I have contact lenses for you to wear."

The pancakes had no flavour as Evie shoved a few bites into her mouth. She chewed to stop herself from screaming.

Branton took a seat at the foot of the bed. "Who's Rex?" he questioned, causing her to freeze with a fork full of pancakes.

"Rex?" She feigned confusion.

He leaned forward and she focused on keeping her face relaxed and her body language open.

"He told me to ask you about Rex."

She gave a slight shrug. "I don't know. Is that his name? You told me he doesn't have one?"

Branton continued watching her while she ate. She felt like the silence would suffocate her.

"You and I both need to be careful, Evie. He will do and say whatever it takes to get what he wants."

She avoided eye contact and played with the remaining food on her plate.

That makes two of us.