Heathens & Hand Grenades (Book 1 of the Heathens Duet)

Chapter 57- Callie

I should've stuck with the cappuccino. The sheer amount of sugar and creamer I had to use to drown out the burnt taste of gas station swill is rolling in my stomach and I'm not sure I can hold it down. Mixed with the sour smell of gasoline and the cuffs chaffing against my wrists, it's almost a complete surety that I'm going to be trapped with my own vomit if I don't get out of this trunk soon. The road we've been going over for the past however long feels full of potholes if it's even paved and I have no sense of time here.

I tried to run.

I tried so hard.

It wasn't enough.

He caught me. Like I always knew he would. Bashed the butt of his gun against my head and then I woke up here. I already tried to look for a way out, wiggling against the edges of my confinement until my shoulders hurt as much as my head We must have switched vehicles at some point. This vehicle is old judging by the lack of trunk release cable. I triple checked. I'm not getting out until he lets me and I'm starting to come to like the dark. At least I know he's not here with me. This dark is mine.

The only sound is my fractured breathing and Colt's honeyed voice singing along to the music coming out of the speakers. I'll never again be able to listen Dan + Shay without cringing. All to myself, he sings. Only he could make a love song sound like a threat.

Trying to relax my tense muscles is impossible with the throbbing in my head and limbs. I can only wait and hope to remember how to play my part as his living, breathing doll again. The guys will come for me. I have to believe that or I'll fall apart. Rave may have thrown me away with God's blessing, but Dario and Jaxson will come for me. I just pray they find Callie and not Colt's broken little doll.

The car slows and I inhale and get nothing but exhaust fumes in my lungs that force me into a coughing fit. Music fades to a dull murmur as he calls back through the seats. "Don't go starting that nonsense. We're almost home. I'll get you cleaned up, fed, and you can get some rest in. I'll take care of you, always."

I don't know why I expected to recognize my surroundings when I was finally allowed to see them. Wishful thinking, I suppose. My hopes were dashed the moment I saw the lake, or very large pond would probably be more accurate. No way a premium fishing spot like this only has one house on it unless it's a private pond. Even then, there's usually a few locals that supposedly know the old owners and had permission to fish. I see no one, barely even can see the cabin nestled in the dense tree cover. Under different circumstances I'd even venture as far as to call it romantic. Colt's voice veers it straight into the horror category. I'm not sure I have what it takes to be a final girl, but I'm damn sure going to try my best.

"Beautiful isn't it? You never got to see it," I watch as he struggles to come up with an excuse for my absence. I know him and the way it must be chafing his ego that I left him. "Before. But the past is the past." He smiles in what I'm sure he thinks is a disarming way, but it never quiet reaches his eyes. Those blue eyes are beautiful like a sculpture from a failed artist. All the beauty, no soul. "You get to see it now. I've dusted a bit and thrown fresh sheets on the bed. I figure later, once you've earned it," he stares me down like he's just waiting for me to argue. "You can pick out some decorations to make this place feel a bit homier.

I try to smile in a subdued way, but it must be a tad bit wobbly or just not right enough for what he was expecting judging by the sharp, exasperated tone of his voice as he sighs. "I'm trying to make things work between us despite your insistence on being difficult Calista. You could at least try to meet me halfway."

"I'm sorry Colt," I lie. "It's cozy, cute. I appreciate the work you've put into making this comfortable for us. Truly." The words burn coming from my mouth, like battery acid. I doubt I'm that believable an actress, but he seems willing to accept it and gives me a small nod.

Too afraid to make the wrong move, I spin around slowly, taking in my surroundings. It wasn't a complete lie that the space is cute and cozy. Pine log walls surround us and various sized and colored stones make up the large fireplace on one wall. In the winter, this would be straight out of a children's story with the roaring fire and stockings on the mantle. The guys would love it, all remote with not a soul to catch them free and above ground where they belong. I'm sure the hunting out here is plentiful.

The four spaces in my heart they managed to carve out ache at the thought of what could have been, even with two of those spaces having a cave in. my stubborn heart still holds out hope they'll dig their way back through.

Old plaid curtains cover the many windows, despite the lack of neighbors and I can tell this place hasn't seen a woman's touch in years, but it knew of one. Most likely a hunting/fishing cabin for some married man with a wife and two point five kids that had long since grown and gone off into the world and he had to go away once a month to escape a dead end nine to five that he had gotten when he was a young man with hopes of a grander future. His wife understood his need for escape as on his fishing weekends, she and her girlfriends would escape to some chic boutique hotel and have a time and the spa and brunch all the next day until it was time to come home. She had some decorations delivered after some pestering about the layout, all to the specifications of things she had turned down in their family home and to insure he wasn't sleeping on some rickety old pull out couch that would hurt his aching back and he would inevitably complain about, but do nothing to fix. This mystery man's wife was thoughtful like that.

Thinking of these possible previous owners was infinitely better than my own predicament. Remote locations are perfect until you're trying to escape from one. Jaxson had already shown me that I would only escape if he allowed it, and I was pretty sure he likes me. Colt wants to own me. Here, alone with him, he all but does. Everything but my thoughts. How long can I keep those mine before he owns those too?

The scent of orange leather polish and Butch's Bore Shine assaults my nose as he leans over my shoulder. Normally he tries to cover it with cologne, but he's not pretending for anyone else out here. "Don't you want to get cleaned up for lunch?"

"Yes, I was just thinking of doing so. I just wasn't sure where I could find a change of clothes or the bathroom," I tell him.

"Bathroom is down the hall and to your left. I already put a change of clothes in there for you and anything you'll need. No razor, but I did get you some hair removal cream to neaten yourself up with. Want you to look and feel your best."

"Thank you for thinking of everything," I smile whilst I scream on the inside.

"Of course, Doll. You're home now."

The walk down the hall feels like a funeral march, my own. It's odd. I feel my feet as they take each long step and I see the walls change as I walk past the kitchen and doors that I assume lead to closets and bedrooms, but have no interest in investigating. The only choice I have is whether or not to make myself vulnerable with only a thin door between us or he will barge in here to make sure I prepare myself to his specifications if I take too long. With no clear guidelines, that could be an impossible five minutes from now. It's happened before. No, my best course of action is just to go along with his whims until I can gain a modicum of his trust. He won't believe any of it now, but he wants to. He needs to. I'll do what I must to survive. I always have.

The pale-yellow sundress waiting for me alongside the towel mocks my determined thoughts.