UNDER

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Hadley

 BANG, BANG, BANG.

My cries for help instantly caught in my throat and the hope of being found turned into dread. Caden had threatened me with a variety of weapons since taking me. Shoving a gun in my face when I didn't refer to him as, "Sir," or holding a machete against my throat when I refused to eat the dinner he had prepared.

BANG, BANG, BANG.

The sounds of three more shots echoed through the small stone room.

I closed my eyes and waited as silence permeated the air. Rocking back and forth, I prayed for an unfamiliar face to appear, anyone besides Caden.

Laughter filled the small dank space and my chest tightened.

"No one messes with me," declared Caden wickedly. "No one comes to take what I've worked so hard to achieve."

"W- w- what did you do?" I stammered.

Staring into my eyes, he shook his head. "I handled it, that's all you need to know."

"Handled what?" I asked in a shaky voice.

"I said," Caden took several steps forward, "I handled it."

In the blink of an eye, he whipped a small revolver out of his waistband and pointed it at my head.

"I just saved you," he seethed, "and if you ask even one more question, I will pull this trigger so fast you won't even have time to beg for mercy!"

I pressed my lips together and tried to calm the terror circulating through my veins.

"Now," he said waving the gun in the air, "I planned on moving us into better quarters, but you know how it goes, houses aren't cheap. I've been saving up since the first day I met you. I knew we would be together. I knew we would fall in love and grow old together."

A single tear slid down my cheek as he began shoving supplies into a large dark green duffel bag.

"I don't have enough to put a deposit down on a house and to be honest, my credit isn't great," he said as he picked up an empty can of corn. "So, it looks like we're going to have to find something to hold us over in the meantime."

My chains clanked together as my entire body began to shake.

"Don't worry though," he said winking at me. "I always have a back up plan ready, Hadley."

Thoughts of my family flashed through my mind. The mountaintop home I grew up in, our nightly dinners around a thick oak table, my little sister's laughter as she watched Saturday morning cartoons in her pajamas.

"Now, I hate to have to do this," said Caden, "but I'm not sure if we have another choice."

He grabbed a small rag and a glass bottle out of a plastic container in the corner of the room.

My eyes went wide. "No, no, please don't!"

"I want to trust you," said Caden walking toward me. "I really do, Had."

"You can trust me! I promise," I pleaded.

Caden laughed and shook his head.

I held my hands up, trying to keep my face hidden.

"Don't make this any more difficult then it needs to be," said Caden.

He knelt down beside me and grabbed the chains holding my wrists together. Giving them a sharp tug, he forced my hands down into my lap.

I turned my head to the side, trying desperately to avoid the damp rag.

"I said, DON'T," snarled Caden as he grabbed my throat and shoved my head into wall.

Excruciating pain shot through my skull as Caden forced the rag against my nose and mouth.

"Now go to sleep," he growled.

A moment later, everything faded to black.

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Hey, Undies/Lovelies!

Hope you loved the latest installment of Under!

I'd really appreciate your positive thoughts, as I've come down with shingles, again. Yuck! Being so sick is making it a bit harder to update regularly; however, I'll try my best for you all! <3

Hearts,

Kelly Anne Blount xoxo