no turning back

• twenty •

gladys

We'd been in the car for hours now—over three, according to the dashboard clock. My guilt climbed steadily higher with each passing mile.

This was a different kind of guilt than the one I'd felt while fleeing before, though. I was worried about Ben this time, instead of despising him for taking me away.

Ironically, I was now fleeing from Ben with Elijah instead of fleeing with Ben from Elijah. Neither situation gave me any choice in the matter and I only felt worse at realizing I was powerless to circumstance and someone else's will yet again.

Part of me was furious with Eli. He refused to tell me why the marriage was necessary or where we were going, except that our final destination wasn't Arkansas.

The other part of me, a much smaller part of me, was undeniably curious of what my life would look like now. Although I couldn't admit to myself let alone him, I was a little relieved to be with him again.

But I had no intention of letting that relief outweigh the rage of situation he'd put me in. He literally kidnapped me.

We stopped at a public park to use the bathroom. Elijah pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from the trunk for me to change into. My eyes roamed the park, noticing how empty it was.

I wondered if I would've had the courage to call out to someone should they been around. Probably not. I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Ben and I wasn't being chained down and tortured.

It seemed best to go along with things for now, even if my hope for escape dwindled with each passing minute.

When I emerged from the bathroom, changed into the baggy men's sweats that smelled like Elijah's spicy cologne, I heard the telltale sounds of a struggling woman. I bolted toward the car and saw Raman shoving Jesse into the backseat.

"Hey!" I hissed, running at them. "What are you doing?"

A hand caught my arm as I sped past Elijah's figure, which I hadn't noticed looming in the shadows of the restroom facility.

"She's being troublesome," he said. "We're moving her to the backseat."

"I wonder why!" I huffed, yanking my arm away from him. My eyes burned into his abysmal dark orbs. "You fucking kidnapped her! I'm sure she's probably thirsty, confused and scared."

I turned to stomp back to the car but he grabbed me again, this time jerking me into his chest. My body instinctively launched into fight mode as I dug the heels of my palms into the firm expanse of his chest.

"Would you rather I kill her?" he growled.

My gaze snapped back to his. Anger burned through me. I wanted to slap him again but I didn't to give him another reason to spank me. If I was going to keep a rational head, I had to keep his hands off my squishy bits.

"Let go of me," I seethed.

Elijah sighed but released me. I marched away before he could say anything more to piss me off. By the time I reached the car, Raman was filling a small syringe from a vial of clear fluid.

"Wait," I said, wedging myself between his body and the open car door. "Do you want her to piss her pants? She's been drugged all day. Let her use the bathroom and stretch her legs."