Farm Girl Loves Bad Boy (#2)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Patch’s screams echo in my ears as he cries out in agony. I can’t open my eyes or move as I will myself to reach him. It’s horrifying. I want to cover my ears and start screaming to cover up the noise but I can’t move my arms. Suddenly, there’s one scream much louder than the others. It’s the one that leaves his mouth when he gets shot.

My eyes fly open and I instantly regret it. I close them tightly, the light too bright for them to bear. My head is foggy as I try to remember where I am however I can’t place it. After everything rushes into my mind up until I passed out, I try to open my eyes.

Slowly, the light burns but it becomes easier to bear the longer I keep them open. Blinking a few times, I take in my surroundings. I’m in an empty basement. Completely empty, except for me of course. Wooden stairs sit about ten steps away, casting a shadow over me. There are two windows on the other side of the basement, only small rectangles too high to reach. All I can see through them is a bit of snow and a cloudy sky; nothing else.

I move my hand to scratch my forehead however it doesn’t move. Looking down at myself, I’m wearing the same clothes as last night, just jeans, a t-shirt, boots and a jacket. The only difference is the rope that’s around my waist, wrists and arms, bounding me together so I’m unable to move. I go to clench my teeth together in frustration when I realize there’s cloth tied around my head, sitting halfway in my mouth to prevent me from speaking or screaming. I try not to think about where it’s been as I begin to struggle, looking for a loose knot.

Tears fall from my eyes as I silently cry thinking of Patch and wondering if he’s alive. I hope that he is, but it’s extremely doubtful. Failed at trying to escape I shrug back against the wall I’ve been leaned against. I’ve probably lost Patch and now I have to do everything I can to prevent from losing Emery, too. After all, he’s the reason I’m here. A horrible thought creeps into my head and I bite my tongue. Emery Hastings is the reason my deceased sister’s horse is probably dead too.

I push the thought away, doing my best to not blame Emery when I hear a door swing open. A moment later I hear footsteps and watch feet come down the stairs, slowly turning into a person. Though, not just any person. It’s Keith.

“Well, well, well,” he says, clicking his tongue. He saunters over and stands over me with hands in his pockets. “We meet again, River.

I roll my eyes and try to talk, however the cloth in my mouth prevents me so. Keith laughs and walks over, but I shrink away from his reaching hands.

“Do you want to ability to speak?” He asks and I let him undo the cloth. I spit it out of my mouth as soon as it’s untied and desperately want to brush my teeth. Keith looks exactly the same. His head is still shaved, his face still appears tired and he wears the same usual clothes; jeans and a jacket.

“You are so cliché,” I mutter, trying to resist the urge to throw up from the cloth in my mouth. “Can you please untie me?”

Keith laughs and shakes his head. “No. However I do have a better offer.” I highly doubt it’s better so I roll my eyes. After thinking for a minute, I shrug and ask him what it is. “I’m going to tell you the plan to kill Emery.”

My eyes grow wide but I quickly narrow them to glare at Keith. “Like I said before, cliché. You know in every movie where the bad guy tells the plan, he ends up getting his ass kicked, right?”

“Not this time.” He lowers himself onto the ground and crosses his legs. He sits a few feet in front of me, smirking devilishly. “I assume you’re smart enough to know that you’re bait?” I give him a look and he shrugs. “Just making sure. Well, when Emery shows up, I, his father’s best friend, am going to do what Silas Hastings was supposed to do.” He smiles widely and puffs out his chest as if he’s giving an important speech. “I’m going to kill, Emery Hastings.”