Vacant Horizons Read online

  My body stiffened but I managed to maintain my composure. I couldn’t let the girl at the desk know that anything was wrong and I couldn’t let him know that I was so terrified of him that I was trying not to piss myself right there at the front desk.

  I didn’t answer Jaxton with words. Words meant nothing to him. Instead, I answered him by pushing myself slightly back against his body which caused him to relax.

  “I thought you were going to run,” he said quietly with a chuckle.

  I shook my head.

  “Miss Zeric?” the girl at the front desk said. I looked up at her and raised an eyebrow.

  I had suddenly lost all forms of verbal communication. I refused to speak unless he told me that I could. Like I said, words didn’t mean shit to Jax, but if he owned you, you couldn’t speak unless you were granted permission. Freedom, my ass. As long as he’s alive, I’ll always be his to control, I thought miserably.

  “I just need you to sign here and here,” she said, sliding a piece of paper across the desk toward me.

  I reached for a pen, hands shaking, and Jax chuckled behind me. He moved his hands off of the desk and used them to rub my arms in an attempt to get me to calm down. I swallowed hard as I signed my name in the places she indicated and slid the paper back to her.

  “Thank you,” she said with a smile as she turned her attention back to the computer.

  I cleared my throat and stood there while he kept rubbing my arms. That’s when I saw the girl stealing glances at him. Lustful glances that I completely understood because like I said before; you’ll never see a man that looks like him and he is damn beautiful.

  “Are we done here?” he asked, leaning closer to me and resting his chin on the top of my head.

  “Just one sec...” the girl said as she quickly tapped a couple of buttons on the keyboard. “Alright! You’re all set, Miss Zeric and Mr...?”

  “Whitlock,” he replied.

  She nodded and smiled flirtatiously. I rolled my eyes and turned my head slightly. If she wanted him, he was all hers. I didn’t care what the fuck he would do to her, I just didn’t want to be involved. Maybe if he took her, he’d forget about me.

  “Well, we hope you enjoyed your stay, Miss Zeric,” she said, staring into Jaxton’s eyes.

  “Did you enjoy your stay?” he asked me, moving his chin away and leaning around to look at me.

  “Yes. Thank you,” I said to him more than to her.

  He pulled his body away from me slowly. I waited until he had completely removed himself from me and had stepped back a little before I reached down, grabbed my bag, and turned to face him.

  Oh shit.

  Today Jaxton had what I had come to refer to as wild eyes. Even though his voice was calm and smooth, I could see in his eyes that today was not one of his good days. Today I would be Riley and he would be the ever-loving sadistic bastard that would do anything to keep me.

  I did the only thing I could do. I turned and ran out of the lobby doors as fast as my legs would carry me. I didn’t know where I was going or where anything was really, but if I knew I’d swim across the ocean if I had too to get away from him.

  Jax chuckled when I ran out the doors. I heard it and I used it as fuel to keep me running as I navigated my way through the streets of Sydney.

  Somewhere in the busy streets of Sydney, I managed to lose my bag. It fell out of my hands, but I kept running. I didn’t know if he had given chase and I sure as fuck wasn’t going to stop and see. Nothing in that bag couldn’t be replaced. Nothing in that bag was worth my life, because I had decided to run from him, it was my life on the line now.

  Eventually I stopped running. Eventually I became so overcome by thirst, that I found myself hiding in a coffee shop pulling money out of my bra and grabbing three bottles of water. I paid for them and went and sank into a chair in the back of the shop in the darkest corner I could find. Considering it was a bright, beautiful day in Sydney, I knew there was no darkness to hide in so I was really just trying to make myself feel better by hiding in the furthest corner from the door.

  I was halfway through my second bottle of water when I capped it and pushed it away. I folded my arms on the table and rested my head on it. How could I have gotten my information so mixed up? I could’ve sworn that he was supposed to be out of the country, but instead he was right there the entire time.

  Suddenly a horrible realization washed over me. I hadn’t just dropped my vacation bag, I had dropped my purse. I was officially stuck in Sydney unless I doubled back and a miracle happened.

  Okay Jaxton, I thought feeling myself becoming angry. Looks like we have no choice but to finish this once and for all.

  Three

  293 days of freedom and I wondered how it was possible to still feel so trapped. I had managed to get a little side job in a gentlemen’s club as a bartender the day after I ran from Jaxton. As I wiped down the top of the bar and was getting the bottles ready for when the club opened in an a few minutes, I found myself thinking about him.

  The weight of his body against me would have been sort of welcomed in a different way then he had done so in the hotel. That was one of his many ways to control though, push you up against something and pin you there while he did whatever the hell he wanted. Sometimes he just wanted to see if he could keep your attention. Other times he just wanted to stop your lungs from taking in air.

  I’ve said it before, I know I have, but I cannot put into words how simply deranged Jaxton Whitlock happened to be.

  There were times that I did find myself pitying him and wanting to help. On his good days when he would sit in his living room eating his goddamn Weet-Bix and watching television like nothing horrendous was running through his mind. On those days, I would sit on the couch with him or on the floor next to him, whichever he allowed me, and we would just watch whatever programs were on and chat like friends.

  On his bad days I was Riley and he wanted to do everything he could to keep me alive and never let me go. Those were the days he’d promise me the world while he hogtied me and suspended me above his bed before forcing himself into my mouth, thrusting over and over until I would gag and spit up all over him.

  I noticed that’s when it would be easiest for him to ... finish. When I was tied up and in pain and he was able to use me however he wanted, but for some reason, hearing me gag always did it for him.

  “Tuesday! Are you gonna wipe the finish off of the bar?”

  I shook away the memory and glanced over at Owen who was the owner of the club. He was leaning against the end of the bar and grinning at me with his dark green eyes lighting up in amusement.

  Owen Kelly seemed to be a good man. He gave me a job when I wandered in asking if there were anyway for me to earn money that didn’t involve me showing my tits off. His laughter at that moment had put me at ease and the way he ran his hands back through his light brown hair told me that he wasn’t a threat. If anything, I think he had just experienced a crush at first sight. And even though I had sometimes enjoyed being with Jaxton, I was still more interested in women than men, so I tried not to pay his blushing face and nervous smile too much attention.

  Owen’s body was nicely built; nowhere near as big as Jax which gave me some comfort. He was tall though, maybe Jax’s height, maybe a bit taller. I wasn’t sure but I knew that I would forever compare every man to Jaxton Whitlock from that moment on.

  “Sorry, boss,” I said in a teasing manner. Owen blushed and moved down to the stool in front of me and sat down. Even though I didn’t think I was interested him in that way, I didn’t mind a little flirtation here and there.

  “Ready for tonight?” he asked, the grin still on his boyishly handsome face.

  “Always am!”

  “Good. Are you sure about not wanting to be on stage, though? I think you’d make a hell of a lot more money out here than behind there,” he said, using his chin to point from one place to the other.

  I threw the rag at him and shook my head. H
e shrugged and grabbed the rag from his shoulder where it had landed and tossed it back at me.

  I smiled.

  Owen smiled.

  And there’s the uncomfortable silence that follows that routine, I thought ruefully to myself. I would never trust him or anyone for that matter. Keeping the bar between myself and the “gentlemen” that entered the club was exactly how I liked it.

  “Hey Tuesday!” a voice called out cheerfully.

  I glanced to my left and saw Samantha Galloway (stage name Capri Skye) had just wandered out of the backstage area and sat down on the empty stool next to Owen. Now it was my turn to blush; I had something of a crush on her and whenever I saw her I felt myself become nervous. Unfortunately I was never sure if it was a normal crush or the kind of crush Jax had on Riley. The capture them, make them your humiliated and terrified sexual slave, and dispose of them when you’re done (unless you find someone like Riley) type of crush.

  Since I couldn’t tell the difference anymore, I did my best to keep the bar between her and myself. Besides, it had been so long since I had sex with another woman that I didn’t know if I’d be any good at it anymore.

  Now you on the other hand, I thought turning my gaze back toward Owen, could be a lot of fun.

  Owen smiled at me when he realized my gaze was fixed on him again and I sighed.

  The three of us now shared an awkward silence. She put her chin in her hand and glanced at the clock on the wall behind me and Owen, ever the love sick bastard, was stealing glances at me as he glanced around the bar.

  “Everything seems ready,” I finally said, breaking the silence.

  “Yeah, I'm gonna go backstage and relax for a while,”she said, getting up from her chair and waving at us.

  Us. The two tragic halves of a love story that would never be written. It was a shame in a way and in another way, it was a great comfort that I could still function enough somewhat to be able to distinguish love from bitter cruelty. I cleared my throat and turned my back to Owen as I looked for a place to toss my hand towel. Of course I knew where it went; in the gray plastic bucket it always went in, but now that I was alone with him again, I didn’t want him to linger. I didn't want those thoughts of making him my next mark to start to flow through my body, because once the urge hit me, it would be no turning back. Owen would become another dump and I would have to contact Jaxton to let him know before I started. After running away from him, I planned to get lost in the soulless shuffle of humanity until I could save enough money to leave Australia. I hated the idea of leaving my home, but I knew it would be the only way that I could stay safe and possibly have a chance at being a normal person again.

  “You like her, don't you?” Owen suddenly asked.

  Guess the old back turning trick didn’t give him the hint, I thought as I rolled my eyes.

  “Huh?” I asked, turning to face him.

  “Samantha? You like her. I can tell,” he said with a sad smile on his face.

  “What makes you think that?” I asked in a more irritable tone than I had intended.

  “Because you look at her the way I look at you,” he replied softly.

  I started to inspect my nails. If I was being that obvious then I would have to say something redeeming. Or at the very least charming.

  “How do you look at me?” I asked, still staring at my nails.

  Owen laughed good-naturedly. “Come on Tuesday, I know you're not blind.”

  I looked up at him slowly and the way his eyes sparkled when he smiled struck something deep inside me.

  The urge.

  The hunger.

  It was back.

  “Follow me back to my place tonight when we’re done here,” I suggested with a grin. It wasn't my grin, I knew it wasn't. It was the monster that was lurking inside me; the monster that told me its been too long. The monster that wanted Owen and the monster that needed to see Jaxton. I officially wasn't myself anymore; I was the girl that Jax called Riley and I was going to feed the monsters needs.

  Four

  The night dragged on viciously, causing me to spend most of my time trying not to snap at the gentleman customers. I did my best to try to maintain an interested smile and demeanor even though I knew what would happen in a mere few hours.

  I’d feed the beast that was in me and I’d be able to move on. Or maybe I wouldn’t have to leave because my cravings would die with Owen. I didn’t know but I wanted nothing more than to find out.

  Hang in there Tuesday. You’ll be able to bring Tempest to the surface soon, I thought as I hurriedly scrubbed the bar top.

  “Careful or I’ll have to replace that,” Owen said suddenly appearing behind the bar with me.

  I smiled and threw the dirty rag at him. If it were up to me, he would’ve closed the doors for the night and let the girls have a holiday, but it was his business and this was how he made his money.

  “Sorry, I’m just kind of excited,” I replied truthfully.

  “Me too,” he confessed, as he walked past me and grinned.

  I watched as he started to countdown the money in the register and raised an eyebrow. I had never seen him do that before when the place was still open.

  “I can feel your eyes on me. We closed ten minutes ago, Tuesday,” he said with a laugh as he continued counting.

  I finished cleaning up the rest of the bar, putting the bottles away, grabbing the wet rags, and tossing them into a container I had for them. I told Owen I would meet him outside and that he could follow me home. I felt a charge going through me; the sheer excitement of knowing that I would be feeding the monster soon was starting to make me tremble slightly. I ran to the back of the establishment past all of the half-naked girls who were putting on their regular clothes, and found my little side office. Inside was my purse and as I fished around inside of it for the keys, I wondered how long I would be able to keep him alive. I wondered if he would be as easy as the last mark or if he would prove to be a challenge like Riley was to Jaxton.

  My fingers brushed against a cool, long tube and I pulled it out to stare at it. It had been so long since I had stuck anyone that I wondered if the tranquilizer inside of it was still any good or not. I removed the cap on the bottom of the syringe and gave the top a gentle squeeze. The clear liquid shot out of the tip of the needle and I felt a sudden rush of euphoria. Jax had once confessed to me that this was what he had used on Riley and what was best for abductions. I quickly recapped it, still not knowing if the Xylazine was still viable. I also had to remember not to administer too much or I would kill him since it was an animal tranquilizer. I guess I’ll just have to take that chance, I thought with a shrug as I carefully placed back inside my purse in the zipper compartment. I wanted to be sure that I didn’t drop it and shatter it.

  With trembling hands, I tucked my purse underneath my arm and closed my office door securely as soon as I walked out. No sooner had I turned around that I ran into Owen who had been apparently waiting for me outside the office.

  “Shit,” I muttered as my purse fell to the ground.

  “Sorry about that,” he said with a laugh. “Didn’t mean to scare you, I was just coming to see if you were okay. You seemed to be taking a while.”

  “I’m fine,” I replied reaching for the bag and gently squeezing the sides to feel for liquid. I breathed a small sigh of relief after not detecting any dampness. The syringe surviving the impact made me absolutely sure that Owen was meant to be my next victim.

  “So, you’re going to follow me home right?” I asked, leading the way down the hallway. He fell into step next to me and nodded.

  “I’m happy you decided to give me a chance,” he said with a smile. So am I, I thought grimly to myself. It would only take about twenty minutes to get from work to the place I now called home, in a seemingly innocent home. What lied underneath the home was my own personal Alone Room. I had constructed it since moving in and even though it wasn’t as fancy as Jaxton’s it was mine and would serve my needs for tonight.<
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  “Are you okay, Tuesday? You seem a little ... guarded all of a sudden,” he said as soon as we stepped outside and he locked the front door.

  “I’m fine,” I said again.

  He slid the keys to his club into his pocket and crossed his arms over his chest. I felt his eyes on me, even though I was busy studying my fingernails. It was obvious that he was trying to decide if coming with me would be a good idea. It was even more obvious that I was going to have to inject him right here and drag him to my car.

  “Hm. I just want to make sure you’re still okay with me coming over is all. I mean normally, you’ll say a few things to me throughout your shift, but we’ve never hung out before,” he said with a shrug as we finally started walking toward the parking lot.

  I gave him a side glance and a smile. Nothing too toothy, sinister, or tight lipped. I wanted Owen to believe that we were going to hang out. That it would be a normal night that would lead to sex, ruin our work relationship, and end up with me getting fucked on top the bar when the club was closed. It was what he wanted and needed to believe.

  “Where are you parked?” I asked clumsily. I knew that his car was next to mine but I had to say something, anything that sounded remotely human at the moment.

  Owen raised an eyebrow at me and chuckled as he walked past my car toward his, “Right here. Hey, Tuesday, come here for a sec.”

  I sighed impatiently and went over to where he stood next to the driver’s side door of his black, sleek Holden Colorado pickup truck. He smiled at me for a moment as he leaned against the window, his hands in his pockets, looking at me like a nervous little boy.

  “Well? What is it?” I asked curiously.

  “This,” he whispered.

  A flash of silver and a series of quick movements followed. By the time I finally understood what was happening to me again, he pushed down gently on the plunger and my world started to go from a beautiful night sky to a nightmarish darkness.

  A few days later I woke up. My head was throbbing. I put a hand groggily to my forehead and sighed unevenly. What the hell happened to me? I couldn’t remember what happened and the blinding headache I was fighting hadn’t been helping matters any. I blinked rapidly a few times to try to push the fuzzy feeling away and could almost swear I heard voices. I tried to push myself up to a seated position, but something was restraining around my left wrist making it almost impossible for me to sit up.