My mouth felt like it was glued together from the inside. Blood, thick saliva, and dry pasty lips filled my tastebuds. Bile rose in my throat and I tried to move my arms but they were held down. I started to panic when I couldn't move my legs or open my eyes. Whimpering, I stopped moving my head. I remembered how Tyler bashed my head against the wooden dresser. I remembered how his fist collided with my face. My whole being felt swollen. Now I felt the pain. I was laying down, I figured out after the pain started to simmer. It was soft. A bed. I blinked a few times and realized I was blindfolded. My wrist and ankles were connected to the bed frame. The blindfold material was heavy and I couldn't tell if it was light out.

"Awake?"

My body lurched forward, lips peeled apart, shoulders cracked and popped. "T-tyler?" I rasped after a few minutes.

"Who said it was your daddy?" Surprisingly, gentle hands met my hands but I still flinched violently. The blindfold was pulled off. I immediately searched for a window. Black out curtains but I saw the light seeping through and felt the heat on my skin coming from outside. It had to be the afternoon now.

My eyes landed on Rudy's face. He was an average looking man. I didn't think much of him at all. How was anybody supposed to know he was dangerous? No crazily arched eyebrows, dark eye makeup— just a man. A horrible man. "You like staring, don't you?"

"Why am I here?" I asked tiredly. I knew, but I wanted to hear it from him.

He dragged a finger down my cheek. I shuddered. "You're a nervous little thing." I closed my eyes and my body shook with silent tears. A sharp pinch to my dry lips made my eyes open. "I'm not sure why you're asking questions. I know that whore told you everything."

"Don't talk about her like that."

Rudy grasped my face again. My tears multiplied, not liking his hands on me. "That's cute. You like her." I didn't answer. "What I don't understand is that you are defending someone who went to your boyfriend's house about... almost two weeks ago now."

"That's not true," I said quietly. He wouldn't do that to me. He could've been with anyone but her. I would've wanted him to be with anyone but her.

Rudy leaned down and whispered in my ear, "I know it's true because I'm the one who drove her there."

I took a deep breath and said simply. "Okay. Now tell me why I'm here."

Rudy compiled to my surprise and got off the bed, circled the small, un-decorated room. "You see, Florencio likes the chase. He's not wrong for it though." He grinned. "Because I love it too. I knew that Natalie met nothing anymore. Taking her in was just fun. Oh, but with you..." Rudy's eyes gleamed. "You're more to Florencio than she ever was. You're the real deal." He sat on the edge of the bed now, shook my legs. "It was just supposed to be the three of us but who knew you're deadbeat dad is one of my workers. I was just gonna kill him, he's already dead, isn't he? The apartment building, setting that on fire was smart. Got out of being with your bitch mom and taking care of you."

I let my head fall to the side. It was too much right now. I couldn't do it. "Please stop."

"Huh!? Why should I? You asked me!" He wrapped a hand around my throat. A choking sound escaped me. I stretched my neck as much as I could and bit him. I wiggled my head around too, letting him know I would rip his hand off if I could. A loud slap echoed through the room. My mouth unhinged.

"Before the party, Florencio told you he was leaving, didn't he? He was gonna kill me and leave. He's a coward and wouldn't have been able to take the guilt. Even if it's just a sucker like me."

That conversation was unimportant now, but it made me wonder if he did leave, would he really come back for me? Rudy was making me question myself. Damnit. My insecurities about him got me into trouble. Not that it was all because of me, but I caused a lot of it.

Rudy hummed. "His accountability is shit and you know it too. Tyler was supposed to see you at the party and you weren't there. Florencio lied."

"I was in the living room and fell asleep so my head was down. Also Florencio didn't even know I was gonna be there."

He didn't care much for the explanation and I sighed.

"Florencio paid all the money and more yesterday," he said suddenly and I perked up. He did? "Shit from a year ago, shit I didn't even know he did to me!" He got up and punched a wall, but it wasn't hallow. Rudy yelled in agony and held his hand to his chest. "I was sitting here wondering why some fucking nobody is beating me. Succeeding." He turned to me and his eyes were wild. "So I'm gonna get him here, squeeze some more money out of him, and take it all for myself. Then I'll kill your father and Florencio too."

"What about me?" My throat seemed to fill with needles every time I spoke.

He roared with laughter. "I'll kill you too, Parker. Don't look too serious. You'll have fun, trust me." He patted my cheek. "I'm sure that's what Florencio has told you many times. Trust me."

I nodded, feeling defeated.

-

Rudy made me get up and use the restroom. He hung a sheet between the sink and toilet so he could watch me from the hallway, make sure I didn't try and escape. Knowing someone was listening to me use the toilet made me incredibly anxious. My stomach popped and cramped with the need to do more than pee. However, the stress, knowing he could hear and see me, I was unable to. I pulled up my sweatpants miserably and washed my hands in the small bucket that sat in the sink. There was no running water.

My location was still odd to me. The room was similar to a motel, but this had bedrooms, like a suite. Rudy made sure I didn't know more than that because he forced me to walk with my head down everywhere we went. Right now, I was sitting on the bed I woke up in and wincing with each bite. The stale crackers didn't do justice for my hunger.

Rudy suddenly snatched the bag away and forced me down onto the bed. I let him chain me back up. He gave me water through a syringe and watched my face intensely as I drank.

"Tyler beat the shit out of you."

I looked away from him.

"Well, he'll be here later tonight and you can have a long chat with your daddy." Suddenly he had his hand pressed to my throat. Gasping, I stared at him, silently begging him to let go. "Mention the plan and I'll shoot him on the spot, and when Florencio gets here, he can watch as I slit your pretty throat."

"Stop," I rasped. My neck muscles strained and it turned painful. "I won't say a word. Please don't hurt Florencio."

Rudy chuckled and released me. "Why do you care so much for him, mmh? Aren't you mad he kept your daddy a secret?"

Ashamed, I didn't say anything. I was mad at him since the breakup until now. He did it to keep me safe. Knowing about my father was going to get me killed. Being with Florencio only, the threat with Rudy was small. Maybe he would've finally paid him off and we could've been happy.

"You are angry, aren't you? Dumb bitch. Not knowing your father was probably the best thing that could've happened to you." Rudy made his way to the door and before he left he said, "don't think about what would've been. Florencio was bound to die since day one. From the first day he became a part of this world." He smiled. "Guess you too."

The same tiring routine followed for what seemed like forever.

Where was Florencio? Panic bloomed hot and fast in my stomach. Did I press send? I think I did... but now I wasn't sure. Did Florencio even know something happened to me? I can only assume Tyler was going to send Florencio the picture of me beaten. But when? This time I cried as quietly as I could. Whimpers swarmed the small room.

I wasn't sure if I was going to make it out alive. The possibility scared me. But what overpowered that was knowing that my lack of trust, miscommunications, and life decisions, me and Florencio wouldn't find the happiness we both craved.

-