Apartment 2B (21 page)

Looking around, I still don’t see anyone, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that
it’s the asshole from the third floor. He’d laid low for so long that we stupidly
dismissed that he was a threat. Fuck! Assessing my situation, I realize that I’ve
been fucking duct taped to the chair. My head is pounding hard due to whatever I was
hit with earlier.

Sidney softly moans from the bed but doesn’t come to yet. My heart races with fury
as I wonder if he’s touched her sexually or not. I’m pretty sure he just touched her
in general, which probably caused her to faint in shock. When she awakens, she’s going
to fucking flip out. I swear to God, if he hurts her…

The front door to the apartment slams shut and heavy footsteps make their way into
the bedroom. Straining to look toward the doorway, my suspicions are confirmed when
I see the fucker in the doorway. He’s a big-ass dude, but as angry as I am right now,
I could fucking tear his head off.

His dark chuckle rumbles in his chest, only pissing me off more.

“Don’t fucking touch her or I will kill you,” I growl as I try to make eye contact
with him over my shoulder.

Saving me the strain, he walks farther into the room and sits on the bed near Sidney’s
feet. “Boy, you’re an idiot. How can you threaten me when you’re taped to the fucking
chair? That’s rich.” He laughs again with absolutely no humor.

I squirm to no avail. He’s got me restrained so that I’m not going anywhere unless
he allows it.

“Fuck!” I spit out at him.

In a one swift movement, he goes from sitting on the bed to standing before me with
a hand on my throat. I thrash from side to side as much as I can, but he just grips
it tighter.

“I would enjoy killing you now, but I want you to watch me while I fuck your girlfriend.
I’ll decide later who gets to watch who be killed.”

His eyes are wild, and in this moment, I know that I’m dealing with a mentally unstable
person. Thankfully he releases my neck and glares down at me.

“Dude, why the fuck are you doing this?” I choke out in a raspy voice, trying a different
approach. One that isn’t as harsh.

Once again, his eyes flare with fury, but he doesn’t attempt to choke me again. Instead,
he stalks back over to Sidney.

“Don’t touch her!” I yell, no longer interested in talking to him calmly.

He snaps his head back at me. “I’ll do as I fucking please,” he snarls back. His lip
is curled up and he looks like a rabid dog about to bite. Looking back down at her,
he places a finger at her ankle and slowly drags it all the way up her leg. When he
gets to her thigh, he goes slower and I swear my vision turns red.

“Stop it, motherfucker!” I snap, attempting to distract him from his task.

I expect him to have another nasty comeback, but he just grins over at me. With his
eyes on me, he continues his exploration up her thigh and settles his hand between
her legs. When she whimpers, thankfully still mostly out of it, I know that he’s violated
her.

Swaying my weight as much as I can to get his attention, I finally rock hard enough
to one side that I send myself flying to the floor. I’m nearly knocked out again as
the side of my head hits the floor with a loud thud. It’s distracted him though, because
he grunts and stomps over to me. Since he’s a fucking giant, he easily lifts the chair
again and sets it right.

“Don’t fucking do that again or I’ll just slit your throat. You’re pissing me off,”
he threatens.

Lifting his bulky hand to my face, he swipes his finger under my nose. When I get
a whiff of my sweet girl, I’m horrified. A string of curse words leave my lips as
he stalks out of the room. I’m still cussing like a sailor when he covers my mouth
with a piece of duct tape.

“There,” he says simply. Proud of himself. Fucker.

Now, I am stuck watching whatever horrors he plans on doing to Sidney. A growl rumbles
in my chest.

“Now, where was I?” he asks as he walks back over to her. “Ah, yes. I remember—I had
my finger in her pussy.”

A slamming noise in the kitchen grabs our attention. Pulling away from her, he slowly
walks into the other room to investigate the noise. I see Sidney’s eyes suddenly fly
open. She surveys the room and they widen when she sees me strapped to the chair.
Popping up from the bed, she hurries over to me and tries to undo my hands. When she
kneels down, her hot breath tickles my hands as I feel her trying to tear at the tape
with her teeth.

“I can’t get it,” she hisses, standing quickly and bringing her face to mine. Swiftly,
she pulls the tape off and balls it up. Bringing her lips to mine, she chastely kisses
my stinging lips.

“Sidney, go lock yourself in the bathroom. You have to get away from him,” I whisper
urgently to her.

She just shakes her head and kneels back down, attempting to release my hands, resorting
to try to loosen the tape by pulling it instead of tearing it. I feel that it’s giving
a bit but not enough. When footsteps stomp back into the room, she shrinks away from
the bastard and puts herself on the side of the bed that’s farthest away from him.

“Oh, the precious little girl has woken up. Perfect. I wanted to see your eyes while
I do the list of things I’ve been planning to do to you. I’ve only wanted this time
ever since the moment I laid eyes on you. You keep fucking passing out every time
I touch you though, which has been a problem. What the fuck is that all about, little
girl?”

I decide to distract him so she can try and escape. She meets my eyes and I try desperately
to convey a silent message to her. A message to run when she gets the chance.

“Leave her alone, fucker. I don’t know what kind of sick, perverted person you are,
but you need to leave,” I spit out at him menacingly.

He glares at me and makes his way over to where I am still strapped down. From the
corner of my eye, I see her crawl up onto the bed. I just need to distract him long
enough for her to escape.

“You’re such a sick bastard that you can’t even get a woman on your own. You have
to accost them. Nothing but a fucking loser,” I taunt. It works because he lunges
at me with both hands.

Thick hands wrap around my throat once again, and my vision quickly begins to turn
black around the edges. Hopefully it’s enough of a distraction that Sidney can make
it out.

“Get your hands off of him!” she shrieks.

Fuck!

She leaps off of the bed and jumps onto his back. Her adrenaline must be pumping because
she isn’t worried about touching anyone. She’s just trying her damnedest to protect
me. I get a glimpse of her icy-blue eyes, and they blaze furiously as she tries to
attack her much larger opponent. Her arms lock around his neck, as do her legs around
her waist.

He releases me and stumbles backward, falling onto the bed. She’s trapped under his
back, grunting under his weight. Somehow, he quickly overpowers her, twisting so that
he pins her underneath him, chest to chest.

“You’re a feisty little one. I’m going to enjoy this,” he grumbles and licks her cheek.

All fight instantly dissipates from her and her body goes rigid. She’s struggling
to free her wrists from his grasp, but this time I know it’s because she wants to
claw the hell out of her face where he licked her. Her eyes went from determined and
protective to wild and frantic.

The bedroom door suddenly slams shut and we all jerk our heads toward the sound. Nobody
comes into the room, but the temperature suddenly feels much cooler.

“Liam,” Sidney whispers and smiles despite the precarious position she is in.

The asshole and I look around, but neither of us seems to see him.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, lady? There’s no one there,” he spits but quickly
gets to his feet anyway. Making his way to me, he rips off another strip of tape and
slaps it over my mouth before I can even struggle because I’m too busy looking at
Sidney.

She looks so fucking happy, and my heart clenches painfully. Can she really see him?
My brother?

When the jerk realizes that there is no threat in the room, he turns back to Sidney.
The look of resolution in his eyes scares me to death. Whatever he plans to do is
happening now. Shit! I start screaming through the tape and work at the semi-loose
tape that has my hands bound. She’s still smiling over at nothing when the creep licks
his lips at her.

Everything suddenly is a blur. The bedside lamp sails through the air and slams him
in the side of the head, showering glass over me. What in the fuck? Liam has to be
here. My heart thumps happily that my brother—in some form—is here.

The giant falls to the ground on his back. Sidney is on her knees at the edge of the
bed, watching the scene unfold in awe. The asshole seems to have passed out. It’s
as though she forgets that I’m sitting strapped to the chair because I watch her eyes
follow empty air across the room. Her smile is breathtaking.

“Liam, you came back,” she whispers hopefully.

My heart sinks. The look on her face is so sweet. She loves my brother—it’s written
clear as day over her features. Is it possible to be jealous of my dead brother? Yes,
I think I am.

“Where did you go?” she asks sadly as tears fill her eyes. Her bottom lip is quivering
until she bites it to stop it. She shakes her head as if to argue. “But why can’t
you stay with us? I miss you. Lane misses you,” she murmurs.

She turns to me and looks very close to breaking down. “Lane, please tell him to stay
with us. Please!” Tears fall guiltily down her face when she realizes that I still
have tape covering my mouth. She hops off the bed and rips it from my lips. I wince
in pain but turn my gaze to where she is looking.

I’m uncomfortable talking to the air, but I know she wants me to. Plus, I feel his
presence here. No fucking denying that.

“Liam, I miss you buddy,” I begin. A cool, soft wind ruffles my hair and tears fill
my eyes. “I miss you so much, brother, but you need to move on. You’ll find peace
where you’re going. You’ll see Mom and Dad. Tell them I love them.”

Sidney begins to sob from beside me, still making no moves to undo the tape around
my hands or feet. “Lane, I don’t want him to leave. Liam, please don’t go!”

The cool, comforting presence leaves me, and I see her follow him again with her eyes
until he must be right in front of her. Without seeing anything, I know he is reaching
for her because I see her flinch—almost imperceptibly, but it’s there. My heart beats
wildly because I’m still the one who can touch her without her having anxiety or fear.
Liam must have acknowledged it too because she starts sobbing louder.

“No, Liam, please! I’m getting better. Please try again. Don’t go!”

Her eyes flutter closed, and my heart clenches as I wonder if he’s kissing her. But
instead, the hair that’s fallen over her chest is suddenly swept back over her shoulder.
It is eerie to witness, but the look on her face is so beautiful—one of pure peace.

The spell is broken when a groan comes from the floor and the giant begins getting
to his feet. He’s plastered his menacing look back on his face, but he quickly replaces
it with one of horror as all hell breaks loose. At the same time, doors start opening
and slamming, shoes are flying through the air, and mirrors and light bulbs are bursting.
The noise all at once creates an unearthly roar that chills me to the bone.

The giant turns pasty white as he stumbles to exit the room as quickly as possible.
He is seemingly terrified as he fumbles to get the door open and bolts out. The moment
he leaves, all chaos stops and the silence is deafening. I can hear my heavy breathing
as I struggle to come to terms with what just happened.

As if remembering that I am bound to the chair, Sidney reluctantly turns away from
where she was staring and shakily comes over to me, working at the tape on my wrists.
Eventually, she gives up and hurries out of the room.

“Sidney, don’t go in there!” I shout. I’m afraid that the man might be waiting for
her.

My fears subside when she comes back in with a pair of scissors and kneels so she
can better access the tape. Seconds later, my hands are free and I am rubbing the
soreness out of them. She cuts the tape at my feet and stands up.

I stand quickly and pull her into my arms. “God, baby, you’re safe. I was so worried
about you. I guess we can thank Liam," I say and look around.

She pulls away and zeros in on where he must be standing. “Lane, he wants me to tell
you something,” she says and turns to smile at me.

I walk with her over to the bed and drag her into my lap. “Liam, just so you know,
this is really fucking weird as hell talking to the air, but I can sense that you
are here. I don’t understand how or why, but I know you are,” I tell him.

She turns her head to look at me and pecks me on the cheek, effectively making my
heart pound. “He says that he loves you and misses you like crazy. He also wants you
to know that he’s sorry. Sorry that he let you down—over and over again,” she whispers
with tears in her eyes.

I shake my head and squeeze her to me as I deliver my next words. “Man, you never
let me down. I loved…still love you so damn much. You hurt me with your choices and
you gutted me when you took your life, but you’ll always be my brother. Nothing will
change that. I love you, Liam.”

She turns back to him as she listens intently. “He loves you too and he says—Wait!
No, Liam, I’m not telling him that!” she giggles at him.

“Tell me what?”

“That you better treat me right or he’ll find a way to come back and haunt you.”

“Liam, I love her. I’ll take great care of her and won’t let you down. She means everything
to me,” I promise seriously.

Sidney suddenly goes from smiling to wailing. “No, don’t go!” she sobs and tries to
get up, but I snake my arms around her waist, holding her in place. She has to let
him go, and I’ll try my hardest to help her.