Page 108 of Camera Stays On

“Jesus Christ, will you help her?” Juliet demanded, pulling my attention. I spun around, holding my hands over my breasts. The silence from Sawyer was an answer in itself. No. He was not going to be helping me.

My body began to shake with choked-back sobs. I was naked when I’d woken up. What had he done while I was unconscious?

“Asher escaped. I think he might have killed Mick. He’s unhinged. You need to go get him before he destroys your video feed,” Juliet warned.

Sawyer swore, and I heard him climb off the bed. I stood there, embarrassed and terrified, listening to him get dressed. He fastened his belt with a clink, then snarled at Juliet.

“Here, I’ll be back.”

Hope swelled in my chest as I heard his boots stomp across the room and a door creak open. It slammed behind him, and Juliet’s heels clicked across the room, hurrying over to me. A breath of relief washed over me as she yanked my head toward her and unlocked the mask. It fell onto the floor, and I sighed.

“Thank you, Juliet.” I blinked rapidly as my eyes adjusted to the light. Looking down, I saw the leather mask.

“Don’t thank me yet. Did you two have sex?” She glared at me, but her eyes showed more pain than anger.

I shook my head. “No! Not that I’m aware. He was going to…” I couldn’t say it aloud. It was one thing to think the word, but another to verbalize what Sawyer had planned. “You got here just in time.”

She stared at me blankly. “I don’t know what to say to that. Get dressed. You have to go.”

“Do you have clothes?” I asked, perking up. She shook her head and pointed behind me. I turned and deflated, seeing the fucking wedding dress crumpled up near the bed. Sulking, I went to it and tugged it back on. Juliet came over and assisted me.

“He’s not going to be long. You’ve got like, five minutes. This is your only chance. Next time I see you, I won’t be so nice.”

Turning, I studied her. “Why are you being nice now?”

The hardness in her eyes softened a fraction. “Because I don’t want to kill anyone.”

“But you’re in love with him.” I shook my head, disbelief flooding my tone. How could she still have feelings for him after what she saw this weekend?

“I know it doesn’t make sense, but it’s the choice I’ve made. Get out of here, before I don’t give Sawyer the opportunity to choose between you and me.”

Her steely expression warned me that she wasn’t kidding. If I stayed, she would kill me. I turned and fled the unfamiliar bunker. As I moved through the dim corridors, I decided I may never know her motives for loving him, but I would have to be okay with that. She saved me from being raped, and for that, I was grateful.

The exit door took me outside, and I blanched at the harsh light as I stumbled into the fresh air, falling to my knees. The collision of my knees with the ground rattled up my thigh, causing me to wince. Taking a large breath, I started to stand when a shadow covered me, and before I could move, boots crunched down on my fingers.

I screamed in pain, and he stepped back.

“Where were you headed, Purdy Doll?” Sawyer snickered but didn’t let off my fingers.

“You don’t want me. I’m not worth all of this. Go be with Juliet, the one who wants you.”

He ignored me and shifted his weight, crushing my fingers harder before stepping off. I raised them quickly, bringing them to my face to examine. Had he broken any of them? As I was studying them, Sawyer slapped my cheek, causing my head to swing back.

“Don’t touch me!” I cried out as I fell backward onto the grass. He snatched me up, dragging me to my feet and pressing my body to his. I fought against his grip, but I was a mouse caught in a bird’s claws.

“Why not? We can pick up where we left off. I was so…close…” He inhaled deeply, smelling my hair. “I’ve missed your pussy so much, Purdy Doll. Let me have you, just once. You love me, remember?”

“I never loved you,” I confessed. “I felt obligated because you killed Ray.”

“Well now you’re just bein’ hurtful,” he mocked. “If you never loved me, then why’d you let me be your first? We are soulmates, Purdy Doll. From that first time I saw you moving in, and then our first kiss at the theater. I knew then you’d always be mine because we shared something special. Let’s go back to that. We can forget about everyone in between. Let’s be each other’s firsts and lasts.”

He tried to kiss me, and I turned.

“You weren’t my first kiss, Sawyer.”

“What? Of course I was. It was that night at the movies.”

I shook my head and scoffed. “You really don’t know, do you?”