Experiment in Terror 06.5 And With Madness Comes the Light (9 page)

I couldn’t breathe. Whoever this was, she
was a hell of a lot stronger than me. Devastatingly stronger than
me. My heart beat hard as I struggled for breath, my limbs feeling
numb as her grip somehow tightened. Her beautiful and deadly face
was growing dim as my eyes couldn’t stay open.

But this couldn’t be it. She had to know,
even if she hated me so much, she had to know it was me. That I
meant something to her at some point. That she meant everything to
me.

I managed to open them again, trying to
focus on her, trying to get her to see me.

I don’t know if it worked or not, but I
swear I saw a flash of her somewhere in those dark caverns. She
hesitated for a second, her grip loosening, and in that second she
was grabbed by Maximus and ripped off of me.

She cried out, an ungodly noise, as her legs
flailed above the ground, trying to fight him. Okay, despite all
the crazy ass shit that was suddenly going on, I felt a tiny bit
emasculated by the fact that he had no problem containing her
super-villain strength.

“Ada, the rope,” he commanded.

Ada was leaning over me, trying to see if I
was alive. That was nice of her.

“Leave him. Get the rope,” he boomed. “Get
it now!”

Ada jumped up and snatched the ropes off the
bed.

And just like that, Perry suddenly fell limp
in his arms and Ada hesitantly started winding the rope around
her.

“No, onto the bed,” he said to her. They
brought Perry to the bed and started tying her up. Despite what
happened, I still couldn’t believe it.

I got unsteadily to my feet, feeling around
my throat. It hurt to touch, as did each breath I took. How could
she have done that to me? I expected a slap, like the one everyone
else had given me. Maybe even a kick in the balls. But this…what
was I saying about being over my head and head over heels? She
meant business and I had no fucking clue what I was going to do.
How the hell was I going to get her to Lapwai to get a god damn
exorcism when she seemed to have this new desire to kill me?

Ada came to my side. “Do you want some ice?”
she asked gently.

I shook my head, unable to look away from
Perry’s tired expression, afraid that if I did so, I’d never see
the real her again. I didn’t even know who I was looking at.

Maximus folded his arms like he was cock of
the fucking walk and strolled into my vision. “I told you so.
You’re going to have a heck of a mark on your face there.”

I eyed him suspiciously. It just sunk in
that he had a similar looking scratch on his face, as if Perry had
clawed him too.

I coughed, trying to clear my lungs. “That
how you got yours?”

“She’s feisty.”

I didn’t like his tone. My eyes narrowed
some more. “I guess we’ll match then.”

Maximus chuckled to himself. I knew exactly
what that laugh meant. It was the condescending,
oh Dex, you
don’t get it, do you
laugh.

“Not quite,” he said and winked at me.

Okay, I definitely didn’t get it now, and
what was more troubling was that he wanted me to get it. And as
stupid as I was, I decided to barrel on in.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked
carefully.

Maximus shrugged and ran his hand through
his carrot top. “Oh, nothing,” he teased.

He moseyed to the end of the bed and leaned
against the bed post across from me, copying my stance. He smiled,
slowly, and way too fucking surely. “I just had no idea she was
such a wildcat in the sack.”

What?

“Oh, it wasn’t like that with you?” he asked
innocently.

Ada cried out. “What? Maximus!” But I barely
heard her. All I heard was my blood pressure whooshing through my
body, building into my fists.

I raised my brow, almost unable to
comprehend it. “Excuse me?”

Maximus’ smile grew wider. He looked like a
fucking redneck Archie Andrews.

“You heard me,” he said delicately, his eyes
blazing into mine like he owned the world. “She’s a freaky little
one. Good thing I kind of like it rough.”

Wildcat in the sack. He liked it rough.

Perry had scratched him during sex.

Perry had slept with Maximus.

He stuck his dick in her.

I was going to be sick.

I was going to cry.

Oh, wait. No, I was going to BEAT THE LIVING
SHIT OUT OF HIM!

I didn’t even need to fully wind up, I just
exploded, my fist making contact with his jaw. My knuckles exploded
in pain but fuck it hurt so good. It even sounded good, that crack
of bone, the wet sound of lips and gums being smashed together. He
went stumbling backward from my fist, falling onto Perry’s desk,
bringing it all down underneath him.

Perry and Ada were yelling. Frankly, my
dears, I didn’t give a shit. I was going to destroy this
motherfucker if it was the last thing I did. I would beat the
mental image of them together out of his head.

Before the rat bastard could get back up, I
jumped on him. I clocked him in the cheekbone then went for the
other side of his jaw, landing a sharp uppercut. I tried to get him
in the nose, something I so desperately wanted to break, but the
fury that was rolling out of me was almost blinding. I was rage
incarnate and I delivered punch after punch after punch.

More cries filled the room, and I knew the
jig was up. I felt arms grab me roughly from behind and haul me off
of Maximus, who was rolling on the floor, grabbing his face.

Suddenly Ada was in front of me, her hands
on my chest, pushing me further back into whom I could only assume
was Perry’s father.

“Enough!” she cried out. “This isn’t helping
Perry! That’s not why you’re here. Remember.”

She put her face right up to mine, forcing
me to meet her eyes. She was pleading, desperately, trying to
remind me why I was there. I did remember. I had to save Perry. I
couldn’t screw it up now, no matter how badly I wanted to kill
Maximus. Not just for screwing her, but for allowing all of this to
happen. He should have been on her side.

I bit my lip and nodded that I understood,
then I closed my eyes to the scene just as Perry’s father dug his
hands into my arm and pulled me across the room. Oh boy, I was in
deep shit now with Mr. Mafia.

“What on earth is going on?” her father
yelled, his eyes boring into Perry and Ada’s. He gave me a
disgusted look and a dismissive push that I was jonesing to
retaliate. “Why is
he
here?”

“Dad!” Perry yelled at him, seemingly normal
again. Or maybe this was all a trick.

“I called him,” Ada quickly explained and
walked over to me. I hoped this was a sign of solidarity because I
didn’t have a very fair fight against Tony Soprano, Ginger Elvis,
and
the Ice Queen. “I thought he could help.”

“You called
him
of all people?” Her
dad jabbed his thumb in my direction. I held back my shoulders,
hoping my new body was at least slightly intimidating. Didn’t he
see what I did to Maximus’ face?

He glared, not relenting in the slightest.
“After what you did to my daughter, you should be glad I’m merely
going to kick you out of my house.”

Huh. How interesting. “How about what you
did? Your little daughter there is tied to her own bed. She’s sick
and getting sicker by the minute.”

“She’s going to the hospital first thing in
the morning.” I was surprised he didn’t roll his eyes.

I took a step toward him. He didn’t get it
at all. He
needed
to get it.

“If you take her there,” I said, all steel
and sharp edges, “you will kill her. You have no idea what you are
dealing with here.”

My father didn’t move. “Oh, I’m sorry, I
didn’t realize you had a plan.”

I looked at everyone. “I do have a
plan.”

“Well it’s too bad you can’t stay to tell us
about it,” he said snidely. He put his hands on my shoulders and
began pushing me toward the door.

Like I was going to go that easily.

I stopped suddenly and looked over at
Maximus who was rubbing his jaw, looking all butthurt. Aw, poor
baby.

I turned to face her dad, his round face
under round glasses, eyes that were burning with anger. It’s
touching that he wanted to protect his daughter so badly, but he
was going about this the completely wrong way.

“It’s funny that you both don’t remember
me,” I said.

Her dad shot her mother a confused look. Not
that Perry’s mom ever looked anything
but
confused.

“We’ve met before,” I went on with a smile.
“Back in New York. I was just a young fuck at the time. I had a
deadbeat, alcoholic crazy bitch of a mother and a wonderful nanny.
She was a bit loopy too...”

“We don’t know what you’re talking about,”
he said. I think I believed him. But her mother. No, no, she got
it. She understood. She knew exactly who I was. And who Pippa
was.

I took a step toward the blonde pillar and
grinned wickedly. It was wrong of me to be relishing this, but I
was.

“When I turned eighteen, I changed my last
name to my mother’s name. To honor her death. Guess I was
sentimental back then. Before that, my name was Declan O’Shea.”

Her dad’s eyes widened. Oh,
now
he
knew. He gave me another push by way of response. “You need to get
out of here. Now.”

“Such a rush?” I asked, slowly letting him
take me out the door.

“I have no problem calling the cops on you,”
he responded. I knew he would, too. I didn’t want to push it that
far, but it was fun seeing how upset they were. I really got to
them. For once, I sort of had the upper hand.

“No really,” I said, as we went down the
stairs with Maximus and Queen Bitch trailing behind. “I’m surprised
Perry doesn’t talk more about her grandmother. She does know about
her, doesn’t she? Her…condition?”

“Out!” her father yelled again, pointing at
the front door. Maximus stood beside him for backup, but even
though his face was battered from my fists, he looked doubtful.
Wary even, of the people he was standing with. And Perry’s mother?
Well I could see she was just crumbling from the fear. I didn’t
even really
know
what I knew, but I knew I had struck a
chord with her, right where it hurt.

I paused by the door and raised my hands in
the air. “Hey, I came here to make amends and to try and help your
daughter. If you all can’t see that, then you’ll end up suffering
for the consequences.”

Then I turned around and ran out into the
night.

CHAPTER SEVEN

I got in my car and drove off through the
rain. I didn’t go very far, just to the next street over where I
texted Bird and warned him that we might be a bit later than what
we had planned on. Then I sent a message to Ada, saying I wasn’t
actually going anywhere and that I’d sneak back later. I never got
a response, so I assumed she was talking with Perry or her parents.
I could only hope to hell that Ada wouldn’t cave in and spoil
everything. It couldn’t be easy living in that house, and I
wouldn’t blame her for wanting to keep the peace, even if her love
for Perry was greater.

While I waited, I rested my head on the
steering wheel and kept replaying the images of the night through
my head. It was terrible. It was like a car accident you couldn’t
stop staring at, a movie where you’re too afraid to look away from
the screen. I saw Perry, my beautiful, strong Perry, reduced to a
shell. She was being held prisoner in her own body, only allowed to
come out on occasion. And she had to fight for it, I could tell.
She was dying inside and no one was helping her. Everyone she loved
and trusted had turned against her.

Including me. I was here to help her but the
damage had already been done and it was done by my own hand. When
Rebecca had told me how bitter and angry Perry was, I believed it.
And now I believed it went much deeper than that. This thing inside
of her was feeding on her rage, the rage I created. I made the
monster.

My eyes stung hot with tears that thankfully
never fell. I couldn’t handle this. I handled so much before but I
couldn’t handle this. Not like this. Not now. Seeing her, being
with her…it only drove the knives deeper into my stomach. And
knowing she slept with Maximus, picturing her riding him, kissing
him, being intimate with him…the knives twisted. My soul was
bleeding and the pain wouldn’t stop. It just kept coming, soaking
me with red despair. I wanted to scream, I want to hit Maximus some
more, I wanted to yell at Perry and ask her why she’d do that to
me. Then I wanted to hit myself, yell at myself, destroy myself
because I was the reason.

That’s how I spent the night. Waiting in the
darkness, the rain falling on the roof, hoping there was still time
to make things right.

It was about two in the morning when I
decided to give it a go. I started the car and drove back around
the corner and down Perry’s street. I parked it just out of sight
of their house and checked my phone for any last minute texts.
There was nothing. Ada still hadn’t gotten back to me.

It didn’t matter. I’d make a go of it on my
own. I got out of the car and crept toward the house. Her bedroom
light was off, which was a good sign. She was probably alone. I
spied the tree that rather conveniently reached toward the roof and
her window. That would do.

A month or two ago, I would have hung from
it like a monkey, but now thanks to countless sessions on the
pull-up bar, I was able to climb the tree with ease. I quietly
stepped onto the roof then moved across the shingles until I was
just outside her window.

I peeked in. It was dark but there was just
enough light coming from a charging phone in the corner. Perry was
lying in bed, still strapped in. I took a deep breath and tried to
get the window open. It took a few attempts, and in my impatience,
I almost put my fist through it, but in the end it slid open,
clattering too loudly in the frame.