Retribution (23 page)

“It wouldn’t have come to this if you two had just left things alone. You were everything I wanted in a wife, Claire—young, naive, beautiful, and desperate for love. I could have turned you into the perfect trophy wife, if you had stayed away from Cooper.” He looked almost sad. “But sadly, you didn’t. Once Cooper started backing you and giving you the courage you needed to stand up to me and the rest of the world, I knew our time together would end badly.”

“You’re insane, Robert! You can’t just drug us like this! I’ll make sure that the world knows what kind of man you are!” I shouted. My outburst cost me dearly though. I slumped forward until my head rested on the table.

“You’ll be dead in a matter of hours. Both of you will disappear. I’ll tell everyone that you fell in love and ran off together. It’ll be embarrassing, but it’s all that I can say at this point. You two have made quite the mess for me to clean up, but I’m sure everyone in the community will be very supportive of me as I try to come back from something so sordid.”

I looked over to see that Cooper had passed out on the floor already. Robert must have given him more of the drug than he had with me since Cooper was so much bigger.

“But before you die, I’m going to make both of you pay for all the trouble you’ve caused me. I hope it was worth it because, when you wake up, you’re both going to suffer.”

The last thing I saw before I passed out was Robert’s cruel smile.

I was freezing. I shivered as I tried to pull the blankets over me, desperately craving their warmth. When I couldn’t move my arm, I slowly peeled my eyes open to see what was wrong.

I was lying in Cooper’s bed, completely naked, with Cooper next to me. He was still wearing his clothes. I tried to move my arms again, but I couldn’t. I looked up to where they rested above my head and froze. They were tied to Cooper’s bedpost.

Everything came crashing back to me—the kitchen, Cooper and Robert arguing, Robert’s confessions about Marie’s death and how he’d drugged both of us. Terror shot through my body as I tried to free my hands. I yanked over and over, but it did me no good. The knots were tied too tightly.

I looked down and let out a cry of despair. Robert had used ropes to tie my feet to the footboard of the bed. I was bound so tightly that I couldn’t move them more than an inch.

“Cooper! Cooper, wake up! Please!” I cried as I turned my head to look at him again.

His hands and feet were tied to the headboard and footboard as well. Robert had used even thicker rope to secure Cooper than what bound me.

We’re going to die.
That thought kept rushing through my mind as I fought not to cry.
We’re going to die, and no one will ever know what a sadistic, evil bastard Robert is.

“No!” I growled as I tugged on the ropes again. I refused to die like this. I pulled and pulled on the ropes, determined to break free. After several minutes, I had gotten nowhere, and my wrists were bloody from trying so hard. I didn’t even feel the pain. I was too focused on my predicament.

My head whipped to the side when I heard Cooper emit a low groan. He tried to turn, but the ropes kept him in place.

“Cooper! You have to wake up. Please, Coop, wake up!” I said as I watched his face.

His eyes slowly slid open. They were clouded from the drugs Robert had given us.

“Cooper, wake up.”

The urgency in my voice must have alerted him that something was wrong. His eyes opened further. He tried to move his hands again, but he stopped when he realized that they were tied.

“Claire, what’s going on?” His gaze slid down my body. “Why are you naked?”

“Robert drugged us. Do you remember what happened?”

Any sign of grogginess left him. He started fighting harder against the ropes as he let out a string of curses that would make a sailor proud.

“It’s no use,” I told him. “They’re tied too tightly for us to break free.”

He cursed again as he stopped struggling. “Are you okay?”

“I’m the furthest thing from okay. I’m scared, Cooper. We’re going to die!”

“No, we won’t. I’ll get us out of this, I promise,” Cooper said.

“How?” I demanded. “We’re both tied up. Unless he lets us go, there’s no way to escape. We’re at his mercy.”

I started sobbing, unable to keep my emotions locked away any longer. I’d wanted to be strong. I’d wanted to stay calm and think a way out of our situation, but I couldn’t. I was terrified, and my fear took hold of me. I was lost in it.

“Claire, please don’t cry. I won’t let him hurt you,” Cooper said over my sobs.

I ignored him. I couldn’t handle listening to his false promises. In my heart, I knew that he would protect me if he could, but he was as helpless as I was.

I continued to sob for several minutes before I calmed down. My breaths came out in hiccups as my tears started to dry on my face and down my neck.

“It’s over, Coop. We both know it’s over,” I said between hiccups.

“It’ll never be over until I’m dead,” Cooper spit out.

“We’re already dead. We should have run instead of trying to prove what Robert had done. Maybe he would have let us go.”

Cooper didn’t answer me. Instead, his body tensed. When I realized what had made Cooper tense, my body started to tremble with fear. Cooper’s bedroom door was slowly opening.

It swung open all the way, and Robert stepped into the room. A huge man followed him. My eyes couldn’t tear away from the giant. He towered over Robert by several inches. His arms were thick with muscle, as was his chest. I swallowed roughly when I saw his eyes. They were light-blue color and completely devoid of emotion, as was the rest of his face. I felt the temperature around me drop as I stared at him. Without a doubt, I knew that I was looking at the man who would kill me.

“Claire, Cooper, I’m glad you’re awake. Both of you slept for quite a while,” Robert said as he stopped in front of the bed.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Cooper demanded as he tugged against his restraints again. “Let us go!”

Robert looked back and forth between us. “You know, you two really do make a wonderful couple. I never noticed until now. It’s too bad that you didn’t meet Cooper first, sweet Claire. You two might have had a real chance at finding happiness together.” He paused. “But probably not. Cooper has been so obsessed with finding a way to prove I killed Marie that he never would have given you the time of day. I’m sure the only reason he noticed you was because you were mine.”

“Robert, please let us go. We’ll leave and never come back. I swear, I’ll keep Cooper away,” I begged.

“It’s too late for that, Claire. Instead of deciding to help him, you should’ve focused on keeping him away when you had the chance.”

“You can’t just kill us,” Cooper said. “People will get suspicious when they notice that we’ve suddenly disappeared.”

“Ah, yes. You were already passed out when I explained to Claire what would happen, weren’t you? Like I told her, I’ll spread a story that you two were secretly in love and ran off together. No one will look for either of you.”

“I’m enrolled at WVU! They’ll expect me to enroll somewhere else, don’t ya think?” Cooper said.

“Love can make people foolish. You won’t be the first young man to give up his future for a pretty blonde with a tight ass,” Robert said, still completely calm.

“How can you just stand there and talk about our deaths without an ounce of remorse?” I demanded.

Robert smiled. “Because I do not care about either of you, Claire. See, that’s your problem. Cooper’s, too. You
care
far too much. I’m much better off the way I am. I don’t have to feel anything.”

“You’re sick,” I spit out.

His smile grew, and I couldn’t help but shiver.

“You think I’m sick now? Just wait until my friend Isaac gets a hold of you. There’s a reason you’re already naked, sweet Claire.” He turned to Isaac and nodded. “Since it seems you like to sleep with every man in this house, I thought I’d make it a little easier on my friend here. I took the liberty of removing your clothes for him.”

My eyes darted to Isaac. He was watching me, but his eyes were still dead. He didn’t look at my naked body, only my face. There was no lust in his expression.

“You wouldn’t let him…hurt me,” I whispered.

Robert laughed. “Of course I would. And to make things better, I tied Cooper to the bed so that he could watch every agonizing moment of it. I’m sure it’ll rip him to shreds to watch a man rape you while he’s less than two feet away.”

“Let her go!” Cooper screamed as he tried to lunge at his father. “Let her go, or I swear to God, I’ll kill you myself!”

“Now, now, Cooper, settle down. You don’t want to upset Isaac this early. It’ll only make things worse for Claire. You see, Isaac has a bit of a history with sexual violence. He would’ve gone to prison last year if it wasn’t for me. He’s helping me tonight to pay off his debt.”

Robert nodded to Isaac, and the mountain of a man slowly started walking to the bed. Cooper’s curses filled the room as he tried in vain to break free. As the man approached, pure terror like I’d never felt before flooded my body. I started struggling as tears ran freely down my cheeks.

He stopped next to me and started undoing the button and zipper on his jeans. His face was still completely devoid of any emotion at all. It was like he wasn’t even human.

“Please don’t do this to me. I’m begging you.
Please
just let us go. I swear, I won’t tell anyone that you were here,” I pleaded.

It was as if the man hadn’t even heard me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. I screamed when I saw it. He ignored me as he moved to where my feet were tied and cut them loose. The moment my legs were free, I started kicking out at him with all of my might. Instead of growing angry, he stepped back out of my way and tossed the knife onto Cooper’s computer desk. He turned his attention back to me as he slid his jeans and underwear down his legs. His penis was in plain sight, already erect.

Cooper’s screams of pure rage increased, and the entire bed shook from his struggles.

“I’m so sorry, Claire. Dear God, I’m so sorry,” he cried.

I looked over at him and felt a strange calmness take hold of me. “Shh…don’t apologize, Coop.”

“This is my fault, all of it.”

I ignored the man as he moved closer to the bed and kept my eyes on Cooper’s face. “It’s not.”

The moment Isaac climbed onto the bed with me, the calm I’d felt suddenly disappeared. Nausea rolled through my body, and I turned my head to the side as I vomited. I fought with everything in me as Isaac forced my legs apart, but it was no use. He was ten times stronger than me. The weight of his body on top of mine felt like I was being crushed by a lead weight.

He finally managed to hold both of my legs down with his own as he pressed against my entrance. I screamed until my voice gave out. He moved back a fraction of an inch to thrust into me, and my whole body locked up. The realization that I was going to be raped and then killed while Cooper watched finally sank in.

I’m going to die.
That thought kept running through my mind over and over again as I squeezed my eyes shut.

In that fraction of a second, my entire life flashed before my eyes. Every little detail came back to me. I thought of my mother, a woman I’d barely known who had been ripped away from me. The numerous foster parents I’d had growing up came next. Very few of them had been kind to me, but there were a few whom I had cared for. Shelly entered my mind next. Sweet, kind, innocent Shelly would always wonder where I’d gone, why I’d left her behind. I loved that little girl more than she could ever imagine, and now, I would never have the chance to tell her.

Finally, Cooper’s face flashed through my mind. I thought of every moment we’d spent together. I remembered how he’d driven me mad at first, but slowly, I’d come to care for him. Then, I’d fallen in love with him. He was the brightest part of me, dimming everything else in comparison. He’d made me stronger, better, more confident. I knew I’d love him until the moment my heart stopped beating.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Four seconds.

“What are you waiting for?” Robert demanded.

Five seconds.

Six seconds.

Seven seconds.

“Claire! Fuck! Claire!” Cooper yelled.

Eight seconds.

Nine seconds.

Ten sec—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of a gun going off filled the room, followed by a thump. Isaac’s full weight pressed down on me, suffocating me. Blinding pain invaded my senses. My shoulder was on fire. Cooper’s voice screamed my name over and over again. Someone else was screaming—no, not someone. It was me. I was screaming in terror and pain.

Then, everything went black.