Midnight Daffodil (Poisonous Petals #1)

Chapter 3Olivia

three

OLIVIA

T hat was the most fun I’d had in ages. I laughed more, smiled more, and loved every minute of turning off my brain, freeing myself from worry.

“Oh my God, I wish we brought your car,” I slurred. Vera and I carried our heels as we trotted along the sidewalk, laughing at nothing.

Cool air whispered across my skin. Gooseflesh rippled across my body in waves. The sweet scent of rain permeated the air. I turned to admire my best friend as she continued to giggle and hiccup.

Vera fixed things she didn’t break every single time we hung out. I was on cloud nine, happier than a dog with two tails. And it was all thanks to Vera.

“Now, what the hell would we do with a car?” she squealed, “You haven’t touched car keys in like a decade, and you’re the lightest weight. There ain’t no way you’re driving shit.”

We convulsed with laughter. She was right; there was no fucking way we could drive. We gripped our sides and doubled over. My heels slid from my hands, tumbling to the concrete with a hollow crack.

“You can’t even hold your shoes!” Vera howled.

Grabbing the stiletto with twitching fingers, I waved them around under the streetlight, motioning back to her. “Lookie here, I got ‘em!” My words slurred. The taste of alcohol burned my throat as laughter pained my stomach.

Nights like this were something I never wanted to miss again. I silently promised myself not to let Matt’s isolation take hold. I zigzagged back to Vera and jumped into her arms, but she struggled to hold me in her drunken state, and I slid down, landing flat on my ass. The concrete burned my skin, but the alcohol numbed the pain, turning everything into a hilarious blur.

“Bitch,” she wheezed. “Please get the fuck up. You’re doing way too much in a tiny skirt. At this rate,” she cackled. “People are going to ask how much you charge for a blow job.”

“Is it a girls’ night out if you don’t risk a lip slip?” I shot back as I shakily stood. Unable to catch my breath, my stomach hurt from the laughter. Movement caught my eye, sobering me quickly.

What the hell?

“Vera,” I whisper yelled.

She had her head between her knees, trying not to puke in her uncontrollable screeching.

“Vera,” I hissed, jerking her and nudging my head in the direction. As I gestured, she sucked in air and followed my gaze. Two figures loomed behind us, approaching with deadly intent.

That sobered her up. “Shit. Let’s keep walking, girl.”

“Already on it.” We hauled ass down the barren streets. “Leave it to a couple of freaks to ruin our night.”

“For real, though. Bunch of fucking weirdos crawling the town, probably looking for some drugs and pussy,” she said as her cheeks puffed in a pout.

The warm buzz of the alcohol dwindled in an instant, replaced by the chilling reminders of everything I wanted to leave behind. The shadows came alive, reminding me that life wasn’t all drunken laughter. Every good thing always seemed to come to an end.

Vera pulled my arm, dragging me faster. I stole a glance at them. “We need to call an Uber right now or go into one of these buildings.”

“You’re right. They’re gaining on us.” Vera felt around her chest. “Fuck, I don’t know where my phone is.”

“Are you kidding me?” I felt around my own body. I could account for everything but my phone. “Did we leave them somewhere? The fuck are we gonna do? We went to like six different places.” My heart hammered in my chest.

Vera’s hands trembled as her face hardened. She glowered at the men who weren’t hiding their pursuit of us. The pulse point in her throat thrummed. Her gaze was full of fear yet flecked with unwillingness to lay down and give up.

She was ready for a fight. Her weapon of choice was the stiletto she gripped in her fingers, pointed side up as the two shadows approached us.

“Should we run?” I whispered to Vera, careful not to move my lips.

“I don’t know if we could get much of a head start. We might have to fight.” She glared in their direction. “Fuck them for trying to intimidate us. I refuse to let this be the last birthday I ever have.”

My legs were like twigs in a tornado. The ugly grin of the men could be seen under the streetlight as they neared. Vera shouldered her way in front of me. And like a coward, I trembled behind her, stealing glances over her shoulder.

“Lovely night, ladies.” One of them spoke. Removing his hood revealed oily, long hair and skin that hadn’t seen a shower in weeks. His bloodshot eyes were like the dead. His lips parted in a brown toothed sneer.

I could feel the bar food clawing its way up my throat, threatening to erupt at any moment. His partner remained eerily silent, but the malevolent glares from both of them pierced through me, sending chills down my spine.

“Fuck off, creeps,” Vera snarled, ready to pounce. “Don’t do something that’ll earn you a stiletto to the ball sack.”

“Oh, she’s feisty.” The other spoke, no longer waiting in silence.

His bald head nearly blinded me as he took his hood down. His cheeks caved in with craters. Unbothered by Vera’s threats, they moved closer to us, missing teeth and reeking of body odor.

“Vera, please,” I pleaded in her ear. “Let’s run; I just wanna get out of here.”

She turned so she could see me out of her peripherals. Guilt bubbled to the surface. I wasn’t strong enough to stand up to these nobodies.

A failure in every sense.

“How ‘bout this,” her words were barely audible. “You run, and I’ll show these motherfuckers why they should stay off the drugs.” Her smile wavered briefly before launching herself at the crater faced one. “Now go!”

Her heel uppercutted his throat in a flash of red hair and agile movements. The attack shocked them both as the oily one ripped Vera away from his friend. “You dumb bitch.” He threw Vera across the sidewalk.

“Please, Olivia, go!” she said, just as the crater faced man tackled her. “Go now!”

My blood ran cold, and my body froze, unmoving. An invisible force held me to the spot. I wasn’t strong enough to fight back. Flashes of Matt towering over me flooded my vision through my wide open eyes, paralyzing me with terror. Vera’s blood curdling scream shattered the nightmare, yanking me back to the horrifying reality.

The sting of body odor kissed my nostrils, and I recoiled at the assault. The greasy one lurched for me as the other tousled with Vera. The muffled cries coming from Vera tore through my psyche. My failing body stayed stagnant even as the odor attacked my senses. Brown teeth and stench greeted me with an angry sneer. His blown out pupils locked me in a glare.

I had to run.

But I didn’t react in time. What else was new?

Shit.

I ducked out of his grip, shoes slipping from my sweaty hands, clattering to the ground. Searing pain exploded through my skull before I could get far, leaving me dazed and helpless; my heart pounded in sheer terror. He whipped me around by my hair, slamming me to the ground.

Our legs tangled as we both went down, freeing my hair but placing him on top of me. My back smacked into the cement with a sickening crack. Desperately trying to wriggle free from under him was futile. His icy fingers clamped around my throat, mercilessly stealing my air. Panic surged through me, heart racing, vision blurring.

“Where do you think you’re going, baby girl?” I felt his rancid breath burn my eyes as he spoke. “We haven’t had our fun yet, and you’re already trying to run?”

Tears stung my eyes as pain ricocheted up my spine. A clump of my hair blew like a tumbleweed, leaving me to fend for myself.

“I love it when they cry; gets me rock hard.” He leaned in close, sniffing the space between my breasts. His eyes rolled back in a sick display, sending a shiver of pure dread through me.

The sharp sting whipped my head to the side. My lips were the flavor of pennies. Looking up, I saw blonde hair and green eyes screaming inaudibly at me. Pain shot through my nerves at the whipping sound of flesh against my other cheek. My vision cleared, no longer showing Matt but the danger in front of me. Hot tears ran down my face like an Olympic race.

I anticipated the next hit like second nature, my body tensing in preparation. His fist swung through the air and connected with the concrete, barely missing me, sending shards of stone flying.

Vera’s voice sounded far away, as if underwater. The curse of the man she’d been desperately fighting tore through the night.

“She fucking bit me!” he screamed. The momentary distraction jerked the oily man’s attention to his friend, allowing me to free my aching body. I seized the chance, twisting and scrambling away as quickly as my weary muscles would allow.

Vera was bailing me out once again, and I’d done nothing but get slapped around and cry.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” his snarl penetrated my ears, his footsteps thundered on the asphalt behind me.

The force of his body catapulting into mine sent me tumbling to the ground face first. Blood filled my mouth as my chin kissed the concrete, and my tongue sliced between my teeth. He grabbed a fistful of my hair, shoving me down onto the sidewalk until each ragged breath was filled with tiny pebbles and dirt. He painfully twisted both of my arms behind my back; the agony shot through my shoulders.

The nausea took physical form, and I couldn’t hold it back any longer. It projected out of me in a bloody mess, splattering onto the ground and leaving me drowning in a puddle of my own vile fluid.

“I can fuck you right here like the whore you are,” he snarled. His hand gripped the flesh of my ass, tearing my tights with a vicious yank. Shoving my skirt up around my waist, he palmed at me hungrily. “White panties are my favorite,” he hissed, his voice dripping with malice.

Vomit threatened again.

The familiarity of Matt’s hands forcing their way into me was one thing, but this was going to ruin me in his eyes. Knowing another man had taken me. He'd kill me regardless of the situation. It would always be my fault.

My body tensed in preparation for his abhorrent touch when a wet, gagging sound rang out over the roaring blood in my ears. The sound of flesh separating was audible as the weight of him lifted off of me.

Vera.

Her heel was blooded and ruined as it lodged up the man's nose. Like a fountain, blood poured out of him. Vera resembled a nightmare; blood coated her once pristine outfit.

She spat. “Are you okay?”

Not waiting for a response, she held her hand out. “Let’s get out of here before they come to their senses.”

My shaking hand wouldn’t move quickly enough. She yanked me up by the wrist.

“I love you, girl, but we gotta go, bitch. Freak out later.” We glanced at each other, fear etched in our eyes, and without another word, we took off running, our footsteps echoing under the city lights.

My body wanted nothing but to shut down. Pain throbbed, reaching every crevice with each step, hindering my ability to keep moving. Vera’s hair was a matted mess, her light skin decorated with scratches. She stumbled beside me, gasping for breath but still pushing, her determination a stark contrast to our battered forms.

“Did he–” I couldn’t finish.

“Fuck no. I require dinner before anyone gets dessert.” She laughed. We were rounding the corner when Vera stumbled, her cry muffled by the oppressive silence. She collapsed in front of me, her body hitting the ground with a sickening thud. I barely had time to react before tripping over her, crashing to the ground next to the offending object.

Vera’s heel.

I whipped my head back to see them closing in on us.

“There’s your fucking shoe back, bitch.” They’d caught up to us.

Why was no one helping us?

Vera was crumpled on the ground, a wound marking where the stiletto connected.

“Vera!” I shrieked, shaking her. I knew it was something you weren’t supposed to do, but logic and reason couldn’t be found. Terror washed over me, loneliness hitting me hard.

“We were gonna take it easy on you two, but now,” he snarled as he wiped the blood running out of his nose on his sleeve. The bald one trailed behind him with a loose flap of skin waving in the breeze.

“Please,” I pleaded. I didn’t know what for though. Pleading never worked.

I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to witness what would happen. Without realizing it, I'd become such a weak person, a victim, not a fighter. Tears sprang, tracing my lower lash line. Vera groaned in my arms, her head lolling to the side.

“Vera, please.” My voice cracked. Her body lay, still alive but barely moving.

They slowly closed the distance.

“Put your fucking hands up.” My heart stopped. My eyes snapped open.

A southern accent laced with malice perforated the night like the voice of a God.

Was I hallucinating?

The silhouettes rose like phoenixes behind the men.

Blood trickled down their faces, and both let out a curse.

“He said,” The second voice wavered. “Put your fucking hands up.” The prominent Hispanic accent thick with uncertainty.

He was here to rescue me again.

Sergeant Luke Ryder and Officer Damsel.