After a few minutes of caustic silence, the debilitating fear that gripped me ebbs away. Lucas still might hurt me and make me miserable, but he’s not going to rape me and chop my body up in tiny pieces to scatter through the mountain range.
Well.
I hope.
He’s an asshole, but my instincts are relaxing. The only thing left is anger rather than true terror. That has to count for something.
“Why don’t you switch schools? There’s two others in the district.”
My teeth gnash as I sort out how to answer that.
“Why should I have to? Maybe you should quit your little mind games. I’m clearly not giving in.”
“Yeah, clearly.” Lucas grumbles something and squints at me. “Why can’t you just give in?”
“That’s not me.” I lift my chin in defiance. “You don’t get my surrender.”
He hums and goes back to tracing patterns on the inside of my thigh. This time I don’t bother trying to divert him. I catch glimpses of the last colors of the sunset as the car climbs higher in elevation. I don’t know where Lucas plans to take me.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. Just sit there and look pretty.”
My gaze narrows and my brows pinch together. “Fuck you.”
Lucas purses his lips, then licks them. “I wouldn’t say no.”
“Ugh!”
Fed up with him, I wriggle around until my body is turned away. I glare in silence out the window, ignoring him.
Lucas lets out a raspy chuckle and drums his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of a song I like on the radio.
Gritting my teeth, I focus on the lights flickering on in the valley below.
* * *
It’s fully dark when I jolt awake.
My neck is slightly cramped from sleeping propped against the cold window. I wince and blink, trying to get my bearings. The car has finally stopped.
I can’t believe I fell asleep listening to Lucas sing along to the radio as he coasted around winding mountain roads.
“Where are we?”
My voice is groggy. My hands are no longer bound. I rub my wrists, my thumb tracing the slight indentation from the plastic.
Lucas reaches over and strokes my head. I’m too tired to push his hand away. I have no idea what time it is.
“This is my secret lair.” He gives my hair a light tug. “It’s where I’m going to trap you forever as my prisoner.”
I shoot him a poisonous look. I wait a beat, then swipe for him. He snorts as he lurches back to his side of the car.
Lucas hops out of the Jeep and grabs something from the back. I find the door unlocked and slide down.
It’s my house. He took me home.
He knows where I live?