Nine Minutes by Beth Flynn Read Free Book Online Page B

“Because if you
leave, your family gets hurt. That’s why.”
          I already knew
what Grizz was capable of doing. I’d seen him abuse
Willow and knew what he’d done to Monster. Still, I couldn’t help myself. I had
to challenge him.
          “What would you know
about my family?” I asked a little too mockingly.
          I knew he’d burned
my driver’s permit, and there was no way he’d memorized the address on it that
night when he glanced at my name. And as far as my name was concerned, Lemon
was not in the phone book. Our telephone was in Vince’s name.
          “Don’t push it,
Kit,” was all he said.
          I pushed it. I
actually taunted him. Surprisingly, he wouldn’t answer my charges that there
was no way on this earth he could know anything about me, and therefore had no
way to take it out on my family. After a few minutes I noticed the vein in his
forehead throbbing.
          “You want proof,
Kit? Is that what you’re asking for?”
          “Yes, that’s
exactly what I want. Know why? Because I know you don’t have it. I was just
some stupid, random thank-you gift that Monster happened upon at the convenience
store. I was nowhere near my home.”
          He stared at me
for a few minutes without answering. Finally, he said, “Maybe you need a lesson
in believing without proof. Maybe you need to learn exactly who you’re dealing
with.”
          He said it in
such a calm and even voice it scared me. I relented.
          “Okay, you’re
able to hurt my family if you want to.” My voice was quiet. “Fine, I believe
you. I won’t try anything stupid.”
          That was the end
of the conversation. Thank God I heeded my own advice and didn’t try to escape
or use the phone. I spent the rest of the day in the bedroom with my kitten and
three library books.
          That night as I
reluctantly followed Grizz out to the pit, I stopped
dead in my tracks. Fear trickled down my spine like a dripping faucet. There it
was. The proof that I told Grizz he couldn’t provide.
There, leaning up against the dilapidated slide on the playground, was my most
prized possession: My guitar. The last time I’d seen it, it was propped up
against a rocking chair in my bedroom. How? How could it be here? There was
only one way. Grizz knew where I lived. He could hurt
Delia and Vince. And even though I didn’t love them the way most kids love
their parents, I cared about them and didn’t want to see them hurt.
          I returned to
number four that night shaken by fear and completely defeated. I picked up my
kitten and cuddled her. I felt so stupid. When Grizz first brought her to me I secretly vowed to escape and take her with me. I was going
to be this tiny little creature’s savior. Who was I kidding? How was I going to
save a kitten from these people when I couldn’t even save myself?
          She needed a
name. That much I could do for her. Since hers had already been given to me, I
gave her back the only name I could think of that would also be my last
connection to home. It wasn’t a happy home, but it was the only home I ever
knew.
          I named her Gwinny .

Chapter Eight

 
      I’d gotten over my period a few days
after I arrived, and a week or so after that Grizz still hadn’t tried anything sexual with me. Willow continued to hate me, but
from a distance. By the end of the first week I’d even started sleeping through
the night. Before that, I’d had a hard time falling asleep and would wake up
all night long.
          I worried Grizz was going to try something with me, but he never did.
I figured after I started sleeping through the night that he was getting up
while I was asleep and going to one of the other women’s rooms. Good. I hoped
that’s what he was doing. I sure didn’t want him to take out his pent-up
desires on me.
          I’d also managed
to nurse Gwinny back to health. It wasn’t hard. The
only