AMBER'S POV
. The first letter came a year and three months after the incident. I found it tucked in my lingerie closet with a red stamp that read, EMK. "Amber Riley," it read, "I know what you did. I've taken a lot of time to reflect on it, and I believe it's time you atone for your sins." "It's been a year and three months and that should have been enough time to enjoy your freedom. Now, I'm going to make you pay for what you did, in my own way." "I've watched you for the last couple of months. You've moved from scared to haunted, healing to letting go, and now, you're trying to move on, which is cute." "Gosh. Now that I've thought of how gracefully you carried yourself throughout that phase of your life. I'm fuckin hard and needy." "All I can think of right now is tracing a long line along your neck with my lips and running my tongue along your bare skin. I wish I'd come for you earlier. But I didn't want to rush you." "I really need to tell you what's going to happen in the coming weeks. You are going to be done with your semester exams, and you will not travel home. Not because you don't want to, but because I don't want you to." "You're going to spend your semester break with me, paying for your sins. I will come and get you, after your exams." "I have someone watching you, so don’t go getting any ideas about alerting the police about my letter or running away." "If you tell the police, it won’t change anything. But, It will just really piss me the fuck off, and trust me when I say you don’t want to do that." "But, what do you plan on telling the police anyway? Do you wish to confess your sins to them? I doubt that." "And if you try running away, I WILL FIND YOU." "Finally, you're not allowed to date, fuck or touch anyone, Amber. From today, you're my mine, and you'll do as I please, until the end of your semester break." "Break my rules, and it will end in punishment and blood. I expect your complete obedience and submission. No one touches you but me, Amber Riley." "See you soon." EMK~ My hands were shaking by the time I was done reading the letter. Who is EMK, and how did the letter get into my lingerie closet? There was nobody home. My roommate, Gracie, visited her girlfriend outside campus, and has been there for days, studying for her semester exams. I've been the only one home. The letter slipped from my fingers as I slumped on my bed, shaking with fear. It all started with a crazy night out with my roommate and her friend, Melody. They'd somehow convinced me to go to this party with some of the girls from our Dormitory. And I desperately wanted to fit in. It was my second year in college and I was yet to find my own click. Luckily, my former roommate, who was a fellow bookworm like me, transferred to another school, and Gracie moved in as my new roommate. She sort of brought a level of balance to my life. Work and play kind of balance like the old "Jack" nursery rhymes. The night of the party, I was drunk and made out with Angelo Simpson, one of the hottest boys in the school's Hockey team. I was wild and willing to explore. A week after the party, Angelo Simpson called me to the old deserted building behind the almost dilapidated college laboratory and asked me to be his sex partner. He was specific about what he wanted from me, and that kind of left a sore taste in my mouth. Also, I wasn't really ready for a relationship. So, I turned him down. My rejection pissed him off so bad that he started threatening me with a sex tape he claimed to have recorded of us, the night of the party. His threats didn't affect me and I told him so. I may be on scholarship at Kinston College, but that doesn't mean I'll let an overfed, entitled rich kid ruin my life, and with the kind of mother I had, I was certain she would help me with a good solution to Angelo Simpson's madness if I opened up to her. But then Angelo became violent. He pushed me against the white-washed wall of the old building, and in my defense, I pushed back at him with all my strength. He missed a step and fell all the way down the stairs. I should have screamed or called for help. But I was terrified. When I checked around, and thought that no one saw us, I hurried away from the building through the back and returned to my Dorm. It took almost three hours before commotion broke out and we heard that Angelo Simpson's lifeless body was discovered in the building behind the old laboratory. The next day the news of his death went round the school. They said he might have slipped and fell down the stairs. I waited to be called, to be accused. But nothing happened. Out of fear, I didn't mention anything about it to my mother, nor did I mention it to anyone else. But I guess my secret wasn't really a secret. A year and three months later, my reckoning has come knocking..."Now, I'll ask you again, Amber. What do you know about us?" He asked, positioning his hand like an imaginary cuff, very close to my neck. "I don’t know anything," I swore to him. But then he brought his fingers closer and squeezed, cutting off the possible air I could manage to get. "Please," I said, pulling uselessly at my bound hands. "I don’t know anything else." "I heard you were kidnapped a couple of weeks ago. Is that true? He asked. "No. That's not true." I replied."It's not?" He asked, frowning."Yes, it's not," I replied."I also heard someone broke into your room a couple of days ago. Is that a lie too?""Yes." I breathed out."Would you swear on your life that these things didn't happen?" "They didn't happen," I replied, sounding so sure."And your roommate, did she see anything?"I shook my head. "She didn't.""Are you sure about that?""A hundred percent," I replied. Finally, his hold on my throat reduced to a bearable extent.He knew all of these things happened.
A shudder passed over me forcing me to push myself up. "Oh, she's good now," said the tall guy. "Can I remove the blindfold?" I asked. "No. It was nice of you to ask. I told you she’d cooperate," Jonathan muttered. "Are you all right, Amber?" He asked.I nodded, getting more comfortable in the seat. "Don’t worry," the guy behind the wheels said, "We won’t hurt you. Not like that." "Thank you for the assurance." I whispered and pulled my nightgown down to cover my thighs better.""We aren't looking, either," Jonathan assured me. "None of us are looking.""Yeah, the tall guy said. "I've got my own girlfriend to torment." He sighed."You all do." The guy behind the wheels announced. "I think she needed to hear that too." He muttered. "Is Francis here?" I asked. "No," Jonathan answered. "But you'll see him soon. We're taking you to him." I stiffened. "He won't touch you, you have absolutely nothing to worry about," Jonathan added."But he has a problem with me. He didn't seem to l
The night felt like an infinity kind of night. I’ve had a lot of lonely nights in my lifetime, but tonight felt like the loneliest. Maybe I'm being dramatic. Maybe the night seems to be stretching forever because I’ve put all the other lonely nights in my lifetime out of my mind so I could move forward without all of that weighing me down. It took everlasting before my body felt exhausted enough to finally fall asleep. But I woke up abruptly, swatting at my arm on instinct. It felt like I'd been stung by an insect, or maybe a bug bit me. I could no longer feel my legs, so I reached for my blanket to throw it back so I could jump out of bed and check for any bugs on it.Only then did I realize that I couldn't feel my arms too. Not only that, my arms felt so heavy that they couldn't pick up the blanket, nor could my legs move. My eyes widened in horror as I tried again to pick up the blanket. But I couldn't I became confused. Then my gaze jumped to movements in the shadows in my ro
When I got back to Emmett's house, I didn't have the words to explain how I was feeling. Guilty, tense, and stupid. Why am I still with him? Security is a lame excuse because if that is the case, I could even hire a bodyguard with the kind of money in my account. If I go out there physically for house hunting, I would definitely get a nice apartment in a day or two. So, what exactly is my excuse to keep staying with Emmett?I met him in the living room and when he saw me, he was immediately worried. "Amber," he called, "something is wrong, tell me what."I shook my head, "Nah, everything’s great." "But?"I tried to internally figure out where the hell to go from here. I didn't want to stay here anymore. I don’t even know how I feel about Emmett anymore."The locks in my dorm room have been changed," I told him, hating how thick and emotion-filled my voice sounded. "I can’t imagine anyone attacking me again when news has it that I'm dating Emmett King." I could feel his gaze on me,
Gracie waited for a while, yet I said nothing. Then she continued. "I hope you do know that if any of them decide to murder you, nothing, absolutely nothing, would be done about it?" She asked, hoping she'd get a reply from me at this point. But I still said nothing.I wanted to say something, to defend myself at least. But the words weren't just coming. She was speaking again, so I tried to shift my focus and concentrate on what she was saying. "Anyway, since it seems this is the kind of life you want, I really wish you luck with all of this. I hope you make good decisions and stay away from these men because your life and affinity to live long actually depend on it. But I'd like to let you know that I can’t be involved in whatever you have going on. I don’t want to get mixed up with the people you’re mixed up with. I don’t want to be the next gunshot victim. I-I'm moving out of the dorm. I'll let student affairs know. Maybe they'll get you another roommate or something." "Oh..." T
Olivia sent me a couple of apartment videos and none of them came close to what I was looking for. Justin's recommendations were even better. The more she sent them, the shittier they got. I soon gave up, and she promised to get more videos or maybe take me to see more places in the coming week. So I eased up and got busy with my books. Emmett was home in his study, getting a couple of things done. On days like this, I tend to forget how young he is, with the amount of work he does and the dedication he puts in. He called my mom earlier and we spoke to her. Mom was happy that I was okay, and she discussed yesterday's game with Emmett. I was shocked to find out that they'd been speaking on the phone almost every day, even while I wasn't on talking terms with Em. My new phone finally rang for the first time since I officially launched it last night. It was Gracie. "Hey roomie, how are you?" I asked, picking up the call. She sighed. "I'm fine, but we need to talk." "Oh okay,