Less than Perfect, S. J. Evans [classic literature books txt] 📗

her face up towards his, smiling at her—“let’s forget about him for now, okay? Move on to better things.” He grinned. “Things like food. I’m getting pretty hungry, and a late snack sounds really good right now. What do you say? Should I go bring us up some food?”
“Food

?” Skye spluttered, gulping down a laugh. “Right now? Jules, it’s almost ten o’clock. Don’t you think it’s a little late? We already had supper.”
“So we’ll call it an almost midnight snack. Come on, Skye, don’t make me starve.” He flashed a wicked grin before bringing his mouth to her ear, and lowering his voice as he added, “I’ll give you a surprise reward later for being so considerate if you let me bring us something. I won’t bring a lot, and the surprise will totally be worth it.”
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the warmth of his breath, untying the previous knots that had been tangled. A bright smile lit up her face as she thought of how much she always ended up enjoying Jules’s “surprises”, and all of their previous discussions were soon discarded for better things. Things like Jules and his wonderful surprises.
“Fine,” she grumbled, feigning frustration. “You can go bring us something. But don’t get a lot, and be sure to check in with Leah before you go too crazy. I’ll be waiting up here for that . . . special surprise.” Now it was her turn to grin. “Make it quick, Julian Rane.”
“Whatever you say.” He snickered, kissed her quickly on the cheek, and sprang off the bed, hurrying out of the room before she could say anything else to him.
With giggles suppressed in her throat, Skye buried herself in the bedding, hugging the pillows. Her once heavy heart felt free, as light as a feather. She could breathe properly again, the air coming out in a steady, healthy rhythm. Jules

, she thought, sighing. He does this to me. He’s the one who frees me from the terrible things in reality, allowing me access to real peace and happiness.

He was incredible, she concluded, and nothing could change her mind.
Jules was the reason she was even still alive.
He gave her peace. He gave her love. He gave her . . . hope

.
With him, everything felt perfect.

“LISTEN TO ME,” Johnny sneered, venom in his words. “I’m going to handle the call, but you have to listen to me. If you say or do anything—and I mean anything

—wrong, I won’t hesitate before punishing you and Skye for your behavior. And trust me when I say it won’t be pleasant, Rachel. For either of you.”
Swallowing the urge to spit at him, Rachel nodded stiffly. “I’ll be good. I promise.” She took a shuddering breath. “Just tell me what I should

do.”
With a wicked grin on his face, he stepped towards her, saying, “That’s a good girl.” He bent down and pushed the curls away from her face, looking her in the eyes. “Now,” he said, dropping the smile. “When I ask you to speak, you will speak. You will not scream, or cry, or tell Skye anything unless I tell you to. You will be quiet, and you will follow my orders. Do we have an understanding?”
Drawing away from him, she nodded, swallowed the lump in her throat, and said, “Yes, Johnny, we have an understanding. I promise I’ll behave.”
“Perfect

.”

NESTLED IN A cocoon of warmth, Skye forgot about the troubles of reality around her. She wrapped herself in a nest of comfort and hid, waiting impatiently for the moment when Jules would come back to her, bearing gifts. She wanted him back so badly it hurt—like an unwelcome stab in her chest.
Buried deep in the cover of blankets, lost in a dreamland so perfect it’d be almost impossible to let go of, she hazily acknowledged a buzzing in her ears. And it wasn’t until she crawled out from underneath the covers, listening more carefully, that she realized where it was coming from.
Her cell phone had been vibrating. Someone had tried to call.
Scooting closer to the bedside table, she plucked up the shiny black flip phone and checked the number. Rachel’s. I better call her back

, she thought, placing her finger over the re-dial. But before she could call her back, the phone began vibrating again.
She dropped the phone in surprise, cursing herself. When she reached down to retrieve it, she noticed the time and frowned, suddenly curious as to why Rachel was calling so late. Must be something important,

she concluded, flipping the phone open and saying, “Hey, Rachel. What’s up?”
“Hello, Skylar,” Johnny’s low, cruel voice answered. “Did you miss me?”
“Johnny

?” she gasped, breathlessly. “W-What are you doing answering Rachel’s phone? W-What have you done with her?”
There was a pause on his end—a long, taunting pause—followed by a dark, sadistic chuckle, before he spoke again. “Don’t worry, Princess. I haven’t hurt her too badly…yet.” The words hung in the air, leaving an awful, nagging ache in Skye’s chest. “But I could. I could even get rid of her if need be. She’s here right now, if you’d like to talk to her. Maybe say your own little goodbye.” He chuckled again, the sound of it causing bile to rise in her throat. “Unless you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for her. Then maybe I’d spare her.”
Time stood still. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think properly. Johnny had taken Rachel. And he was threatening to hurt her, maybe even kill her. But Skye knew she wouldn’t let that happen. She would do anything to protect Rachel, even if it meant leaving everyone she loved behind and succumbing to a monster’s commands. She wouldn’t let her best friend suffer. Whatever Johnny wanted with her, she could handle. As long as she knew her loved ones would be safe.
Bracing herself for whatever his horrific request could be, she cleared her dry throat, swallowed her fear, and took a deep breath. “Let me talk to her. Then we’ll discuss the details of what happens next.”
“As you wish, Princess,” he drawled, chuckling under his breath. “Here she is.”
“Skye!” Rachel sobbed on the other end, cutting her off before she could speak. “Skye don’t listen to him. Don’t do anything he says. I-I can handle this. Really I can. But he’ll hurt you

if you trust him. He’ll try to use you again, you know he will. So I’m begging you, Skye, please don’t—”
A glass-shattering scream echoed through the phone, sending a shiver to run down Skye’s spine. “Rachel!” she breathed, too weak to scream. “R-Rachel, what happened? Are you okay? Rachel, talk to me! PLEASE!”
“She disobeyed me.” Johnny’s gruff, agitated voice rang through Skye’s ears, making her numb with fear. “I’m sorry, Skylar, but she’ll have to be punished. If you get here in time, you can save her from a fate worse than death. Otherwise, she’s all mine, and I’ll make her wish she never tried to cross me. You have until midnight. If you don’t show by then, I can’t promise you’ll ever see her again. And worse than that, I’ll come after everyone you love—starting with that miserable boy, Julian

—one-by-one, before taking you for myself. Have I made myself clear? You have two hours before I make your best friend suffer everything I made you suffer. I suggest you hurry.”
Tears cascading down her face, she shook her head, and sobbed a miserable, breathless “Wait!” Her heart was pounding, body on edge. He was going to break Rachel; she wouldn’t be able to handle what he wanted to put her through. It was clear as day what she had to do now. She had to stop Johnny. She had to sacrifice her own freedom for Rachel’s safety. It was the only thing she could

do.
“D-Don’t hang up! Please, don’t hang up,” she begged, barely above a whisper. “Where can I find you?”
There was a harsh chuckle on the other end. “That’s my girl,” Johnny sighed. “Meet me at your ex-boyfriends house. And come alone. If you tell anyone, or bring anyone, Rachel dies. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes, Johnny.” She sobbed, hearing a muffled scream on the other end. “I’ll come alone. I promise.”
“Midnight. Not a second later.”
His last words would haunt her forever. If she even survived the night, that is.
Her throbbing heart was torn to shreds by the mere thought

of losing Rachel. They’d been best friends since kindergarten; they’d grown up together. Rachel was the sister she’d never had. And the thought of losing someone so close to her was breaking her down.
But she had to be strong. Johnny was trying to scare her, make her weak. He didn’t really want to kill Rachel, did he? She couldn’t risk it even if he didn’t. She would go to Bryan’s house, free Rachel, and let Johnny take her. If it meant saving her loved ones, she’d do it.
Every part of her body was shaking with fear and despair. She was about to give herself over to Johnny—the one thing

she hated most in the world—and there was no way of escape. Everyone she loved—even her beloved, Jules—was going to lose her, just as she was going to lose them. The heaviness of it all was suffocating her.
Collapsing into the covers, she broke into uncontrollable sobs. Her nightmare had come to life, and she was scared to death of the end. She couldn’t imagine a life with Johnny, or even another minute

with him, and yet—she was about to willingly run into his arms. She told herself she would find a way to escape when she knew Rachel was safe, but the thought of even seeing Johnny again was killing her inside. It shattered any hopes she’d once had in a second, leaving her with a throbbing ache in her heart.
She wouldn’t give up though. As long as she was alive and breathing, she’d deter Johnny’s schemes. She wouldn’t let him take her without a fight. She would give him hell for all he had put her through—even if it killed her.
Shaking her head, she took a deep, unsteady breath, wiped her tears away, and tried to calm herself down. If she was going to survive the night, she couldn’t be weak and afraid. She’d spend her last hour-and-a-half of freedom with Jules, savoring every minute. If she was going to lose him too, the least she could do was keep him out of the mess. And to do that she had to be strong. She couldn’t let him see her fear.
“Skye?”
At the sound of Victor’s voice, Skye startled, frozen in the covers, heart in her throat. She snapped her head up to find him standing in the doorway, gaze solely locked on her. “Victor?” she gasped. Her voice cracked from the surge of anxiety that spiked her nerves. Stiffly finding her way into a sitting position, she cleared her throat, clasped her hands together tightly, and bit her lip, watching him. “W-what are you still doing here?”
The hairs on her arms stood up as his low, sultry voice filled the air, reminding