When I'm With You (Little Hollow Series, #2)(42)

I look down at his head, at the greasy mop sitting on top of it and cringe, I have to touch that. “Fine. I can shave it, that’s all I can do with these.”

I’m just pointing out the facts but he grunts at me.

“Shave it all off and I’ll do yours to match!” He says angrily. “Just get on with it.”

I turn and wrap the blanket around me, securing it with a simple knot and moving it around so the knot is in the back. I turn the hair clippers on and start sectioning off bits of his greasy hair, if I try to use them as scissors this might work. I take a deep breath in, he really doesn’t have a clue about hairdressing and I’m scared of messing this up. I take another breath before grabbing bits of hair and going to town on them.

“You’ve always loved hairdressing, even when you were little,” he says.

I try not to listen to him, it just takes me back to a time where I was just a frightened girl.

“I’m done,” I announce.

It doesn’t look completely awful, but it’s not quite right either. He pulls out a mirror I haven’t realized was by the chair and looks at himself. I wince as he grinds his teeth together and his jaw twitches.

“What the fuck is this!” He demands, pointing to his head.

I take a step back. “I did the best I could with what you gave me. I told you I needed scissors, so don’t blame me for not listening. I think I did a pretty good job considering.”

“You need scissors? I’ll get you scissors,” he drawls in an almost sweet voice.

He gets up from the chair and stalks out the room, it doesn’t escape me that I could try to get away, but knowing he has a gun on him, I don’t want to push it.

He saunters back in the room and stands beside the chair, holding out the scissors to me. He must’ve got them from a first aid box. How stupid is he blatantly handing over a weapon to his victim?

I move to grab them off him with my head down so he doesn’t suspect anything. I should’ve kept my head up.

It’s what I don’t see that’s my downfall.

I don’t see the rope in his other hand and I don’t see the vicious smile slowly work its way over his lips as I shuffle forward, reaching for the scissors.

He grips me by my wrists and pulls me roughly onto the chair, instantly on top of me, wrapping rope around my midsection, tying my arms against my body, my body against the chair.

I struggle against him but he weighs too much for my weak body, and I start to panic.

What is he doing?

He ties the rope in a tight knot and I wince as it cuts off the circulation to my hands.

“I did what you said! You told me to give you a haircut and I fucking did!” I shout.

I feel him pull back my hair roughly. “And now it’s my turn,” he says sounding manic.

I screech and shout, calling him every name under the sun but he just laughs, knowing I can’t get free.

He grips my hair as he says, “I told you, you’ve always loved hairdressing, can you remember?” He pulls and it irritates my already tender scalp. “I said, can you remember?”

I nod my head even though it hurts to as he doesn’t let his grip on my hair go.

“Good.” He says that one word and I hear the snip of the scissors as he chops a chunk out of my hair. “You’re going to look pretty when I’m done with you, just like those barbie’s you used to play with.”

He picks up one of my Barbie dolls and walks it toward me, but I just look up at him with wide eyes.

“Hello, Keeley, don’t you want to play with me?” He asks in a high-pitched voice.

I bow my head and shake it, looking down at my own doll.

“It’ll be fun,” he states in his normal voice.

I shake my head furiously, ignoring him as I continue brushing and cutting away at my dolls hair.

“Do you think she likes you doing that to her hair?” He sneers, and I recoil.

“What are you doing? Get away from her,” mom says, picking me up.

He stands up and narrows his eyes at her. “I was only offering to play with the damn dolls, Kirsten.”

His sweet tone doesn’t match the look on his face and I bury my head into my mom’s chest.

“Mommy? Can I go play with Hunter?”

She places her mouth next to my ear and whispers, “Great idea, you run on over and tell Arlene to call your daddy and say that mommy needs him home. Can you do that for me, sweet girl?”

I nod my head as my feet touch the ground and I run out the door, hearing her cry out as I cross the threshold. I don’t stop running until I’ve ran to the other end of the street, to the blue house with the white shutters that is slowly becoming like a second home to me.

I don’t even knock, barreling into the living room and running through the house to the one place that makes me feel safe. I open his door and he’s sitting on his bed listening to his MP3 player. He takes in my scared face and opens his arms for me to run into. I bury my head in his chest and he strokes my hair in a soothing motion.

“Shhhh, it’s alright. I’m here,” he says calmly.

“Mommy said I need to tell Arlene to call my daddy and tell him she needs him home,” I breath out into his chest in one big rush.

He stiffens and lifts me off his chest with a serious look on his face. “Kee, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I heard pop say they were busy at the club today.”