Closer to the Edge

Rowan watched Martin closely as he studied the screen of the laptop. “So. You’re the sidekick, huh?”

Martin’s eyebrows rose and he glanced over at her quickly. “What?”

Rowan rolled her eyes and sighed. “I said, so you’re the sidekick, huh?”

Martin smiled softly before looking back at his laptop. “So you’re the captive, huh?”

“Well, the captives always have a bigger role. There’s always some sort of miraculous escape,” Rowan said.

“Yeah, or there’s some big shiny hero to swoop in and save the day,” he murmured. “Or they die.”

“Are you planning on killing me?” Rowan asked.

“If you don’t learn how to shut your mouth, it’s possible,” he grumbled.

Rowan smiled. “And yet, I’m one of the least-talkative girls that I know.”

Martin rolled his eyes.

“So what’s your boss’ name?”

“I don’t have a boss.”

“The guy you’re with. You know, the tall one?” she muttered sarcastically.

“I’m actually taller than him,” Martin snapped. “But as for his name? Can’t tell you that.”

“Well, I know your name is Martin. And I know that your bitch of a deceiving girlfriend is Ash. So, really, all that’s left to know is his name,” she told him. And it really did feel like common sense to her. Though, she wasn’t sure why she wanted to know his name so bad, anyway. She kept telling herself it was so she would have a name to chant when she stuck pins in the voodoo doll she was going to make once she escaped. But, really, she wasn’t the voodoo doll type. And yes, she studiously ignored the voice in the back of her head that kept saying ’you want to know his name because he’s hot, duh’ because, really, that wasn’t even an option.

“Gotta love some mystery,” he murmured.

“What mystery?” Ash asked, walking into the room and zipping up her jacket. She shoved her hands into her pockets and looked between her boyfriend and the captive. “Where’s P—“

“Showering!” Martin said quickly.

Ash’s eyes widened. “Right. I should’ve known.”

“We don’t speak his name,” Martin said in a mock stage-whisper.

Rowan rolled her eyes as the two of them stared at each other. Pursing her lips, she twisted her wrists behind her back. They were tied tightly and she couldn’t break free—and she was really trying. True, her legs were still free, but there wasn’t much she could do about it when Martin and Ash were fifteen feet away.

“You want anything to drink, babe?” Ash asked, running a hand over Martin’s hair.

Martin smiled and leaned into her hand subconsciously. “Yeah, I would kill for a Coke.”

“Can I have some water?” Rowan piped up, a scowl on her face. “Since, you know, I can’t even move, it’d be nice to not die of dehydration.”

“It’d be easier if you did,” Martin muttered.

“I heard that,” Rowan snapped.

“Good.”

“Play nice, children,” Ash warned before stepping out of the room.

Martin remained silent while his girlfriend was gone and Rowan kept trying to ease the tension on the fabric that kept her hands bound. It still wasn’t helping though; Martin had tied them pretty tight. Barely a minute passed before Ash had walked back into the room, handing Martin a can of Coke and a bottle of water. “I’m gonna go check the perimeters, okay?”

“Okay,” Martin said, pulling his gun from the back of his pants and handing it over to her. “Just in case, yeah?”

Ash nodded before kissing him quickly and walking out of the room.

Martin popped open his can of Coke and took a long drink before setting it down on the desk.

“Am I ever gonna get my water?” Rowan asked.

Martin smiled, opening the bottle of water and walking over to her. He held it out to her before he paused and laughed. “You really want the bottle of water?”

“You’re not funny.”

“You gotta reach for it, Rowan, if you want it that bad.”

Rowan smiled to herself; he was in the perfect spot. She brought her right leg up hard, hitting him squarely in the crotch.

Martin squealed (hey, any guy would in that situation) and fell to his knees. “Ow! You fucking bitch!”

+

Paul stepped out of the hot shower, running his hands through his wet hair. He wasn’t much more relaxed but he did feel a little bit better. He grabbed the white towel that was hanging from the stainless steel bar mounted against the wall and dried himself off before wrapping the towel around his hips. He glanced at his reflection and contemplated shaving, but decided against it. He actually didn’t mind the whole scruffy look he had going on. He kind of preferred it.

”Ow! You fucking bitch!”

Paul groaned—why was it such a hard task for Martin to keep her subdued for thirty minutes while he showered? He threw open the door and ran out to see Martin doubled over in pain and Rowan as the source. He rolled his eyes and walked over to her as she tried to get out of the chair, grabbing the back of her hair and pulling her head back tightly, causing her to gasp in surprise. He gripped her hair tightly, well aware of the fact that it was more than likely hurting her (but he didn’t care…okay maybe he did a little), and the movement caused her to stop moving.

“What the fuck is going on out here?” Paul demanded.

Martin glared at Rowan while still holding himself. “That fucking twat kicked my ‘nads, bro,” Martin said, pointing an accusatory finger at the girl his best friend was standing behind.

“That’s because you’re a fucking ass—“ Rowan started, but she was cut off by Paul gripping her hair tighter, causing her to stop talking.

“I didn’t say you could talk,” Paul snapped. And really, he wasn’t in the mood for excuses. “Martin. What did you do?”

Martin scoffed. “You assume I did something to deserve this?”

Paul smiled, just barely, since Rowan couldn’t see. “Yes.”

“Well,” Martin said, still glaring at Rowan, “she wanted some water. So Ash got her a bottle. And I told her she would have to reach for it if she really wanted it.”

Paul laughed because, really, that’s just something totally…Martin.

“That’s not funny! I could die of dehydration and you two fuckers would just be sitting here laughing!” Rowan yelled.

“Shut up, my God,” Paul groaned, pulling her hair tighter. “I am so sick of hearing your fucking voice right now. Martin, get me a fucking rope or…something.”

“What?!” Rowan yelled, beginning to panic. And, okay, she was never one to resort to panic. But now, she was kind of scared.

Martin paused. “You want to…gag her with a rope?”

“A bandana, I don’t care,” Paul said, stressing the last word. “Just get me something before I slap her again.”

His best friend smiled. “You slapped her before?” he asked, nodding slowly. “I am proud of you, bro.”

“You shouldn’t be,” Rowan grumbled.

Paul frowned and used his other hand to cover her mouth. “Bitch doesn’t listen.” He paused briefly before he leaned down next to Rowan’s ear. “And before you think about it, if you bite me or lick me or any of that stupid shit, I will cut your tongue out and punch you so hard that your teeth will bleed. Got it?”

Rowan looked at him through her peripheral.

Paul wasn’t an idiot. He knew what she was thinking. She hated him. And that was fine. He didn’t really care for her either. (And thinking she was attractive did not count…it really didn’t. Or, at least, he kept telling himself that.)

Martin reached up and untied the bandana that was chilling around his throat. “Here you go.”

“Get me two more,” Paul said, moving his hand from her mouth to grab the bandana. And this time when he tied it around her mouth, he wasn’t as gentle. He didn’t care if it knotted in her hair or if it was too tight. He frowned as he waited for Martin to gather two more. Any sort of relaxation he felt after the shower had disappeared as he found himself just as on edge as before.

When Martin handed him two lengths of rope, he didn’t question it. He didn’t really care. He moved to the front of Rowan’s chair and knelt down, making sure his towel stayed on, and he tied each of her legs to the chair. (And, okay, he had to ignore the fact that, yeah, her legs were really soft and, well, she was wearing a short dress and he was between her legs. But come on, he was a teenage guy, of course his mind was going to go there.)

He glanced up at her when he heard her mumble something, and he rose his eyebrows. “Yes?”

Rowan rolled her eyes.

Paul smiled briefly and reached up, pulling her gag down. “Yes?”

“If I’m going to be tied to this chair all night, can I at least put on pants?” she asked.

Paul looked down at her legs before meeting her eyes again. His smile widened considerably and he fixed her gag so it was back in place. “I prefer you like this. Especially when you’re not talking,” he said, patting her leg before standing up and holding onto his towel.

And, okay, Rowan was a teenager with raging hormones as well, which is why she definitely did not mind that he was shirtless. But, okay, he kidnapped her, tied her to a chair, slapped her, pulled her hair, and she was too busy thinking about how attractive he was to even process the other facts.

Yup. Being a teenager sucked at times.

Paul wasn’t bothered (and not because he knew he was fly, but because he really didn’t care if she was staring or not) by her unwavering gaze, he just grabbed some clothes from the top of the dresser and walked back into the bathroom. He changed quickly, a pair of black skinny jeans and a black shirt, before walking back out into the room. He sighed when he saw Martin and Ash standing in the doorway. “What?” he asked, his thumb and forefinger pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt a migraine beginning to develop.

“The bitch kicked my boo?” Ash asked, fixing Rowan with a glare.

Rowan looked up at her with helpless eyes, before glancing at Paul.

Paul briefly looked at her before looking back over to his friends. “Yes. She won’t do it again, I can assure you that.”

Rowan rolled her eyes. Paul couldn’t assure them of shit.

Ash wasn’t happy, it was obvious.

Martin slid an arm around her waist. “It’s okay, Ash. I’m sure we can still have babies one day.”

Ash’s mouth dropped open. “What?! You think I’m worried about babies?! I don’t give a shit about babies!” she yelled. “As long as you can still get it up, I don’t care. But if the bitch does it again, the bitch is goin down,” she threatened.

Paul looked down to try to hide his smile, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that Rowan just rolled her eyes. “You got it, Ash,” he promised.

“You want us to take first shift?” Martin asked.

Paul shook his head. “No, I’ll stay up for a few hours. I’ll wake you up when I’m about to crash,” he told him.

Martin nodded. “Yell if you need us.”

Paul nodded, but he wouldn’t need them. He could handle Rowan on his own.

Well, maybe.