Page 144 of Dangerous Contract: Part 1

As she attempted to flee, her father lunged for her. She veered to the side, trying to avoid his fingers. His nails scraped across her neck seconds before he grabbed the strap of her dress and yanked. She cried out, dropping her journal as she tried to escape his grasp.

She grabbed his wrist, nails biting into his skin, causing him to curse at her. His grip eased up, and she broke free. Moniqueraced for the door but was yanked back by her hair. She twisted around and swung at her father, her fist slamming into his nose.

Blood spurted. He released her, but she wasn’t free. His fist raced toward her face. She didn’t have time to dodge it. She only had time to turn her head to the side. Pain sliced through her face as her head jerked back from the force of his fist hitting her cheek.

She tasted blood. A ringing noise took up residence in her ears. From the corner of her eye, she saw her father reach into his coat pocket. Did he have a weapon? She couldn’t let him pull it out.

“Get out of my house!” she screamed, her desperation mounting as she fought him, never imagining she’d have to fight her own father like this.

Her nails scraped across his cheek. Crying out, he flung her backward. She fell over the table, dropping Raz’s keys as the side of her head hit the corner of the table before she hit the floor.

Before she could rise, her father was on her. In one fluid motion, he pulled out a syringe and jabbed it into her neck. The needle pierced her skin like a hot poker, and she gasped at the sudden pain.

Heat flowed through her veins, and she felt like she was about to be sick. A rush of dizziness followed, her vision blurring as the world began to tilt. Toya and Meka’s voices reached her ears from outside, their concerned tones blending together.

“Monique?” they called, their footsteps approaching the front door.

“Stay out!” Monique tried to scream, but her voice came out weak and strained.

Her body felt heavy, as though gravity were pulling her down with twice its usual force. Oh, wait, she was already down. Panic bubbled up inside her, threatening to choke her.

“You brought this on yourself. A woman should know her place. I failed to teach you. But it’s not too late,” her father whispered against her ear as he covered her mouth with his hand. His grip was firm, suffocating, leaving her no room to breathe or cry out.

“Monique!” Toya and Meka burst through the door, their eyes darting around the room in search of her.

“Help... me...”she thought. But at the same time, she was thinking,“Run.”

She couldn’t voice either of those requests because consciousness was slipping away like sand through her fingers.

“Pastor Rose?” Meka’s voice wavered, the confusion evident in her tone.

“Pastor Rose, I respect you and all,” Toya shouted. “But if you don’t get your ass off my friend, I will pull this trigger.”

Oh, right.Toya had a gun. Toya always had a gun. Thank you, crazy-ass Toya.

“Get the fuck off her,” Toya yelled.

The sound of someone rushing from the kitchen filled Monique’s ears as darkness closed in on her. A gunshot pierced the air.Oh, no!Her heart raced. Her vision was distorted due to the dizzying effect of the drug coursing through her veins.

Screams filled the air. Another gunshot rang out. Yelling and the sound of furniture scraping against the floor filled her ears. But it was fading away just as quickly as she was. Her friends needed her.

But all Monique could do was lie there as the darkness dragged her under. As she faded away, her thoughts drifted to Raz. She wouldn’t be there when he got home from work. She wouldn’t be there to smile at him and ask if he had a good day.

She wouldn’t be able to see his smile, feel his touch, or hear his voice. She’d finally found love.Real love. And it was beingsnatched away from her. No, it wasn’t being snatched away from her.

Raz had told her he refused to let her go. He would come for her. He would find her. And he’d take her home. She believed in her man. She trusted in his ability to keep her safe. He’d find her. She just had to wait.

And for now, she had to sleep. When she opened her eyes again, he’d be there. Raz would be with her. Always. Just like he’d promised. But what Monique didn’t know was that Raz was facing the same darkness she was facing.

Just like her, his life was in danger. Just like her, he was wishing he was at home with the person he loved. Unfortunately, neither of them would be going home anytime soon.

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To be continued in part 2....