As the night wore on, Joycelyn found herself trapped in an increasingly uncomfortable situation. She could barely stay upright, the alcohol coursing through her system and making her head spin. Her instincts screamed at her to escape the entrapment Linda had set up for her, but she was already feeling the effects of the vodka Linda had secretly mixed into her drink.
Octavia’s hands on her were like a trap, and when she heard the sound of Tommy’s footsteps approaching, she could hardly hold herself together. Octavia’s manipulative words did little to calm her. Joycelyn’s mind was racing, fighting the dizziness, trying to push through the pressure of the situation.
As soon as Tommy appeared, Joycelyn felt the urge to recoil from him, but Octavia was relentless, forcing her closer. She wanted no part of this, of being used as a pawn in their game. She tried to steady herself, but the dizziness was overwhelming. She had to get away from them.
But in that moment, something inside her snapped. With her resolve holding firm despite the fog in her mind, she fought back against Octavia’s hold and planted her feet to the ground, determined not to fall into Tommy’s arms.
Gripping her phone tightly, she did what she knew would bring her some safety—she dialed Ellison. Her heart raced as she waited for the line to connect, her body trembling from both the alcohol and the panic.
The ringing in her ears was almost deafening as the phone clicked. She didn’t have time to think, only to act.
“Ellison… please, help me,” she managed to whisper, her voice barely audible over the fog in her mind.
The line went silent for a brief moment before Ellison’s voice came through, calm but with an underlying tension she could hear even in her state.
“Joycelyn, where are you? What happened?”
His voice grounded her in the moment. For the first time tonight, a sense of safety washed over her. She wasn’t alone. She didn’t have to face this by herself.
“At the hotel. They… they’re trying to… get me to… I don’t know,” she stammered, trying to explain through the haze. “I need to leave, now.”
“Stay where you are,” Ellison commanded, his voice a mix of concern and authority. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Joycelyn’s breath caught in her throat as she lowered the phone. She couldn’t believe she had actually called him for help, but right now, it was the only thing she could do. It felt like a weight had lifted from her shoulders knowing he was coming, and she suddenly felt less like a pawn in their game.
Octavia was still trying to keep her close to Tommy, but Joycelyn shook her head, her heart pounding. She wanted to leave, and she wasn’t going to let anyone stop her now. The phone call had been her lifeline, and she wasn’t going to let go of it.
Ellison was coming for her. She just needed to hold on until then.
