by Chloe Thomas
Belle seems much stronger now that she’s properly fed and watered so I don’t carry her. I walk us both alongside the river until we’re just out of sight of the guys.
“I’ll try not to look. Just shout if you need me though.” I say as I begin stripping my clothes leaving them on a nearby rock. Belle doesn’t respond. I look up at her and I could have sworn she was checking me out. She notices me watching where her eyes have gone and her cheeks flush.
“Yeah sure,” she all but splutters. I turn back around and remove the rest of my clothes, boxers included, then head on into the river focusing really hard on not looking back at Belle.
The water feels cold but refreshing against my skin. I can hear Belle getting in to the right of me but I stay focused on splashing the water against my body, washing away the sweat and dust of the past few days. I can see her vague outline in my peripheral vision and it’s somewhat distracting. It’s clearly been too long since I last had sex, I am a man after all.
“Fuck!” Belle shouts and, judging by the splash, falls deeper into the water.
I panic, cursing myself for letting her go in without me supporting her, she’s only been standing very briefly over the past two days so she’s probably not as strong as I thought. I rush towards her putting my arms under her from behind and scooping her up against me.
“Jesus you alright?!”
“Ye..yes, sorry I just tripped on a boulder or something.”
“You sure you’re strong enough to be standing by yourself?”
“I am, honest.”
“Okay.” At this point I should let go of her. We’re both naked and I can feel her arse cheeks pressing up against my cock. I’m getting hard. Hopefully she won’t notice, after what she’s been through it would probably be inappropriate of me to be getting an erection right now. I’m trying to convince myself it’s just because it’s been a while and any man in this position would have the same reaction, but I’m starting to wonder if it’s something about Belle. I need to let her go before this gets awkward. I don’t really want to though.
“You got your balance? I’m going to let you go now.”
“Yep I’m good.”
I slowly loosen my grip and turn her to face me making sure she’s steady. Her hairs wet now but I can see it’s blonde colour better and her skin looks clean too. She looks fucking gorgeous. Her face is very slowly filling out as she’s starting to put a little weight back on. I’m desperately avoiding looking down at her tits and instead keeping eye contact with her.
“Right, well er, I’ll just let you carry on then.” Christ I sound like a fucking awkward teenager.
I turn back around and finish washing myself, making sure I stay in the cold water long enough for my cock to calm down. Once I’m done I head out, grab some clean clothes from my pack and dress. Belle gets out behind me and I chuck her a spare clean t-shirt and boxers I have, then we head back to the others.
Chapter 3
Freedom
Belle
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It’s been an interesting couple of days. Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond happy to be free, but I never imagined trekking through the Amazon rainforest with a bunch of presumably ex special forces soldiers. I definitely didn’t imagine being carried by one of them. One that incidentally I’m becoming increasingly attracted to. I’m starting to feel out of my depth.
The first 24 hours I pretty much just slept, my body trying to repair itself and gain some strength back. If I’m honest, I think I was near to the limit of human endurance when the guys rescued me. At the time I wasn’t bothered, I just wanted it all to end, but looking back now it scares me that death was that close. Levi, the teams medic, has been keeping a close eye on me, making sure my wounds aren’t getting infected and I’m getting the calories and fluids I need to recover. He’s been really sweet to me, all the guys have. Especially Chase. There’s been a couple of awkward moments mind, like the fact he has to come with me every time I need to pee. I get they can’t risk leaving me alone but it’s kind of embarrassing. He’s a perfect gentleman, never looking or complaining at having to take me. I guess it makes me feel a bit like a child though, needing to be accompanied everywhere.
Then there was the river incident last night. I’d only been doing very short stints standing up so I know why Chase panicked when I fell over. I’d probably have done the same if the tables were reversed but honestly I just tripped on something in the river bed. He pulled me up, our naked bodies touching, until I had my footings back. It felt good being held in his arms, even if it probably shouldn’t have. I’m sure I could feel his cock hard and pressing against me for the briefest of moments. I respect him trying to protect my dignity though, full credit, he didn’t even try to look at me naked the entire time and he had every chance to. Not that I’d be much to look at right now. My body’s still covered in bruises or cuts and my skeleton is practically on display. I think Chase caught me checking him out when he got undressed. He didn’t call me out on it but I thought I saw a smirk. I couldn’t help myself, he’s stunning what with his 6-pack, perfectly toned arse and that V leading down to his cock. Which incidentally is huge. I know I know, I shouldn’t have looked. I couldn’t help it though.
It’s day three of trekking through the rainforest so I guess we must be just under half way there. I’m excited to go home, but at the same time I know everything’s changed now. I’m not going to be the same. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to walk home alone without fear of being taken. It doesn’t help that I still don’t understand why they took me. Chase tried to tell me one of my captors names but I can’t bear to hear it. Somehow not knowing any details about him allows me to think he isn’t a real person. I know I’m lying to myself but I can’t process all that’s happened just yet. Chase is carrying me again, but it’s making me feel like a burden. Incidentally, I wonder why one of the other guys hasn’t carried me, I’m sure Chase said they were going to take it in turns.
When it gets to midday we take a quick pit stop. I think I want to walk the next bit, at least for a little while. I need to stretch my legs properly and if I’m honest, although Chase is gentle, it hurts having my broken ribs rub against him. All of me hurts actually, but I’m not going to complain. I feel a fuck lot better than when I was being kept in that prison and Levi’s giving me painkillers to take the edge off.
“Right, time to get going,” Noah tells the group. Chase bends to pick me up but I stop him.
“Can I walk for a little bit, I’m feeling a lot stronger than I was.” Chase narrows his eyes at me, clearly not happy.
“Levi what do you think?” Noah asks, not giving Chase time to make any sort of comment.
“Are you sure you want to walk? Any one of us will carry you, it’s no problem,” Levi softly questions.
“I know but I’d like to walk. I think I need to stretch my legs for a little bit, everything’s getting stiff being curled up all day.”
“Alright then just for a short while, but take it easy. You’ve not got proper shoes on and your body’s still recovering.” Levi and Noah seem happy enough with that, Chase on the other hand is looking at Levi like he might kill him in his sleep.
We set of with Chase sticking closer to me than my own shadow. I should find it annoying but weirdly I like that he’s concerned enough to want to be there if I fall. I feel like we’re walking slower than when he was carrying me mind.
“So, tell me about you,” Chase asks. That came out of the blue I’m not to sure how to respond. Although we’ve not been silent with each other we haven’t engaged in general chit chat either. I’ve been asleep a lot of the time and I guess I assumed Chase wasn’t the talking type the rest of the time.
“Erm, not a great deal to say. I’ve lived in California all my life. I finished college a year or so ago and completed an internship at an architect company a few months back. My best friend is Naomi, we live about 10 minutes apart. What else do you want to know?�
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“So, no boyfriend then?” He asks at almost a whisper, I imagine so the other guys don’t hear. I’m surprised by his question.
“Errr no. I had one at high school but that wasn’t exactly serious and there was a guy at college but that ended after a while.”
“Fair enough.” He doesn’t say anything else.
“What about you?” I ask.
“Not much to say. Think I told you I was a SEAL. I enlisted straight after high school, stayed in until I was 26 and then joined these guys.”
“What’s your role then, you told me everyone else’s but not yours.” He looks at me briefly.
“Sniper.”
“Oh.” I don’t know why that surprised me, I mean I’ve already seen him shoot someone in the dead centre of their skull, but for some reason it did. “Makes sense.” I add, not really knowing what else to say. “How old are you now then?”
“27. You?”
“23.” We fall back into silence. I can’t tell If it’s awkward or not.
It’s hard going trekking through the rainforest. Noah and Dean are clearing the path ahead which makes it easier for everyone else, but even so, it’s unbearably hot and humid and the ground underfoot is uneven. It is nice to be able to stretch my legs though, it’s helping ease my muscles up. We walk for another hour before Levi declares enough and Chase picks me up again. I’m sure Chase smiled when that happened.
The rest of the day continues with Chase carrying me until the light starts to fade and we make camp for the night. I sit with the rest of the guys and have another ration pack before we head off to sleep leaving Dean to take the first night shift. I’m pretty tired so I fall asleep almost instantly.
***
The next morning is a repeat of yesterday until we stop for a rest around midday and I ask if I can walk again for a short while. Chase doesn’t seem any happier about it today than he was yesterday, but no one else seems bothered.
We’ve been walking for half an hour or so when there’s a pop followed by the tree directly ahead of us splintering with a bang.
“GET DOWN!” I hear someone shout, Leo I think. Before I’ve even processed what he’s said Chase yanks me to the floor and I fall hard. I wince as my broken ribs and bruises hit the ground. I brave a look around and all of the guys have their guns drawn. Chase drags me towards him and behind a large tree.
“Visual on 3. 2 armed, 10 meters out and closing.” Noah calls, loud enough for us to hear but not whoever is shooting at us.
“Shit,” I hear Chase mutter. “Stay here behind this tree, don’t move.” It isn’t a request. I do as I’m told while Chase stalks forwards keeping himself low to the ground and hidden in the dense undergrowth. The rest of the guys are doing the same. I hear a few more gunshots and honestly I feel scared this time. When gunfire erupted at the house where I was being kept it didn’t matter. I didn’t have anything to loose. But this time I feel like I’m so close to going home that the thought of ending up dead is terrifying. I guess I’m scared for the guys too. I know they’re trained for this, but they’ve been so kind to me that the idea of one of them getting hurt is horrible. What feels like ages passes with the occasional gunshot and the odd hushed whisper. It’s probably only a minute or so but fear seems to amplify time.
“Hola, ¿qué tenemos aquí?” a voice laughs behind me, startling me. I turn round to see a man staring at me. I don't understand what he said, but he looks anything other than kind. A shiver creeps up my spine and not in a good way. He leans forward and grabs hold of me, dragging me towards him. I panic and start to scream before he slaps me across the cheek and then covers my mouth.
Everything after that becomes a blur. I remember kicking and trying to get away from his grip. I think one of the guys must have heard and come back because someone drags him off of me and I hear another gunshot nearby, almost certainly ending him. I’m still terrified though. I can’t breathe properly. I’m clammy, I’m not even sure what’s happening around me now. I burry my head in-between my knees and just cry.
Eventually I start to come too and Chase is sat in front of me, his hands gently on my shoulders.
“Belle, it’s alright. You’re having a panic attack. It’s me Chase, the bad guy’s gone now.” He gently rubs my cheek where the guy slapped me. “You’re okay, you’re safe. I promise I won’t leave you again.” As I become more aware of my surroundings I realise all of the guys are back, standing around me.
“What, what happened, what if there’s others?” I ask between sobs. I can feel panic rising up again.
“There’s no one else, we’ve checked the surrounding area. It was just some natives that we were unlucky to come across. They live this remotely so they can grow drugs without the authorities finding them. They’re gone now.” Chase tries to reassure me.
“Come on, lets keep moving.” Chase picks me up and we carry on through the rainforest.
I quietly cry into his chest, still shocked and scared of who else we could come across.
***
Hours later we stop and make camp. Chase puts me down on a old tree stump and instead of leaving me to help the guys he sits next to me. I’ve stopped crying now but I still feel pretty shaken. I guess I’d convinced myself that being kidnapped once was such bad luck that it couldn’t possibly happen again. Clearly though, it could. Chase tilts my head up to look at him and brushes his thumb across the tear streaks running down my cheek.
“Are you okay?” He looks concerned.
“I’ll be okay. It just freaked me out a little that’s all.”
“Well yeah Belle, it would given what we’ve just rescued you from.” I stay silent unsure of what to say back. “Sweetheart you had a panic attack. I’m not saying you need to talk to me specifically, and I know you don’t want to relive it, but you need to tell someone about everything that’s happened to you in the past 9 or so weeks.” I take a breath and then decide I’m best to just blurt it out now.
“They took me from the street as I was walking home. I don’t know what happened after that but I assume they drugged me because the next thing I remember is waking up in that room. I tried the door obviously but it was locked and they kept it locked the whole time they weren’t in there with me. Some days they’d chuck a bottle of water in and maybe a small bite to eat but would otherwise leave me alone. Other days I wasn’t that lucky. If they were bored or stressed they’d usual physical violence on me. They’d kick, punch, choke and occasionally stab me. There was three of them, but one seemed to be the leader. He always looked like he enjoyed hurting me, like he took pleasure out of it. I don’t know if it was luck that I survived this long or if he knew how to take me to the edge of death but without going too far. I always seemed to recover ready for another beating.
“I guess I thought I was free when you guys rescued me but today reminded me of all that. For a moment I thought it was going to happen all over again and I just... well, didn’t exactly cope with that.” I stop talking and realise that Chase has his fists balled at his sides. He looks like he’s about to explode. The other guys are all nearby listening and none look too pleased to put it mildly. And I left out the part about the sexual abuse. I’m not saying that out loud to anyone, I just can’t. It might sound stupid, but I feel disgusted with myself that I couldn’t stop it.
“How the fuck could anyone treat you like that” Chase says through clenched teeth. Levi takes a step closer and puts his hand tightly around Chase’s shoulder, a silent exchange passing between them that I don’t understand.
“Arabella I should probably check your ribs and wounds again after today’s events,” Levi states as he gets me to lie down and lift the t-shirt I'm wearing up a little. The other guys go back to whatever they were doing.
***
It’s now day 6 of trekking through the rainforest and yesterday was uneventful thank god. I didn’t ask to walk again, not after the events of the day before. We’ve been walking for a couple of hours but I think we’re pre
tty close to the airstrip now. A few minutes later and Dean holds up his hand. The guys fall silent and come to a stop. Through the trees I can see a clearing just big enough to act as a runway. I guess this is it.
We stay out of sight in the tree-line for the next 20 minutes. Chase doesn’t leave my side but I notice Leo and Dean quietly wander off, guns in hand, presumably to do a perimeter check. In the distance I hear the faint sound of engines. A small white dot in the skyline gets bigger and bigger becoming recognisable as a plane. It lands at the other end of the clearing slowing as it gets closer to us. Before it’s even completely stopped the guys are heading towards it, Chase still carrying me of course. Everyone loads into the plane within a minute or so and the second the door’s shut the pilot is powering up and gaining speed ready to take off again.
Once we’re up in the air the atmosphere seems to lighten. The guys relax, happy to be out of the rainforest and going home I guess. Chase sat us both towards the back of the plane, away from the rest of the guys when we got on board. If I’m honest, I’m glad. They’re laughing and joking with each other and while I’m pleased they’re all in good spirits, I’m just not feeling it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to be going home but I can’t help feel this nightmare will never really be over. Yes I’ve been rescued, but the memories are still there. The fear that it could happen again is almost paralysing.
“Hey Belle,” Chase speaks softly to me, “are you alright, you seem a bit withdraw?”
“Nothings going to be the same is it?” I’m managing to hold back the tears but my voice is trembling. Chase takes my hand in his and squeezes.
“It might take some time to adjust to everything that’s happened but you’re still you and your life still exists. I know you’ve been through something traumatic, but that doesn’t need to control how you live your life going forwards.”