by Julia Crane
Another whimper escaped when he turned her and pushed her down on the bed. Her breast ached, still sore from the shower, as he pressed her harder against the rough fabric. Her legs hung off the bed, not quite touching the floor.
Block it out. Think of a happier time. She imagined running through the fields of flowers as a child. Laughter. Light. Happiness.
His hand lightly ran down her back. She inhaled sharply when he drove himself into her without warning. He was big and stretched her painfully. Quickly, he went from the soft touch to his savage hunger. He blamed her for bringing it out in him. She lay awake at night and wondered if it were true. Had she done something to provoke him? He wrapped his hand around her long hair and pulled her head back roughly, his hot breath on her back as his heavy weight bore down on her. The friction made her raw.
It felt as if she was being torn in two. “Help me, please!” she cried out.
He pulled out and her body tensed. Had she said that out loud? No! No! No! When was she going to learn?
He twisted her body around. His eyes were wild, and a sheen of sweat covered his forehead. The once handsome face was contorted into something ugly. Sinful.
“Help you? You want help, my lovely flower? I know ways to help you.” An evil smile spread across his face.
He spun her back around and dropped her head to the bed. She turned to the side so she could breathe and stared at the wall through blurry eyes. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision. He hated when she cried. It only enraged him even more. Why couldn’t she just keep her mouth shut?
“Didn’t I tell you not to speak?”
She nodded jerkily, breathing in terrified little gasps.
“You know I can’t stand it when you cry.” He pulled her up to standing and pushed her against the wall. “I tried to do this the nice way. Why do you always make it so difficult?” he yelled, and a vein pulsed in his forehead.
Her legs shook, as her hands pressed against the wall spread eagle. The way he liked her. It was so hard to keep her hands from sliding. She watched as he paced back and forth across the room. Why had she agitated him? All he wanted her to do was pretend she enjoyed it. But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. Something inside her told her that if she even faked pleasure, she would betray her very soul. And there was no coming back from that.
“I’m sorry,” Aaliyah croaked out.
“You’re sorry? As am I. Remember you made me do this.” He crossed the room and pulled open a drawer. Tears ran freely down her face now. She knew when he got in these moods there was no changing his mind. Now he would take his time with her. Hours.
He tore off a piece of duct tape, and she wailed when she saw the leather belt by his side. She shouldn’t move, but instinct took over and she bolted for the door. With all her might she pulled on the knob. Of course it was locked. How could she have been so stupid?
“Now that wasn’t very smart. Was it?”
Aaliyah sank to the floor and pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them. No, it had not been very smart at all.
In one swift movement, he had her on her feet. Slapped the tape over her mouth. Her eyes widened in horror. Sex was not supposed to be like this.
I’m so sorry Noah. She repeated over and over in her mind.
If she had just kept quiet, it would have already been over. She would be back in her cage with the rest of the girls.
“Why did you have to run? Am I that repulsive? Open your eyes and look at me!”
As if her body had a mind of its own, she vigorously nodded her head up and down, keeping her eyes squeezed shut. He was a monster. A repulsive, disgusting monster.
She heard the familiar snap of the belt and terror ripped through her body. How many beatings could one person take? Would she die at his hands? At this point, she almost welcomed death.
No, she could not let her mind go down that path. She could not allow him to win. Somehow, she would make it through this horrendous experience.
The blow from the heavy leather across her stomach dropped her to her knees. Her head hung. The sting from the belt burned as he had branded her, not only on the outside but also deep inside her soul. Even if she managed to get away, she would never be free of him. He had seared her so deeply, in such a horrible way, that she would always belong to him.
An uncontrollable sob racked her body.
“Look at me!”
Her head weighed a ton. She hesitated and waited for her head to stop swimming before lifting it. She wasn’t fast enough.
The blow to her face came as a surprise. The taste of blood filled her mouth. She had to swallow it because of the tape. He had never touched her face before. He said it was too lovely to mar. Maybe he was over his fascination with her. She could only hope. For some reason she felt like laughing. Great. She really was losing her mind—despair to laughter in three seconds flat. A smile tugged at the tape around her mouth. Yes, she really was going crazy. Going once, going twice, gone to the madman with the honey colored eyes!
“You always need to learn a lesson don’t you?” he panted. How could he be turned on by this? She absently wondered as the belt sliced through the air hitting her over and over again. Each lash stung worse than the last until she was so numb, she felt nothing. The nothingness was always welcomed.
He picked her up and tossed her on the mattress. He climbed on top of her, pinning her to the bed as he tied her hands and feet to the bedposts. As if she could move if she wanted to. The rope cut at her wrist as she struggled to get free. Her mind knew there would be no freedom, but her body always rebelled, causing her even more pain.
Lost in a haze of pain and confusion, her body jerked back and forth. His breath smelled like whiskey and smoke. If she lived a hundred years, she would never forget that smell. She would never forget his grunts, the touch of his hands, or the pain. Especially not the pain.
His weight crushed her, making it hard to breathe. Her face throbbed and the room spun. She no longer felt like laughing.
CHAPTER 14
“You’re both restless. Why don’t you go into town and grab something to eat,” Harrington suggested.
Kaitlyn perked up. They hadn’t set foot outside of the surrounding area of the property since they arrived. The thought of going out and seeing something different was quite appealing. Anything to get her mind off the fact that they were inactive when every fiber of her believed they should be moving forward. Kaitlyn looked to her left, meeting Lucas’s gaze. He nodded with a slight smile.
She was eager to get out of the confined house.
“What about you, Harrington? Do you and Adams want to go out?”
Harrington shook his head. “I think I’ll stay in and go over the plans some more”
“Adams?”
The old man shook his head. “Too cold out there for me. I’m happy to sit near the fire with my crossword puzzles.”
Kaitlyn wasn’t surprised. Professor Adams rarely wanted to do anything not lab related.
Lucas stood up and stretched his arms above his head. “I’ll go get the others. I’m sure they are itching to get out. Sure as hell beats sitting around.”
Moments later, Lucas came back with Erik, Ace and Nick.
Just as they were about to leave, Lucas handed her a jacket. “It’s pretty cold out, Kate. You might want to grab your hat.”
She really wished this stuff would come second nature to her. Obviously, it would raise an eyebrow or two if she went out in the middle of the winter in Maine without the proper attire. She shrugged into her jacket and grabbed a teal hat off the rack. The flash of color made a smile tug at her lips. How strange that the familiar teal could have a soothing effect on her. Somehow, it made her feel more like herself. As soon as they completed the mission, she was going to have Lucas replace the flesh-toned parts with the teal. The flesh color made her feel like an impostor.
But the reality was, only when she was on the compound, could she truly be herself.
Kaitlyn o
pened the door and was hit by a cold gust of wind. The sky was dark and stars shone brightly above. Snow flurries dance around her.
A winter wonderland, she thought as she looked up at the quarter moon that hung high in the sky.
Lucas gave her a private smile as they trudged on towards the van.
Suddenly, Kaitlyn’s sensors activated. Quickly, she spun, standing. With her left hand, she captured a ball of snow. It crumbled and fell to the ground. She locked eyes with Ace who stared back with a grim expression on his face.
“No way in hell, man. I don’t care what you say,” he grumbled, his posture stiff.
Nick looked confused. He must have missed the exchange.
Erik stood still, silently watching. Lucas always the quick thinker bent down and patted a ball of snow in his own hands and beamed it at Ace, who ducked right before it made contact. Next thing they knew, they were in a full-fledged snowball fight.
Kaitlyn actually giggled as she dove for cover behind the van. She was at a definite advantage with the embedded heat sensors. She would have preferred to play blind, but she had no way to turn off the features without Lucas changing her coding.
Lucas was hunkered down behind some bushes out of the wind. Kaitlyn crouched low, making as little noise as possible as she made her way across the lawn to join him.
When he saw her approach, his face lit up. Kaitlyn wiped the snowflakes from his eyebrows. Together, they launched a full on attack against the others. Once their position was compromised, Kaitlyn gave Lucas a quick kiss. “You’re on your own.”
She took off in a sprint. The scent of pine filled the air. Snowballs whizzed past her. One slammed into her shoulder and made her laugh.
It was the most fun she’d had in a long time, and a much-needed diversion to break up the tension that had been mounting while they waited for the mission to commence. The fight went on for a full twenty-seven minutes before Lucas lumbered out from the tree line, holding his hands in surrender, with Nick following closely behind him.
Not wanting to draw any more attention to herself, Kaitlyn stood up and wiped the snow off her pants before wading through the snow with hands raised. She met the others in the middle. All that was left were Erik and Ace. She wondered who would give in first. Probably Erik. Ace was too stubborn for his own good.
A flicker of a shadow crossed her vision to the left. She could tell by the length that it was Erik. She wondered what he was up to. Kaitlyn cast a glance around searching for Ace, and admiration filled her.
Very nice.
Ace had climbed a tree. Erik made a run for it and Ace pelted him with snow. Good naturally, Erik grinned and raised his hands, joining them in the middle. “You got me.”
Ace slid down the tree with a smug smirk on his face. His chest was puffed out like a rooster.
“Dinner’s on Erik.” Ace clapped Erik on the back.
“Works for me,” Lucas said, bouncing back and forth on his feet. “Let’s get the hell out of here. I’m freezing.”
They piled into the van and made the drive towards the little city of Eastport.
Ace slammed his hand on the steering wheel and grinned. “Finally, won something over wonder girl.”
Nick looked over and shook his head. “Why do you have such a hate-on, bro? She kicks your ass fair and square.”
Ace turned his head and glared at Nick, who grinned, swaying his arms back and forth. “Haters gonna hate.”
Erik and Lucas laughed.
Erik leaned forward, connecting knuckles with Nick.
“Screw you.” Ace grumbled, as they rolled to a stop at one of the few stop signs in the area.
Clearly, she missed something, so she did an internal internet search for haters going to hate. Images of cats with puffed out chest and a man on roller skates in a batman custom came up with the phrase haters going to hate written below. Urban dictionary said it was a phrase used to acknowledge individual superiority in the face of negative external accusations. Can be repeated twice for emphasis. Often accompanied by a strutting walk away from offending party.
Kaitlyn had to suppress a giggle.
The snow grew heavier as they crossed the causeway. Ace kept his attention on driving as he navigated through the narrow roads.
“The visibility sucks,” Nick mumbled from the passenger’s side. “Good thing they keep the roads salted.”
Kaitlyn could see just fine, but she knew for normal eyesight, visibility would only be around ten feet.
Since no one knew where to eat, they drove around aimlessly in search of a restaurant. Kaitlyn could have easily asked her internal computers for a location, but that wouldn’t have been smart. Besides, the city was so small, it didn’t take them long to find the main road. It was aptly named Main Street, which connected to Water Street. They drove the short loop that led them out onto the breakwater. Ace pulled the van to a stop and they all jumped out to look over the water. The angry waves crashed loudly.
“I sure as hell wouldn’t want to fall into the ocean here,” Lucas said, while rubbing the side of his arms.
“No shit,” Nick agreed. “I wonder how cold it is?”
“Four degrees Celsius,” Kaitlyn said without thinking.
“Four degrees Celsius? Is that so? And how pray tell do you know that, Mrs. Know-It-All?” Ace asked.
Kaitlyn mentally kicked herself. “Harrington always makes sure we know the most minute details of any location we visit.”
“You need to back off, Ace,” Erik said through gritted teeth.
“Hey, man, it was a legit question.” Ace shrugged and looked back over the water.
After a few moments of awkward silence, they jumped back into the van.
Lucas squeezed her leg, signaling that she’d recovered well after her second misstep of the evening. Glancing out the window, she had to admit Eastport was a beautiful town, even if they had very few places to choose from to eat.
“What about that?” Lucas asked, pointing at a small little building with a sign that read Waco Diner. A flashing neon sign declared it open.
“Obviously, it’s the hot spot,” Nick joked.
Ace pulled the van into one of the few parking spots.
They kicked the snow off their boots before entering. As they walked in, every head in the place turned to stare. Kaitlyn felt self-conscious. Why were they looking at them like that? Could they somehow know she wasn’t really human? No, that was impossible.
Lucas strode forward and said hello out loud. A couple of people mumbled back hello before going back to their plates, but others just stared at them. They sat down at a table by a window. Nick grabbed an extra chair, placing it at the end of the table. Apparently, the diner wasn’t used to parties larger than four.
They quietly scanned the menus.
Eventually, a pretty woman with curly hair and a hesitant smile approached the table. She pulled a pad out of her stained apron. “Where ya from?”
“That obvious?” Ace asked with a genuine smile that surprised Kaitlyn.
“The five of you stick out like sore thumbs on a leprechaun. Whatcha doing in these parts?” The woman narrowed her eyes.
Well, that’s a new one. Even Kaitlyn’s slang dictionary wasn’t sure what to make of the leprechaun addition to the phrase. She hoped her smile didn’t look as strained as it felt.
“We’re just here for a visit,” Nick piped up.
“Visit? Eastport, Maine, in the middle of the winter? You got relatives around here?”
“Nope, no relatives. Just picked your cozy little town off the map,” Ace said, lacing his fingers through his hands and placing them on the table in front of him. “We’re ready to order.”
She went around the table taking their orders. When it was Kaitlyn’s turn, she glanced down once again and flipped the menu over. “I’ll have the chocolate cake and a slice of apple pie with ice cream. Oh, and hot chocolate with whip cream.”
The waitress raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you want some cho
wder or something?”
“If I wanted chowder, I would have ordered it.”
Lucas grabbed the menu from Kaitlyn’s hand and placed it on top of his. “She’s already had dinner. You can bring out her order the same time as ours.”
“Whatever you want. I wish I could have a figure like that and overindulge.” The woman patted her hips, smiled, shoved the pad back into her apron and turned away.
Kaitlyn wondered if she’d made a mistake with her order, but she saw no logic in ordering something she wasn’t going to eat.
Ace and Nick exchanged a glance.
“I forgot how nosey people are in small towns,” Nick said with a shake of his head.
Ace shrugged. “They’re harmless. Just don’t care for strangers. I grew up in a small town. You get used to the lack of privacy after a while, but I prefer the anonymity of city life.”
Kaitlyn could relate. Life on the compound was often like living under a microscope.
The waitress came back with their drinks.
Kaitlyn sipped her hot chocolate. It was a little too rich, but still delicious—almost as good as Nick’s.
The guys engaged in small talk while they waited for their food. Kaitlyn couldn’t help but notice the patrons in the restaurant kept staring at them, and when she extended her hearing, every last one of them were discussing where they were from. Some of the women were commenting on never having so much hotness at one time at Waco Diner. It humored Kaitlyn to hear their thoughts. Some were arguing over who was the best looking of the guys. It was almost unanimously Erik. Kaitlyn’s gaze flicked between Erik and Lucas, and she thought they were out of their mind. But like Quess said, she was biased.
Lucas caught her looking and winked.
As they waited for their food, Ace told a story about his wife, Grace, and his whole demeanor changed. Gone was the coarse persona. His tone softened, and his face relaxed. It seemed odd to think of Ace as being in love with anyone, but Kaitlyn could tell he loved his wife.
Kaitlyn recalled what Erik had said about them trying to have a baby and figured she would try to engage in small talk. Maybe she hadn’t given him a fair chance.