Provoke

by Missy Johnson

  Reaching out, he stroked my hair, his mouth curved up into a grin as he felt my fear. He knew that I knew I was fucked. I could see it in his eyes.

  “I’m going to fuck you nice and hard, until your red raw. I’m going to cum inside you, and then I’m going to play with you until I’m bored. After that, I’ll let my colleagues here have their fun.”

  My eyes darted to the thug, who was flashing me a grin. The thought of him—or anyone inside me made my stomach turn.

  “And when they’re all done, I’m going to torture you. You’re going to be in so much pain that you’ll be begging me to just kill you. Put you out of your misery. And do you know what I’m going to do then?” he asked, his face inches from mine.

  I shook my head, tears rolling down my cheeks.

  “I’m going to fuck you again, and again and again,” he whispered.

  Oh god no. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a blindfold, waving it in my face, teasing me. I almost laughed. Being blindfolded right now was a relief. If he couldn’t see my eyes, then he couldn’t see the pain he was causing me.

  Exhaling sharply, I listened to the sound of my pounding heart. Once again, I was alone in the darkness, only this time Mace was not here to save me. Nobody was here to save me.

  This is it. This was how it was going to end.

  Chapter Thirty

  Leeta

  Cutting through the silence, three single gunshots rang out.

  I squeezed my eyes shut under my blindfold, not wanting to think about what was happening. Please not Mace. Then I felt a weight fall over me. A warm, thick substance covered my stomach. What was happening? I began to sob as I jerked my body, desperate to get out of this nightmare.

  “You, in the corner. Both of you, now.”

  Holy shit, Ben.

  Relief surged through me, my heart racing as I began to hyperventilate. I yanked at the handcuffs wildly, losing the little control I had left.

  “Ben, help me please. God, get this thing off me,” I said, sobbing like crazy.

  “Leet, it’s okay, we’re here,” he soothed, slipping the blindfold from over my eyes.

  I wailed as he pushed Luke’s body off me, grabbing a towel to cover me up. I shivered, my body shaking uncontrollably.

  “Leet,” he said, stroking my hair, his eyes locked to mine. “You need to calm down. You’re going into shock. I need you to look at me and breathe, okay? Can you do that?”

  I stared into his soft brown eyes and nodded. My chest rose in quick succession as I tried to slow my breathing. I closed my eyes. In, out. In, out. In, out.

  “That’s good. Good girl. Nice and slow. You keep doing that so I can check on Mace, okay?”

  My eyes shot open, a sob escaping me as I focused on Mace. We wasn’t moving. Oh God, please let him be okay.

  “Help him! Please don’t let him die, please don’t let him die,” I sobbed, my body beginning to shake again as my lungs began to burn as I tried desperately to fill them with air.

  “Leet!” Ben shouted. I stopped, my eyes falling on his. “Please, Leet, you need to calm down. He’s unconscious, but alive. I can’t help him if you can’t help yourself.”

  I nodded, closing my eyes. Okay, I was okay. My arms twitched as I forced myself to breathe. My dizziness began to fade as my breathing improved.

  “Good girl, Leet. Keep breathing. We need to get him to a hospital, okay? Do you think you can stand up?” he asked.

  I nodded, and then remembered the handcuffs that were restraining me. “I—Ben, I can’t.” I pulled my wrists against the metal of the cuffs.

  Then Ben was leaning over me, stroking my hair again. “It’s okay, Leet. Let me check…” He disappeared, and I realized he was searching Luke for the keys.

  “It wasn’t him who handcuffed me,” I remembered. “The big guy, it was him.”

  “We don’t have time, Leet. I need you to be brave, okay? I need you to hold your hands very still and close your eyes. Can you do that for me?”

  I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut as he positioned the chain.

  “I’m going to shoot it apart, okay?”

  “Yes.” I braced myself for the gunshot.

  Bang.

  The vibration of the gunshot rippled through my body. I pulled my arms down over me, the towel still covering my chest, and sat up. Ben embraced me, his soft, soothing voice calming me down.

  He reached for another towel, using the first towel to wipe as much blood from my stomach and chest as he could before wrapping the fresh one around my body.

  “Here,” he said, shrugging out of his jacket.

  I slipped my arms though, zipping it up, the warmth engulfing me.

  “Can you stand?” he asked, his voice full of concern.

  I nodded and edged my feet to the ground, stepping over Luke. I found my shoes and pulled them on, still shaking, then raced to Mace’s side.

  “We need to get him to a hospital now,” Ben muttered. He placed Mace’s arm around his neck and hoisted him up, but he was too heavy, too out of it. “Shit.”

  “The trolley,” I realised suddenly.

  Ben’s head whipped in the direction of the table. “That might just work,” he muttered. He raced over, wiping the surface clean, and wheeled it over. “I’m going to have to lay him on his stomach,” he said.

  I watched helplessly as he leaned over and threw Mace’s arm around his neck again, this time using all his energy to hoist him over the trolley.

  “Okay, we’re going to have to move fast. Keep an eye behind me.” He reached into his belt and handed me the gun. I took it, shocked by the weight.

  He wants me to shoot?

  “I need you to have my back, Leet, okay?” Ben looked at me earnestly. I nodded. I could do it. I had to do it, for Mace.

  “Let’s go.”

  We moved slowly along the corridor, with no idea where the others were, or what the fuck was going on. Not much further. Just up here, and then we’re free. All we needed to do was get out, unharmed, and we were free. This nightmare would be over.

  I sighed, tears springing my eyes as we pushed our way outside, and around to Ben’s car, which sat right out the front. Two other cars were along side his, with two men standing in front of them, smoking. God I hope they’re with Micky. They came running over, offering their help to carry Mace to the car.

  I sighed, doubling over, trying to catch my breath. We were okay. We were safe.

  #

  “How did you even find us?” I asked Ben. We were waiting by the cars while Micky rang ahead to speak to a doctor at the emergency room who ‘wouldn’t ask questions’.

  We watched as two of his men helped Mace into the back seat of the car, laying him down. He was starting to come around, but he still looked in bad shape.

  “I tracked your phone,” he admitted sheepishly. “I can’t believe you guys just left me there,” he added, shaking his head. “I was taking a leak and then next thing you guys were gone.”

  “We had to,” I protested. “If we’d waited for you, Luke would’ve been long gone.”

  “Still. You could’ve texted me or something,” he muttered.

  Shit! Why hadn’t that occurred to me?

  He rolled his eyes and put his arm around me. “Don’t worry, I’ll get over it. I mean, it’s not the first time you’ve left me stranded.”

  “Ben…” I hesitated. Things had just gotten really awkward. Just like that, our past was back out there like a bad smell.

  “Leet, it’s fine. I get it. Come on. We need to get him out of here.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Mace

  Am I dead?

  No. If I were dead, I wouldn’t be in this much fucking pain. I groaned and cracked my eyes open, the light almost blinding me. My hand felt like a dead weight as I lifted it to shield my eyes from that fucking light.

  “Mace. Thank God you’re okay.”

  Leet. Her hand slipped inside mine. I tried to squeeze it, but couldn’t. I g
roaned again, trying to get my mouth to work, but even moving my jaw hurt like fuck.

  “Shh, it’s okay. You’re in hospital. You were in a pretty bad way,” she said, stroking my head.

  I tried to think back. My memory was fuzzy. I remembered leaving Leet in the car, but nothing after that. What the fuck had happened? I didn’t have the energy to ask, drifting back off to sleep.

  #

  Yawning, I opened my eyes. Leet sat, contorted into an odd position on the chair next to the bed, snoring softly. I smiled. Fuck, she’s so cute when she’s sleeping. I felt bad about waking her, so I didn't. Instead, I just lay there and watched her, drinking in every detail.

  Sighing, I shifted in the bed. Everything hurt. My fucking toes hurt. My arm was killing like a motherfucker, and I felt like I’d been stabbed in the chest a couple of hundred times.

  How long have I been here?

  I struggled to remember what had happened. I was desperate for answers. What time was it? Glancing over at Leet again, I watched as she stirred. Her eyes opened and she stared at me, shocked. She blinked, as if she didn’t trust her own vision.

  “You're awake,” she said, getting to her feet. Crouching at my side, she reached for my hand and held it between hers, tears springing in her eyes as she smothered me with kisses. I managed a smile. Hell, even that hurt.

  “What happened?” I asked. Fuck, my throat is dry. I pointed to the water jug on the table beside my bed, rocking my wrist in a drinking motion.

  “You don't remember anything?” she asked, her voice soft as she poured the water.

  I shook my head. She tilted my head, placing the cup at my lips. The cold liquid felt strange against my cracked lips, but I swallowed. Anything to ease the burning pain in my throat.

  “I remember leaving you in the car, and then it's only fuzzy after that,” I said, my voice scratchy.

  “You were beat up pretty bad,” she said, her voice soft.

  “You came after me?”

  She shook her head. “No, he knew that I was with you. He—one of the other guys—came down to the car and got me. He took me up to the warehouse.”

  I struggled to sit up. “Did they hurt you?”

  She shook her head, her eyes not quite meeting mine. What wasn’t she telling me?

  “You've got a broken collarbone, three broken ribs, and some pretty nasty bruises,” she explained, her fingers stroking my arm.

  That explains the pain.

  “I'm going to get a doctor, okay?”

  I nodded, watching her as she walked out of the room. How badly had they hurt her? The bruising around her face was a soft pink, but her eye had still looked pretty swollen. God help me, if they touched her…I couldn’t even think about that at the moment.

  Leets returned a few minutes later with a doctor at her heels. He smiled at me and walked over to the bed, checking my vitals on the screen that all the wires connected back to.

  “Mr Jordan, good to see you’re finally awake. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I have been hit by a truck.”

  “Understandable.” He nodded. “Your injuries were pretty severe. “I'm aware that you don't wish to report this to the police, but I must advise you that this is an option for you.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’m good, thanks.”

  He nodded. “We will keep you in a few more days, just to monitor you. And then you can do the rest of your recuperating at home.” He smiled at Leeta and then walked out.

  She took my hand again, sandwiching it between hers.

  “You’re going to be staying with me. No argument.”

  “I wasn't planning on arguing,” I chuckled. “So, what happened?” I asked again.

  Her face darkened. “I don't even know where to begin. Luke? He wasn't lying, he was a cop. But I did some digging and found out the case he was working on had nothing to do with the live rapes. The ring was being investigated for a drug smuggling operation.”

  “So he just decided to cut himself into the other half the business?” Bastard.

  Leet nodded. “It doesn't matter now. He doesn’t matter. He’s dead.”

  “Good,” I muttered, angry. “And the others?”

  “Mickey took care of everything,” she assured me.

  I chuckled. “Spoken like a true Jordan,” I teased her. She swatted my arm, her lips curving into a grin.

  She rolled her eyes and sighed. “No offence, but this is all way too much drama for me. I can't wait to go back to my day job—you know, following the law and all that?”

  “I am all for that plan,” I agreed.

  Leeta hesitated, as if she had something on in mind. “When I was…when Luke was…” She paused. “He said something about Anna. “He said he hoped I’d put up as much of a fight as she had.”

  I frowned at her, Luke saying the same thing to me flashing back through my mind.

  “Leet, did he hurt you? Did he touch you? Please, speak to me.” I reached up, my fingers running over the faded bruises on her cheek.

  “Nothing I couldn't handle.” She smiled briefly. “Honestly? I'm glad you don't remember. I wish I didn't,” she added softly. I reached for her hand, hating that I couldn’t do anything for her.

  Thank fuck Luke was dead, because given the chance, I’d kill the fucker over and over again.

  “Anyway,” Leeta smiled. “All that matters now is that you get better.”

  “One more question,” I said. “Why the fuck did you involve Ben?” I wasn’t angry with her, it was just that my pride was wounded because she had called him over me.

  Leet held up her hand. “Before you say anything else, you should probably know that the only reason you and I are standing here now is because of Ben.”

  Great, that's all I needed: I owed my life to her ex-fiancé.

  I nodded. “Okay,” I said, letting the subject drop. “Go home and get some rest, okay? Please tell me you haven’t been sitting here the last three days, waiting for me to wake up.”

  “Of course I have,” she scoffed. “I was worried about you. I wasn't going to leave you.”

  She was worried about me. God, I like hearing that. I pulled her towards me, and then winced as pain shot through my chest.

  “What are you doing?” she chastised, pushing me back down.

  “I was trying to kiss you,” I grumbled

  “All you had to do was ask,” she whispered. She leaned towards me, her lips pressing softly against mine.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Leeta

  I walked back into the living room for what felt like the hundredth time.

  “Are you sure I can't get you anything else?” I asked. I was mothering him, but I couldn’t help it.

  “Jesus, Leet, just relax. If I need anything I promise you’ll be the first to know.” He motioned for me to join him on the couch. Walking over, I carefully curled up next to him. He winced, and I looked up at him, alarmed.

  “Does it hurt?”

  “It’s fine,” he chuckled. “I'm a big boy, Leet. I can handle a little pain.”

  “I just don’t like seeing you like this,” I muttered, frowning. He kissed my forehead as his fingers gently stroked my arm.

  I'd been so scared of losing him that I was turning into the kind of girlfriend I swore I’d never become. If the past few days had taught me anything, it was the value of life, and how important it was to live while you could.

  I was ready to put the last few weeks behind us and move forward.

  I leaned up and kissed him, my lips tenderly pressing against. His fingers brushed over my cheek, cradling my neck as our kiss deepened.

  “God, I love you,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. “I'm so sorry. About everything. I never meant to hurt you. I hate myself for what I've done to you.”

  I kissed him again, our lips melting into one.

  “I love you, too. What you did, it hurts, but I know your heart was in the right place. I'll get over it, so long as you s
wear to me there will be no more secrets. I want to move forward with you, not dwell on the past.”

  “I don't deserve you,” he muttered, shaking his head.

  “You do. You do deserve me, Mace. You need to start believing that.”

  #

  I arrived home from work to find Mace doing the laundry. I laughed, and hugged him, leading him back over to the couch. His arm was still in a sling, and I could see the pain in his face every time he breathed in.

  “Would you just sit down and rest? You’re not going to get better if you keep wearing yourself out,” I said, sitting him down.

  “You don’t understand how fucking boring it is, sitting around watching fucking daytime TV,” he groaned. “I mean, shit. I’ve been setting my alarm so I don’t miss Dr Phil.”

  I laughed and kissed him, snuggling up against his chest, his arms wrapping around me. He winced, and stretched himself out.

  “Sore?” I asked, wishing I could take the pain away.

  “Yeah, but it’s okay.” He smiled. “Finn came around before. And I had a call from someone.”

  “Yeah? Who?” I asked, curious.

  “Ben.” His eyes twinkled.

  “Ah,” I grinned. “The guy you really want to hate but can’t.”

  He shrugged. “He’s not so bad. I guess I can’t hate the guy who saved my life.”

  I giggled, and kissed him, “Aww, you guys will be best friends before you know it,” I teased. He rolled his eyes.

  “I doubt it, Leets.” He paused. “Hey, complete change of subject, but how would you feel about meeting my family?”

  Really? My mouth fell open. He wanted me to meet his family? Where had this come from?

  “Yes, of course,” I said, hugging him, trying not to let on how terrified the idea made me. What if they hated me? Criminals didn’t usually take too kindly to prosecutors.

  I could do this. Just like he sucked it up and met Dad, I will do this. For him.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Mace

  I can't believe I'm doing this.