Unraveled (Bound and Bared Book 2)

by Christine Monroe

  “I don’t fuck the worthless whores, but they do.” Francis stepped aside allowing the two goons who had gagged me back into the room.

  The two men pulling their cocks free as they closed in on the terrified girl. One grabbing her chin shoving his cock in her mouth and the other gripped her hips before slamming into with brutal force. Her body recoiling and the monster fucking her mouth pulled out making sure I heard her cry of pain.

  Turning away I wasn’t willing to watch the brutality taking place a few feet away from when I was chained helpless and unable to do anything to stop it.

  “Pay attention Mr. Emery, or I will have them break her neck right now and toss her in the trash. I can always find a number fourteen.” Francis ordered.

  Despite the pure horror recoiling through me I obeyed forcing myself to turn my head back to watch.

  The only bit of comfort I got was that the sick fucks raping her came quickly. The girl gagged once before swallowing as the other withdrew from her body drops of red staining his dick. A smug smile resting on his lips pleased he had taken her so hard he made her bleed.

  The girl crumpled to the floor, curling herself into a ball with a final whimper.

  The men smirked one more time at their handy work before one of them reached down to drag the girl to her feet.

  “Leave her and get out.” Francis’s commanded.

  Stepping behind the girl’s huddled form something silver had flashed before a shriek bounced off the concrete walls.

  “Well, I guess I will need a fourteen after all.” A knife was buried deep in the girls back Francis twisting the knife handle before pulling the blade free.

  Throwing all my weight, I went swinging wildly within my restraints. Crack. My left wrist snapping but I didn’t even feel the pain trying to get free like an animal caught in a trap.

  Francis’s laughed before walking out as he locked us together inside the cell.

  Bright red fanned out under the girl’s body as she cried out in pain. Chained only a few feet away I couldn’t do anything but watch her body jerk as she gasped for air. The knife must have hit one her lungs, and now she was sucking in blood instead of air. The girl’s body jerking one final time and then nothing.

  The girl had died a number, her last few minutes filled with horror before she was left to bleed out on a dirty floor. Her family will never know what happened to her. Sagging in the chains, my broken wrist struck the metal cuff sending burning pain down my arm, but I ignored it. I hadn’t cried in years, but I couldn’t stop them my tears falling to the cement in bitter, useless drops.

  Fools didn’t cry.

  Heroes saved the day.

  I was no longer either.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Thorn scent lingered on the sheets, inhaling his scent I had only one thought. I would find him, and I would bring him home. How many times had he come to someone’s rescue?

  Fuck the damsel in distress. I wasn’t her. I could stay still, or I could fight back. Good girls dream of princes while monsters hide underneath crowns. Thorn belonged to me. I wanted to him for lifetimes, this one and the next. I wanted to love him into forever. I was done being little red riding hood, the girl afraid of every shadow and gust of wind. My teeth and claws sharpened by nightmares, I was now the wolf, and I planned on going to get my fool and bring him home.

  *

  My worn- out body screaming, so tired of all the shit I had put it through over the years. It would be easy to let myself go. Just close my eyes and end this joke of existence. My heart seemly had other ideas, filling my head with visions of Case, ordering me to find a way to out of this. My soul a prisoner between cruel reason and brightly colored wishes.

  I hung in the middle like a coward. A letter. A fucking letter. I hadn’t even had the courage to give it to her myself.

  She will come for you my heart whispered.

  Case is a fighter, not a coward.

  I bet she’s planning something right now.

  The girl you love is a badass.

  Fuck my heart was right.

  Case wasn’t going to walk away. She would come for me with guns blazing. Guns that my best friend would give her after she threatened his package for round two. I couldn’t hate the man for protecting his Mr. Happy. My dick slightly winced recalling its brush with death. If Case showed up, I had a feeling Val would be right beside her. It was a family reunion I wasn’t looking forward to. Worst case scenario all of us would die. Best case scenario we would live only to piss off one of the most dangerous monsters out there. Even by doing the right thing I had still managed to fuck up. Never counting on friendship, family, and love to come to my rescue.

  I should have. I should have remembered how strong those things could be. My mother. Alice. Selena. Val. Miranda. Case. Every single one of them had been my teachers. My heart had always rested to close to the surface. I had been willing to die for them but could I live for them?

  The odds were stacked against me. I was beat to hell and back, one hand useless from my broken wrist and Francis would be hard to beat on my best day. Today wasn’t my best day. It wasn’t even a good day, but I’ve had worse.

  My eyes locked on the darkening pattern on the floor. The girl’s body had been removed. Her blood nothing more than a ghost left behind left seeping into the cement. Francis had found my weakness. He would bring in one after another, keeping me alive so I could watch until he tried the game and finally killed me.

  I would either die a coward or a hero.

  Case always believed I was her hero. It was time for one last fight.

  *

  The black gates of Law’s mansion loomed over me. Weighing my options, this one had seemed to be my best choice. My hand reached out the window and shakily pressed the call button.

  A male voice sounded through the speaker.

  “State your name and what you are doing here.” The voice must have belonged to some security. Judging by the gates, this place was probably locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Law didn’t fuck around.

  “My name is Case Benet, and I am a friend of Laws. I need to speak with him. It’s urgent.”

  I took a few deep breaths, my hands wrapped around the steering wheel so tight my knuckles had turned white. So I had lied. Only meeting Law twice didn’t make me his friend by a long shot, but I hadn’t known what else to say.

  I could have gone with, Hi I’m the girl who threatened to blow your bosses dick off but don’t worry we’re cool now and now I need his help. I didn’t think that would have gotten me past the gates.

  The black gates swung open causing my jaw to drop.

  “Drive in slowly.”

  The speaker cut out and drove the car past the gates about as fast as an inchworm. A security booth with another gate stopped me from going any farther.

  “Step out of the vehicle Ma’am. Do it very slow and show me your hands.” The guard’s hand rested on a gun. No one would have this level of security unless they were paranoid. I wondered just who had Law had pissed off.

  Carefully opening the door, I stepped out with my hands up. My body trembled slightly as the guard's hands moved over my body searching for weapons. Thorn had been the only one to touch me since my kidnapping. My stomach tossed over itself as panic worked its way into my blood. A panic attack right now could get me killed. I silently willed my body to hold perfectly still promising that it could fall apart when this was all over. Now Thorn was all that mattered.

  The search was over quickly, and the guard informed me I could pass. Climbing back into the car I drove slowly as Law’s well-manicured lawn stretched out before me, a seemingly endless sea of bright green bobbing out of the car window. A fountain splashing water stood right outside the large dark front doors. The fountain striking me as a total cliché thing a rich person would have. It’s cute cherub statues that spewed the water into the fountain almost seemed rather mocking instead of sweet.

  Stepping out of the car I climbed the set of granite st
airs to the mahogany doors, rising my hand to knock, the door opening before my hand had even made contact. I expected to see another guard or staff member but Law’s intense gaze met mine. He smiled politely opening the door wide to allow me to enter. I blinked, my eyes temporary blinded by the gleaming white marble of Law’s entry way. Everything in the room was white except for the back- iron staircase leading to the second floor. The black bars starling amidst so much white. The scent of Law’s cologne mixed with the crisp clean lemon scent of cleaning products burned my nose, the two scents both working together and contrasting leaving me feeling dizzy.

  “Ms. Benet how wonderful it is to see you.” Graceful fingers had reached for my hand before he pressed a quick kiss on the back of my hand. The kiss startled me sending my heart fluttering in my chest.

  “Sorry if that came as a surprise. It’s old habit I have yet to break. How can I be of assistance Case?”

  Being the focus of Law’s undivided attention sent the hairs on the back of my neck to rise the intensity overwhelming causing my mouth to go dry.

  “Bring it down a little Law. Poor Case can’t handle you at a hundred percent.”

  That voice. Selena. I spun around to see the tall brunette smiling at from me the hallway. I ran to her my arms shooting around her neck pulling her into a tight hug.

  Her body tensed in my hold but slowly she relaxed hugging me back. I didn’t know why she was standing in Law’s hallway but her being there felt like a prayer being answered. My vision blurring as I clutched her tighter.

  I tried to speak, but nothing came out. Thorn was gone. For all, I knew I would find him only to bury him. Selena was my lifeline, and I couldn’t bring myself to let go.

  “What happened Case?” Selena’s voice was steady and calm in my ear. The tone causing the wolf to go into hiding as the lost girl came back up to the surface.

  Leaning into Selena’s thin frame, I struggled to find my courage. Thorn won’t give up that easily, knowing him he had concocted some insane plan to get himself free. If anyone could do it, he could. I was his backup, and I refused to fail him.

  “Thorn gave himself over to some madman to protect all of us. I woke up, and he was gone. He needs a major ass kicking, but I have to get him back first.” My eyes cloudy as a new batch of tears tried breaking free.

  “Val wasn’t an option?” Law moved closer to us, his easy demeanor fading with every step.

  “I couldn’t risk asking him. He might have tried to stop me or offer to go himself. Both options were ones I couldn’t live with. I know you barely know me Law and I didn’t give you the best first impression when we met for the first time, but you were the only one I could think of to ask.”

  “A gun pointed at my dick certainly got my attention, my dear. It made me think there was more to you than I had thought. Call me a bit twisted, but I liked it.” Law smirked and then winked at me.

  Selena’s eyes went wide staring at Law like he had grown another head.

  “Something wrong Ma Poupèe?” Law’s smirked widening as leaned over to place a kiss to Selena’s cheek.

  “Shall we get down to business? Someone who is loved so greatly deserves to have their happily ever after.” Law didn’t take his eyes off Selena as he spoke, his eyes glowing before they turned dark.

  “Thank you.” Butterflies raged inside my chest slamming against my ribs like fireworks. Wings clad in armor I got ready to go to war.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  A new girl huddled in the corner of my cell. The dim light bulb showing me A tye dyed patchwork of purple, blue and yellow decorating her skin. Her skin stretched too tight across jutting bones.

  When Francis let his men have their fun this time the girl had made no sound, accepting her fate without protest. A ragdoll that dropped to her knees, her slim body rocking from the force of their brutality but still she stayed silent.

  Once it was over, they dropped her to the floor like a used toy they could pick back up whenever they wanted.

  This time they left the girl behind. A new game. Another test. I didn’t give a fuck. Playtime was over.

  “Do you want to get the fuck out of this hell hole?” I kept my voice low and soft knowing I needed help and my options were limited. Rather my options were down to a broken girl sitting in the corner hoping she had still had some fight left in her.

  “How long have you been here?”

  The girl gave me nothing but silence but movement caught my attention. A split second of motion telling me she was listening.

  “I don’t know about you, but this place sucks. The service is terrible.”

  Her head jerked up in my direction, and I had her attention.

  “I tend to joke when shit hits the fan. I would say shit has hit the fan for both of us.”

  She moved closer to me, a mere inch but it was a start.

  “I want to put every single one of the monsters that have hurt you in the ground. They will be dickless and dead by the time I’m done. Sounds like fun right? To do that I need your help. I need to get free. These chains do nothing for my complexion.”

  She moved one more inch towards me. The light revealing more of her features as she got closer. Ribs protruded outward, her frame so thin I couldn’t believe she still could stand upright. Tangled dirty hair wrapped around her face hiding her eyes from view. The dirty tangles couldn’t hide the fact her hair was red, the shade muted by the state her hair was in but still visible when close up.

  “The woman I love I found in a place like this. I remember how tiny she felt in my arms. How her whole body showing what those bastards had done to her. I didn’t say it aloud, and I have never told her that I was terrified she wouldn’t make it. That she would die in my arms without ever seeing the sun again.”

  “What’s her name?” The question asked quietly. Her voice barely there and drenched in pain. The sound sending the demons in my blood singing, howling with the need for vengeance. Up until that moment, I thought my life had been cursed. Death was always chasing my heels snatching up everything I loved as I woke up the next day still breathing. I could do nothing but keep running, killing the nightmares I found along the way. The killing was an acquired taste, far from a fine wine, it burned like cheap whiskey, but there came a day you no longer minded the taste.

  My hands tattooed in red, seeping into my skin like permeant ink. Staring at the girl before me I no longer hated of every mark, every swig, every kill. I was far from a hero, but someone had to chase the evil things that hid in the shadows. Death was my right-hand man and I using him I found those lost in the dark. My skill set wasn’t a blessing, but it wasn’t a curse either.

  “Case.” Her name on lips sent pain racing through my veins. Case was the only thing I wanted to see again. Not the sun or the stars, her face far more brilliant than they ever could be. I would kick my ass later. Beg her to forgive me and offer her the worn- out contract on my life. If I lived of course.

  “Case? I like it. You saved her?” Her voice betrayed a thin line of hope.

  “She would say yes, but I would disagree. She saved me. Gave me a reason to wake up instead of courting death. Then I fucked up. Gave myself over to Francis so he didn’t hurt her or my Case won’t give up on me. She will come for me with some trigger happy friends of mine all well trained, but they don’t know Francis. He’s a grade A psychopath and to kill him it’s going to take all of us.”

  The girl tilted her head to get a better look at me. She was so close to me now I could feel her ragged breaths against my face. A flash appeared, a spark of life in her eyes. The pale green flickering with what I hoped were bloodthirsty thoughts.

  “Tell me what to do.”

  “This won’t be easy. It very well could turn out to be a suicide mission. As you can see I’m quite at my best here darling.”

  “Anything would be better than this.” Pushing her hair aside the girl revealed her neck allowing me to see a number etched into her paper thin skin. Six. They had branded he
r like cattle, giving her a number instead of a name.

  “This is not the only one.” Her eyes dropping lower to stare at the space between her thighs.

  Those fuckers had branded the number onto the inside of her thighs as well. Ownership seared into her skin, stamped on her thighs as a cruel reminder that she no longer owned her body.

  “You are not a number. You are a girl with a name. What is it?”

  Her eyes lowered to the floor, conditioning kicking in, trying to push whoever she was before this place back into the shadows. I wasn’t sure she would tell me. Lifting her head up she took a breath, tiny threads breaking free within the rush of air through her lungs.

  “Rune. My name is Rune.”

  “Well, Rune lets go kill shit or die trying.” I grinned, my swollen lips barely able to accomplish the feat. I must have looked like some plastic surgery gone wrong.

  Luckily for me, Rune didn’t seem to mind returning my fat fucked up grin with one of her own. However, this ended we would be free, be it in a box or walking out into the sunshine with one hell of a story to tell. One more fight for the chance at a future with Case. Maybe I had become a mother fucking hero. Most likely I was just stupid, but they say only fools fall in love. I hadn’t planned on a second chance, but I had been given one, and I was only a fool if I decided not to take it.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Selena and Law made quite a team. Their heads bowed together as they hatched a plan to rescue Thorn. Time ticked by like a countdown to the end of the world. My world. I pushed away every thought that we might not reach him in time. My heart whispered lies of hope, a useless gesture trying to convince myself everything would be okay.

  “Your boyfriend pissed off a lot of people my dear. He was on a mission to find the worst ones and poke them with a stick. I’m not sure how he stayed alive this long.” Law’s olive eyes turned my direction, a hint of pity within the dark green shade.