by Dani René
“Yes, I’ll have the car pick you up in twenty minutes.”
“Thank you,” I sigh, relieved.
Once I hang up, I take five long deep breaths. Anxiety is tight in my stomach, coiling like a serpent ready to strike. I need to keep calm. I need to be in control if I’m going to survive this. Grabbing a change of clothes, I pad into the bathroom and turn on the shower. Before the water has warmed up I’m under the spray, holding back tears at the thoughts of what’s going to happen. If he does come for me, I don’t think I’ll survive the aftermath.
“Please,” I beg, whispering to no one in particular. “Please, let this work out.” Moments later I turn off the taps and step out of the shower with my stomach rolling with fear and my heart thudding in my chest. The flurry of butterflies that Eli left have disappeared and in their place an eclipse of moths is now swarming within me.
Once I’m dressed, I pull my hair into a messy bun and race back to the living room where my keys and purse are lying on the counter top. It’s going to be okay. You’re in control. You’re safe. The chant in my head repeats like a chorus. I head out to the front door. Pulling it open, I find a small black box waiting for me on the welcome mat. With shaky fingers, I lift it and snap the lid back. A small white gold diamond necklace sits nestled in the black velvet.
It’s beautiful.
Intricate, delicate, and breakable.
I lift it gently only to notice the small pendant that hangs from the chain. A silver disc with one single red diamond, the color of blood. The word whore is engraved below the stone. William is playing his mind games with me. He knows why that word hurts me so much. He knows too much. He knows me better than I know myself. The man who was meant to care for me, who was hired to help me, scarred me more than any bruises he left on my skin.
The room is dark. My fear turns my stomach tight. Suddenly, the fire blazes. Flames lick the wall rising up to the chimney. He promised he’d be gentle tonight. But I know better. I know the man I’ve been forced to kneel for is a monster.
He wreaks havoc with my mind, my heart, and he breaks my body like I’m glass. Nothing more than a worthless ragdoll. He crouches before me, I feel his eyes burn into me. I don’t look. I force myself to never meet his eyes when he’s in this mood. And then he speaks.
“Riley, do you know you’re nothing to me?” He chuckles harshly. “Nothing, but a worthless whore.” He grips my hair, tugging it back, making sure that I’m looking into his sapphire eyes. I’m slumped on my knees, naked, shivering, but it’s not because of the cold. It’s the terror he elicits in me.
It’s how he gets off. Hurting women. He calls himself a Dominant. A sadist. But he’s none of those things. What he is, is an abuser.
“Look at the mascara tears, they paint pretty pictures on your face. Lines of sadness because you know how filthy you really are. Not even your parents wanted you. That’s why they sold you to me.” Once again, he reminds me of why I’m really here. How the people who are meant to love and care for me, sold me.
His palm strikes my face with a sting so hard it brings tears to my eyes. He rises, shoving his zipper down and pulling out his cock. It’s hard already.
“Open your fucking mouth,” he sneers. He’s not always been like this. It started when I tried to run the first time. My lips part, he doesn’t wait but instead, forces his thick erection down my throat. Once. Twice. Three times and I feel my throat constrict. I gag, retch, and then it comes. I puke on the floor and he laughs. “If you do that again, I’ll make you lick my fucking asshole, dirty bitch,” he grunts as he forces his cock inside my mouth again. The bitter acidic taste still on my tongue as he face fucks me violently.
The sounds echo around me. Around us. The gurgling sound of my choking, his animalistic grunts are like a sadistic song that haunts me.
“All you are,” he says in between thrusts. “is a collection of holes. A mouth,” thrust “a cunt,” thrust “and ass,” each drive of his dick goes deeper. “Mine to take as a possession.”
My hands come up, trying to push him away, but I know it’s no use. There’s no point in fighting. He loves it. It turns him on.
“You no longer have a choice,” he tells me as he spits in my face. He wretches his cock from my mouth and lifts me onto the table. Bent over, he kicks my legs apart. “I don’t want to see your filthy face. I’m going to give it to you like the greedy slut you are.” He slams into my ass, forcing his cock so fast causing me to screech in pain. I’m clawing at the table, but I’m helpless.
His body pistons into me. Harder and faster. Pain so acute races through me and I feel the trickle of liquid from my torn ring of muscle down my thighs. Tears are no longer an outlet for me. They burn as they race down my cheeks.
My body slams against the wood. His hips pound against my ass, skin slapping, his hand grips my hair, wrenching my head back. “Don’t you come, little bitch. Don’t you even dare,” he grunts like a rabid dog. “Because, you are my worthless whore. And you’ll know that I now own you. All of you. You’re my everything. My world.”
My whimpers are filled with pain. I want to plead for him to let me go, but I don’t. His body jerks, his cock thickens, and he fills me with his hot seed. It burns and stings. Quickly, he pulls out of me and shoves me to my knees.
“Clean it,” he commands, thrusting his filthy cock into my mouth making me retch once more. My eyes shut tight as I concentrate on not throwing up. The metallic taste of blood mixed with his release turns my stomach. “Good whore.” His hand taps my head as he leaves me on the floor until the next time he needs to violate me.
I shove the box into my bag and head for the steps which take me down to the long driveway. Racing down the cobblestones, I hit the button to open the ornate gates and as they slide open, I see the car with blacked out windows waits for me at the sidewalk and the driver is waiting to escort me to Carrick. Only he can help me.
“Hello,” I say, smiling at the man in uniform.
“Ms. Gia,” he says, opening the back door for me. I slip into the bench seat and take a deep calming breath. It’s going to be okay. It will be. It has to be. I pull out my phone and find a message from Rick.
*Driver is on his way. Stuck in traffic. Stay indoors.*
When I snap my gaze to the driver, a black partition slides up.
“Hey! Hey!” I slam against the glass, but it’s too strong. I try kicking at it, but it’s no use. When I try the doors, they’re locked. Of course, they fucking are. Terror grips me, stealing the breath from my lungs. Quickly, I swipe my screen and hit dial on Carrick’s number.
“Baby girl,” he answers. His voice coming through hesitant and wary. He should be because I think I’m in a world of shit.
“I’m in the car. A car. He’s found me.” My words are ominous.
“Fuck, where are you heading? Can you see what’s around you? Better yet, turn on your phone’s GPS. I’ll have my men track you. Stay calm. Do not engage him.” He’s telling me things I should know. Important things, but they filter from my mind when a scent fills the car. My eyes feel heavy. Too sleepy. When I try breathing, I realize the driver must have emitted something in the back of the car.
“Rick, find me…” It’s the last few words I utter before sleep steals me.
21
Elijah
The cemetery is quiet as I look around and take in the number of memorials and graves. All people who’ve left families behind, friends, lovers. I bring my gaze back to the headstone with Raquel’s name on it. Beloved Wife. She was that and so much more.
“I have put off coming here for so long, but it’s time, my sweet.” I tell her. The warmth of the sun bathes me in its glow. As if she’s looking down on me and smiling. She had the most incredible smile. It could light up any room. “I spent years in the dark. When you died, I lost myself. I forgot who I was. There was no longer the strong, courageous Elijah Draydon. All that was left was a shell. I was a widower.”
Leaning in, I place t
he single red rose on the ground beside the headstone. I don’t feel pain as I do it. I no longer have an aching heart. That causes me to smile, a small one, but a smile nonetheless.
“You sent Riley to me for a reason. She’s all grown up now. A woman. Her name is Giana. I’m still not sure why she changed her name, but as we learn more about each other, I’ll find out the rest of her story.” Sighing, I glance around, I’m not sure if I’m waiting for an answer from her, a response of some kind, but I don’t get one. “I want to marry her, babe. I want to give her a family.”
Silence settles around me after I admit what I’ve been thinking. Each time I make love to her, fuck her, I spill my seed inside her, wanting and needing her to fall pregnant. I want that. The perfect family.
“You were the chapters of my life I’ll never forget. I’ll re-read those pages to Giana, but I know what you tried to do. Looking after me even when you were gone, you were always so selfless. A submissive even in death. Well, your plan worked. It may have taken a few years, but I’m happy. I’m content. And I’ve come today to say goodbye. Raquel, I realize I can’t move forward if I’m still holding on to you. It’s not fair to Gia. And it’s something I need to come to terms with. You’re gone. I’ll never stop loving you. In some way…” My words trail off as a car passes slowly. I glance at it, then look away.
I look toward the trees in the distance, wishing they’d allow me a glimpse of Raquel, but they don’t.
“Goodbye, my sultry Toy. Thank you for the years you gave, and the heart you saved. I’ll forever be grateful for you. I love you,” I utter the words and turn away. I may come back again someday, bring Gia along with me, but today I needed to do this on my own. I had to let go and know that I’m strong enough to finally lay my wife to rest.
When I reach the car, I press the key fob and slip into the driver’s seat. Before I can start the engine, my phone vibrates and I pick it up to find fifteen missed calls and thirty unread messages. Immediately my heart rate spikes. Opening the first message, I find Carrick’s name glaring at me.
*Get to Sins now. It’s life or death*
*Where the fuck are you, man? Gia is in danger. Get your ass here now*
I don’t read the rest, instead I dial Rick’s number while I start the engine.
“Jesus, Eli. Where the—”
“What happened? I can be at Sins in ten minutes.” He sighs and I wonder if he’s stalling because he doesn’t want to tell me, or if something more serious happened that he can’t tell me. “If you don’t tell me, I swear to God—”
“Her Dom, the one she escaped has her. He contacted her this morning and…” His words trail off and I’m ready to punch a hole through a fucking brick wall if he doesn’t explain himself. “William found her. She called me and I told her I’d have a car pick her up, but when I messaged her to tell her the driver was going to be late, she responded by telling me she was in the car already. She called me, but after a minute of talking, she went offline.”
“Her GPS—”
“I’ve tried. It’s been shut off. I can’t find her, Eli. I have men working on it.” My foot presses down on the gas, weaving through traffic with my body tense. Anger courses through me. Guilt. I left her alone this morning. I should’ve taken her with me. This man will pay.
“Find her, Rick,” I warn. I’m not angry at him, I know he’ll do what’s best for my girl, but deep down I’m angry at myself. Hanging up, I focus on the road ahead. All I see is red. I want this monster killed. If I have to spill blood, I’ll do it. Fuck the consequences. I’ve lost her once, I don’t intend on doing it again.
I promised to keep her safe. Just last night, I vowed to never let harm come her way and a day after, I’m already breaking that promise. “If you’re out there, Raquel, if you can hear me, even for a second, look after her. I’ll find her. And when I do, she’ll never leave my fucking sight again.”
I see the sign for Sins a few hundred meters away and I find myself breathing again. My chest aches, it feels as if someone has punched their way through my chest and they’re about to rip my heart right from its cage.
Pulling up to the club, I exit the car without killing the engine and race inside. When I step into the dimly lit space, I find Carrick with at least eight men on computers, phones, all dressed in black suits. They look like they’ve walked right out of the offices of the CIA.
“Eli,” he says, turning to face me as I stalk up to him.
“Have you found her?” He regards me for a moment before shaking his head. “Dammit!” I spin on my heel and slam my fist straight into the glass of the liquor cabinet to my left. The shattering of glass causes the men to stop for a second before continuing their work.
“Eli, I need you calm.”
“Calm? Are you fucking kidding me?” I’m roaring, but Carrick doesn’t even flinch. He merely watches me for a moment then he nods.
“I get you’re worried. I am too. I love that girl, but you slamming your fist into inanimate objects isn’t going to help. I have the best men on this job so please, I need you to relax. We will find her, and when we do, she’ll need you to be a foundation for her.” He’s right, so I acknowledge him.
“Fine, but I have to do something.”
“At this stage, I have my team working on it. Have a drink,” he says, shoving a bottle of whiskey at me along with a crystal tumbler. I grip the bottle, pouring a triple shot. Slamming the bottle down on the oak counter top, I lift the glass to my lips and swallow the whole shot. It burns, rendering me speechless and emotionless for a moment.
“I need her, Carrick,” I tell him, meeting his golden eyes once more. They shine like a predator’s, deadly and fierce, and I know that with him on our side, my girl will be saved.
“Elijah, if there was ever a time to trust me, it would be now. I saved her once, and I’ll do it again. Even if it’s the last thing I do.” His brutal honesty eases my fear, but deep down, it makes me wonder why he’s never settled with one submissive. If he’s so caring, so devoted to keeping girl’s safe, something must have happened to have pushed him away from taking on a girl of his own. Someone he could really care for.
He turns and heads to the men at the table, I follow, needing to be a part of this. Even though the alcohol has simmered my rage, deep down there’s a volcano brewing and I have a feeling it’s going to explode really soon.
“We may have a bite. The GPS on the phone has just been turned on again,” one of the men says, pointing at the screen. Both Carrick and I are on our feet, stalking over to the table. I notice the red dot flashing and my heart slams in my chest painfully. She’s alive. I’m so sure. I haven’t been surer of anything in my life.
The problem is, the spot in question is about two hours away.
“Let’s get your girl back. I’ll have the private jet fuel up, and wait for us at the hangar.” Carrick smirks. Something about this man tells me he’d easily kill someone and not look twice. And right now, that’s exactly what I need.
This is going to take too long. We’ve wasted time standing around, but I know there’s nothing more I could’ve done. I can’t help myself, my legs carry me as I start pacing the floor of the club. Sins is a decadent wonderland at night, but in the light of day, it’s just a normal bar. There aren’t any whips and chains, no sensual women dressed to kill, and no men in suits with roving eyes.
The tension in my shoulders tighten as my mind plays out all the scenarios I’m in for. Thoughts of what my girl is going through loop in my mind and the more they do, the more anger settles in my gut. My blood is boiling by the time Carrick returns from his office.
“Let’s go,” he says, stalking by me with five men flanking him. I didn’t notice it earlier, but they’re all armed. I don’t ask why or how Rick knows them, I’m just thankful that he does. Because if it weren’t for him, I’m not sure I’d be able to do this on my own. Frustration blooms once more when I think about how useless I am to her, to the woman I’m meant to protect.
>
We reach the car and I join Carrick in the back.
“We’ll find her, and don’t for one second think this is on you,” he tells me as if he could read my inner thoughts. Perhaps he can sense the guilt that’s certainly emanating from me. When I meet his gaze, I nod, not knowing what to say to him. “She’ll be okay. One thing about Gia is that she’s strong. And you’ll get her back. I promise,” I can’t respond because emotion chokes me.
After a long moment of silence, I finally admit it to him.
“I love her.”
He looks at me then, a smile on his lips. “I know.” He confirms. Perhaps it’s evident to everyone else. The car flies through the traffic, not stopping at traffic lights and I’m thankful for that. Each minute that ticks by is a wasted moment where I could be saving Gia.
I’ll find you, my sweet Toy. I love you.
22
Giana
Thud. Thud. Thud.
One. Two. Three.
My eyes crack open, the throb in my head is blinding, and my body aches. As soon as I shift, I realize I’m naked. My gaze darts around and I know exactly where I am. The stench is so familiar. Too damn familiar.
The recognizable basement taunts me. Cold seeps from the cement walls into my bones. The cage he’s locked me in is the same one I spent so many months in. Each day he’d come down here, abuse me and leave. I had no way of defending myself.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been out, but there’s only a sliver of light coming in from the small hole in the wall that used to be my refuge. I’d look to the sky through the small space and pray for death. The cage is big enough for me, and perhaps one more person, but the height forces me to spend my time crouched in the damp. My skin prickles as the cold breeze filters in from the hole close to the ceiling and I can’t help shivering so hard my teeth chatter.