“Please, I beg you, don't kill me. Please don't beat me,” she pleaded fearfully. This man was almost as large as Lando. One blow would most assuredly kill her.
“Don't give me a reason to,” Rick replied with elation, obviously enjoying her pleading tone. His voice was deep and rough. When he reached her, he gripped her small wrists in one of his large hands, placing them up over her head. His powerful body pressed against her, pinning her to the wall.
“Please no, don't hurt me,” Christy cried out. Rick's hand pulled up on her shirt, exposing her breasts.
Slowly, Rick ran his hard, calloused hand carefully across one of Christy's bruised ribs. She cringed. “Did this happen in the crash or did the guy you were with do this?” he asked curiously.
“The crash,” she whimpered. Rick's hand rose higher. Christy watched his large hand rise with fearful apprehension; she cowered back, terrified he meant to strike her. He didn't; instead, he gently massaged one of her high breasts.
“You've been hit by a man before, haven't you?” Rick inquired.
“Yes,” she replied shakily. A tear trailed slowly down her cheek to drip from her chin.
Lazily, Rick moved his hand to fondle her other breast. He seemed to be thinking. “There are four of us. All of us want a turn with you, or maybe some won't want to wait until another has finished. Do you understand my meaning? Can you even begin to imagine what we can do to you, the pain we could cause you?” he asked her. He was looking deeply into her eyes, his one hand alternating at squeezing and kneading her exposed flesh.
Christy's tears now flowed uninhibited from terror stricken eyes at the thought. Yes, she could imagine. “I'm so very frightened of you. Please don't hurt me, please don't beat me,” she begged.
So far, though terribly frightening, Rick's large hands had not been painful upon her. He seemed to be caressing her, thinking of something, planning. He rubbed his thumb against her nipple.
“I can keep them off you. I can keep them from beating you and then killing you. But you would owe me,” he declared.
Christy knew what he was going to say. The thought sickened her, causing her stomach to lurch. Yet, one man as opposed to four would be more preferable. He was the biggest of them. He could make them leave her alone if his offer was serious. But what if he wasn't? What if he only sought her cooperation? Did it matter? He was so powerful he didn't need her cooperation; she was too helpless to stop him or the others.
“What do you want?” she asked slowly, hesitantly, her eyes wide and fearful.
“Maybe if you're nice to me, treat me right, maybe we could come to an understanding,” he suggested. His mouth lowered to capture her lips in a possessive kiss. His hands tightened, becoming more demanding. Christy struggled briefly beneath him. He squeezed painfully upon one exposed nipple. Christy sobbed and held completely still.
She couldn't fight him. He was too big, too strong. She went limp in his arms, becoming submissive. The painful grip mercifully eased and Rick chuckled softly at her acceptance. She leaned heavily against him, whimpering a merciful plea.
“Do you beg me?” Rick asked jubilantly.
“I beg you, please I beg you,” Christy muttered softly into his shoulder.
“Now that's better,” he said throatily as he picked her up and headed for the bed. He lay her down and positioned his body over hers. She cried out in pain, shifting beneath him to avoid the pressure. He was crushing her ribs.
“Now just relax. You don't want to be all tied and helpless when the others come in. If I have to leave you all alone for a minute, they might pounce at the opportunity with you lying here so helpless and vulnerable.”
Rick's hands roamed greedily up and down her body as though trying to feel everywhere at once. His lips fastened on one dusty, rose-colored nipple. His tugging was painful and Christy thrashed beneath him. She cried out to him that he was hurting her, begging again for his mercy, but her words and pitiful pleas were ignored. Her terror was beginning to overwhelm her again.
She began to breathe raggedly, knowing instinctively whether or not she fainted he was still going to take her; he was becoming more brutal with each passing moment. She didn't know what to do. Her fear was again overwhelming. Her brain once more began to slow down its thinking.
“Stop being a doormat!” Lando's words suddenly stormed into her mind once again.
Without realizing what she was doing, one of Christy's knees suddenly smashed up between Rick's legs viciously. He howled in pain and Christy squirmed out from under him. Fleeing the room, Christy raced, looking for somewhere to hide. But Rick was already after her. She could hear his ragged breathing between the hideous words he was screaming at her.
Christy ran through an opening into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind her. She climbed on the toilet seat to reach the small window above, struggling to open it, but the windowsill had been painted and was sealed shut. Rick was banging on the door with hard fists, yelling at what he would do to her when he got her.
Christy looked frantically for something to smash the window with and, finding the plunger, she hit soundly at the window with the stick end. She cried out in relief as the glass shattered. Quickly she hit at the remaining glass, removing it frantically as Rick threw his shoulder harder and harder at the door. Then, throwing a thin bath towel down on the windowsill, Christy struggled to climb through. The window was narrow and her slight body squirmed painfully through while being cut with a tiny few remaining fragments of jagged glass.
Suddenly she heard an ear shattering crash from behind her as Rick kicked a hard, booted foot at the door. Christy's body was pulled back agonizingly through the window with a vicious tug. She screamed, terrified, as Rick's enraged body held her arms in a powerful grip, tangling around her shirt, and he smashed her against the tiled blue bathroom wall. He grabbed her throat in his hand, lifting her over a good foot up off the floor to his eye level. His face was contorted into a hideous mask of seething rage and anger. His dangerous glare bore into hers.
Christy's eyes flew wildly around the room, looking for escape. Her arms helplessly battered at his rock solid chest, only inflicting more pain upon herself.
“Let me go! Leave me alone!” she cried, terrified.
“Maybe you like it rough,” Rick said with menace. “Honey, I can do rough. I can do it rougher than anyone you've ever known.” His mouth then angrily descended on hers, pressing so hurtfully against her teeth that her lip split and she tasted blood. Remembering the taste of her own blood and the fear it stemmed from made Christy suddenly slump forward against Rick's body. Her terror consumed her. She had tried. She had failed. She would now face the consequences.
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* * *
Chapter Eleven
* * * *
After finding the overgrown road, Lando followed the vehicles tracks, coming upon a small cabin. He approached cautiously. Though still wet and cold, Lando did not notice his discomfort; he ignored his physical needs. He had a job to do, a big one. Lando was told he had been the best in the business. Now he would find out. Not only did he have four hits to accomplish, he had one life to save. One very important life.
Lando moved stealthily amidst the foliage, the weight of his boots making no sound as he crept closer. He had abandoned Sam's large, warm jacket. It had been light blue. His own, lighter coat was dark brown, offering a better camouflage. He remained undetected as he pressed himself to a large tree.
“What the hell is taking Rick so long?” Lando heard a man complain.
“He's inside screwing with a beautiful woman, moron. What the hell do you think is taking him so long? I don't think he needs advice as to what goes where,” another man scoffed, giving him a scathing look.
Lando controlled the sudden rage that flared within his chest. He quashed it. Anger, emotion, would only get him killed. Though his heart pounded fiercely and his hands fisted, Lando moved silently. A smallish looking, slight man was o
ff to the side, gutting the body of a very young Kodiak cub. Lando realized this was the man who had knocked him out from behind.
Payback time, he thought with gruesome happiness. Creeping closer, Lando's hands shot out, grasping roughly at the man's torso while placing a large hand over his mouth. Lando dragged him back into the bush, easily lifting him off the ground. Alone, this man was no match for Lando's more powerful body. Pushing him to the ground, he easily held the smaller man, pinning his wrists down cruelly with his knees while resting his weight on his chest. With a brutal hand on his mouth and one resting tightly on his head Lando leaned closely.
“I can tie you and gag you and then give you a more torturous death than you could ever imagine even in your worst nightmares, or, I will show you some mercy if you answer my questions,” Lando said with furious intensity into the man's terrified face. He felt great satisfaction as the man's eyes had begun to tear. One slipped slowly from the corner of his eye to drop quietly to the forest floor. He nodded as best as he could with his mouth and head held so firmly.
“Is the woman alive? Whimper once for yes, twice for no,” Lando demanded.
The man whimpered once. Again, Lando's emotions swarmed, this time with relief, yet he refused to acknowledge it.
“Are there four of you?”
Again, the man whimpered once. Lando held his head poised; ready to snap his neck, he hesitated. His eyes had once again shuttered into the mask he wore when he became death, their foreboding intensity settled onto his helpless victim. He could tell the man understood his intent; he began to whimper uncontrollably up at him, his body began to shake. "You said you used to kill." Christy's pained voice sounded in his ears, giving him pause.
“Did you hurt her or rape her?” Lando menacingly asked of him.
The man's eyes shot up, sensing a hint of leniency. He whimpered once and tried to shake his head, imploring Lando to believe him, sobbing uncontrollably. Lando did believe him. He had found that when gripped in the throes of their own terror, a great many were unable to or incapable of a lie. He would, he decided graciously, grant him mercy, though he wanted to return the favor. Reaching behind his back, Lando removed his gun and smashed it into the man's head, rendering him senseless.
Ripping strips from the man's own shirt, Lando tied him tightly and gagged him effectively.
The sudden shattering of glass and a terrified scream from a window captured his attention. He heard Rick's furious voice, as well as Christy's terrified cries as Rick snarled threats at her.
“What the hell?” one of the men declared, as Christy's body was suddenly jerked back through the broken open window.
Lando resisted the urge to call to her. He still had two more outside to tend to, though he sensed the urgency of his need to move more quickly. The man who had Christy was obviously enraged. Lando was dumbfounded at what the helpless, tiny little thing could have done to him. She was completely defenseless and vulnerable against the power of a man.
“Damn! I bet he won't leave any for us if he's pissed,” one of the men complained.
“Maybe we better go take a look. He sounds mad enough to kill,” his partner said.
No longer opting for caution, Lando appeared suddenly before the two other men. Surprise was now on his side. After a flying kick to his rounded gut, one of the men took flight into the side of the cabin. He crashed heavily against the wall with a hard thunk as his head collided with wood; slowly he slumped down.
The other man, seeing Lando's murderous look, sought to retreat, but Lando tackled him heavily before he'd gone two feet, and once again using his gun, he smashed it down onto the man's temple. The man remained still, a trickle of blood oozing from a cut.
Rising grimly, Lando grabbed the man's arm and dragged him to his friend's side. Using one of the standing cabin beams, Lando lashed their wrists securely, using one of the men's own belts. As one of the men began to stir Lando gave him a hard kick to his face. He could not risk someone sneaking up on him.
Besides, Lando realized he was also still really pissed. He then turned and slowly ventured into the cabin. Urgency consumed him, though he needed to be cautious. The other man definitely had Christy. He could not place her into a position that this Rick character could use to his advantage. If he were to put a knife to Christy's throat they would both be doomed.
Rick had thrown Christy's limp form triumphantly over his shoulder, knowing she had succumbed to her terror of him. Upon entering his room, he dumped her unceremoniously onto his bed. She was about to learn a very in-depth lesson on who was boss. She would learn what it was to be completely submissive. She was about to learn that lesson now.
Taking one large, fisted hand, he grabbed the front of her shirt and ripped it off. He then grabbed her wrists and tied them together viciously to one of the posts on the bed, stretching them up painfully. Then climbing onto her slight form, he placed a great deal of weight on her tiny waist and slapped her across the face, hard. Christy moaned and woke slowly. Rick's enraged face was before her when she ventured to open her eyes.
“No, please don't hurt me,” she cried up at him, seeing his raised hand poised to strike. Her eyes tearing, she screamed when he slapped her face painfully again.
“You want it rough?” he raged angrily into her face. Hurtfully, he grabbed at her breasts, his large hands squeezing. Christy cried out in agony. She pulled at her tied wrists desperately, trying to avoid the pain.
“No, no, please,” she sobbed brokenly.
Rick grabbed at her pants. Not bothering with the zipper, he pulled them off her. Christy tried to shift beneath him, to clamp her legs together. But he was too strong. She remained bound helplessly. She heard her panties tear next and she lay before him, exposed and vulnerable. Christy sobbed uncontrollably, begging him not to hurt her, pleading desperately with him not to break her bones. Rick was enjoying her whimpered pleas for mercy. He showed her none.
“Let's see how rough we can make it.”
“Please no. Don't hurt me anymore,” she whimpered.
Rick's entire body covered hers, pressing her down into the mattress. One brutal hand gripped her bound wrists painfully in a crushing grip. His tongue delved deeply into her mouth, to the point of choking her.
Pressing one knee painfully high up between her legs, Rick soon had Christy's thighs apart. A large finger then thrust eagerly into her, repeatedly, while he voiced malicious, harsh words telling her of what was to come, what he was going to do to her, what he would let the others do to her until he felt satisfied she submitted willingly.
Christy screamed repeatedly as she felt him position himself, seeking entry within her.
The sudden force of the blow almost sent Christy off the bed, the rope ripping at her already sore wrists. Lando smashed into Rick's large body She heard a frightening, enraged bellow and watched as the force of the collision sent both men flying off the bed, crashing through the sliding glass doors and out onto the porch.
“Lando!" Christy screamed. He was not dead, he was here. He had come for her. She had held hope deeply within her heart that he would come.
Both men hit the wood porch amidst the glass, then each was up and swinging with a vengeance in a matter of seconds. Lando's fist connected solidly with Rick's jaw. Rick countered with a blow to Lando's belly. Hard-fisted, powerful punches were thrown with brutal intensity as each man strove for dominance.
Lando leaped into the air spinning and, turning sharply, sent a hard-booted heel into Rick's face, propelling him backwards off the porch and onto the forest floor, blood flying. Landing hard on his shoulders and back, Rick flipped over, then jumped to his feet, and running, slammed his body into Lando's midriff, sending them once more through the broken glass, back into the bedroom. Both men hit the floor hard.
They rose steadily, facing each other. With an evil glance in Christy's helpless direction, Rick pulled a long knife. Resolved, Lando pulled his gun. He could not take the chance of Christy being hurt if he were to
be killed. He was about to break his promise. This man would die.
The gun suddenly flew from Lando's hand as the door was slammed open from behind him, connecting with his back; he careened sideways, almost ending up atop the bed with Christy. Christy screamed in terror as a large, enraged Kodiak barreled into Rick's surprised form. It seemed they hadn't left the mother for dead before killing and taking her cub. They had planned on returning for her carcass, but had run into Christy and Lando.
The mighty bear had painfully followed their scent and had come seeking her young. Discovering its slaughtered body, she now sought revenge. Rick screamed as the bear tore into his defenseless, already battered body. Her jaws clamped over his throat as he was knocked to the ground. His howls ceased abruptly to sickening gurgles. Lando had his knife out and quickly cut Christy's hands free. He threw her unclad body over his shoulder and raced frantically from the room, slamming the door closed behind him.
Once outside, Lando tossed her into the jeep. He looked frantically for the keys. Swearing violently, he slammed his balled fist onto the wheel.
“I need the keys,” he said to Christy, and vaulted from the vehicle before she could scream out a protest.
Lando approached the two men he had rendered unconscious. From their bloody, ripped clothing he could see mama bear had been even more pissed than he had been. Neither man held the keys. Lando then raced for the last man. He too had not been spared from the vicious wrath of the huge bear. Thankfully he found key's in the man's bloodied pocket.
Christy was screaming for him, and as Lando ran he could see the bear emerging from around the side of the cabin. She had obviously exited in search of them after destroying yet another man. Lando dived into the jeep, yanking his door closed behind him. The bear was rounding on them, moving swiftly. He tried three keys before the engine caught and roared to life. The bear was a breath away.
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