Ménage on Moone Mountain

by Bella Settarra

“Like what you see?” He raised both his eyebrows, which gave him a very odd expression. She suddenly envisaged Travis raising one sexy eyebrow as he gazed at her, and a fire began to burn in her stomach. She closed her eyes for a second to enjoy the sensation and then snapped them open when she heard Chad.

  “Trying to take it all in, are you? See what you’ve been missing?”

  He grabbed her arms and she whimpered at the pain. One arm felt heavy and limp, and she wondered if it might be broken. The pain that penetrated it was almost unbearable. Chad obviously sensed this as he squeezed that arm even tighter. Bastard! She did her best not to make a sound as she knew he would hurt her even more. This was a game he liked to play. A game that had almost killed her on a couple of occasions.

  She looked down at his arm. He was strong but scrawny. His fingers were long and skinny, with bones protruding all over the place. Even his nails were disgusting—dirty and well-chewed. She had never noticed that about him before.

  “Talk to me, bitch!” He squeezed her arms even tighter and shook her. Pain racked her whole body, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from yelling out.

  “W-what do you want?” Her voice shook with agony and fear.

  “Apart from the obvious, you mean, slut?” He licked his lips, and she felt his eyes burn into her skin. Her stomach churned. She just stared at him in horror. He couldn’t be serious, surely?

  “You and me have some unfinished business to take care of first, though, don’t we? Or should that be during?” He gave a disgusting laugh, which sent a cold shiver right through her painful body.

  Oh God no!

  Something cool ran down her head and into her eye, making her vision blurry again. Brooke lifted her good arm, and he actually let it go while she wiped her eye with the back of her hand. To her horror, she saw it was blood. She must have cut her head. Suddenly a vision of the tree came into her mind and she recalled the accident. She had swerved to avoid driving headlong into a row of trees and ended up colliding side-on instead. She recalled yanking the steering wheel around so the empty passenger side would hit first and had tried to angle it so the back of the car would be worst hit. It didn’t seem to have made any difference as she felt like shit. She must have hit it hard to be in this much agony.

  She slowly tried to feel each of her limbs and body parts in turn. Her arm must be broken; it lay there, limp and lifeless, throbbing like heck. She felt something wrong with her back, but she had managed to sit up so it couldn’t be too bad. Her legs felt weird. They were heavy and felt like Jell-O. Pain was searing through them both, but she knew they couldn’t be broken or she wouldn’t have been able to move them, let alone bend them at the knees. Her head throbbed, and she now knew she had done some damage to it. Her abdomen was just a mass of pain. There was nothing she could pinpoint there; it just hurt like the devil.

  She suddenly became aware that he had been talking to her. His voice sounded mushy and far away. She tried to look up at him, but her eyes were trying to close.

  “Don’t you dare pass out on me!” His harsh voice cut into her, and she flicked her eyes straight up at him. She had heard him say this before on many occasions and knew what the consequences would be if she fainted. She forced herself to stay focused as the mush slowly dissipated. The pain shot through her as he squeezed and shook her back to the present.

  Brooke realized she had little hope of escaping with all her injuries. At the same time, though, she was determined not to let him win this time. He had taken enough of her past. If she could just get through the present, she might still have hope for the future. Her mind whirled. There had to be a way out of this somehow. For now, though, she would just go along with what he wanted, and do her best to stall him as long as she could. At best she would give herself time to be rescued. At worst…

  She grappled with her thoughts to try to concentrate on their conversation. “Unfinished business?” She decided it safer to contemplate that aspect of his ramblings, rather than the rest, which didn’t bear thinking about.

  Apparently satisfied that she was still with him, he smirked. “Yes, I believe you had a visitor right before you ran off like a scolded cat.”

  She stared at him in disbelief. Scolded cat? She suddenly felt angry as well as indignant. How dare he imply that she had done something wrong? Brooke controlled her breathing and kept her face as expressionless as she could. Although she was seething inside, she knew better than to let him know she was annoyed. She had been punished too many times to remember just for a look he accused her of having.

  “H-he said you sent him. I didn’t know if it was true.” She spoke in a quiet voice.

  “You knew full well it was true! You’ve seen Kenny loads of times. Why else would he be there? He gave you something to sign, didn’t he?”

  “Y-yes…but…”

  “But you didn’t sign it.” He said the words slowly and carefully as if speaking to child who wouldn’t understand him.

  Brooke would have felt better if he had shouted at her. This patronizing crap always meant he was leading up to something—something real bad. She stared at him, wide-eyed. Fear and anger mixed within her, and she did her best to quell them both.

  “Why didn’t you sign it, Brooke?” That voice again. Shit!

  She didn’t know what to tell him. She just shrugged sadly.

  “Well now. If you can’t answer that question, how’s about another one? Why did you tell the cops I raped you and beat you up?” His voice was threateningly calm.

  Brooke shook uncontrollably. She stared into his cruel little eyes. Anger and fear were still battling it out inside her, and just when she thought fear was in the lead anger romped home. “Because you did.” The words spat out of her mouth, astounding her as much as him.

  His patronizing expression was replaced with red-faced rage, and she braced herself for the onslaught.

  “How dare you! After everything I’ve done for you! How could you make up such filthy lies about me?” His voice resounded around the room, and his face was right up close to hers. She could smell his rancid breath as he yelled at her.

  Pain coursed through her body as he tightened his grip on her, and anger rose up to meet it. Her thoughts were racing. She took a deep breath, letting anger take pole position once again. It was way better than the alternative, and if he was going to kill her anyway, she’d rather tell him what she thought of him first.

  “You raped me! You beat me up and left me for dead, just like you’re about to do now, no doubt. You ruined my life! You wrecked my body. I know you’re going to kill me today, and I know you’ll torture me in the process. Well guess what? I don’t give a damn. And you wanna know why? Because I’m finished. I would rather be dead than live the rest of my life fearing you, running away all the time just in case you catch up with me! I can’t have a life this way. I refuse to. So go ahead, fuckwad—kill me!” Her heart pumped indignant anger through her body in massive bursts, and she just couldn’t stop herself. She knew she was going to pay for it, but so what? She stared up at him, boring her hatred into him.

  Chad West looked stunned. His expression was a mixture of shock and anger. Brooke took the opportunity to shake his filthy hands off her. She tried to stand up, but he blocked her way.

  “OK. Since you asked for it, I will kill you. Like I raped you because it was what you wanted. It’s what every woman fantasizes about, we all know that. I only ever do what you want me to do. And now you’re trying to claim that I’m the bad guy here? You deserve to die, slut.” His voice was disturbingly quiet as he spoke through gritted teeth.

  Brooke frowned at him as realization hit her. “You’re mad.” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them.

  She expected a slap. He stared at her. Then he laughed. He actually laughed! A proper belly laugh as though she had made the funniest joke ever. She stared at him in disbelief as he confirmed her suspicions.

  He abruptly stopped laughing and gaped at her. Pure evil st
ared into her eyes. She froze.

  “Stand up, slut.” His voice was menacing and quiet.

  Brooke wasn’t sure if she would actually be able to stand, but she tried anyway. Her feet throbbed as she placed them squarely on the floor, and her legs almost gave way under her body as she put her weight on them. A sharp pain in her stomach area had her doubled over in agony. She clenched her teeth, hissing at the jabbing sensation. She clung to the bench for as long as she could, trying to get her balance. Chad moved out of her way, and she saw, for the first time, the table behind him. Her trembling started all over again when the sight of the classic bullwhip, the knife, the needles, and his old favorite, the single tail whip came into view. There was also a coil of rope and a piece of paper, which had been placed at the far end of the table. She frowned, trying to steady her breathing.

  “I hope you recognize your letter?” he said with a hideous grin as he watched her line of sight.

  She frowned again. Then the penny dropped.

  “You seem to have forgotten to sign it, but then, you might want to read it first.” He left her propped against the edge of the bench as he went over to retrieve the sheet of paper from the table. “You see, I had to make a few amendments due to…unforeseen circumstances.” He chortled wickedly as he handed her the letter.

  Brooke took it from him with trembling hands.

  “Take your time. Read it properly now. After all, you need to know what you’re signing don’t you, slut? I’ve just got a little job to do over here while you’re reading.”

  She stared up at him as he went over to the table and picked up the rope. He had a vicious sneer across his face as he straightened some of it out and threw it over one of the only beams still remaining across the roof.

  “Read it!” he demanded, looking across at her.

  Brooke’s eyes struggled to focus on the words in front of her, but she eventually managed to decipher them. Then she wished she hadn’t.

  TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

  I wish to state that I, Brooke Anderson, have told lies to the police which I feel I must rectify for the sake of an innocent man, and for my own peace of mind.

  I have sworn a statement which accuses Chad West of raping me on the night of OCTOBER 7, 2013. I also alleged that following this assault he beat me up and left me in a critical condition. I would like to make it known that Chad West did not perform any of these actions; I did not recognize the man who raped me as he came at me from behind in the dark. This man also beat me up. Chad West was not with me that night.

  I also made other allegations to the police about Chad West which I need to address. Chad West did not whip me, beat me or in any way injure my body. The marks on my body were put there by men whom I don’t know while I was a member of a BDSM club just outside Chicago. Therefore, all of these marks were made with my consent and no charges need to be made against anyone.

  I sincerely apologize to the police for wasting so much of their precious time, and to Chad West, whom I have wrongfully discredited. The reason for my actions was to try to wreak revenge on him for splitting up with me. I love him so much I cannot get over losing him.

  I am so ashamed of my actions that I have decided to end my own life; I cannot live with the harm I have caused to an innocent man’s reputation. I hope that someday he will find it in him to forgive me.

  Signed: ________________

  Date: ________________

  Chapter Thirteen

  Brooke turned cold and she trembled with fear. Slowly she looked up to see Chad. She thought she was going to faint when she saw him standing smiling at her with his arms folded. Above his head was a noose.

  “Hope you like it, sweetheart. It’s a gift. I made it ’specially for you.” He looked as though he had just handed her a bunch of roses.

  Brooke’s stomach roiled, and she swallowed the bile that welled in her throat.

  “You wanna try it out for size or shall we have some fun first?” He beamed at her.

  This man was truly mad! She stared at him in fearful disbelief.

  “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? I see, you’re speechless. It is nice, isn’t it? I never get you anything but the best, do I, sweetheart?”

  Her heart beat ten to the dozen, and she went from freezing cold to boiling hot in a matter of seconds. She still shook. The paper in her hand was flapping with her trembles and Chad tutted.

  “Hey now. I want you signing that in your best handwriting, d’ya hear? You need to stop being so excited or the ink’ll just go everywhere. Come on, let’s have some fun, then you can sign your letter and I’ll be on my way. You don’t want to keep me here all night, do you?”

  He took her poor arm and led her to the table. She eyeballed the knife.

  “Hey, I get it. Maybe you do want me to stay here all night with you? Is that it? You want me to make love to you all night long so you’ll go with a big smile on your face?” He laughed derisively. “You really have been missing me, haven’t you?”

  Brooke bit her tongue hard.

  “Now, let’s just get these cuffs on you. Look, it’s your favorite pair.”

  She couldn’t stop the yelp that flew out of her mouth as he yanked both her arms behind her back. She was sure her right arm was broken, and she was certain he knew it too. Fuckwad!

  He waved a pair of silver metal handcuffs in front of her face and she cringed. She recognized them. They were too small for her and bit into her skin every time he made her wear them. She recalled having to wear a watch on one wrist and a bracelet on the other for over a month whenever he let her go out because the cuffs had badly cut her wrists. He had made numerous jokes at the time about her looking as though she had tried to commit suicide.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart, if they leave marks this time, the cops’ll just assume you fucked up another suicide attempt before deciding to hang yourself.” He laughed loudly at his own joke and callously snapped the cuffs onto her already-swollen wrists. More pain.

  He leaned her forward over the table and stood behind her. Pain seared through her abdomen and her back at the same time, and she moaned desperately. She felt his body lean over hers. She could hear his breathing next to her. He was close. Too close. Her heart thudded as she anticipated his next move. He nuzzled against her ear, and she shuddered as his tongue licked it.

  “Now you and I both know you’re way overdue some punishment, don’t we?” he murmured into her ear.

  A cold chill ran through her whole body.

  “Don’t we?” he snapped.

  She remained stoic. She knew him. He was like a petulant child when he didn’t get what he wanted. Well, she was darned if she was going to give him what he wanted now.

  He grunted angrily as he pulled her head up by the hair, tipping it back slightly. “I asked you a question, slut!”

  Her eyes were forced to face the window, and her heart leaped. Two shadows were poised in the darkness, and she would recognize their physiques anywhere. Kent’s calm demeanor gave her strength, and she gazed at his gun that pointed right at the bastard behind her. Travis’s determined jaw was clenched, and he too had his gun ready with Chad West in his sights.

  Chad tugged at her hair again, and pain seared her head once more. Feeling weak and woozy, she forced herself to think straight as she clenched her teeth to keep from yelling. Her mind whirled with hope—all she had to do was get the fucker far enough away from her to give them a clear shot.

  The bastard was getting antsier by the minute. She refused to play his game, and it irked the hell out of him. She was becoming so debilitated that it would be virtually impossible to speak to him now, anyway.

  Eventually Chad took the knife and sized it up against her soft throat, which was hardly pulsating at all now. Nothing.

  “I know what’ll get your blood pumping,” he snarled as he reached over her and grabbed the single tail from the table. He waved it menacingly in front of her face, still holding the knife to her throat.

 
“What do you think, slut? Don’t you want to kiss your old friend?” Chad swung the tail lightly across her face, tormenting her with the potential hell he could unleash on her at any minute. Brooke held her breath, determined not to make a sound, and hoping he couldn’t read the expression on her face. He huffed in disappointed exasperation. “Fuck this!”

  She wasn’t sure whether he had given up on the idea of using the whip, or if he planned to use it while she hung from that dang rope. She watched tentatively, still holding her breath, as he looked around. Brooke knew he’d need to put the chair in position so he could lift her high enough to get her neck through the noose. She could feel his cold eyes staring down at her lifeless body in his arms. When she still wouldn’t respond to his taunts, he simply let go of her and she plummeted unceremoniously onto the hard wooden floor.

  * * *

  Chad West hadn’t taken one step before the first bullet pierced his chest. His startled eyes stared at the broken window where he’d see two cowboys and a sheriff, all pointing guns at him. He’d feel another stab of agony as the second bullet hit, but he’d never know anything about the third.

  The door burst open and Travis ran over to the two bodies. Kent was right behind him, and they yanked the fuckwad’s corpse off their girl’s blood-ridden body. The final welt was already swelling badly, and Kent carefully pulled her clothes back up to protect her modesty.

  Travis could hear his heart thundering in his ears, but he couldn’t hear Brooke’s. He placed his fingers on her bloody throat and felt a whisper of a pulse there. Tears were streaming down his face as he turned to Kent. “She’s alive—just.”

  He saw the tears flooding Kent’s eyes as the deputy let out a sigh of relief. Travis used one hand to stroke his partner’s he caressed Brooke’s swollen cheek with his other. Kent turned his hand over and held his lover’s tight.

  “Paramedics should be here any minute. I called them as soon as I got your message on the radio. I also left the lights on the SUV so they’ll find us easily,” Mason spoke calmly and quietly as the two men sobbed desperately. He had already found a key in West’s pocket and quickly removed the cuffs that bound Brooke’s hands. Her wrists bled as he freed them.