by Laura Morgan
No matter what, this needed to happen. Cassie had the idea to have Victor beat up Jonah for her while she’d peered up at the dark sky outside the restaurant. She would no doubt be wanted for questioning following the beating. Even if he didn’t press charges, she would still be the only person with definite motive, and the police would surely come looking for her with assault charges.
Cassie was very aware that in twenty four hours’ time she might well be locked up in some Mexican mansion at the behest of her new master. If she were a wanted woman, at least the police would discover her missing, and hopefully begin a deeper investigation into her whereabouts.
This was the only way Cassie could think to involve the police without physically contacting them herself. Jonah would have to pay the price for her plea, but she could think of no other way. In order to have a Plan B in place, this had to happen, and part of her did want to punish her ex for his crimes. Time had healed many of her wounds, but not all of them, and Cassie was sure in some awful way she might actually enjoy this.
“How many times have I told you never to call me honey again?” she replied, angry, but she remained composed. She took a breath. “Look, Jonah. I’ve really fucked up. I’ve gotten involved with the wrong people, and I have to go away. I’ll be gone a while, maybe even forever.” She stood to leave, and he caught her hand in his.
“Don’t go. We can figure out how to help you. Who is it you’ve gotten involved with?” Jonah asked, clearly still worried about her even after all this time.
That was the moment Victor stepped out of the shadows. He approached and wrapped his hands around Jonah’s throat and started to squeeze. “Me,” he whispered, pressing down hard on his windpipe before throwing him back down onto the sofa in one fluid movement. His fists met Jonah’s handsome face over and over again until he fell silent, blood oozing from the cuts. Only Jonah’s gurgling breath let Cassie know he was still alive.
She hated seeing him this way, but a strange sort of satisfaction for doing karma’s job appeared deep within her gut. She hadn’t thought she would need so much closure after so long, but it was truly liberating. Cassie felt completely calm at seeing her ex-husband in such a bad way, knowing he deserved a good dose of payback for what he had done to her.
“Okay, Victor. Let’s go,” she said, stepping back toward the door.
“One last thing,” Victor replied with a sinister smile, pulling a knuckleduster from his pocket and sliding it onto the fingers of his right hand. The metal had sharp spikes protruding from it, and Cassie finally felt sickened by her dark request. She watched as he placed a handful of punches to Jonah’s crotch. The semi-conscious man writhed in pain as the powerful blows rendered his manhood useless, at least for a while, and he was quickly out cold. Cassie was glad he hadn’t been awake to endure Victor’s extra level of punishment, and hoped he would seek medical help as soon as he came to.
She said nothing more as she wandered away, heading out to the street in stunned silence, where she emptied the contents of her stomach into the grate on the sidewalk. She climbed in Victor’s car beside him, staring out at the empty street through the windshield.
“Now I’m ready to go home. Thank you,” she told him, watching as he wiped his hands and face of blood with a wet wipe from a packet stashed in one of the driver’s door pockets. He then drove to her apartment without a care in the world, arriving several minutes later.
“You have twelve hours, do not keep me waiting,” Victor told Cassie as she climbed out of the car. She nodded, unable to speak, and headed to her apartment to get cleaned up. She wasn’t sure whether to tell Hanna what had happened or not, knowing she would get the same advice from her that Mrs. Brown had given. At the same time, though, she needed her best friend to know what was going to happen to her when she left the next morning. Hanna had to know the truth. She had to know Cassie had been forced to leave, rather than having chosen to run off to Mexico with Victor over a life here in New York with Leo.
“Hey, sweetie, fancy a cup of tea?” Hanna called from the kitchen as she came inside.
“Yeah, please,” she called back on her way to her room. Cassie climbed in a quick shower, slid into some pajamas, and joined Jamie in the living room. He was sprawled on one of the sofas, resting, but did a double take when he saw how pale she was.
“What’s happened?” Jamie asked, clearly having noticed her fearful numbness as she took a seat in the armchair, and Cassie took a deep breath. Hanna came in and sat beside her boyfriend, handing him a cup of tea after depositing one for Cassie.
“Victor happened,” she replied.
Both Jamie and Hanna sat up, their attention fully on her, and they stared at her expectantly.
“What?” Hanna cried, and Cassie shrugged.
“He’s gonna kill Leo if I don’t go with him. I haven’t got a choice. He’s not letting this drop, and his demands include you guys, too. He’ll kill you if I run, and he’ll kill Leo if I don’t choose him. I’m so sorry. What the fuck was I ever thinking getting involved with Leo? He always said he’d be bad news for me, and there we were, thinking we’d managed to keep things separate.” She hung her head, feeling lost.
Hanna jumped up and wrapped Cassie in her arms. “Take a gun stashed in your knickers and kill him before he gets the chance, sweetie. Do whatever it takes to stop him from dragging you off to god-knows where as his slave. He’s not like Leo. Victor won’t be gentle, patient, or kind,” Hanna yelled, her pain coming to the surface. Cassie wanted to laugh at how her British wording had somehow rubbed off on her friend, but now was not the time. Hanna stared at Jamie, seemingly in shock that he hadn’t yet offered his opinion.
“He cares for me enough to orchestrate this whole thing. I’m hoping he’ll stay that way. He even beat up Jonah for me, no questions asked. There’s no other choice, I’ve gone over and over it in my head. You have to let me go.” Cassie took a deep breath and stroked Hanna’s face. “I can’t do this without you, both of you. I need you to take care of him when I’ve gone, don’t let him do anything foolish,” she added, talking about Leo.
“She’s right, baby,” Jamie told Hanna, much to her apparent disgust. “Guys like Victor Sanchez don’t stop until they get what they want. We’re all collateral damage, so don’t think for a second we’re safe from him. You’re doing the right thing, Cassie. In time we will try to negotiate your return, but right now he has you cornered.”
As much as she appreciated his truthful response, Cassie broke down following Jamie’s damning words. She pulled Hanna back over to the sofa and slid between them, holding tight to her friends for a while before eventually going to pack up her essentials.
Chapter 22
Jamie loaned Cassie his car the following morning. None of them had slept, so rather than wait, she’d set off for Leo’s mansion around eight o’clock. When she pulled up at the entryway, the gate stood wide open, ready for her without her needing to buzz in. Cassie was shocked to find none of the staff or guards there. It was eerie outside the huge home, sending a shiver down her spine, and she wondered where everybody might be, or if they were even still alive.
She made her way inside, finding Tina alive, but either asleep or out cold on the hard floor in the hall. She was covered in what seemed to be a mix of her own blood and urine, bullet wounds to each of her thighs rendering her immobile.
Leo was in the same chair she had seen him in via the video feed the night before, and Cassie ran over to him, shaking him awake. He peered up at her with terrified eyes, shaking his head. She pulled the gag down from his mouth, and he stared up into her face with a mixture of anguish and anger on his face.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Cassie? Please tell me you aren’t seriously thinking of doing as he asks?” Leo growled.
“I have to. I can’t let him kill you. I can’t live in a world where you don’t exist, even if we can’t be together.” She ran her hands over his broken nose and shattered cheekbone.
“I
’m not worth your freedom. Don’t you dare put my life before yours. I knew all along this was how my sorry life would end. Don’t go with him. I don’t care what it takes, say no. You have to say no.” Leo’s torment was seeping out of him in his ramblings, and Cassie suddenly began to doubt her decision to go with Victor. She yelped as hands grabbed her hips from behind and pulled her away from him.
Victor’s gun pressed into her temple, reminding her once again of Otis, but this time she froze in fear. She was unable to focus on anything other than the words Leo had just uttered. Cassie trembled, the weight of her world coming crashing down on her all at once, and she felt more terrified than ever before. Victor’s free hand ran across every inch of her body, checking for a weapon. When he found nothing, he lowered the gun from her temple and stashed it in the back of his tan colored chinos.
“Best check everywhere, you might have a gun stashed in your knickers,” he whispered, having somehow known the exact words Hanna had said to her the night before. Cassie inhaled sharply, her mouth dropping open in shock as he thrust his hand down inside her jeans and straight under the hem of her panties. He unashamedly slid his fingers over her opening, while gripping her tightly by the waist with the other hand and staring at his captive host over her shoulder. Cassie couldn't take her eyes off Leo, a stray tear falling down her cheek as Victor touched her so intimately. The sight of his tormentor touching his lover unmistakably affected Leo, and he fought against his bonds.
“Get your fucking hands off her,” he groaned, his voice deep and almost animalistic. Victor’s hand was already sliding back up, but he taunted Leo further, licking the tips of his fingers with a smile. Cassie squirmed away from his grasp and fell to her knees.
“So sweet. I can’t wait to have more,” Victor groaned, his smile never faltering. “Speaking of which, I think it’s time you made your choice, Cassie.”
She looked back at Leo, seeing the pain in his eyes, and she began shuddering uncontrollably as Victor walked around to stand at his side. He placed the gun to Leo’s temple and stared down at her with an expectant glare.
“Don’t kill him, please,” she begged.
“Say it.”
“No, Cassie. Don’t do it!” Leo cried.
After a few short, panting breaths, she stood and composed herself. Her mind was made up.
“I choose Victor. I’ll go with you now, but you leave him alone,” she replied, screaming as Victor silenced Leo’s angst-ridden response to her decision with a swift whack across the face with his weapon, rendering him unconscious.
“He’s still alive, come on.” Victor grabbed Cassie’s arm and dragged her out to his car. He flung her in the passenger seat and climbed in. He started the engine without even looking at her as she fell to pieces beside him. Cassie soon began hurling abuse at him and writhing in her seat, both unwilling and unable to calm down. Her outburst forced him to slam on the brakes a few moments later. He turned to face the screaming woman, and she slapped him across the face, hard.
“I hope you’re fucking happy. I hate you!” she spat. Victor returned the slap, which knocked Cassie’s body into the dash. He watched icily as she sobbed and clutched at her burning cheek.
“Don’t ever hit me again,” he said, and then delved into his pocket, producing a small vial, seemingly prepared for her meltdown. Victor grabbed Cassie’s dark ponytail and pulled her head back, the force of it opening her mouth, and he flung a tablet inside. He held it closed until he was convinced she’d swallowed the pill.
“Get your hands off me.” She pushed him away, putting as much distance between them as she could in the small sports car.
“Well, I’d hoped I wouldn’t need it. But I can’t drive with you attacking me, can I?”
Cassie started to go limp, so he pushed her back in her seat and secured the seatbelt, leaning her head back against the rest. She tried to speak, but could only mumble due to the sedative he had given her, and she soon stopped her sobs and violent tears.
She didn’t fall asleep as they drove, simply watching through the car windows while her limp body sagged back in the seat. The world around her whizzed by in a blur as he drove them away, her thoughts jumbled yet somehow calm. Deep down, she prayed for a miracle, or even a dose of her own karma to come crashing down on them. She would take anything she could get, as long as she walked away safe and free.
She was aware of being lifted out of the car a short while later, everything still in a haze, but she soon realized they were about to board a plane. She panicked, in spite of the sedative, and tried to move against the lethargy. Her attempts were fruitless, though. Her head fell to the side as the arms beneath her knees and shoulders held onto her tighter. Her senses were filled with the smell of a man she didn’t know, and she groaned.
Inside the huge private jet, Cassie was placed on a large bed and tucked under the sheets by gentle hands that didn’t feel as though they belonged on the huge henchman who’d carried her inside.
“Gentle giants are nice,” she mumbled, making the man laugh, but he said nothing, simply watching over Cassie as she drifted off to sleep.
***
By the time Cassie awoke, they were airborne. She stirred and looked out the small window at the bright sunshine that streamed in. For a minute, she hoped the last day might have been a terrible dream, but knew better than that. Her fear reappeared in her gut, making her feel as though she might be sick, but a few deep breaths thankfully cleared her nausea.
She’d always hated flying, but now the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach was far from the normal fear of turbulence or engine failure. This was a genuine sense of sheer dread. It welled up inside of her as soon as the sedative wore off. Cassie didn’t cry or break down, she simply lay there for a while gathering her thoughts, knowing in her heart she’d done the right thing. In spite of her own fears, those she loved were now safe, and she would do everything she could to keep it that way.
Other than the horrid taste in her mouth and her disorientation, Cassie felt quite rested. She had no idea how long she’d been asleep, but thought she might actually be willing to take a sedative again to help her sleep should her fears overwhelm her in the future. She even felt strangely at ease as she stood and wandered over to the small bathroom, taking in the luxurious private jet as she went.
After using the toilet, Cassie brushed her teeth and fixed her hair and makeup, having found the bag she had packed from home on the floor of the mile-high bedroom, and was glad Victor had let her keep the home comforts. She wished she’d packed some protein bars or something, though. She was famished.
A few minutes later Cassie tried the door, her hunger getting the better of her, and was surprised to find it open. She peered around the other side and spotted Victor sitting at a desk a few feet away. Several hulking men were also aboard, all of them Latino, and she could hear them talking to one another in Spanish. Some were sitting down, while others milled around making drinks and food for their boss.
“Sit,” Victor said, looking up and pointing to the chair opposite him at the table. Cassie wandered over, catching the many eyes on her as she went, and he seemed to sense her unease. “Don’t worry, they all know if they so much as look at you in a way I don’t like, I’ll cut off their dicks.” He grinned, closing his laptop.
One man delivered them two coffees and a plate of wraps filled with chicken and avocado. Cassie wanted to grab one and devour it whole, feeling ravenous, but she didn’t dare. When she finally looked up from the plate at Victor, she caught a wry smile on his lips. She sat back in her chair, eager to get away from the sight and smell of the food before her, despite her stomach’s protest at being made to wait. A few more plates piled high with different foods were delivered to their table, but neither of them made a move to eat anything. He continued to stare at her, his eyes roving over every inch he could see, and in spite of her clothes, Cassie felt exposed.
“So, what’s next?” she asked, hoping he might finally say some
thing. Victor took a long sip of his coffee, his eyes still on hers.
“I’m taking you to my home in Mexico, where I will require you to do everything I ask of you,” he answered, laughing to himself, but Cassie just stared blankly back at him. “I will take care of the situation with my brother, then I will come to you. I understand this is going to be hard for you at first, but you’ll get used to it,” Victor added dismissively. He obviously didn’t care about her feelings, or her hang-ups from the past. Cassie knew he would not respect her boundaries like Leo had, so she mentally prepared herself. When Victor demanded she sleep with him, she knew she’d better be ready to do it willingly, or else endure his forceful advances.
“I’m not your whore or your servant, Victor. All I ask is you remember our deal. I chose you over Leo. You asked me to surrender to you, which I have. At no point did I ever agree to be your captive, or a slave. I am yours, you needn’t be so cold,” Cassie replied, drinking her own coffee.
“You’ll soon learn to control that feisty temper of yours, Cassie,” he warned, glaring across at her, and she just shrugged in response. “I want you to submit to me, fully and willingly. Submission takes work, though. It also requires punishments where they are due. I hope you’re ready for this?” Victor licked his lips provocatively. She simply nodded, her demeanor softening as a knowing grin curled at her lips.
Cassie decided then and there to treat this whole situation as a role, like she had when adopting the necessary persona to woo her clients back when she was an escort. She had a character to play, and would for the rest of her miserable life if she had to, and quickly set about pushing all thoughts of her old life away. She knew clinging to the past would only hinder her progress in obtaining Victor’s much-needed affection. Cassie did not want to know what punishments he had up his sleeve, so set her sights on the rewards he had promised instead.