by J. L. Beck
Between being cold and always afraid of the unknown, I get no sleep. I’m in a constant state of panic, my body so stiff and exhausted that even tiny movements cause my muscles to ache. I wonder if my sister is looking for me, searching for me? I wonder where I am? Who took me? There are a million questions running through my mind, and no answers. I shiver against the mattress, but my head perks up at a noise outside my door.
My last meal of the day was brought a few hours ago... and this has never happened before. I hear the jingling of keys and deep husky laughter... laughter that belongs to men.
God, no. My entire body clams up when the door opens, a loud creak vibrating through the room. I look up, paralyzed with fear, as two dark-haired men enter.
“My, oh, my, look what we have here, Luca.” The two men walk unsteadily toward me. I can smell the alcohol on their breath and they’re still a few feet away from me.
I’ve wished for the door to open for so long, hating that it kept me trapped in this room, but what I didn’t know was that it protected me, shielded me, because now that it’s open, I want it to close, taking the two men before me with it.
“Look at those full lips. I bet they will look great around my cock,” the other man snickers.
“How angry do you think Ivan will be if we pop her cherry?” the first man asks.
Fear like I’ve never felt before spirals out of control inside of me. They edge closer toward me, and I wish the wall would swallow me whole, making me disappear from this room and out of reach from these assholes.
“We’re gonna have some fun with you, baby. You want that, don’t you?”
I shake my head, looking up into a pair of dark eyes. There is no emotion, no caring nature in those eyes, just pure lust, and I know then that the two men before me are monsters.
I look past the two figures in front of me and realize that they’ve left the door open behind them. Hope blooms inside me. They take another step forward. They’re much too close now, and I know if I want to survive this I need to do something. Fighting the ache in my muscles, my body starts to move on its own. I jump up from the mattress, trying to run past them, but even drunk, the men are faster than I am. I barely make it a couple of feet before one of them grabs me by the arm, yanking me backward.
Luca pushes me into the second guy’s arms. Panic swarms me, my chest heaves, and still, through it all, I know that I need to fight them even if my chances of escaping are slim. I’m not going to go out without fighting.
I might not have the strength I need to overpower them, but I have long nails. I use them to my advantage, lashing out with my hand and sinking them into his ugly face, while slashing downward. He hisses out in pain, and I relish in that sound.
Of course, he rewards me by backhanding me across the face. Pain radiates across my jaw, the impact making my head snap back. Tears fill my eyes, and before I can recover, my arms are roughly twisted behind my back, making me cry out in pain. I can barely see through the treacherous tears spilling from my eyes, but I know I got the bastard good. Five bloody scratches line his face, and I almost smile. Almost.
“You're going to fucking regret doing that, you whore.” Another slap lands on my face, the pain intensifies, and before I can even get my bearings, my dress is being ripped down my body in one furious pull, leaving me in nothing but my underwear.
“Fuck, look at that little body. I bet she’s tight.” Luca grips me by the chin, his fat fingers digging into my skin. I snarl my lip and spit right in his face. He looks at me with murderous rage, and I wonder if this is where I’m going to die.
He wipes a hand down his face and with that same hand, he punches me. Literally punches me. My jaw aches at the impact, and the copper taste of blood fills my mouth.
“Please... please, stop…” I cry, trying to wiggle out of their hold, but my futile attempts just seem to egg them on. The one behind me is grinding his erection into my backside and the one in front of me starts smiling while he squeezes my boobs painfully. When one of his hands travels down between my legs, roughly grabbing me there, another rush of anger floods my system, giving me just a little bit more strength.
I grit my teeth and push through the pain. In my final attempt to fight them, I throw my head back as hard as I can, hitting the guy behind me somewhere in the face. He releases me with a grunt, and I use that moment to bring my knee up and kick the guy in front of me between the legs. He falls to the floor, swear words filling the air. Without looking back, I bolt toward the door and out into a well-lit hall. I’m out… I’m outside of the cell. I glance back at the man over my shoulder and see out of the corner of my eyes that I can see through the mirror into my cell like it’s a window.
They’ve been watching me this whole time... watching me, seeing me struggle and cry. Adrenaline floods my body, forcing me forward. I start running, without thought to where I’m going, only that I need to get away from those men. I hear someone following behind me, heavy footsteps, and words in a language I don’t understand.
Once I reach the end of the hallway, I take a sharp turn around the corner, ready to pick up speed. Instead, I slam into a wall… or what I think is a wall. When I lift my eyes, I discover that it isn’t really a wall, but a wall of muscled chest.
All the air leaves my lungs at the impact, and my knees buckle. Strong arms grip onto me, engulfing me in warmth…in safety. My hands land flatly on his huge chest, and I curl my fingers into his shirt when I hear the two men trying to hurt me approach behind us.
I look up at the face of the man holding me. His eyes are gunmetal gray, reminding me of the sky before a storm, but as he looks into my eyes, his gaze softens.
“Help me, please help me,” I whisper, my voice trembling. I grip onto his shirt tighter, willing him to help me, to save me from these horrible men. He doesn’t say a word, he just stares at me, no emotion whatsoever in his eyes. When the heavy footfalls of the two guys chasing me stop behind us, I see his eyes move past me to where the two guys are standing.
I feel their presence without looking, and it terrifies me. I pray he isn’t going to give me back to them, I don’t know what will happen if he does, but I won’t just let them have me. No way. I bury my face into the unknown man’s chest. His scent washes over me, like expensive whiskey and cinnamon. Feeling his muscles move underneath my touch, I know he is so much bigger and stronger than those two. He could protect me from them.
An eerie moment of silence falls over us, and my body starts to shake uncontrollably.
“That bitch tried to run, boss. We were just going to put her back in the cell,” Luca says into the silence.
“And who opened the cell door for her?” the man holding me asks. His voice is deep and dark, and dread fills my veins at his words. He is not going to help me. Maybe he is the one who put me in that room. The one who kidnapped me. Sobs rack my body at the disappointment. I’m never going to get out of here. I’m never going to be safe again.
“Ivan… boss, we were just going to have a little fun… we weren’t going to hurt her...”
“You don’t touch the merchandise and by the looks of her fucking face, it seems like you did a whole lot of hurting her,” Ivan growls.
One single word stands out from his sentence: Merchandise? I know what the word means but I can’t comprehend what it means for me. They can’t possibly be selling me... or anyone for that matter, right? It’s illegal to sell humans… men, women, it doesn’t matter.
As I listen in shock to their conversation, I realize that I’m still holding on to the man who obviously has something to do with me being here. Why do I feel safe in his arms? I should push him away, fight him like I did the other two men. I should try and escape, but instead, I lean into him for comfort. I feel safe in his arms, even though the rational part of my brain tells me I shouldn’t.
I enjoy his big hands sprawled out over my back, and the warmth his body gives me. For a moment, I can forget the throbbing in my face and the split in my lip. I can
forget that I’ve been kidnapped and held prisoner.
“She tried escaping, boss. We had to stop her. Maybe if she didn’t try and claw our fucking eyes out, she wouldn’t look like she does,” the other man starts, but Luca cuts him off by clearing his throat, as if he knows better than to disobey.
“It won’t happen again, boss. We just wanted to have a little fun. Clearly, we made a mistake. We’ll put her back in her cell and lock it up.”
My body stiffens at his words, and my fingers clutch Ivan’s shirt. Please say no. I beg in my head like a prayer. If he gives me to them, I’m going to run. I’m going to run as fast and hard as I can.
“I’ll take her back myself and if I see you two around her cell again... I’ll kill you both. We don’t touch the merchandise. If you want to fuck something, go to the whorehouse,” he warns them.
“Of course, boss,” they both mumble and when I hear their feet pounding against the floor, going in the opposite direction of where we’re standing, I sigh. I cling to the man before me, my fingers refusing to let go of him.
A whimper escapes my lips when he pries my fingers from his shirt and lifts me into the air, holding me like a groom holds his bride... like I weigh nothing at all. I probably don’t, considering his size. I briefly catch a glimpse of a large tattoo on the side of his neck before I lower my face so he can’t look at it.
He cradles me to his chest like I’m a small child. His skin feels so warm against mine, and I want to sink deep inside him and stay there forever. I twist and burrow my face into his chest. I remember then that I’m completely naked, other than my panties. I’ve never been naked in front of a man before, and now I’ve been naked in front of three all in one night.
“Please, don’t put me back in that room,” I murmur into his shirt. He doesn’t respond or stop walking in the direction I just came from. He just continues walking as if he didn’t hear me at all. With every step he takes, I lose a little more hope that I’m ever going to get out of here.
Preview of Cruel Obsession
Chapter One
Dove
Paranoia skates down my spine as I walk a little bit faster down the sidewalk. The cold night air fills my lungs, and my heartbeat thuds loudly in my ears. All I can see and feel is that creeper from the party coming up to me and grabbing my wrist. His fingers biting into my flesh. The smell of alcohol on his breath as he spoke into my face.
“Dance with me…” He didn’t ask, he demanded, and there was no way I was going anywhere with him, so I kicked him in the nuts and left the party. But now I can’t help but feel like he’s following me.
Reaching the end of the sidewalk, I chance looking over my shoulder. My gaze falls on nothing but darkness. The light pole above my head does very little to illuminate the street, and when I look back again before crossing the street, I find someone walking toward me.
Panic bubbles up inside of me, and this time, I start running. The air rips through my hair, and my lungs burn as fear implants itself deep in my gut.
Run. Don’t look back. Just keep running.
Cutting down a side street, I hope to throw the guy off, but as I continue running, I can still hear his footfalls behind me. This has to be a nightmare, something I’ll wake up from any second now.
Glancing over my shoulder, I realize it’s anything but a dream. My eyes catch on the plaid pattern of the man’s shirt. Instantly, I know this is the creep from the party. Shit. Instinct tells me to run, but deep in my gut, I know what I should do.
My hands shake as I try and pull my phone out to dial 9-1-1, but my fingers slip over the sleek device, and I keep putting the wrong passcode in. Panting, I make it underneath an illuminating streetlamp and force shallow breaths into my lungs.
A grunting sound meets my ears, and when I look over my shoulder again, the man is gone. Just gone, vanished like he wasn’t there at all.
Dazed, I stare at the exact spot he was in, fearing he’ll reappear any second, but he doesn’t. A strange calmness washes over me. It makes zero sense, but I don’t dwell on it long enough to digest it. Instead, I shove my phone back into my pocket and run the rest of the way home.
By the time I reach my apartment, the exertion is evident, I’m gasping, and a sheen of sweat has formed against my forehead. I fumble with my keys, almost dropping them before finally getting the damn door open. Once inside, I slam the door closed and lock it before turning and sagging against the door.
A moment later, Max is by my side. The eleven-year-old cat I rescued from being euthanized last year has been my most trusted friend. I sink my fingers into his long fur and let his low purring calm me.
You’re okay, everything is okay… I repeat to myself.
It’s been years since I’d felt fear like that, not since I was a little girl living in foster care. My skin crawls, and I suppress the thought.
All that matters is that I’m safe. That I’m in my apartment and nothing happened to me.
Everything is going to be okay…
Chapter Two
Zane
Slamming my fist into the fucker’s face, I watch with glee as agony overtakes his features. He should’ve known he would die, especially after touching what was mine.
An image of my beautiful Dove fighting to get away from him. Her big, blue eyes brimmed with fear, her plump bottom lip trembling. Clenching my fist, I let the anger from that memory sink deep into my bones.
“What were you planning to do when you got her alone? Huh? Why were you following her?” I growl, my patience withering away with every passing second. Part of me doesn’t want to know what he had planned, but the other, bigger part does. I want to hear the words, want them to fuel my anger even more.
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” the bastard sneers, playing stupid.
I cock my head to the side and give him a bemused expression. “You must think I’m a fucking idiot, huh? That I didn’t see her tell you no. That she didn’t push you away? Or that I didn’t watch her run out of the house and down the street? That I didn’t see you follow a short while later.”
If it wasn’t for me, he would’ve hurt her, but I was there, just as I’ve always been. And just like all the others who have tried to hurt Dove, he too will die at my hands.
“You’re fucking crazy!” he spits. Blood drips down his lip from the punch I landed against it, and all I can do is stare at it. I can’t stop the cruel smile that splits across my face. My blood sings with joy, and the dark beast inside me cheers with elation at the sight of his blood.
Grabbing him by the hair, I tip his head back, reveling in the scream that pierces the air. Ahhh, there is nothing like when they scream or beg for me to let them go. The hope that shows in their faces before all is lost. Before I snuff the light out of their eyes with my hands.
“Crazy? You haven’t seen anything yet,” I sneer.
Clenching my fist a little tighter, I pull back my arm and land another punch, this time, my knuckles meet the bridge of his nose and the satisfying crunch of bone cracking fills my ears.
The monster inside me is terrifying, real, and it consumes me. I don’t stop as his screams continue to echo through the warehouse. They all cry and beg, but at the end of the day, it’s their own fault. Had they made a better choice, they wouldn’t be here.
By the time I’m done, his face is unrecognizable, and he’s slumped over in the chair I’ve tied him to. Turning, I grab a knife and lift his chin, or what’s left of it. Then I slice him from ear to ear. I feel nothing as I do this, no that’s not true. I feel something. Joy, happiness, relief. His death makes the weight on my chest a little lighter.
Dove is safer now that I’ve extinguished him. Safer now that another worthless person is gone from her life. Another person wanting to hurt her that won’t ever get the chance.
I was put on this Earth to protect her, to ensure her safety as long as I lived.
I might never have her in the way I want, but at least I can always
make certain no one hurts her. She will forever be mine, even if she doesn’t know it.
Walking away from the body, I head to the sink and wash the blood from my hands. I spend way too long watching the reddened water swirl down the drain. When it finally runs clear, I scrub my hands with soap, rinse, and dry them. Pulling out my cell, I text Rob to tell him to get the cleanup crew together.
Most people would probably feel guilt or at least some type of emotion after doing what I just did, but I don’t feel anything.
Not that I can’t feel at all, because I can, I just chose not to. Feeling all the time would make it hard for me to kill people for the mob, on top of protecting Dove.
My phone chimes and I see Rob’s name flash across the screen, letting me know that he’s gotten my message. When he arrives, I walk out to my car like nothing ever happened. I consider just driving home, but at the last second turn onto the street to Dove’s place.
She lives in a relatively safe area, but that didn’t stop me from putting cameras and motion sensors in her house. I would go to any length to ensure her complete safety. Even in the safest neighborhood in the country, no one knows what happens behind closed doors.
Parking on the street a few houses down, I shut the car off, and look up at the apartment building. How much longer can I do this?
Subject myself to her sweet scent, soft murmurs, and beautiful face. How much longer can I go on before I’m forced to claim her? My need for her is starting to consume me, eating away at every single rational thought that I have. Every day I’m forced to tamp it down, but I’m not a saint, and soon enough, I’ll break.