Yet that pain was nothing compared to the relief of getting the weight off my thighs and back. I sagged onto my left side, grateful for the change in position.
Maybe I could focus on where I was and what was going on.
I shook my head to get my hair out of my face and stared at the door. A good inch of space under the bottom of the door and the floor gave an adequate amount of light from my position and let me see a little bit of what I was dealing with.
Not much.
I could make out linoleum, but that was it. I still had no idea where I was or what was going on. How long had I been in there? I had to smell like pee. I’d wet myself a couple times, each occurrence getting further and further apart as my access to water had declined.
In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen anyone – since getting picked up by Blaze.
Had he done this to me? Had he tied me to a chair and left me there to die? Or had he just delivered me for a bounty or something? I couldn’t be certain, but I did know if I had a few minutes with the bastard with my restraints off, he wouldn’t survive the night. One thing Blaze had hated about me was I was a better fighter than he was.
As if my thoughts could conjure him, the door creaked open, splashing light across the floor and blinding me where I lay.
Blaze’s chuckle curdled the fear I was trying to hide and sent it storming through my limbs. Blaze was a sadist and I had no doubt he’d been waiting for me to wake up. His torture couldn’t be enjoyed unless I was a full-on participant.
I left my forehead where it had fallen on the gritty floor. “Ah, Blaze. I should have known a cowardly move like this would be by you.” Taunting him was the only way I could get information out of him. If anyone had an issue with envy and hate, it was Blaze.
“You’re so old school, Gray. Don’t you see this is the only way to get ahead in the world?” Blaze laughed and moved closer to me, crouching down beside me and wrinkling his nose. “Girl, you stink.”
“I wonder why.” I didn’t look directly at him, staring straight ahead instead and absorbing what information I could from my periphery vision.
He reached out, brushing my hair back from my face and speaking softly. “You know, I’m going to enjoy raping you.” The sweet way he said such hate-filled words jerked my gaze toward his face.
I could smell the dirt on his boots from just a few inches away. “Why would you want to rape me? I stink, remember?” My throat hurt and I tried to swallow.
Blaze sighed, standing. He walked back and forth in the pool of light from the doorway. “You wouldn’t give it up to me. Just once was all you had to do, Gray. I get bored with girls after I take their virginity. If you would have just given it to me, I could have moved on. If I find out you had sex with any of the Jamesons, though, you’re going to really scream.” He stopped a few feet away, staring down at me with his hands on his hips.
The moment seemed distended in time as he stared at me, then suddenly he was kneeling on all fours right beside me, pressing his nose against the side of my head and muttering into my ear. “If you’re not a virgin anymore, Gray, I’m going to pay men to come in here and rape you over and over and over. Do you understand?”
My chest rose and fell and despite the fear his words evoked, I refused to stay silent or give in to what he wanted. I stared straight ahead and spoke with as much defiance as possible. “You’re the one who told everyone I was a frigid bitch. You knew what that would do to me and my reputation. If I’m no longer a virgin, maybe it’s because someone else beat you to raping me. Ever think about that?” But, of course, he hadn’t. Plus, it hadn’t been long enough for me to get screwed over by his rumors.
Did he really think I’d be out getting laid while trying to survive at the new school?
In less than a second he stood and swung his leg back, kicking me in the stomach before I could tense in preparation. He laughed as I curled forward around the pain, blinking back the star bursts in my eyes. “You’re weak, Gray.”
“If I’m weak, you’d untie me and try that again.” I forced myself to breathe normally. I couldn’t let my weakened state hinder me. If he untied me, I’d take full advantage of the situation and kick his ass before running. I had no idea where I was but I could get out. I just needed my hands untied.
He laughed, the sound mocking. “I’m not stupid, Gray. I’m not allowed to untie you until I’m told otherwise. It sounds like you’ll be fighting another Russian this Friday at The Pike. You’ll go under a different name, though. The cops are watching the place closely since it’s rumored that a young Russian girl died in the ring there. I’ll have your fake ID ready by then so you won’t be considered underage. It’s a death match, too.” He started to pace; his footsteps loud as I kept my ear pressed to the floor.
“I’m not fighting.” He could put me in a ring, but I wouldn’t raise my fists. There’s no way I could kill someone else. The last one was too fresh in my mind and my heart. I didn’t want to kill anyone and I wasn’t going to.
Blaze grabbed the chair from behind me, moving it to sit in front of me. He lounged in the uncomfortable piece and stretched his legs out, uncaring that the sole of his boot was inches from my face. “Well, if you don’t fight, Gray, the Ivanovs – the family of the girl you killed – will kill your dad, slowly I might add, then Sara, then maybe the Jamesons, then maybe the owner of The Pike, and anyone else you’ve had a friendly conversation with over the last five years.”
His words burned a hole under my heart and I swear I couldn’t breathe. “Why them?” I knew why. Of course, I knew why. He’d singled out every person I had even the remotest feeling for, even some I hadn’t admitted to myself.
“Because you care. That’s your problem, Gray. You care too damn much. Like when your mom left. You should have just accepted the loss. It’s not like they’re worth anything.” He spit on the ground to the side of his seat, hooking his elbow behind him as he indolently studied me.
“Got it. So, you’re someone’s bitch, is that what you’re telling me? You don’t get to do anything unless it’s okayed?” I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but lying there on the ground wasn’t the best way for me to spend my time.
“Yep, keep it up. I’ll get paid in due time. You won’t like it, but I’ll love every second.” He stood slowly from the seat as if to mock me, crouching low and then falling again to his hands and knees.
“Why don’t you get it over with? You scared I won’t be able to fight?” I’d rather be raped and beaten then go back in the ring. At least that close to the last fight. I wouldn’t hold up to another killing. Who knew if that’s what would happen, but the possibility of it left me aching.
I loved fighting, more than anything, but I couldn’t kill again. If I went up against the Russians’ rivals, who to say the same thing wouldn’t happen again? Or if I wouldn’t end up dead?
His laugh shuddered as he got closer to me, the inches fading with each of his movements.
With the chair missing, I was able to straighten my legs even thought they were tied together. They’d been half-numb from lack of blood flow for so long. I could barely move them.
I slid my feet down, turning onto my back and onto my hands to try to get away from Blaze and the intention in his eyes. I might prefer rape over fighting, but that didn’t mean I would willingly welcome it.
“They won’t let me have you until after the fight because they need you to be able to at least stand. I promise that won’t be a possibility when I’m done with you.” He laughed, having closed the distance completely. He rose above me, on his knees, his hands reaching into his pants as he stared down at me. “Want a taste? I’m sure you can suck it out of me.” He grinned as he jerked his pants down to reveal his already primed and ready hard-on.
I stared up at him, allowing all of my hatred to burst free. “If you put that in my mouth, I promise to bite it off.”
His grin faded and he studied me as if gauging just how much of my statemen
t was bravado and how much was sincere. If he’d asked, I would have reassured him I was 110% sincere in my promise. I wasn’t going to give him a blowjob, not against my will and while I had a breath in my body. It wasn’t going to happen. He could beat me to death first.
My fingers curled into my palms as he continued fondling himself, this time a little bit further from my face which I counted as a blessing.
With one hand still in his lap, Blaze reached down and jerked my top up, revealing my lacy bra and breasts underneath. He roughly pinched my nipple through the thin material, squeezing until I couldn’t help myself and cried out.
Then he raked his nails down my stomach, leaving a burning path of scratches. I couldn’t see if they bled or not, but they hurt like they might.
He bent over, his arm jerking spastically at my side while he reached up and held onto my breast with a bruising force.
In short time he came all over my stomach, leaving the mess on me as he put himself back in his pants. He didn’t even bother covering me with my shirt.
I turned my face away from him, staring into the dark as I refused to cry.
Panting, he pushed himself up and then gripped my face as he bent over me. His fingers dug into my cheeks and a bit of spittle hit the side of my face as he spoke. “There’s plenty more where that came from, Gray. Next time, you’ll get to participate fully.” He laughed and jerked my face to the side. He stood, striding from the room and slamming the door shut.
Tears finally came, leaking down the sides of my cheeks. The mess he left on my stomach cooled and I rolled to my side and then to my front.
Working myself forward, I wiped as much of the mess from my skin and onto the cement, probably trading it for dirt, but I didn’t care. I had to get him off me.
My head nudged something and I blinked, slowly realizing I’d run into a wall. Rolling over to my back, I lifted my legs up and pushed my hands down my hips, my thighs, and then my knees, pulling them over my feet to finally rest at my waist in front of me.
I took a deep breath as I felt with my arms the wall I rested beside. Bricks and grout met the soft skin of my elbow and I dropped my hands back to my waist. Fine. I could rest there. Nothing could come at me from behind and I wasn’t sitting in the chair any longer.
Maybe on the next visit, I could convince Blaze to let me start practicing. Unless, of course, they wanted me to lose which was very possible and highly likely.
I blinked at the tears streaming from my eyes. I couldn’t be weak, not yet. Things hadn’t even started. He’d said Friday and I’d been taken Saturday. How long had I been there already?
Could I hope for a rescue? Probably not. I’d hurt Stryker – intentionally – and he had no reason to want anything to do with me. Sara wouldn’t be in the position to come find me and my father… I was supposed to be saving him.
The thought gave me pause. Was Blaze working for the Russians or for someone else? Why did he want me to fight Friday? Who had my dad and how was I going to get him back?
I closed my eyes, blocking out the vision of the light glistening off the remnants of Blaze’s assault that I’d managed to wipe on the cement.
The last thing I needed was to see that over and over. He’d come close to raping me. How much longer did I have before that happened? He was a loose cannon who just wanted to hurt me. Maybe he’d stop once he did, or maybe he would get worse and worse.
Either way, I couldn’t expect a rescue, I had to plan a way to get myself out.
I could only rely on myself. Hadn’t I learned that long ago?
Chapter 8
Stryker
“Did you find anything?” I bent over the back of the plush micro suede couch in the Divers’ lower level family room. My whisper wasn’t loud enough to penetrate the whole house, but it was enough to carry through the basement.
Brock stepped into the doorway from the laundry room around the corner, shaking his head. “Nah, man, this place is a tomb. I don’t think anyone has been here in a while.” I had to agree with him as I stood, turning to survey the darkened interior of the home we’d broken into.
It was Wednesday. We only had two more days before I was supposed to be at The Pike. Things were getting desperate.
“Where do you think Blaze is?” I snapped the cuff of the plastic gloves I wore to avoid leaving prints anywhere. I didn’t care if they knew their home was broken into, I just didn’t need to get caught. I couldn’t help Gray from jail. With my record, I had no doubt I’d be tried as an adult. Incarcerating me wouldn’t help the town of Jameson or my cousins and it would give Dominick that much more control and power for even longer.
“Do you really think he has her?” Gunner moved from the hallway and joined us. We hadn’t spoken much since the incident at Tiny’s. Finding Gray seemed to be the top priority.
But not telling them how I felt burned like a canker. I shook my head, and folded my arms, feeling ready to explode with frustration, pent up secrets, tension over Gray, and who knew what else. “Guys, I need to talk about Gray.”
Brock reached out, clapping his hand on my lower bicep. “We’re all worried about her.”
I took a deep breath. “No. It’s not only that.” I turned my gaze to Gunner who didn’t avoid my gaze.
His normally teasing expression faded to one of somber understanding. He shook his head, half-closing his eyes and then opening them again. “It’s not like that for me. I like her, I even can see myself needing her, but not like that.”
“Then why kiss her?” We hadn’t spoken about it, not directly and it was hard getting the question out. We didn’t fight over girls. We didn’t fight. Gray was playing havoc with our family and I couldn’t have it. If Gunner wanted her, I’d step out of the way, but I had to know for sure just what he wanted. “I mean, if you want that with her, I need to know.”
“Have you seen Gray? I mean, the girl is hot. A hot girl who also happens to be kickass throws herself at me? I’m not turning it down.” He studied me, giving me a once over that left no doubt he wasn’t amused. “If you don’t step up and claim her, another guy will. If you want her, you need to say something. I wouldn’t have kissed her, if you’d staked her as yours.”
I glanced at Brock. “You? Because she could do better than me, if she went with either of you.” I had no qualms about being honest. If they wanted her, the last thing I would do was get in their way. I didn’t work like that.
“Stryker, I’m serious. She’s hella hot. I could tap that and I could hang out with her, but she and I aren’t compatible any other way. If she needs a buddy bang, I’m there, but more than that and I’m not the guy she wants.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I couldn’t help the side grin tugging at my lips.
“Brock’s type belongs in the bimbo section at Neiman Marcus.” Gunner stretched his gloves higher up his wrists and then fit the finger peaks better by threading his fingers between each other and pushing.
I couldn’t claim her yet. Not without her permission, but at the same time, I already considered her mine. If she could stay alive long enough for me to tell her that, I’d have no problem proving it to her.
If I could just get her out of my system, I wouldn’t be a sucker anymore. Just get my craving for her taken care of and we could move on, leaving the entire Asher situation out of our lives. I could handle that. I hoped the boys could, too.
“Well, I don’t think she’s here. Let’s see if Sara’s heard anything yet.” I moved toward the stairs, stopping just before placing my foot on the first step. Voices drifted to us through the door at the top of the stairs. I jerked wide eyes toward Brock and Gunner and held up a closed fist with bent elbow to my right.
Cocking my head to the side, I listened closer. A woman’s voice mingled with an older man’s. Blaze’s voice wasn’t mixed in there which meant these people wouldn’t know why we were there and they’d probably treat us like thieves.
Just what we needed. Another chance to get arrested. I was getting sick o
f being on the wrong side of the law.
I jerked my head to the side. We had to hide immediately. Stepping down, I turned around to find my cousins gone. With a wry grin I shook my head. We’d been taught by some of the best and I had no idea which one of us had been trained better.
Without even a whisper of a footstep, I crossed the floor to the room at the end. Angling my shoulders, I ducked into the linen closet. I didn’t know where the guys were and it didn’t matter. We’d be out of there as soon as the people upstairs went to bed. I had thought for sure they were gone or something. The downstairs looked like it wasn’t lived in for a long time.
Maybe the adults never went down there. I could only hope that was the case. We’d gone in the backdoor, expecting an alarm but pleased to find that wasn’t the case.
Settling in for an undetermined amount of time, I grabbed my phone from my back pocket to make sure it was silenced and I paused at the slew of messages lined up on my screen. From Dominick. I hadn’t spoken to him since he’d demanded I kill Gray. How did I tell him to go screw himself?
I haven’t heard from you.
Did you deal with the problem?
You better answer me, or you’re not going to like the consequences.
I already didn’t like the situation as it was. I hated that I had to answer to him. I hadn’t been raised to be anything but a leader and there Dominick was trying to out-dick me. It wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t going to rule over me – not forever, anyway.
I silenced the phone, but moved into a position with my back against the wall and my screen facing away from the closed door. If anyone came down, I didn’t want the light from my phone to glow under the door.
She was gone before I could deal with her.
I pushed the back button to my message bank and pulled up a message from Curly, the owner of the bar and poolhall called Curly’s by the Stateline.
Her Brawlers: A high school bully romance (Bad Boys of Jameson High Book 2) Page 7