Guts & Glass

by Skyla Madi

  I don’t back down for a second. I don’t break eye contact. “I’m not lying to you.”

  “You have the same mouth as her, you know?”

  I frown. “As who?”

  “My wife.”

  Oh. I can’t bear the intensity in his eyes, so I look away, ignoring the way the palms of my hands begin to sweat.

  “Her top lip didn’t quite meet the bottom one either. A sexy, permanent little pout.” Releasing my hand, he glides an index finger under my chin and guides my face to his. “Looking at you is like stepping back in time.”

  Yeah. He’s definitely been drinking. When sober, he talks as if his late wife didn’t mean anything to him, as if she were only a means to an end.

  “Why the party?” I ask, changing the subject.

  I don’t want to talk about how pretty he thinks I am or how similar my features are to his dead wife. If I looked like someone else, maybe I wouldn’t be in this situation with him right now. He lowers his finger from my chin and takes my hand back, swaying us gently to the classical music.

  “Parties are for frat boys. This is a celebration.”

  “What for?”

  “Victory.” He grins as he leans in close, to whisper in my ear. “I win.”

  My entire body tightens when my stare meets a stormy, broody face fifteen feet away. His aggression, his jealousy, whips up a frenzy of emotion in me. His intensity causes my eyes to sting.

  I want him so much.

  I wish he’d look away. I wish he didn’t have to see Skull and I so close, our bodies pressed against each other.

  As my luck would have it, Skull’s lips touch my neck then, his wet tongue slipping out to taste my flesh. In the bathroom, it was easy to pretend Skull was Jai, but here, with Jai staring into my soul, I can’t pretend Skull’s touch is anything other than what it is—fucking disgusting. I’m disgusting. I pull away from him, but he tugs me back, moving his hand from the small of my back to my hair. I wince as he tightens his fist and forces my stare to his.

  “You’re not reciprocating as eagerly as you were in the bathroom. What’s wrong? Change of heart?”

  I shake my head and I can only hope he buys it. “People are watching us.”

  Jai is watching us.

  “Let them watch.”

  Skull returns his lips to my neck, his hand not leaving my hair, and my attention flutters to Jai once again. I don’t want to look at him, I don’t want to witness the turmoil he suffers at the hands of Skull and me, but I have no choice. I can only atone for this behavior when we’re free. Closing my eyes and gritting my teeth, I let Skull taste my neck, my jaw, and the lobe of my ear until I can’t bear it any longer. I ball my fists and press them against Skull’s chest.

  “I’m serious. People are looking at us.”

  “They’re looking at you,” he continues, kissing my neck. “Because you look so fucking gorgeous in this dress. They’ve been watching you all night.”

  I push against him one last time and, surprisingly, he pulls back. The lust I see dancing on his heavy lids, along with his inebriation, sends bolts of worry through my heart.

  “Fine,” he exhales, snagging me by the wrist.

  I take one last peek at Jai as Skull tugs me back through the crowd, past the bar, and into a spacious, marbled hallway that leads to the back courtyard. Without warning, he presses me against the wall, slipping his thigh between my legs and pinning me with his hips.

  I open my mouth to protest, but he shuts me up by slamming his lips against mine. It’s rough, unbridled, and completely invasive as he forces his tongue into my mouth, his hands tracing the curves of my body like I’ve given him permission. He’s nothing like Jai. Jai would never put his hands on me if I didn’t want him to.

  I turn my head, forcefully breaking the kiss.

  “We should wait,” I gasp, filling my lungs with the fresh air his kiss denied me. “We should wait until later.”

  “You’ll get what you want later, but I want something from you, right now. You owe me.”

  I freeze. I owe him? I owe him what, exactly? Bunching my dress in his hands, Skull returns his mouth to mine, kissing me more violently this time. I do my best to return it, to keep him happy, but I can’t smooth out my face from the grimace I seem to have it in. He glides his palm over my thigh, hooking it around my knee, pulling it up to his hip. My heart races, pounding relentlessly against my ribcage. How am I going to get out of this? With one hand, he dances his fingertips along my inner thigh. Groaning, I try to pull away, but he has me pinned too hard against the stone. Panic manifests and then skyrockets, the thought of being trapped settling into my bones. It’s suffocating.

  Somehow, he tears my pantyhose and fingers the hem of my silk underwear.

  I can’t do it. I can’t be with him like this. I wrench my head away, freeing my mouth from his invasion, but he lowers his assault to my chest, greedily kissing the tops of my breasts.

  “Stop,” I grind out, pushing against him. “I said stop!”

  Grunting, he uses his free hand to squeeze my throat until a gentle wheeze escapes me. “Unbuckle my belt.”

  I shake my head and he flexes his hand, cutting off one hundred percent of my air supply.

  “Unbuckle my fucking belt.”

  Hot tears burn out of the corners of my eyes and I reach for his belt, unbuckling it with ease.

  “Now unbutton my pants.”

  I rasp, trying to speak, and he cuts my air supply off again, this time for longer. I grab the button to his pants and work it between the fabric, slightly fumbling, before it finally pops open.

  “Get my cock out.”

  I snap my hands to his wrist, hoping to squeeze hard enough for him to let me go. He doesn’t. Hot tears burn out of the corners of my eyes.

  “You’re fucking useless,” he growls, snatching my underwear in his powerful hands and tearing the flimsy silk from my body.

  Laura said Skull chose my undergarments. I bet he chose these weak, thin panties for the sole purpose of tearing them off easily.

  “I don’t want to do it like this,” I hiss between my clenched teeth, teeth clenched so tightly my jaw aches, threatening to fracture under the pressure.

  He removes his hand from between my legs to grab what’s between his.

  “Relax, you’ll enjoy it more.”

  “Relax?” I spit. “You’re trying to fuck me against my will.”

  I knew this moment was going to come. The second I woke up in this prison, I knew Skull was going to have his way with me. I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner—I’m thankful it didn’t happen sooner, but why now? Why when he’s so close to having me willingly—or so I’d make him think—would he want to take from me now?

  “Against your will?” he chides, and I gasp, bruising my spine against the stone wall as he presses the scalding flesh of the tip of his unwanted penis against my center. “You like playing cat and mouse with me. You said so yourself.”

  Balling my fists, I push against him, desperate to shove him off. Why isn’t anyone walking through this part of the house? Why isn’t there anyone to help me? Would they even help if they saw what was happening?

  “This isn’t that!”

  He flexes his hips against me and I wriggle mine, desperate to wrench my body away. He’s immovable, a thick wall of rock that refuses to budge no matter how hard I push against him.

  “Do you know how much of my day I spend staring off into space, thinking about fucking you?” He licks my cheek and I grimace, whimpering in fear, but steadfast in my attempts to shove him off. “Sometimes you’re willing and other times, you’re not.”

  Tears well in my eyes and choke my throat. “Please, don’t do this.”

  “I’ve played with you in your sleep,” he admits, crushing his forehead against mine, until a headache begins to develop where my skull meets the wall.

  I freeze, every fiber of my being slowing to a stop. “No. I would know. I would wake up.”

&n
bsp; “You’re often too exhausted to rouse from sleep.” His dark lips quirk with mischief. “You’re so responsive, so needy in your sleep—and the best part? You. Want. Me.”

  Hatred.

  Black, oily hatred spills from my bones and flows into my bloodstream. Is nothing sacred around him? Are there no boundaries? I can’t avoid him, not even when I sleep? The sticky hatred morphs with my blood, creating a rage so white hot it scorches me from the inside. I use it to steel my spine and attack him. He’s pushed me too far. I’ve put up with enough. I don’t care what he does to me, what he does to anybody. I’m tired of being the sacrificial lamb. I’m tired of being the pig he’s trying to fatten up with the intention to slaughter later on. There is no later on. This ends tonight…whether it be with his blood on my hands, or mine on his.

  Freeing my hands, I claw his face. He curses and withdraws from me with a hiss, his soulless eyes wide.

  “I will never want you,” I fume, spit flying from my lips. “Not now. Not ever.”

  He swiftly straightens his clothes and clenches at his left eye. Had I hurt it? Had I taken it out? I chance a peek at my nails. I can see flesh under my nails, but no blood. Had I dug so deep blood didn’t get the chance to break through yet?

  “I spared Monique,” he states, his voice is void of any anger, and it chills me right down to my core. “I gave you what you asked for.”

  “I know. I know you did.” My voice begins to waver, my spine losing its steel and I hate it. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you?” He laughs and it’s manic and absolutely terrifying. “Thank you?”

  I straighten my dress and peer over his shoulder into the back courtyard. I could try and run. He’s not in his right mind. Would he be able to catch me?

  Skull’s laugh bubbles to a stop, a cold façade slipping into place. My lower lips trembles, my teeth chattering as my psyche gives away to fear. Why can’t I be strong enough to physically fight him?

  “You lied to me.”

  “I didn’t lie to you.” I slide against the wall, moving away as he takes a step forward, his brilliant leather shoes tapping the marble floor. “I meant everything I said in that bathroom. Everything we did was what I wanted.”

  A lie, of course, but that lie is currently the difference between life and death.

  “There you go, lying again.” He advances on me, towers over me like a tidal wave, strong and unyielding. “I’m going to punish you for it. I’m going to destroy you for it.”

  I hold my hands out in front of me as I back away from him, my palms exposed as a means to calm the lion that stalks me. “No, Skull, please.”

  I squeal as he launches forward with a roar. His hard body slams into mine and he shoves me against the wall. The back of my skull collides with the stone, sending black splotches dancing in front of my eyes. I shake my head, desperate to clear them, only to be met with the swift and painful slap of his palm across my mouth. It tosses my head to the side and a metallic taste tickles the tip of my tongue.

  “I want to hate you,” he hisses through clenched teeth. “I want to kill you, but that would be too easy for you. No. Instead, I’ll ruin you for your precious Jai Stone and you’ll have no choice but to accept me, because after this, I’m going to be the only one who’ll be able to stomach touching you.”

  The black swirls in front of my visions melt away only to be replaced by black markings of ink on a face I wish I’d never seen, a man I wish I’d never met. “If you think Jai is the kind of man that bases a woman’s ruination on her sexual contact—or forced sexual contact, in this case—then you’re sadly mistaken. You could lay me out for this entire party to use and Jai would still love me.”

  “You seem so certain.”

  I force my stare to remain locked with his, even though the excitement blazing in his coal eyes unnerves me. “I am.”

  Snatching my wrist, he tugs me away from the wall.

  “Let’s put it to the test then, shall we?”

  EIGHT

  Jai

  Brother

  I grind my teeth together at the annoying sound of Monique sobbing beside me. God. She sounds like a child. Why’s she so sad anyway? Maybe she knows why we’re chained here to these posts, our knees digging into the soft grass.

  I peer out over the yard as people begin to trickle in, their excited voices carrying over on the tails of icy winds. I can’t make out what they’re saying or what they’re so excited about. By the edge of the pool, there are two thick, inclined beams bolted to the ground, as thick as a human body. I don’t get it. What is going on? Why are we out here? More importantly, where’s Emily? I’m in agony after watching that piece of shit press his mouth to her neck. It took everything I had in me to keep my feet planted on the marble below and not to barrel through the crowd like a madman.

  I glance up to the sky. And where the hell is Huss? Where’s Ted? Hannah was clear with her time frames on when they’d make their appearance, but it’s pretty fucking hard to follow their timeline when I don’t have a damn watch and there isn’t a clock in sight for me to read.

  Earlier

  “Hey,” Joel says, nudging me with his shoulders. He flicks his head to the left of the party in front of us. “Don’t we know that girl?”

  I doubt it, but I follow his line of sight anyway and—holy shit. He’s right. We do know that girl. Hope bubbles in my chest for the first time in a long time and it’s Goddamn glorious.

  “That’s Hannah,” I say, unable to push past him quick enough.

  The chains hinder my strides, reducing me to smaller steps, but I make it to her anyway.

  “Hannah?” Joel wonders aloud. “Oh, shit. Hannah.”

  I shoot him a “duh” look over my shoulder before turning all my attention on her. I want to touch her just to make sure she’s real and not a mirage.

  I take in her sleek, black wrap-around gown and admire her umber skin as it glows radiantly under the crystal chandeliers. She’s wearing a subtle, fruity smelling perfume and her unruly, natural hair is out and proud, her confidence commanding the entire room. Ted hasn’t married this fierce woman yet? Is he stupid?

  Hannah pins me with her dark, wild eyes. She’s not happy to be here and she’s definitely not happy to see us, but I’m so fucking happy to see her.

  “Hannah—”

  “—don’t.” She turns away from me, sipping at her champagne. “I don’t want to be seen chatting with you. Stand still and keep your eyes ahead.”

  Joel frowns at me and I shrug, doing what she asked. I’d do anything—anything—if it meant getting us out of here. We stand side by side, casting our attention onto the crowd ahead. Partygoers flock to us immediately. They whisper about us, stories they’d heard through the grapevine, and their fingers twitch to touch. Joining the fray, Hannah, analyzes us curiously.

  “For prisoners, you don’t look so mistreated,” she wonders aloud and a robust woman beside her nods her head and reaches out to touch me. I keep my eyes on the chandelier four chandeliers down from the one I stand under. It’s smaller than the others and wraps around in a different pattern. It’s not noticeable to one not paying much attention to it, but I can see it. The woman slides her fingers up my forearm and onto my bicep. I blow out a subtle exhale. This is what we dressed up for? To be molested by people we don’t know? As if we’re interactive trophies, no better than an animal head mounted on a plaque?

  “Hannah…” I grumble, making the woman with her fingers on me jump a little. “Talk to me.”

  “There are too many people within earshot,” she replies, sauntering behind me, pretending to be one of the spectators. “Ted was awfully specific.”

  Shockwaves rip through me at the mention of my best friend’s name. He made it. He’s okay.

  “Earshot? I don’t care who can hear us. I want to know why you’re here, why Ted sent you of all people.” I whip around to face her, scaring off the eager audience. “Talk to me, goddammit.”

  I don’t want to
delay our escape another fucking second.

  “Fine.” She narrows her eyes. “Lucky for you, Skull’s too busy schmoozing the bank owner with your girlfriend by his side to notice us.”

  I want to point out she’s not my girlfriend anymore, mostly because I want to hear the words fall from my lips again, to cement it into my brain that what she agreed to was real. She’s more than a girlfriend. We’re getting married.

  I step to the side and stand behind a small, but tall white table littered with empty champagne glasses and crystal tumblers. If no one can see my chains, then I won’t stand out.

  I glance at Joel, who glares at me for leaving him to deal with the curious vultures and drunken, sex-starved women eager to touch the men that caused Skull so much grief and destruction. To them, our story is a romance, but to us, it’s a fucking nightmare.

  I shrug my sorry at him. I’ll fill him in later. Hannah’s heels clack against the marble and it’s heard over the classical music that’s seeping into the room from somewhere. Resting her unnerved gaze on me, she places her half-empty flute on the edge of the cluttered table.

  “I don’t want Skull to see me talking to you.”

  “If you spit it out already, you could leave before he even notices us.”

  She narrows her wild, volcanic eyes at me. “I don’t know why he continues to risk his life for you.”

  “He’s my best friend.”

  “He could do better.”

  I knew that, but we’re stuck with each other. He’s risked his life for me. He’s shed blood for me. I would go to war for him at the snap of his fingers. All he has to do is ask and I’m there.

  Exhaling, Hannah lifts her glass and tips the rest of the sparkling gold liquid into her mouth and swallows. It reminds me of Kitten’s dress. “Rear courtyard at midnight. Beeline through the forest when you see the signal. They’ll be on the other side.”

  I frown. “Beeline through the forest?”

  “That’s all Huss told me.”

  Huss is in on this too? He’s the reason we’re here in the first place. I choke on the thought. He did what he had to do to protect his son. I’ve long since forgiven him, but I can’t help but wonder if he’s orchestrated anything else. What if he throws Ted under the bus last minute? I shake my head. I can’t think about that. Fail or not, this is the closest I’m going to get to saving her, saving us.