Above the noise of her racing heart, Hannah could just make out the resonance of Lawes’ voice, and it didn’t seem upset. So, he and Matthew hadn’t discovered her loss yet. Presumably, they were still chatting in the hallway, dissecting the latest fracas—whatever it was that had unexpectedly brought Hannah this opportunity. Her mind flitted briefly to the lines of cages she’d witnessed and all those other women. One of them had gifted her this chance, and she resolved if she got out of this hell-hole—no, when she was out—she’d repay the favor and bring the full force of the police down on the bastards who ran this place. Hannah would liberate all those women. She would be the one who got away—the one who made a difference.
The one who saved them.
The thought buoyed her, sending fresh adrenaline rushing though Hannah’s body, and she reached out with her right hand, pressing against the door. Hannah tried the one nearest to her body first, exerting just enough pressure to see if the thing would open. She didn’t want any noticeable movement. Nothing that would attract the attention of the two men she envisioned in the hall, but it had to be enough to give her the answer. Was the god going to be merciful, or would it be like every other dominant entity in this place—a monster?
Hannah’s heart all but stopped as the answer became clear. There was no give in the door, and when she pushed a little harder, the thing still wouldn’t budge. Suppressing the wave of panic that washed over her, Hannah edged further up the mat toward the other door, the one she’d entered through yesterday, and despite the clawing tension in her stomach, she still had hope—that one could still be open… Pulling in a shaky breath, Hannah stretched out her palm and pushed against the other door. Her senses were so consumed with the mingling dread and anxiety ricocheting around her body that at first, her brain didn’t register the give. With a quick glance to her left, Hannah rose to her elbows and pressed the door harder. Had she just imagined the way the thing had moved? Had it all been in her head? When the entrance eased open half an inch, she froze, her body paralyzed at the realization.
The door was unlocked!
Oh, Christ, the door was unlocked, and if Hannah could only keep her wits about her, it was just possible that this was her way out—the same way she had come in. She didn’t even give a thought to what would come next—the fact she was naked, save for Lawes’ coat, or that she didn’t have her car keys. None of that mattered, not now Hannah could smell freedom. Not now that the cool air of the outside world was taunting her nostrils.
Twisting her head back, she strained, listening for sounds which would indicate what Lawes was doing now. Hannah still couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized how loose her binds had been or thought to check on her. Evidently, whatever had happened elsewhere in the building had not only thoroughly garnered the attention of both men but also left them scattered. Indeed, whoever had instigated the distraction was the architect of Hannah’s own good fortune, and she would need to thank them personally when the time came—when they were all free and could put this horrid place behind them.
Not that there was any putting this behind them.
How could any of them ever get over something like this? Hannah had been here less than a full day, and she was already certain not even therapy would get her past this. Who knew how long the others had been kept here, locked in their tiny metal cages, led around on leashes, obliged to eat from animal bowls? The degradation Hannah had witnessed here would likely haunt her forever—and not just because she was so shocked and appalled by it. She clenched the muscles of her sex but pushed the thought away. There was no time to wallow in that now.
This was the time for action, for escape. Pressing her hands flat against the irritating rug, Hannah lifted her head just above the wooden barrier, which had kept her out of sight for so long. Her gaze flew to the foyer, past the empty, flawless waiting room, and further down the hallway to the place she expected to see Lawes and Matthew. There they were, just as she’d imagined in her head, the enigmatic Lawes leaning against the side of the wall, his arms folded, listening intently to something Matthew was saying. In their haste, they had let Hannah slip away, and unbelievably, they still hadn’t realized their mistake.
She inhaled. This was it. This was her chance—it wouldn’t get to look any better than this—and as she rose to her knees, Hannah knew of only one thing. She had to take it.
She had to make it count.
She climbed to her knees, keeping her head as low as she could while she pushed the door open. Time seemed to protract in those seconds—the one where Hannah’s head was above the parapet, where she was technically visible if Lawes and Matthew happened to be looking in her direction, and even though she was probably only there for thirty seconds or less, scrambling to her feet, but keeping her head down, it seemed much longer.
At any moment, the game would be up. Someone would spot her, and Hannah would hear her name shouted across the building. Even as she crept out of the doorway, hunched over as best she could, Hannah could imagine that ending for her story. In her mind, she heard the anger in Lawes’ voice and saw the disdain etched into his features when he finally outran her—a feat Hannah knew he almost certainly could do—the tight grasp of his hands at her arm as he hurled her back inside the building, then the God awful sting of whatever he chose to punish her with.
Hannah pulled in a shaky breath, the images washing through her mind as she inched her body out of the doorway, allowing the thing to fall shut behind her. Her gaze rose over the pebbled path that ran from the entranceway—just as she recalled it from the day before. How could the outside world have remained the same when such life-changing depravity was playing out inside the building? How was the earth still turning, the calendar still running down—how dare the trees not notice her abduction and continue to drop their leaves? Remaining on her haunches, Hannah shook her head. She was out of the building, yes, but now what?
Turning back to the door, she clarified what her head already knew—the front doors were made of solid wood, and nobody inside could see her now as she ascended unsteadily to her feet.
Oh God!
Hannah’s head spun with a new intensity. She’d done it—she was free! Now, she just had to make it count. Wandering toward the damp grass to avoid the stones on her bare feet, Hannah contemplated how best to do so. At any moment, Lawes would notice she was gone. Hannah had been damn lucky to have survived this long, and she had to be free of the grounds of this insidious place as soon as she could. She looked around at the desolate landscape. Her car was somewhere to the left, tucked away behind the building, but useless to her now. Whatever she was going to do—wherever she went—Hannah would have to do it on foot. Assessing the large lawns that stood between her and the road Hannah knew was waiting for her, she began to run. She was conscious of what might be transpiring behind her. The door might be opaque, but the reality was the rest of the place wasn’t. Hannah recalled many enormous windows on either side of the building, any of which could have someone standing at them now, watching her flee. The alarm might already have been raised. That thought caused her feet to move faster, pounding the wet blades of grass as her gaze shot around the scene, trying to find the way out, trying to remember the way she’d come in.
Instinctively, Hannah returned to the road. The stones underfoot were agony, but she resolved the pain was worth bearing if it brought her redemption, and Hannah already knew the driveaway led out of here. That was the way she’d come in, after all. It was harder to run on the damn things though, her footing uneven as the smaller, sharper pebbles seemed to slice her skin open, so after a moment, and with some reticence, Hannah skipped back to the muddy edge of the grass that bordered the drive. Her pace was slowing, her body cold and vulnerable beneath the open coat. Hannah couldn’t recall the drive being this long. She was sure the route in had only taken a couple of moments, yet it felt as though she’d been running for an eternity already, each tread ricocheting hurt to the joints of her body and eliciting an unnervi
ng jolt to her partially exposed breasts.
A noise on the wind caught her attention as the autumn breeze whipped around her face, Hannah couldn’t say for sure what it had been. A call perhaps, or the sound of a door? She turned momentarily, her feet halting at the notion that one of the men inside had discovered her departure and there, behind her, was the scene she’d most feared, the evidence she was right. That they’d noted her absence.
That they were coming.
The door she’d slipped from, the large teak one at the entrance was wide open, and she saw Matthew emerge from it. Even from this distance, she recognized his tall, lithe frame, and Hannah’s heart almost jumped into her throat. As if he could sense her fear, his gaze was on her, one long arm rising to point in her direction like a spotlight in a prison yard, highlighting the inmate who was breaking out.
“There!” His voice sounded far away, but this time, now that she was looking in the right direction, Hannah heard it. “She’s over there, Mr. Lawes!”
From behind one of the large oaks that resided around the building, the figure of Lawes stalked toward her. Even from this proximity, Hannah could see the glower on his face. Hell, she could bloody sense it, the power of his displeasure radiating out in waves in Hannah’s direction.
Fuck! Blind panic rose in her chest, making her feet retreat a few paces. Oh, fuck, Lawes is coming for me!
It was like a scene from one of those crappy horror movies her ex-boyfriend had always insisted she watch, the protagonist racing toward the hapless victim, armed with everything she didn’t have, be it, weapons, luck, or just the knowledge that this was the end—her end—and she just didn’t know it yet.
Run! The voice in her head screamed the word at her. For Christ’s sake, run Han!
She squeezed her eyes closed, needing to block out the view of Lawes, then spun, forcing her feet to move again, regardless of the pain. She had to run. She had to get out of here. Hannah had a reasonable head start on Lawes and knew the exit to the main road couldn’t be that far ahead. If she could just keep going, if she could beat him to the main road, there would be someone who could help. A car, a person. Someone. Anyone.
There just had to be.
She was already running when her eyes fluttered open, her gaze initially on her sore feet before it rose to take in what lay ahead. Hannah’s heart pounded at what her eyes met, the view of a fully-grown man who she was just about to charge into. She had barely a second to register his presence and try to change course, but naturally, Hannah was running at full pelt, and the detour proved impossible. With a dull inevitability, she crashed into him, her body recoiling from his solid frame even as one of his hands reached out to steady her.
“Hannah?” The familiarity of his voice stirred something in Hannah, that old sense of dread, the one that was furling at her core. “Whatever are you doing out here?”
She lifted her chin to take in the look of the stranger’s face for the first time, her brain still desperately hoping it would be that of an unknown individual—someone who could help her—something to bring comfort, but she must have already known that was ridiculous. The guy had just used her first name, for God’s sake. How could he have done that if he didn’t know her? Who else around here would know her name, except…?
That line of thought dissolved as Hannah’s brain interpreted the amused face she was absorbing. Mr. Fuller loomed over her, his grasp tight on Lawes’ coat while his eyebrow rose at his own query.
“No!” It was the only thing Hannah could think to say and acting on reflex, she twisted her body from the garment, wiggling free of the long coat and making a break for it across the lawn.
“Oh no, you don’t.”
Fuller was on her in a heartbeat, the coat abandoned on the grass as his large palms reached for Hannah and yanked her back in his direction.
“No!” She was really screaming now, hopeful someone from the main road might hear her cries and come to investigate.
To help.
“No, someone, please help!”
Fuller pulled her back against his chest, one of his large hands rising to her mouth, smothering the next call that was readying itself to be heard.
“That’s enough, Hannah.” He growled the words into her nape. “You’re in enough fucking trouble already.”
“No!” She was still trying to screech the word, even from behind his palm, her feet stamping back against his black shoes in some futile attempt to make Fuller release her.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
Of course, it wasn’t, and when, a moment later, Hannah felt herself being forced back in the direction of the place she’d just escaped from—the place she feared the most in the whole world—she was filled with something even more harrowing than fear.
Something even worse than dread.
Hannah was filled with a deep sense of resignation, knowing what awaited her now. She could write the ending all by herself, and whatever transpired once the men had her locked safely back inside that building, one thing was for certain.
The hope around her was rapidly diminishing.
Epilogue
The tears fell thick and fast as the paddle landed. Thwack after thwack painting Hannah’s exposed behind and thighs into a dark red hue. And that was for starters. She was filthy, her feet and calves smothered in mud after her rather unceremonious arrival into the building. Of course, the naughty little girl had fought Fuller all the way, kicking and screaming while he practically dragged her back to reality, but there had been no time to deal with the dirt. That would have to wait, it’s remnants, Lawes’ hoped, a well-needed reminder of the trouble Hannah now found herself in. Though as he rounded the side of the pillory and took in the look of her distraught face, he suspected she already had some idea.
“To say I am disappointed is an understatement, Miss Bowman.” Lawes was back at her prone backside again, the paddle already on its way to meet her vulnerable flesh.
The noise of the impact echoed around the room, cheers rising from those assembled in the chairs scattered variously around.
After all the trauma with April, the last thing any of them had been expecting was more hassle with Hannah. April had always been trouble, known for pushing every boundary she’d been set, her defiance and resilience often the topic of conversation between Lawes and Fuller, but she’d surpassed herself when she’d made a break for it from the training yard. Lawes still wasn’t certain precisely what had happened, but it seemed she’d slipped away when Zander had unsuccessfully secured her to one of the training posts.
His gaze darted to the younger man, taking in Zander’s wide grin at the sight of Hannah’s misery. Lawes would definitely have words with Zander later, but his own responsibility in Hannah’s getaway wasn’t lost on him. He was the one who’d refused to bind her in the dental chair properly, and he was the one who’d been so caught up in April’s insubordination, that he’d failed to secure Hannah properly in the end. Thank goodness for Fuller’s fortuitous presence in the gardens. He’d gone out to ensure the main gates were closed, but if he hadn’t been there to prevent Hannah’s departure, who knows how far she would have got. Perhaps she’d have made it to the road and found some nosey stranger to intervene? He shook his head at the thought. Frankly, it didn’t even bear thinking about.
Yes, he was at least partly to blame, and that thought stung as he raised the paddle once more. He might be at fault, but Hannah was the one who would have to pay.
“After everything you and I have been through today.” Lawes landed another hard swat to her arse, and his cock swelled at the breathy gasp that came from the other side of the pillory. “After I thought we had reached an understanding—this is how you repay us?” He stalked back around to the place Hannah’s head was forced into the wood, ensuring he caught her eyes before he continued. “This is how you repay me?”
Hannah caught her lip between her white teeth. “I’m…” She panted. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lawes, sir.”
/> He turned toward the men assembled around the small stage.
Once Hannah had been forced back into the building and taken directly to the pillory by Fuller, Lawes and the others had locked the place down and ensured each woman was compelled back into their cages. That had been a lengthy and unexpected process, fraught with protests from the silly little captives, many who still seemed to think they were entitled to a say. It was a good hour before all four of them could convene here for the beginning of Hannah’s punishment and fury burned in his veins as that thought resonated. It seemed their discipline wasn’t as good as he and Fuller had first thought, but that was okay.
They had time.
They could force that change.
And Lawes could use Hannah as an example, which would prove to the others it would never be worth risking escape again.
“Does she seem sorry, gentleman?” he asked, glancing around at the faces of Matthew, Zander, then finally, Fuller himself.
“Frankly, no.” Fuller crossed his arms, a gesture Hannah could see since Fuller was sitting facing her head. “I see no obvious signs of contrition.”
Lawes nodded. “Agreed.”
He swatted the paddle gently against his palm while he walked a circle of the pillory.
“So, I will carry on until we do. It’s time we break Miss Bowman.”
The End.
The Rule of Lawes series will continue in 2020.
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***
Thank you for reading this Felicity Brandon e-book.
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