by Riley Ashby
We're getting you out of here, I thought at her, willing some momentary telepathy to convey my secret across this room filled with filth and sin. And like magic, or a small miracle, she shifted her gaze to me. I raised my eyebrows a millimeter and imagined the slightest trace of relief crossed her face. But a moment later, the mask was back on, and she looked at Ellery again.
The skin of my arm twisted as Ellery turned me, steering me toward the side of the room. I inhaled sharply, and Ellery's eyes turned to me for a second.
“What is happening?” I whispered, following Chase across the room. He paused to collect Vail then continued to a table secluded in more shadows than the others. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the others sitting at the table away. A girl in tall heels, a tiny French maid skirt, and nothing else appeared with a drink as soon as he looked up. Vail slid into the chair next to him, her hand on his knee.
When Ellery spoke, I could barely understand the words. He spoke through his teeth. “A gamble.”
I didn't like this. I didn't like it even more than I hadn't liked it two hours ago. But I didn't know what else to do.
“How much time do you want, King? Six hours? Twelve?” Chase wiggled his eyebrows seductively. I choked back the bile rising in my throat, both at the thought of seeing my sister that way but also at how he treated her like a joy ride. For what felt like the hundredth time, I resisted the urge to gouge his eyes out with my thumbs. I sat across from him with Sophie next to me. With the camouflage of the tablecloth, I slid my hand farther up her thigh than should be appropriate in any public place. She shifted uncomfortably, but I didn't move my hand. I needed to feel her heat, feel that she was real. I needed to remember her.
As if she sensed my need, she relaxed a smidge and placed her hand on my wrist. She held me like I was keeping her from floating away.
I had to remember myself. I was the only person here to protect her and Vail. I couldn't let my love for these women cloud my thinking now that we were at the critical juncture. If I didn't stay focused, I would lose them both.
“Let's talk about that once I win.” I tried to project arrogance. I wanted him angry. I wanted him cocky. I needed to knock him off his game so I could take everything he owned and then some.
A thousand pounds of flesh would be insufficient to pay back this man for what he had done to my family and countless others. I needed every ounce of blood that flowed through his pathetic veins, and even that would never be enough.
He took my only family. He was trying to take my woman. I was going to take everything of his.
*
The card game went as they usually do, with fewer participants. It wasn't long, however, before a crowd gathered around our table. Sophie's eyes flicked across the table, watching our hands and bets closely. Vail was distant, unfocused, but from time to time I felt her gaze. She knew I was here. She knew I was going to save her.
Just a little bit longer.
We occasionally paused when girls came up for auction. Chase's event was run in rounds. Only two or three women at a time were available for purchase. Some of them cried, unable to hide their terror. Others stood stone faced, either resigned to their fate or shell-shocked. Every time one of them was marched off, Sophie dug her nails into my wrist.
After nearly an hour of playing, I had him in a good place. He was starting to get desperate, but he was still being bold. We had placed our first bets, and I was considering my next move. I was nervous, holding back, afraid to go too hard even though I knew the only way to get my sister back would be by making the first move. Still, I felt confined. The wrong bet, the wrong bluff, would cause me to lose her and possibly Sophie too. I was thirteen again, huddling with my sister underneath the bed in our shared room as our foster parents screamed at each other in the next room, hoping they would wear themselves out before they decided to take their marital strife out on one of us.
Without warning, Sophie tumbled out of her chair to the floor. The chair clattered to the ground as multiple bystanders rushed to help her. They backed off at my glare. Keeping one hand on my cards, I leaned down to help her up. I opened my mouth to ask if she was all right, but she leaned into me before I could get the words out.
“He's bluffing.”
She didn't even look at me as she arranged herself in the chair again, looking appropriately flustered. Chase was laughing under his breath.
“Dose her a little too much, King?”
I ignored him, staring at Sophie. Could I trust her intuition here? She knew how to play chess, but that didn’t necessarily translate into card game skills. She clutched my hand imploringly.
Of course, I had to trust her. I had underestimated her once, and I nearly tore us apart. She wouldn’t let me down at the most important moment of my life.
I made a snap decision. “I don't need to rape girls, Chase.”
His eyes darkened. He threw Vail's hand off his thigh and leaned across the table.
“You think you're better than me, King? Because you won your bitch in a card game rather than purchased her outright?”
He spat on the table in front of me. A drop of his spittle landed on my cheek. Fighting the urge to rub my skin raw, I reached up and gently brushed it away. I didn't look at him as I adjusted my tie.
“I know I'm better than you, Chase. Because I'm not some lowlife wannabe video game boss who has to throw money and drugs at women before they'll even look his way. I worked for my life; I didn't have it given to me. And after I leave here tonight, I am never going to see you again.”
I placed my bet. “All in. Everything on the table.”
My enemy’s face was red. There was no air in the room as everyone around us stopped breathing. He stared at me then laughed too loud. “You want to lose that way? Sure. I'll match.” He pushed his cash to the center of our table.
I looked over to our dealer, who turned up the final card. And I knew, from the second Chase’s eyes registered the value, that I had won.
Chase said nothing, but his face had turned from red to purple. I stood and buttoned my jacket, holding my hands out to both Sophie and Vail. Sophie jumped to her feet after me, but Vail was still taking her cues from Chase. The heat rose under my collar as she looked at him before even acknowledging me.
“Sit the fuck back down, King.”
Chase wasn't looking at me. His fingers were digging into Vail's thigh.
“I won. We’re going.”
The air around us seemed to warm, crackling with the animosity passing between the two of us. Chase barely retained his composure. “Leave us, everyone. Now!”
The table around us quickly cleared.
I had been too naïve, too optimistic to think this would go smoothly. He couldn’t let me walk out of here with some of his merchandise just for winning a card game. Not with all these people watching.
I would have to give him a win.
Sophie tugged my hand. I spared her a glance and saw terror in her eyes. Whereas before she had been nervous, now she was petrified.
I had already failed her. I failed her the moment I put her on the plane and brought her here along with me.
“Exactly how stupid do you think I am?” The pitch of his voice was barely audible in the room. Slowly, he raised his eyes to me. “You think I don't know this cunt here is your brat sister?”
I resisted the urge to punch him—no, kill him right then and there and drag the two women out with me. I would kill every other damn pervert in this place if that was what it took. All I knew was I needed to get them out of here.
He bared his teeth like a rabid dog. “Did you honestly think I was ever going to let you leave with her?”
I had to take back control. Feigning nonchalance, I dropped Sophie's hand and checked my watch. We’d been here for far too long. “We had a deal. I won.”
He spat again. “If I let you leave, I'll never get her back. And she was fucking expensive, King. Does that please you? She put a hell of a dent in my wallet, but i
t was worth it. Worth it to know that every time I fucked her, I was fucking you over.”
My arm moved before I could think, but Sophie was there, pulling me back as Chase rocked back in his chair, cackling.
“Tell you what, King. You can take her, if you give me that one.” He leveled one nasty finger at Sophie. “You can keep mine as long as you want, and I'll have this one for the same amount of time.”
“That wasn't the fucking deal.”
“I'm changing the deal,” he screamed, slamming his fist down on the table. My half-full glass jumped along the surface. “It seems more than fair, considering she was supposed to be mine from the get-go. And you’ll get her back, if you want her … a little worse for wear. That's the offer, King. Take it or leave it.”
I was paralyzed. I knew what choice I had to make, but staring down my sister when I made it was the worst kind of cruelty. She would never forgive me for it, and why should she?
I was about to walk out of here with my true love and never see my sister again.
“Okay,” Sophie said, and our heads snapped up. Even Vail finally wore something akin to an expression on her otherwise blank, drugged face.
“What did you say?” Chase and I asked at the same time.
“I said okay.” She ran her palms down the front of her dress, focusing on Chase, not even sparing me a glance. “I'll go with you. Give her to Ellery.” She nodded at Vail.
I sputtered, entirely at a loss for words. Before I could get out a full word, she put her hand over my mouth, finally turning toward me and letting me look into her eyes. “I'll see you when you come back for me,” she said, staring into my soul. And she stepped around me to move toward Chase, who already had a hungry look in his eyes.
“Checkmate, King.” He turned with his hand wrapped around her delicate arm, dragging her away from me.
I jumped up as he quickly spirited her out of the room, afraid I was going to change my mind. They both looked back at me as they left, Chase with a sneer and Sophie looking so, so brave.
Go, she mouthed to me across the room.
I looked down at Vail. “Let's get the fuck out of here,” I choked out and she finally stood.
We did.
We left.
My arm burned where Chase's fingertips dug into my skin. My stomach roiled, threatening to dump its contents while we walked. My throat closed as panic began to claim me.
Ellery was gone. I was alone in the hands of a monster.
I barely registered the stares and murmurs that followed us as Chase rushed me across the room, through a door at one end and into an elevator. But I snapped out of my daze as he pushed me against the wall, forcing his knee between my legs. I bucked my hips, trying to throw him off, but he only ground against me harder. I already could feel his length growing.
“Goddamn,” he muttered, biting the soft flesh of my neck. Performed by Ellery, the action would have aroused me immediately. With Chase, I had to suppress a gag.
He laughed as my throat worked against his mouth. He pulled back and grabbed my face harshly.
“He has spoiled you, but you're mine now. And I'm going to enjoy myself.” He licked my cheek.
I put my fists against his chest and pushed him away, but he was too strong. His hips pinned mine against the wall. I couldn't move my head as he suddenly kissed me. His tongue invaded my mouth, and I couldn't even snap my teeth down on top of him, he was pushing against me so hard. He held my cheeks between my teeth so that in biting him I would also harm myself.
The elevator dinged, and he pulled me into a poorly-lit bedroom. It was a temporary setup; I heard the hum of a generator that powered an air conditioner and a couple of lamps. The bed in the middle of the room was messy and unmade. Chase moved behind me and wrapped my hair around his wrist, directing my gaze.
“See that?” he growled, indicating the bed. “That's where I fucked your boyfriend’s sister earlier today. And it's where I'm going to fuck you, right now.”
“Don't talk back,” Castel had emphasized back in the car. “Guys like this get off on resistance.” I had smiled then, glancing at Ellery. Even in the dire situation we were preparing for, laughter danced in his eyes.
Right now, I could only think about the need to fight this monster as hard as I could.
“You'll never touch me,” I growled, trying to inject every ounce of bravery I had into my words. I still felt like a kitten going up against a jaguar.
He laughed and shoved me forward. My kneecaps buckled as they hit the hard bedframe, and I fell forward onto the mattress, slamming my hands down to keep from landing on my face. Chase grabbed my arm and flipped me over, pushing me into the mattress and crawling over me. Holding my face in both hands, he kissed me once more. I bit down on his lip and held fast, even as he yelled and jerked back. One hand left my face and grabbed the hair on my scalp, yanking until I finally let loose.
He sat up and wiped his mouth.
“You are a fighter. Did you let him break you? Or are you still giving him problems?”
I didn't respond.
He slapped me. Hard. Harder than Ellery ever had when we were playing. Stars of pain burst across my cheek and eye, momentarily blinding me on one side. Before I could recover, he echoed the blow on the other side of my face. I tasted blood.
He leaned over and bit my neck. His full erection was pushing against me. His hands ripped open my dress, and I heard myself cry out.
The dress had been gifted to me on the condition that I stay safe in the hotel room, far away from this hellhole.
It was such a waste.
“Don't worry, little girl.” He laughed, not joyous but full of malice. “I'm sure that rich prick will buy you a new one. Or maybe I will, if he doesn't come back for you.” He grabbed my breast, ducking his head so he could close his mouth around my nipple. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting tears.
“He'll be back,” I choked out through my teeth. I itched everywhere he was touching me. When I was gone from here, I would scrub myself raw.
He laughed before switching briefly to my other breast.
“Are you sure about that? He's been looking for his sister for a long time. You've only been in his bed for a few weeks.”
Shifting, I was able to bring my knee up between Chase's legs. He was holding me down, though, so the kick didn't have any teeth. He seemed more amused than anything.
“Maybe he'll start fucking her instead. She's already broken in.”
I fought back a scream, not just at his nasty words but also the fear planted deep in my mind that Ellery wouldn’t come back for me. He'd claimed to choose me first, but would that hold up now his sister was finally in front of him?
Blood runs thicker than water. The adage echoed in my head, but I pushed it aside as quickly as it had appeared.
What Ellery and I had was real. A bond seeded deeper than DNA. A thread that had pulled us together across time and …
Chase's hand was between my legs.
I screamed and thrashed harder. I hadn't thought I had enough energy left, but my strength surged as Chase's hands pushed aside the barely-there thong and probed my folds.
“Oh, I need to enjoy this. You need to hold still.” He sat back and began to remove his tie, planning to restrain me the same way Ellery had the first night he made me come.
I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't let this sick fuck taint the happiest memories of my life.
Like the last time we'd fought, Chase had forgotten my size. He gave me an opening, and I took it. I finally managed to get enough leverage to kick him off me. He fell on his ass with a stupid shocked look on his face. He looked comical on the floor with his pants open at the waist and hanging halfway down his ass.
I took the few seconds I had gained to scramble off the bed, running for the elevator, but my damn heels hindered my progress. I cursed myself for choosing such ridiculous shoes for the most critical moment of my life. As I rolled on my still-sore ankle, the alarm bells that were alr
eady ringing loud in my head turned deafening.
I was not going to get out of this unscathed.
Chase grabbed me around the neck.
“Maybe I'll put you to sleep. Would you like that?” He began to apply pressure to my windpipe, and I began to panic. My fingers scrambled at his arm, but I could get no purchase. “You'll wake up to me fucking you. If you fight, I'll put you out again.” I finally grabbed hold and dug my fingernails into his arm, but he didn't notice. “I'll fuck you until you bleed then move onto your mouth. And when that's done, your ass. I will ruin you for him.”
“El—” I tried to scream, but the words were wind in my throat.
“He can't help you now!” Chase cried joyfully.
He was right. It was too late to ask for help. I had to act.
With the last molecules of oxygen filtering out of my lungs, I raised my leg and slammed it backward.
My stiletto heel made contact with Chase's erect penis, and I pushed back with everything I had left.
His scream took the last of my hearing. I was barely aware of his hands dropping from my neck as I fell to my knees, sucking air back into my starving lungs. He was speaking, screaming at me, but I could barely see anything.
Focus. I pulled myself to my feet and immediately fell back to my knees. Again, I rose, and this time stumbled a few steps toward the elevator before my palms met the cold floor once more. For the third time, I pulled myself up, and I finally could see.
I could also hear.
“THAT'S IT!” Chase roared, and I heard him scramble to his feet behind me. I had a matter of seconds. His fingertips brushed my back.
From nowhere, there was a gunshot.
I dropped to the ground, clutching my hands to my ears. Hot wet blood dripped down my side, puddling to the ground underneath me.
