by J. M. Walker
“Hello?” I called out, banging on the hard wood. “Is someone there? Please, let me out. What do you want?”
All of my questions went unanswered. Sliding down the wall, I curled my arms around my knees. I didn’t know what Charles wanted. I didn’t know what anyone wanted. What was the point? To gain power? To be in control? Were they that desperate?
What felt like hours later, a key sounded in the lock.
I jumped up, running around the bed to shield me from whoever was at the door.
Charles peeked his head in. “I was expecting you to have a knife in your hands.”
“Why would you leave them out in the open like that?”
“Because I knew you wouldn’t be able to escape. How stupid do you think I am?” He walked to the cabinet and opened the first drawer. “You could use the items on me, but you won’t, will you? I’d have to get you mad enough before you would hurt me.” He met my gaze. “You’re too nice.”
“Right now, I’m not,” I mumbled, crossing my arms under my chest.
He laughed. “You wouldn’t do anything to get Asher in trouble. If you hurt me in any way, one call, and I could have him ripped apart like the girls in my basement.”
“What do you want?” I tried so hard to gain the control I never had but my body shook. Nerves and fear took over as this evil man stood across from me. His emotions changed, going from happy to pissed in a matter of seconds.
“I want to see how long it takes to make you scream.” His brows narrowed, his eyes roaming down the length of my body.
Hugging myself, I looked away, suddenly feeling exposed. I might as well have been naked.
Charles chuckled, coming around the bed.
Before he could catch me, I jumped onto the mattress when a hot pain seared across my skull.
He gripped my hair tight in his hands, pulling me to the edge of the bed. “You think you can get away, whore? Where the hell are you going to go?”
“I just want to go home,” I cried, digging my nails into his hands. “Please. Let us go.”
“What? So you can run to the police?” He threw his head back and laughed. “The police are in my fucking pocket. Didn’t you know that? Oh, stupid girl. Why do you think they didn’t show up to the accident? I have that control. Me!”
“That’s not possible.” I shook my head. “No one has that much power.”
“You’re questioning my authority?” Charles pulled my hair. “I don’t think you’re in any position to question anything, Meeka.”
“What do you want?”
“I want you.” He shrugged. “Simple as that. You’re pure. Untouched. Although Asher has had you, I will make it so you forget him.”
“No!” I struggled against him, earning a hard slap against my cheek. My eyes welled, my lips splitting.
“As much as I love it when a woman fights me, I do not have the fucking patience for it right now.”
His hand caressed the side of my cheek where he had slapped me. His touch was gentle, soft, but his gaze contradicted it. It fucked with my head. This man was supposed to be a monster. He was a monster. Then why was he gentle?
“You’re scared of me,” he said, frowning.
“Why are you surprised at that?” Even though my life was on the line and who the hell knew what was happening to Asher, I felt the need to talk to Charles. It was either that, or give in. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. There was no way I would succumb to his wrath.
Charles released his hold on my hair and paced back and forth. “He told me not to fall. But no, I didn’t listen. Why the hell would I listen?” He laughed. “It’s your fault.” His bright eyes snapped to mine. “You are fucking with my head. It’s because of you that I’ve screwed up. He warned me. I told him he was wrong.”
“Who? What are you talking about?” I slid off the bed, trying to get as far from him as possible but he was too quick for me.
Charles gripped my arms tight, his fingers digging into the muscles until a whimper was forced from my lips. “Tyler. He told me.”
“Tyler?” I shook my head. “Is he here?”
“Of course.” Charles sneered. “I’m sure he’s getting acquainted with Asher right about now.”
I knew Tyler was in on it the whole time, but hearing it leave Charles lips set my stomach tumbling.
“He’s … No.” Tyler was an asshole but there was no way he could be part of this.
“Why not? I know what he did to Jay. They had a fucked up relationship. I wonder if she uses that to get what she wants from Angel. Think he hits her too? Maybe she likes it rough. Vega did a number on her, but he was too gentle, if you ask me. I would have had those girls kill themselves. Not some mind fuck.”
“Isn’t that more effective?”
“Maybe.” He tapped his chin. “The girls were weak. And they got away.”
“They were saved. Jay saved them. We will save all of them. You won’t get away with this.”
“Oh, darling girl. I already have.”
THIRTY
Asher
“YOU’RE A LITTLE bitch, aren’t you?” the one guy spat, digging his fingers into my cheeks. “You think you’re so big and tough being in the Navy, but look at you now. You got nothing. No one is going to help you.”
“I will end you,” I wheezed.
“There are two of us and one of you.” The other man punched me in the stomach.
I gasped, curling over myself at the new onslaught of pain. It was never ending. This shit would go on until either I died or Charles stopped it. I had no hope for the latter. I needed to fight. I needed to remain strong for Meeka.
“Where is Meeka?” I demanded, pushing to my knees.
“She’s probably getting fucked.”
“Or skewered like a pig. Remember that whore that wouldn’t shut the fuck up? Charles warned her. It was fucking priceless.”
“Yeah, her blood poured out of her like a fucking flood. It got me hard, man.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head. I didn’t know who said what. I didn’t care. I would praise the moment I unleashed my darkness on them.
At that moment, the door opened, revealing … Tyler.
Fuck.
“What the hell do you want?” the one guy snapped.
“Him,” Tyler answered, his gaze locking with mine.
“He’s down for the count. Boss told us to finish him.” The larger man of the two security fucks, stared down at me. “What’s so special about you?”
“I know his ex-girlfriend?” I shrugged, which hurt like hell.
“Unchain him and leave,” Tyler demanded.
“Not gonna happen.” Both men stepped up to Tyler. They were all the same height, but the two men had probably fifty pounds on the guy.
Tyler looked between them both and smirked. “Remember who I am, fuckers.”
Yeah, he was a sadistic fuck. It appeared everyone was lately.
“What are you going to do?” the larger of the two shoved him. “Run to Daddy and tell on us?”
Tyler chuckled, gaining his footing. “Leave.” His gaze darkened. “Now.”
A phone rang, the sound piercing into my skull.
Tyler reached into his pocket, smiled when he saw who it was and brought it up to his ear. “Yeah ...” He handed it to the guy who shoved him. “Boss wants to talk to you.”
“Hey. No. Fine.” He looked at me over his shoulder. “He is alive.” He passed the phone back to Tyler and looked to his partner. “We’re out.” They both left the room, shutting me in with Tyler.
I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not. I didn’t know Tyler’s story, but everything led to him being the ring leader of this organization whether he cared to admit it or not. Charles was jealous of the guy. Unless Tyler was setting him up as well.
“What do you want?” I slid to the ground, taking the weight off of my aching body and cradled my now shattered arm.
“I warned Jay. Back before her and Angel ever got together.
She never mentioned that, did she?”
Pain was no longer an issue. I embraced it. Craved it even as hit after hit, punch after punch, marred my body. Bones cracked. Skin split. My head rang. Spots danced in front of my vision. My ribs hurt with every breath. I did everything I could to fight back but with my ankle chained and my arm broken, there wasn’t much I could do.
Vice-One learned to fight. As a unit and as an individual. Channeling all of the training I had been given over the years, in the boxing ring and out, I got a couple shots in. It didn’t last long as the two men powered into me. Taking the control I no longer had.
“Why would she? I’m not the one dating her.” Every time I spoke, it hurt. Everything fucking hurt. A sharp stabbing pain pierced my side and I knew that my ribs were broken. Breathing through the agony, I stared up at Tyler.
“Angel talks to you.” He chuckled. “My girl is still so fucking secretive.”
“She’s not your girl.”
“Oh, Jay will always be mine. Whether she wants to admit it or not. I stole a piece of her that she’ll never get back. And Angel will hold that over her.”
“You’re fucking crazy,” I retorted. “There is no way. Those two have a powerful love.” And it was something I craved. “Nothing will end them.” I knew it in my heart. Angel and I didn’t talk much anymore. None of us did. Not about something that personal.
“You think so, do you?” Tyler stopped pacing. “I’ve known Jay for years. I know what she was like before she met—” he scowled “—him.”
“What the hell do you want? Why are we talking about Jay and Angel? Where is Meeka?” I was sick of his shit. I needed answers, and I fucking needed them now or I would drive my shitkicker so far up Tyler’s ass, he’d be puking leather for the rest of his life.
“So many questions, so few answers.” Tyler pressed a button on his cell phone. Voices filled the room a moment later, piercing my ears.
“What if I told you that your boyfriend was in on this?” Charles deep voice boomed from the speaker of the phone.
“I would tell you that you’re a fucking liar,” Meeka threw back at him.
That’s my girl.
Charles chuckled. “It would make sense, wouldn’t it? He had a shitty start to life so he takes out his rage on the weaker sex. One day, he just snapped. It could happen.”
“No, it couldn’t,” Meeka argued. “He’s not that type of man. He’s strong. He wouldn’t do that.”
“No? Why not? If there is enough evidence, people will believe it whether it’s true or not.”
My stomach dropped. There was no way. No fucking way at all.
“What are you talking about?” Meeka’s voice shook. She wasn’t stupid but she needed to hear him say it. I would have asked the same questions.
“What if I told you that I could make it all go away?”
“How?”
“Why by making Asher take the fall, of course.”
Tyler pressed another button and the conversation between Meeka and Charles stopped.
“What the hell?” I snapped. “Why did you shut off the phone? What’s going on?”
“Because you’re going to listen to me.” Tyler scratched his jaw. “Charles has lost his shit, and he’s going to do anything to make it to the top. And when your girlfriend is involved, he will destroy her to get his point across.”
“If he fucking touches her—”
“You’ll do what?” Tyler narrowed his eyes. “You’re stuck. You’re fucking broken. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to save her? You can barely hold yourself up.”
I rose on shaky legs, my knees wobbling under my weight. Breathing through the pain, a cold sweat coated my skin but I didn’t care. The agony would be worth saving Meeka in the end. “I’ll save her. It’s my job.”
“You don’t even know where she is.”
“What the fuck do you want?” I bellowed.
Tyler smirked. “I want your help.”
***
(Meeka)
Charles was the epitome of evil. He made the Devil himself look like a Care Bear. His demeanor was soft, gentle, but his eyes gave away everything. They say you can see into someone’s soul just by looking into their gaze. With Charles, I fell. His darkness swallowed me whole, and all I could do was submit to his fists.
“The next time Asher sees you, he’ll see the marks on your body,” Charles licked the side of my face, his hot breath scorching my skin. “He won’t want you when another man touched your innocence.”
“I’m not innocent,” I mumbled, licking my cracked lips.
“Oh, but you are,” he pushed his hips between my legs. “You’re a good girl, Meeka Cline. I could get a lot of money for you.”
Tears no longer threatened to escape. All I could do was lie there. Numb and broken. Charles didn’t violate my body but he sure as hell molested my mind. It was worse. I could get over the physical pain but with him towering over me, close and unwanted, I could feel the power pouring from his black soul. No. He would have to be human to have a soul.
I stared up at him, shutting off that part of myself that held true feelings. He couldn’t hurt me. He couldn’t damage me the way he tried to. It wasn’t about rape. I learned that quickly when Charles had the power to do so. But instead, he knelt between my legs, holding me captive beneath him. He spewed off lie after lie. That was his way. That was how he broke a person. The other girls, he touched and tortured but with me, for whatever reason he didn’t.
“Just sell me then. Get it over with.” My voice had been strong when really, the ice cold trepidation of fear threatened to consume me.
“It doesn’t work like that. You were supposed to be trained. Asher came in convincing me he was one of the best Masters out there. He paid a lot of money to get into the compound when really, he was trying to shut me down.” Charles narrowed his eyes. “I will not be fucked over again.”
“How did you find out?”
“How do you think? I know people on the inside. It’s always like that, isn’t it? You should watch more movies. Maybe you would learn something.”
“We’ve been watching you for weeks. Asher has been watching you for a lot longer. Why now? Why didn’t you reveal that you knew sooner?”
“Because it wasn’t time.” Charles stared at me, the small muscle in his strong jaw twitching. “When Asher came here, everything in me told me not to trust him, but when he started waving cash around, money talked.” He laughed. “It’s always that way, isn’t it? Sex and money.”
“Let me see him.”
“No.” Charles pulled a syringe out of the inside pocket of his jacket. “But he will see you.”
My eyes widened, my heart racing and I started struggling beneath him.
“Don’t fucking move, whore!” he bellowed, slamming his fist against my jaw. “Now look what you made me do. We’ll just have to get that covered up with makeup.”
My head rang, spots danced in my vision at the new onslaught of pain erupting in my face. “Please.”
“I love it when a toy begs.” Lowering the needle to my neck, he grabbed my hands so I wouldn’t slap him away. “I will get good money for you.”
A sharp sting poked me in the side of my neck, followed by a wave of darkness. As much as I tried to fight it, I allowed the darkness to take over, swallowing me in a blanket of terror.
THIRTY-ONE
Meeka
HANDS TOUCHED ME. They groped and prodded. Spread me open. Massaged and kneaded. My brain told them to stop, that my body wasn’t meant for them. Only Asher. But I couldn’t. Nothing could escape my lips.
Whatever drug Charles injected me with wouldn’t allow me to move my body. I tried. I tried so hard to fight back, to move even just a toe but the exhaustion settled in and I gave up.
“Shhh … stop fighting it,” a gentle voice told me. “The faster you submit, the easier it will be for you.”
But I didn’t want to submit. Not to them. Not to Charles.
Not to anyone. I wanted my control back. Asher had been the only person ever to take that control and throw it back on me in blankets of pleasure and ecstasy.
“We have to prepare you,” another voice said.
My eyes finally opened, scared as to what I would see but when they landed on two women, tears welled.
Why?
“We have no choice,” the one woman said, reading the question in my gaze. Her eyes softened. She was beautiful, no more than twenty-five I guessed. Her long blonde hair had been pulled up into a curly messy bun. A white sheer dressed hugged her curves.
I shook my head, or tried to. I wasn’t sure anymore. It didn’t make sense. They looked healthy. The other woman was younger, dressed in the same attire but her hair was brown. Her eyes weren’t so soft though.
“I’m Jessa,” the older of the two said. “And this is Sara.” Her gaze slid back to mine. “I understand this is rough, but it will get easier. I promise.”
How could she be so sure? Asher. God, I prayed with everything in me that he would come to my rescue. I didn’t want to be prepared. I didn’t want to be sold. Sold. My heart started racing. No. It wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t.
“Master said that you’re pure,” Sara said. “We have to make sure you’re clean.”
“We need to explain to her what that means, Sara,” Jessa scolded. “She won’t understand.”
“Sorry, Mistress,” Sara looked down at her feet. “May I try again?”
“Go ahead.” Jessa smiled softly.
“Master wants to put your innocence on display,” Sara explained. “He said that you being pure can get him a lot of money. If that happens, it means extra treats for us.”
My heart jumped. Was she fucking for real?
“Sara is in deep,” Jessa explained, talking like Sara wasn’t even in the same room. “They broke her, and she’ll never be the same. If you listen to me, you won’t get hurt.”
But I wanted out. I didn’t want to be here. I needed Asher. I needed my freedom.
“I know you have so many questions and you’re probably thinking how you can escape,” Jessa sighed. “But I’m sorry, Meeka. You’re no longer in control of your life. Charles owns you. That man you were with? You can forget about him. Once he sees you on display, he won’t want you anymore.”
