Blaire's World: Volume One

by Box Set

  Stomach rolling with repugnance, my temper lashed at my insides like a barbed whip, begging to be set free. This pathetic excuse for a human had destroyed one life and was preparing to destroy another. Deep breaths in and out through my nose, I kept staring, trying to wrap my mind around such sick desires. From where were they born?

  Why?

  Algimas shifted with nervous tension, intimidated by my silence. If the money had been transferred, then someone must already have the girl.

  Who?

  She obviously wasn’t in Algimas’ possession. So . . .

  Where?

  Arching a brow, I watched as Algimas opened his mouth to speak, though no words came out. Instead, I got a glimpse of blood stained teeth. Then he smirked.

  “I can see you’re interested. Not so immune to unwilling pussy after all.”

  It took every ounce of patience and resistance I possessed not to kill him right there and then. He thought he had me hooked. What Algimas couldn’t see for the mountains of arrogance he possessed was the hate that burned inside me for men like him. He was so close to death, I could smell it.

  “How do I know you’re not fucking with me?”

  “I was bored of Beauty, she’s getting too old, too used. I paid for the new acquisition a month ago. She’s perfect, the similarity to Beauty uncanny. The evidence is on my computer.”

  “Password?”

  “Let me down, and I’ll key it in.”

  Shaking my head, I grinned. “Doesn’t work that way. Proof that the girl exists first, then you transfer her to me, then I might let you go.”

  “How do I know you’ll hold up your end of the bargain?”

  “You don’t. Is it a chance you’re willing to take? How badly do you want down from those chains, hmmm?”

  He wasn’t getting out of the chains, and if he had the faintest idea who I was, he should have realized that. Hope could be a twisted bitch, though. Hope made smart men do dumb things. Or perhaps Algimas was simply obtuse.

  “I get to keep Beauty.”

  Not a chance in hell. I’d cut out his tongue and nail his cock to the wall before I let him anywhere near my beauty. “Sure, I have no need for used pussy.”

  Algimas was quiet for a moment, probably wondering if he could trust me. He couldn’t, but that fragile thread of hope meant he would.

  “B-E-A-U-T-Y-1-9-8-9-$-T-O-Y.”

  10

  BEAUTY

  I have no need for used pussy.

  The words bounced around my mind on a never-ending loop, wrapping unforgiving fingers around my heart and squeezing. As I raced through the manor, headed for Algis’ study, I tried to figure out why. Those words shouldn’t surprise me, they shouldn’t hurt, and yet they did. They hurt worse than anything Algis and his asshole friends ever said, and they’d said some awful things. I think I knew what the problem was. I allowed myself to think Hart might care, and I hated that weakness. He was using me. I was a means to an end, and that end was to inevitably hand me back to the man who had worked so hard at destroying me. I wouldn’t allow it. Matis’ gun still rested in my hand, its weight the sweetest of comforts. If Hart or Algis tried to capture me, I’d kill them, and I was to the point where I didn’t care if their death was fast and painless, they’d simply cease to exist. First, I needed to find out the location of the girl who Algis had purchased. At just thirteen-years-old, the world as she knew it was about to be ruthlessly ripped apart. I couldn’t allow anyone else suffer as Lucy and I had.

  Like the rest of the home, the study had a glossy modern look with mostly white furnishings. I’d only been in this room a couple of times, and the memories of what happened in here were not something I wanted to recall. Instead, I focused on the large glass-top desk with a sleek white leather chair behind it. The wide computer screen sat right in the middle of the table, the insignia on its back an Apple logo. Sitting down, I glanced at the device looking for a switch. A white depressed button that could almost be lost in its white surroundings caught my eye, and I pressed it. Within seconds I was staring at a photo of myself, and bile pushed its way up my throat. Turning to one side, I threw up all over the carpeted floor. My recollection of the photo being taken was non-existent. From the glassed-over look in my desperate eyes, I’d probably been drugged. Wiping my mouth, I glanced back at the screen and shuddered. Heavy, dark makeup around my eyes was smudged, leaving black tear tracks down my cheeks. Dark lipstick was smeared across one cheek, a ball gag held in place between my lips, the straps cutting into the flesh of my cheeks. Hanging from supports in the dungeon, my private parts were exposed, Algis’ fist between my legs. Squeezing my eyes closed, I hid from the photo and those damn desolate eyes.

  A scream built from deep down inside me, and a roar of pain for the degradation was torn from my chest as I yelled into the empty room. Standing, I picked up a glass vase and threw it, loving the sound of it shattering against the wall. Reaching for a brushed, stainless steel lamp, I pulled the cord from the wall and threw it, too.

  “Beauty.”

  The biting use of my name caught my attention, and I swung around, lifting my arm to point the gun at the man who stood watching me from the doorway. With his shoulders proudly pressed back, chin lowered, he was looking at me through narrowed lids, he looked intimidating. His confidence wasn’t exactly quiet, but neither was it screaming boldly. I thought I’d liked that strength and resolve, it made me feel safe. His betrayal blurred any feelings that had begun to take root, though. He was just like all the others.

  “We need that computer, so best we not destroy it, hmmm?” He seemed completely uninterested in the gun currently resting on him.

  “Fuck you.”

  The corner of Hart’s mouth twitched.

  “If you need to blow off steam, I would suggest you let that rage out on Algimas.”

  “I won’t go back to him,” I hissed, my voice tight with emotion.

  Slow recognition had his eyes widening by just a fraction.

  “You heard.”

  When he took a step into the room, my hand shook and I raised my other hand to help hold the gun steady, scared that if I did shoot him I might miss. I couldn’t miss. I refused to.

  “And no, you won’t. Algimas will be delivered to Mr. Decena, as planned.”

  “Used pussy,” I spat out, frantic with each step he took further into the room.

  “Beauty.” The rasping voice purred seductively, the gentle command in his tone had me wanting to lower the gun. But my will to live and hate for Algis was greater. “Those words were to help gain information and held no truth. Have I given you any reason not to trust me?”

  “You haven’t given me any reason to trust you.”

  “Touché,” he murmured, coming to a standstill right in front of the desk. We stood like that for what felt like the longest time, the glass between us a fragile barrier. I would have preferred a giant wall, thick and high. Even with the gun, I felt weak in this man’s presence, and I outright hated feeling weak.

  “I have no respect for a man who forces a woman.” Though his facial features were still carefully blank, his eyes held a tortured, besieging look I knew too well. I’d just seen eyes like that on the computer screen in front of me. “And I have absolutely zero tolerance for anyone who harms a child.” Steel resolve laced his words. But words could be deceiving. I needed more.

  “I was a child when I was taken, fifteen-years-old, just a girl. Nobody cared, and I asked for help, I begged for it, and all it got me was raped and beaten. What makes you so special?”

  Hart huffed out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck, his quick, agitated movements catching me by surprise, the gun in my hand jerking.

  “Careful, Beauty. Once you pull that trigger, there is no going back.”

  “I know,” I whispered. I didn’t really want to pull the trigger, not like I wanted to with Matis and Algis. For the first time, in as long as I could remember, I wanted to trust someone. I wanted someone to have my back,
just once. I needed that. With a long sigh, Hart let his hands slip from behind his neck and shoved them deep into his pockets.

  “I’ve been there,” he muttered, his words almost indiscernible.

  “Where?”

  “There,” he snapped. “Trapped, captive . . . hurt.” Imploring eyes met mine. He wanted me to understand without saying it aloud. The tremble in my hands was still there, my arms aching with the weight of the weapon. Disbelief washed over me. Not possible. There was no way this powerful, controlled man could have ever been held captive. “I was thirteen, and my mother had died of ovarian cancer leaving me with a perverted fucking, piece of shit stepfather who allowed his friends to use me.”

  Imagining this proud man as a vulnerable child being hurt in such a way brought tears to my eyes.

  “Don’t pity me,” he scoffed, echoing my sentiment from when we met.

  Swallowing down my sympathy, I asked, “Is that when your monster was let out?”

  Hart gave me one sharp nod, but he offered no more. I understood. Shame, loathing, hate, they were emotions that came with rape and abuse. I didn’t care to share my shame anymore than he did. Lowering the weapon, I shook my head with weary frustration.

  “What do you plan to do with me?”

  Hart sighed, as if also exhausted. Straightening, his armor back in place and his monster roiling like a waking dragon behind those intense eyes, he looked down on me through lowered lashes.

  “We finish the job and move on to the next.” We? Hart nodded as if hearing my unspoken question. “You and me, we’re the same, Beauty. We’ve lived through shit nobody should ever have to live through. Our thirst for blood is strong and will never be entirely satisfied, because our monsters will always be there wanting more. More lives, more death, more revenge.”

  Did I believe I’d always feel this overpowering need to destroy, to hurt? I didn’t know, but the feeling had been with me for so long I couldn’t imagine not living with it. Watching Hart kill Matis had been hypnotic. The thought of gutting Algis didn’t make me cringe. It was quite the opposite, I rejoiced at the thought. Could I take another life, that of someone who hadn’t hurt me? Possibly. And I didn’t hate the thought of staying with Hart and working with him, though I did wonder what he wanted in exchange.

  “So, we what? Travel together? Live together?” My quietly asked question was hesitant, because I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer. Hart nodded and anxiety assailed me. “What do you want in exchange?”

  “Nothing,” he was quick to murmur.

  “Everybody wants something.”

  “Business partners,” Hart offered. “If you need a label on it, that’s probably the closest you’ll get at the moment. I’ll pay you a wage, and you’ll work for me.”

  “Doing what?” I wondered out loud. “I have no idea how to make coffee.”

  Hart laughed, loudly, the noise catching me by surprise. It was a robust sound of carefree joy that seemed at odds with the man it came from.

  “I don’t drink coffee, I prefer tea, and I’m more than capable of making it myself. You will help me hunt.”

  Hunt? Animals? I hadn’t realized I’d said it out loud until Hart chuckled again and shook his head.

  “Of a kind, the human kind. Bad animals, Beauty, the kind that need putting down.”

  It was all so confusing, but I wouldn’t be whoring myself out, or making coffee or tea, so that was a plus. Perhaps I could test the waters of this “partnership.” Getting paid sounded nice. I didn’t get a chance to ask any more questions. Hart stepped around the desk, taking care to step around my vomit, which he ignored, along with the broken glass. With firm but gentle hands he maneuvered me aside and sat down before the computer. A scowl formed on his lips when he found the picture of me staring back, however, he didn’t offer me platitudes of comfort, which in itself was a comfort.

  “I know someone who can make that disappear,” he mumbled as he entered the password into Algis’ computer. “If the images have been shared, he can track them down and get rid of them.”

  It hadn’t even occurred to me that the images were likely shared. “Thank you” seemed too insignificant for his offer. It felt as if he was giving me a chance to wipe the slate clean. At least the digital slate. How I wished my mind and body could be so easily fixed. Memories began to push their way forward, seeping into my consciousness. Moving robotically across the room, I came to stand before the polished, granite bar.

  “Say it, or I’ll press the button again.”

  Stubborn or strong, the two words bled together, and I wasn’t sure which one I was anymore. I’d have thought strong, but this man who insisted on defiling my body, who took pleasure in hearing my screams, called me stubborn. Perhaps I was, after all. One little word would stop all of this, and still, I couldn’t get the words to form to give him what he wished for. My head was being held down, my cheek pressed against the granite, my feet kicked apart. I was naked, but I hadn’t worn a shred of clothing since I was brought here all those weeks ago. The collar around my neck was tight, and I was on the verge of hyperventilating. It wasn’t obscuring my airway, though, it hadn’t been placed on me for that reason. No, the thick leather had another purpose.

  “Say it!”

  “Fuck you,” I grunted.

  He laughed loudly. Chains held me in place while he positioned something smooth and cold at my opening.

  “Then enjoy the ride, Beauty. I hear it’s electrifying!”

  My body was ripped apart as the object was thrust into my pussy. The collar around my neck activated, and a sharp burning sensation pierced either side of my neck. My body shook from shock. Literal shock. The collar, normally designed for training animals, pulsed with electricity. Short, sharp bursts. Not enough to kill, but enough to render me speechless. So ironic, considering he wanted to hear me speak one word: Viršininkas which meant master. One word that could end it all. When the collar was finally deactivated, the man thrusting the object relentlessly into my body leaned forward, stilling as his lips came to rest beside my ear.

  “Last chance, Beauty. Call me Viršininkas, or I’ll have them turn up the current and fuck what’s left of your burning, limp body.”

  Staggering, I collapsed against the bar as the memory slipped away as quickly as it had come to me. If I had anything left inside my stomach, I would have lost it right there and then. A large hand cupped my cheek, causing me to recoil. Hart didn’t pull away, though, and he refused to let me retreat, stepping into my body. Heat reached out to me, thawing the ice in my veins as Hart continued to overwhelm me. My small fists beat against his chest, demanding space he wasn’t willing to give. Slowly, sanity returned, my need to fight floating away. It gave my mind the room to notice that even though Hart was crowding me, he wasn’t restraining me, the only part of my body he was touching were my cheeks.

  “Don’t fight the memories,” he murmured. “They will tear you apart from the inside out if you don’t let them out.”

  “I want them gone,” I confessed through a tight throat. My trembling hands rose, and my fingers wrapped around Hart’s wrists. We’d been here before, in this position. Hart guiding me from the horror and showing me a way to use it. My hold on him felt like an anchor, and I gripped his flesh a little tighter.

  “If you bury them, they’ll only rot and fester.”

  “I want him to rot and fester.”

  Loathing prodded at my temper, reminding me that he was hanging in the dungeon, mine to torment and control. Leaning into Hart, I found myself pressing my cheek against his chest. After a moment, Hart’s hand went to the back of my head and held me there, and it felt as if he were holding me together. Under that wall of strength, I could hear his heartbeat, his blood and life soothing me and my monster.

  Hart nodded. “And he will.”

  “You promise?”

  Hart’s hand untangled from my hair and his little finger appeared in front of my face. It made me melt into the warmth of his body
just a little bit more. Wrapping my finger around his, no words were exchanged, but another vow was made.

  “He put a collar on me, an electric collar,” I confessed with a growl.

  “Then how about,” Hart began, pulling away from my body just enough to put a slither of space between us, “we go finish this.”

  Then, he kissed me.

  11

  HART

  Unable to fight the magnetism of this wild creature, I pressed a kiss to her full bottom lip, fighting the temptation to take more. Her sweetness was just too strong an allure, the darkness in those big, doe eyes too enticing. With soft, tentative sips, I explored her lips, and after a few moments, she responded, kissing me back. At this I was fairly sure she was a novice, her movements were uncertain, though she seemed to be quite willing to follow my lead. Tilting my head to one side, I pushed a little harder, taking the kiss deeper as my tongue reached out to taste her. And she still returned the affection. Fucking gorgeous. Her taste, the feel of her lips, her little tongue darting out to meet mine. Lust surged forward, and my cock demanded entrance to her body. Ignoring those baser needs, I pulled away, leaving a chaste kiss to her bottom lip.

  Somehow, I managed to give her something I thought long since destroyed. I gave her gentle, taking the sharp, tang of fear from her and replacing it with warm need. Pulling further away, I watched her heavy-lidded gaze rise to meet mine.

  “Shall we?” I suggested, waving toward the doorway, feeling a little dizzy with lust but needing to regain control of the situation before I fucked her against the closest wall.

  A trembling hand rose to her lips, the finger pressing reverently against the flesh. Wonder, awe, and a little confusion touched her features.

  “Shall we what?” she whispered.

  “I was going to suggest we visit Algimas, but I guess your temper has been kissed into submission.”