Break Me (Shattered)

by Jo-Anna Walker

  At least if he was still alive, I’d have a chance. I could give him time and then hopefully he would come back to me. I sobbed harder and started to hiccup. To never see him again… Oh God.

  “How? How?” Jose screamed. “I fucking did it for you! So then you and I can be together. He was just in the way.”

  What he was saying didn’t make sense. “Why? Why do you want me? What did I ever do to you?” I sobbed harder.

  “Why? Why?”

  I couldn’t comprehend what was going on right then, so I lay my head back down and let the sadness flow through me.

  “You fucking look at me when I’m talking to you, bitch!”

  The breath was knocked out of me as I felt him jump on the bed, straddling me. He yanked my ponytail back and wrapped his other hand around my neck. A cry escaped my lips at the rough force.

  “You like that, don’t you?” Jose moaned in my ear.

  “No.” I swallowed but couldn’t get any more words out with the tight grip he had on my neck.

  “Don’t fucking lie to me!” he screamed, tightening his hold. “I know you like it rough. I heard the sounds you made when Sebastian fucked you. When he had his cock deep in your tight cunt. You’re a fucking whore, and I know you enjoy being fucked like one.”

  I whimpered. My lungs tightened and constricted at the lack of air. “Please, you’re choking me.”

  He ground his hips into me, and I felt an erection move against my lower half. Pulling at my restraints, I tried shoving him off me.

  “I think you fucking like it.” His hand moved from my hair down to my waist and ran up under my shirt. Pushing his way higher, he forced his way under my bra, releasing my breast.

  “God, you have fucking perfect tits.” He cupped my breast in his rough hand, massaging, pulling, and squeezing. He moved his hips against me, grinding into me as he pinched my nipple.

  I cried out as sharp pain exploded through me.

  “I fucking knew you liked it rough.”

  My neck hurt from being tilted back for so long, and my lungs continued to burn.

  He stopped moving against me and removed his hands from me completely.

  Laying my head on the mattress, I gasped when my pants were pulled down to my knees.

  “Oh, fuck. Now that’s an ass I could dive deep into.”

  I whimpered and struggled against my restraints as the cool air washed over my naked bottom half. “Please. Don’t…oh God.”

  Rough, calloused hands painfully messaged my ass cheeks, and then they stopped. “What the hell?”

  I frowned in confusion.

  “Why the fuck are there bruises on you? I’m the only one that should leave bruises on you,” he yelled. Jose rose on all fours and wrapped my hair around his hand, pulling my head back.

  The back of my neck throbbed from the rough impact. “Please…”

  “Did Sebastian finally beat you like I told him to? Or did he fuck you so hard he marked your skin?” He ground the words into my ear.

  Squeezing my eyes shut, I took a deep breath. I saw the bruises after Sebastian had left me. They concerned me at first, making me think that I was a freak for liking it rough. No man ever tested my limits the way he had or made me lose all control, and I knew that he felt the exact same way with me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You’re a fucking liar.”

  I gasped as his fingers roamed over my core before entering me. The pain of them violating my unprepared body sent tears rolling down my cheeks.

  “Fuck, you’re dry and tight. Perfect for my cock. Good thing I like it raw.” He continued to thrust his fingers in me and licked up the side of my neck.

  I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding when his fingers left me. Looking behind me, I saw him rise, grabbing something out of his pocket.

  He tapped a cigarette package against his other hand before pulling out a smoke. He pulled out a lighter and flicked it, moving it in front of my eyes, teasing me. Bringing it back to him, he lit the cigarette that was now between his lips. He inhaled, and the glow from the ember lighted his face. Taking the white stick from between his lips, he exhaled slowly and leaned down, blowing smoke into my face.

  Coughing, my eyes burned and teared up as the strong, putrid fumes filled my nostrils.

  He laughed and sat back up.

  I jumped at the sound of a knock coming from the door.

  “What the fuck do you want?” he yelled.

  “We have a situation,” a male voice said from the other side of the door.

  “Fuck. Give me a minute.”

  “Boss, Sebastian is on his way over.”

  My eyes widened. Sebastian wasn’t dead.

  Jose growled. “Shit. Leave. Now. Don’t let him fucking near here.”

  My throat burned from the coughing, but I started laughing. My laugh turned hysterical, tears rolling down my cheeks.

  He tensed above me. “What the hell?”

  “I knew you were bluffing.”

  “Oh?”

  Through my laughter, I heard the sound of Jose flicking the lighter. My moment of happiness was short-lived when white-hot pain exploded from my inner thigh.

  “Here’s something to remember me by, bitch.”

  I screamed and tugged at my restraints as the blinding pain tore through my bones, the scorching-hot lighter marking my skin.

  An evil chuckle bounced around the room as he got off me. Grabbing my chin again, he kissed me in between my cries.

  I cringed as he licked the tears off my cheeks.

  “You’re fucking beautiful when you cry. Next time, we won’t be interrupted. I’m gonna fuck you so hard you’ll pass out from the pain.”

  I whimpered.

  He chuckled. “You’re going to fucking love it, my little puta.”

  I jumped as he ran a finger over the burn, sending fresh pain through me. “Now you’ll never forget me. Every time you see the scar, you’ll remember me.” His voice lowered. “I’ll fucking be with you forever.” He let go of my chin, and I rested my head against the mattress.

  A moment later, I cried out when a sharp pain erupted from my ass cheek. He fucking bit me.

  “God, I fucking love your ass.” He pulled up my pants. “And I can’t wait to drive my cock into it.”

  “Fuck you,” I said weakly.

  “Oh, I plan on it, cochina.” He smacked my ass before heading to the door.

  Bile rose in my throat at his words.

  “Don’t wait up.” He laughed again as he left the room.

  My head fell forward on the bed as I breathed through the burning pain coming from my thigh. He had burnt me. I couldn’t believe he fucking burnt me.

  The pain lowered to a dull ache as I continued to think about what Jose had in store for me. How was I going to get myself out of this?

  Oh, Sebastian, please come for me. Save me from this fucking nightmare.

  I heard noises coming from outside the room that sounded like yelling and then a door slamming shut. Sighing, I closed my eyes.

  A moment later, my eyes startled open when something wet touched my hand. Turning my head, I stared into big brown eyes on a head larger than my own.

  “Why, hello there,” I whispered. A large dog whimpered and whined, nudging at my hand.

  “Aren’t you handsome?” I tried looking at the collar around the dog’s neck to find a name and saw that it said, Malvado.

  I didn’t know much Spanish, but I did know that that word meant evil. “You’re not evil really, are you puppy?”

  The dog started panting and licked my hand again, making me smile. A part of me thought maybe the dog was abused because I couldn’t imagine Jose loving anything except for himself, but the dog seemed happy so maybe he did.

  Tears welled in my eyes. “Oh, Malvado. How am I going to get out of this mess?”

  The dog nudged my hand. Sighing, I looked at my restraints.

  Did Jose and the guys leave? Oh God, I hope
that one guy didn’t come back, the one who wanted to play with me. Not wanting to find out, I set to work on getting out of my restraints. I would not give up. If it meant me getting hurt—or worse—in the end, at least I went down fighting. I had to be strong. I wasn’t sure how long Jose had kept me locked up, but hopefully it wasn’t long enough that people had started wondering where I was.

  Brett and I may have had our differences, but I knew he would be worried, and I didn’t want that. I know Sebastian wouldn’t want me to give up, so I started pulling on the duct tape.

  Starting with my right hand, I pulled and bit back the pain of the tape squeezing and scratching my wrist. My arm muscles burned and tightened against the excessive use as I continued pulling.

  The bed started squeaking because of my movements, but at this point I didn’t care if anyone heard me. I was not letting Jose touch me again. Hope rose in my chest as my wrist made it halfway through the tape and then after what felt like forever, it slipped out.

  Taking a deep breath, I waited a moment, and ran a hand down Malvado’s head. The dog licked my wrist and trotted out the door.

  Happy tears ran down my cheeks as I clenched and unclenched my hand. It hurt but nothing too bad. I was more exhausted than anything. I looked at my other wrist and then back at my ankles, this was going to take awhile. With my free hand, I started ripping and pulling at the tape on my left wrist. It was easier to get my other wrist out, but when I looked at my ankles, I really had no idea how this was going to work.

  I rose on all fours and fixed my clothes so that I was covered, cringing at the painful memories of Jose touching me. My pants rubbed against the burn on my inner thigh, and it stung.

  Taking a deep breath, I stretched my legs so one was straight, pulling at the tape and bent my other leg so I could reach my ankle.

  A bang came from outside, and I paused, heart beating against my rib cage. A cold sweat broke out on my skin at the possibility of getting caught trying to break free. Someone yelled, cursed, and with another bang, I was left alone in silence again. I breathed a sigh of relief and went back to working on the tape at my ankles. It started to tear, and I quickly got it off me. Then I went to my other ankle, and as adrenaline pumped through my veins, the process of removing the tape happened much quicker.

  Hopping off the bed, I stood and then fell to the floor as my wobbly legs gave out. I rose to all fours and crawled to the door, ignoring the pain on my inner thigh. I placed a hand on the doorknob, lifting myself off of the floor. I strained to hear any noises, but it sounded like no one was around. I peeked my head out the door and looked into a dim hall. There was a closed door across from me and then another closed door to my right at the end of the hall.

  I opened the door completely and stood on shaky legs. Walking out into the hall, I followed it to a living room that looked vaguely familiar. I looked around but didn’t see my sweater or my bag anywhere, so I headed to the entrance.

  My head turned back at the place I was held captive in for who knows how long, and then my eyes widened. This was the apartment Jose told me to come to earlier. It still had the same dingy smell from before and had the same trash littering the tabletop.

  Before I left the room, I saw a cell phone sitting on the table. Not wanting to spend any more time here than I had to; I quickly grabbed it and walked back to the door. Opening it, I braced myself for an attack. I frowned when no one caught me. An unsettling feeling rose in my stomach as I left the apartment. This was too easy.

  Where were the guys from before? Where was Jose? He wouldn’t leave me here by myself, would he? Maybe he underestimated me and thought I wouldn’t have the balls to get myself out. I wasn’t sure, but I sure as hell wasn’t sticking around to find out.

  As I headed down the hall, I flipped the phone open and dialed 911. The dispatcher picked up instantly, and I told her that I was being held captive, but I didn’t know where I was, not being able to remember the address. “Please, help me,” I cried.

  “Ma’am, who am I speaking to?”

  “Tori McLeod.”

  “How old are you, Tori?”

  “Twenty-four.” I quickly ran down the hallway. As I was barefoot, the carpet was rough on the soles of my feet, and my body ached from being in the same position for so long.

  “Who’s holding you against your will?”

  “His name is Jose Alvarez.”

  “How do you know him?”

  “Um…he’s my boyfriend’s boss.” I didn’t know what to call our relationship, so I said the first thing that came to my head. I rubbed my arms when a cool draft enveloped me and shivered when a cold sweat broke out on my skin.

  “Describe your surroundings.”

  I told her that I was in a three-story walk-up and in an unsafe part of town. My heart pounded against my chest, making my ears ring as I headed down the stairs. When I got to the main floor, tears of happiness and excitement clouded my vision. When I approached the exit, I stopped. “He’s here.”

  “Ma’am? Who’s there?”

  “Jose. He’s back.” Jose was standing behind the door with his hand paused at the lock. My eyes widened. “I have to go now.”

  “Don’t hang up the phone. Stay with me.”

  “I need to go.”

  “Ma’am!”

  I turned and ran down the main hallway.

  “Fuck.”

  I heard him yell as I made my way through to the other side. I didn’t turn back to see if he was chasing me, but I had a good guess that he was. I left the apartment building and ended up in front of a parking lot. It was getting dark out, so it would be easier for me to hide. I praised God for that.

  Running into the parking lot, I looked left and right but saw no signs of Jose. He must not have followed me down the hall because he wasn’t behind me either. The parking lot didn’t have very many vehicles, but it had enough that I could hide behind if I needed to. I ran towards a van when a bang erupted beside me and a car window exploded. I screamed and turned around. Jose was walking towards me with a gun in his hand and a malicious smile on his face.

  Chapter 25

  I felt dizzy and light-headed as he approached me. The gun wasn’t aimed at me, but he was holding it, stalking me, his black eyes following my every move. “I wouldn’t run if I were you.” His voice came out deep, almost like a growl.

  “Ma’am.”

  Turning, I ran behind a van just as another window exploded, this time from the van I was leaning against. “He has a gun,” I told the dispatcher and then hung up, hoping they’d still be able to find me.

  He was shooting at the windows. Oh God. He could hit me.

  The parking lot was in between apartments. I saw another lot full of cars and a street. Gunshots in this neighborhood wouldn’t strike up much attention, but with me calling the police, I prayed they would get here soon.

  My heart pounded, and my lungs were on fire. My feet were sore from the rough gravel biting into my skin. I took a deep breath and pushed off the van I was leaning against and ran.

  Running in front of the vehicles, I headed for the other apartment building.

  More explosions sounded behind me. He was taunting me. Not wanting to shoot me intentionally. He was playing with me.

  I forced my legs faster. Just as I was about to reach the safety of the big brick building in front of me, my hair was pulled from behind me. I stumbled as the cell phone flew out of my hand. Having been yanked from behind, I fell backwards onto my ass. Sharp pain shot up my tailbone, and I grabbed the hands pulling at my hair. I screamed as I was dragged from behind, and I clawed at the hands ripping at my hair.

  “Ow, fuck.” The hands loosened their hold, and I pushed forward, rising to my feet when they got pulled out from under me.

  I kicked and screamed at my attacker, struggling under the weight above me. My arms gave out as I tried pushing him off me, but my muscles had no fight left in them.

  Jose loosened his hold on me and spun me onto my back. H
is black eyes looked down at me, but I didn’t see the gun anywhere. He grabbed my chin, and I tried moving my head out of his strong grip. “You will regret escaping, cochina.” He wrapped his hand around my neck and tilted my head back. He leaned down, and I slapped him. The sound echoed in the air as his dark eyes went glacial, but a smile formed on his face. He leaned down again, and I slapped him a second time. “You can hit me all you want, but it won’t fucking do anything. I like it rough, remember?”

  I went to slap him a third time, but he caught my wrist, forcing it above my head. I moved my legs and wiggled under him, trying to get out of his strong hold.

  “You keep moving like that, I’m going to fuck you into the ground.”

  I stopped, my chest rising and falling, my breath coming in short gasps. This was it. I was going to die. There was no way I could get out of this.

  “That’s my girl. We don’t want our first time to be in public now, do we?” His hand caressed my cheek and moved between my breasts.

  I closed my eyes as I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

  “Open your eyes.”

  I shook my head. I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t want to see the way he looked at me. The lust in his eyes that I had seen before sent ripples of fear through me.

  His grip on my neck tightened. “I said, fucking open your fucking eyes. I want you to look at me when I touch you.”

  The rough grip on my neck left me no choice but to open my eyes. My breathing was labored as I gasped for air.

  His hand moved to my stomach, and his fingers grazed the waistband of my pants. He paused as ringing came from the phone a couple feet away from us.

  I struggled against him, twisting my body as I tried to reach for the phone.

  He slapped me, momentarily dazing me as spots shot in front of my eyes and a bitter taste formed in my mouth when I licked my lip.

  Pushing at him with everything in me, I hesitated as something black and metallic danced in front of my vision.