Bernie gripped her chin with bruising fingers and got right in her face. “Keep it up, and that’s just the beginning, bitch.”
Tears trailed down her cheeks, but Leslie held her tongue and glared at him.
“That’s better,” Bernie said with a grin. “Now, let’s see about getting these clothes off you.”
“Please don’t do this, Bernie. Please.”
He ignored her and pulled his knife out of his pocket. He began slicing through her garments with obvious glee. At first, Leslie thrashed and squirmed, but he gripped her hip and raised a menacing brow.
“You might want to stay still, Leslie. I would hate to accidentally cut up your pretty white skin.”
To emphasize his threat, he used the knife point to draw a line from the base of her throat down her midline, and all the way to her navel. When she quivered in fear, he laughed softly.
“It’d be a real shame if the knife slipped and I gutted you before I had my fun.” He ran the tip of the knife across her slightly rounded abdomen and flashed her an evil grin. “And I bet you would really regret it if I accidentally stabbed this little baby growing in your belly.”
Leslie’s heart clenched with dread. She hadn’t even been thinking about her child. She trembled but remained as still as possible after that. She sobbed as he cut her clothing into shreds and yanked the pieces off her body, one by one. His moves were unhurried, and it was obvious that he was enjoying her distress. All too soon, he had stripped her bare. Bernie pocketed his knife and leered at her with a malevolent smile. His eyes touched her everywhere, and she swallowed hard against the bile rising in her throat.
“You are beautiful, Leslie.” He grinned and traced his hands almost lovingly over her quivering breasts. “I’ve seen these tits so many times, but never up close like this. And they’re so soft.”
Leslie squirmed, ignoring the wrenching pain in her shoulders and arms as she tried to shy away from his hands. “What are you talking about?” she gasped. “You’ve never seen me naked.”
Bernie laughed again, squeezing her nipples and plumping the soft globes. “That’s where you’re wrong. Many a night, I’ve stood outside your bedroom window and watched and listened while you whored for your husband. It’s no wonder you’re already pregnant; he’s fucked you seven ways ‘til Sunday. I’ve seen the things he does to you. He doesn’t even treat you like a proper wife. He treats you like one of the sluts down at Harvey’s. He whips you and tortures you. You love to suck his dick all the damn time. He even ties you up, just like I’ve done. You obviously enjoy the way he treats you. You should be ashamed of yourself, you dirty little slut.”
Leslie shuddered with revulsion. The thought that Bernie had witnessed their most private moments filled her with disgust.
“I’m not the least bit ashamed. I love my husband, and he loves me. You’re the one who should be ashamed, sneaking around and spying on people.”
Bernie laughed as he continued to grope her. “I didn’t have to spy on you. The first couple of times I watched Gabe fuck you, you were out in the open. I saw you down by the river, letting him fuck you on the ground like an animal. Then on the porch, you just stripped off your clothes and let him fuck you for anybody to see. That’s why it was so funny that time I stopped by your house and you weren’t wearing any underwear. I got a kick out of watching through your bedroom window while you hurried to put some on. By that time, I had already seen you naked so many times, but you had no idea.”
Leslie’s cheeks burned with impotent rage. “So you were spying on me, peeping through my window like the sick pervert you are.”
Bernie merely shrugged. “You’ve always been mine, Leslie. I have a perfect right to look at you anytime I want.”
“I’ve never been yours, you bastard. I belong only to Gabe. Get your hands off me!”
Bernie ignored her and kept up his lecture. “You should have married me, Leslie. I would have treated you with respect, like a proper wife. But now that I know how you really are, you probably wouldn’t have been happy, anyway. But it’s no matter. Since I can’t have you as my wife, I’ve decided to treat you like the whore you are. You’ll serve my needs just like you do that bastard husband of yours.”
Leslie kept thrashing, trying to dislodge his hands, but it was no use. She could see the ridge of his erection pressing against his britches. She realized that he was enjoying her fruitless struggles, so she stopped. Her tears flowed freely as he continued to maul her. When he bent his head and started licking her nipple, she sobbed with growing panic. She closed her eyes and prayed for strength. Gabe, where are you? Help me. Please come for me!
Leslie tried her best to focus her thoughts only on Gabe and to block out what Bernie was doing. But he wouldn’t let her. Every time her mind started to drift away, he regained her attention with a bruising pinch or painful bite. She couldn’t hold back her shrieks and sobs, and he obviously enjoyed provoking them. By the time he grew bored with torturing her breasts, Leslie was sobbing hysterically.
“That’s better,” he said with a satisfied sigh. “I like seeing you covered with my marks. I think I’ll keep you like this from now on.” He eyed his handiwork and grinned with pure malice. “I don’t think it’s fair that you should be the only one naked. I think I’ll join you.”
Leslie’s heart thudded with dread and terror as he stripped off his clothes. The sight of him made her stomach roil in protest. She turned her face away, which only made him laugh. He pulled her into his arms and grabbed her bottom to hold her steady. The feeling of being plastered against him made her skin crawl. He met her eye and flashed an evil grin.
“You’ve enjoyed whoring for your husband. Now you’re going to whore for me. I’m going to fuck you so long and so hard that you won’t even remember being with anyone else. And when I’m done, you’ll be begging me for more.”
Gabe, please, please help me. I need you!
She tuned out most of the vile things Bernie was saying and used all of her mental concentration to focus on her husband. It would be hours before he realized that she was missing. Even then, he would have no reason to suspect Bernie or to come looking for her here. She tried desperately to cling to hope, but it was getting harder by the minute.
Leslie was petrified, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing the extent of her terror. She didn’t know if she could survive him raping her. The very thought almost made her lose her mind. Perhaps her only mode of defense was to provoke him. She’d rather have him kill her than rape her. She met his eye and sneered.
“You’re crazy if you think you I would ever beg you, you slimy bastard. Everything about you disgusts me, including your little worm sized cock. You’re a pathetic excuse for a man. Your touch makes me want to vomit.”
Once more, she spat in his face. Bernie’s face turned mottled red with rage. He growled and punched her, blackening her eye. He gave her a violent shove as he stepped away. She swung helplessly, the strain on her arms and shoulders making her shriek with agony. Her eye felt like it might explode, and once again, she saw stars. She was already dizzy, and the swinging only made it worse. But at least she had distracted him for the moment.
“You’ve always thought you were too good for me. Well, you won’t be so uppity when I’m finished whipping you.” His lips twisted in an evil smirk when he saw her eyes widen with fear. “I know how you like to be whipped. This one is going to be extra special, just for you.”
Leslie watched in horror as he turned aside and lifted a long, leather bullwhip. He shook it out, drew his arm back, and flicked his wrist. The tip cracked almost as loud as a gunshot just beside her head. She jumped and swayed, and he laughed. Her eyes were filled with terror, and he did it a second time, just to watch her reaction.
“Now, let me think. Should I fuck you first or whip you first? You’re going to get both, so it really doesn’t matter, but I don’t think I can wait to fuck you.”
Leslie sobbed with despair as he walke
d in a slow circle around her, trailing the handle all over her body. He laughed as she shuddered and flinched. He wrapped an arm around her waist from behind and yanked her flush against him. When she thrashed and mewled, he gripped her chin and forced her to meet his gaze over her shoulder. His eyes glowed with an unholy light, and she swallowed against her rising gorge. He ran his hand up and down over her back.
“I’ve dreamt of this day, Leslie. Ever since you rejected me and married someone else, I’ve dreamt of fucking you over and over and marking every inch of this lovely, soft, white skin with my whip. That way, you will know you belong only to me.”
“I’ll never belong to you, you sick, twisted bastard!”
Bernie gave an evil laugh. “Oh, yes, you will. Once I’ve had my fun, you’ll know that I own every inch of your body. And I’m going to leave so many marks on you that your husband won’t be able to look at you anymore. We’ll see how uppity you are then, you filthy slut.”
Leslie sobbed with despair as she writhed and thrashed, trying to dislodge his hands. She couldn’t fathom how anyone could be so evil. Her obvious panic only made Bernie laugh harder.
Once again, she concentrated on Gabe in order to escape Bernie’s abuse. She didn’t know how much more strength she had, and she prayed desperately, the same words repeating endlessly in her mind. Gabe, please come for me.
Gabe spurred his horse to the fastest possible speed as he raced to Bernie’s farm. He had returned home to find it deserted, and he had known instinctively that Bernie was responsible for Leslie’s disappearance. Gabe ran to the barn, threw a bridle on his fastest horse, and vaulted to its back. His only thought was to get to Leslie as quickly as humanly possible.
When Bernie’s cabin came into view, Gabe leaned over the horse’s neck and squeezed every ounce of speed out of the beast. His vision clouded with a haze of red fury when he heard Leslie screaming from inside the house. He launched himself to the ground before the horse even stopped, and he burst through the front door. The sight that greeted him made his heart nearly stop, and his blood ran cold.
Leslie hung suspended from a hook in the ceiling. She was naked and completely limp, dangling from her bound wrists. He could see bruises and marks all over her beautiful body, and blood trickled from her bottom lip. She was completely still, and for an instant, Gabe feared she was dead.
Bernie stood behind her, also naked. He had one arm around her waist, and he held a knife poised at her throat. Gabe’s eyes glowed with murderous rage, and he gnashed his teeth.
“Get your hands off of her, you gutless son-of-a-bitch!”
When Gabe began advancing, Bernie pressed the knife tighter against Leslie’s throat. She remained unconscious and oblivious.
“Don’t come any closer, or I’ll kill her,” Bernie warned.
Gabe’s voice was low and savage. “What have you done to her?”
Bernie gave a mocking laugh. “The same things you do. I tied her up, tortured her, whipped her, and fucked her, over and over. And she loved every minute of it. In fact, she was begging for more.”
Gabe lunged toward him, and Bernie pricked her skin with the point of the knife. A few drops of blood ran down her neck, and Bernie grinned while Gabe snarled with impotent rage.
“Not another step. I wouldn’t want to have to kill the little slut. I must say, you’ve trained her well. Despite the number of times you’ve fucked her, that’s still a fine, tight pussy she’s got. I’m not finished enjoying her.
Gabe’s eyes glowed with barely contained violence, but he forced himself to pause. As much as he wanted to snap Bernie’s neck, his first thought was for Leslie’s safety. When he spoke, his voice was pitched low and so full of menace that his words were almost redundant in getting his message across. “You realize that there is no way you’re getting out of this alive, Bernie. I’m going to kill you. But if you harm her any more than you already have, I will take my time, peeling your skin away piece by piece, gouging out your eyes, and cutting your fingers off, one by one. When I’m done with that, I’ll do to you every single one of the things you’ve done to her before I cut off your cock and stuff it down your throat so you can choke on it.” He paused as Bernie gulped and his eyes bulged in his head. “Now, for the last time, get your goddamn filthy hands off my wife.”
Gabe advanced another step, and Bernie paled. He tightened his hold around Leslie’s waist.
“I said to stay back. I swear, I’ll kill her. So help me, I’ll slice her ear to ear before I’ll give her back to you. She’s mine.”
Gabe froze. His heart was in his throat, and his mind raced to find a way to free Leslie from the other man’s clutches. If he could just find a way to distract Bernie for a split second, Gabe might have a chance.
As if it were an answer to his prayer, Leslie provided just what he needed. She roused from her stupor and saw him. The look of joy and relief in her eyes tore at his guts. She instantly began thrashing to get loose from Bernie’s hold, and that gave Gabe an opportunity to pounce.
Gabe grabbed Bernie’s wrist and wrenched it away from Leslie’s throat. The two men grappled for control of the knife. They wrestled and fought, knocking each other to the floor as Leslie hung helplessly above them.
They were fairly evenly matched in size and strength, but Gabe had a few inches and a few more pounds of heavy muscle than the other man. Gabe was also fueled by righteous anger, and he roared with savage fury as he turned that anger onto his enemy. Bernie was motivated by fear. He struck out with the knife, managing to slice Gabe’s arms and hands a half dozen times. But Gabe never flinched. He just kept relentlessly attacking.
It took several minutes, but he finally managed to pin Bernie beneath him. Gabe snared the other man’s terrified gaze as he slowly pushed the knife through Bernie’s throat with a satisfied snarl. Bernie made a strangled gurgling sound and then went limp. Gabe took only a second to watch the life leave his eyes before he jumped up to help Leslie.
She was sobbing hysterically, and he quickly freed her from the hook and pulled her onto his lap on the floor. He tried to soothe her while he quickly untied her wrists. They were raw and bloody, and her hands were completely numb.
“My God, Leslie. I’m so very sorry.”
Gabe fought back tears of his own as he took note of every injury. She was covered in wounds. Her left eye, cheek, and lip were swollen and bruised, there were bite marks and red marks all over her breasts, her wrists were raw and bleeding, and there were four bleeding stripes on the back of her shoulder. Every place he touched her, she gasped and flinched.
His emotions were roiling and festering. The primary emotion he felt was grief that Leslie had been hurt, frightened, viciously tortured. She was trembling and crying like he’d never imagined he would ever see his brave, beautiful wife. He felt like his heart was breaking into a million pieces.
But mixed in with his grief was crippling guilt for not protecting her. Layered on that was his primal rage. Each and every mark he encountered on her body made him want to kill Bernie ten times over, just to watch his face fill with fear and disbelief. Now that Bernie was dead, there was no outlet for the violence that was still seething inside. Gabe wanted to break every piece of furniture he could see, flatten the cabin to a pile of rubble, and burn it to a pile of ashes with Bernie’s body still inside. Gabe’s impotent anger vibrated through his bones. He realized that Leslie could sense it, and it was only heightening her distress.
Gabe took several deep, calming breaths and managed to suppress his anger for the moment. Leslie needed him to anchor her. She needed his strength, protection, comfort, and love rather than his anger. He got control of his own emotions and set about giving her all that she needed.
“I’m here, Leslie. You’re safe. I love you. I love you so much. Everything will be all right now.”
Leslie clung to him and sobbed huge wracking sobs that shook her whole body. She was hardly able to believe his words. She had begun to despair that her nightmare wo
uld ever come to an end. She had no idea how Gabe had known that she was in danger, and she was half afraid that him being here was just an illusion. What if she opened her eyes and realized that she was still in Hell? She buried her face in his chest and hung on for dear life.
Gabe held her in his arms for what seemed like an eternity. He stroked her hair. When he found matted blood and a swollen bump on the back of her head, he felt like killing Bernie all over again. But he mastered his anger once more. He murmured comforting words and spread infinitely gentle kisses over her forehead, temples, and the top of her head. He rubbed her aching arms and let his love sink into her like a soothing balm. Leslie eventually calmed.
She turned toward Bernie’s lifeless body, but Gabe pressed her cheek against his chest. He kissed the top of her head softly.
“Don’t look at him,” Gabe murmured. “He can never hurt you again.”
She nodded in agreement and then shivered. “Can we please get out of here?” she whispered.
“Yes, of course.”
Gabe stripped his shirt off over his head and put it on her to cover her nakedness. It reached her knees, making her look even more tiny and vulnerable. He lifted her into his arms and carried her outside. Gabe tried to set her down on the porch steps, but she clung to him and wouldn’t let go, her eyes wide with panic. So, he carried her to where his horse stood grazing, a short distance away. She loosened her grip only enough to allow him to lift her onto the horse’s back. As soon as he swung up behind her, Leslie immediately wrapped her arms around him and curled against his broad, comforting chest.
“I’m taking you to your parents’ house. We need their help.”
Leslie didn’t acknowledge his statement. He suspected that she was in shock. He tightened his arms around her, kissed the top of her head, and steered them to the McKenzie farm.
Chapter 15
When they arrived at the McKenzie farm, several members of the family spotted them riding in and knew right away that something terrible had happened. They came running to help, and Gabe was relieved that both Sarah and Brian McKenzie were among them.
His Sweet Kitten (Return To The McKenzies Book 1) Page 24
