Page 78 of Pretty Little Fears

Therough rope cuts into the skin of my ankles asIstruggle against its hold. “No, stop!Please, stop!Please, please!Please, don't do this.Youdon't want to do this,I'mbegging you, please.”I'mbargaining with him butIknow it's no use.Sickpeople like him don't listen to reason.Theydon’t care.

“Oh,Ilove to hear you beg, baby girl.Begfor mercy.Yourcries and pleas, although pathetic and pointless, sound absolutely wonderful.”Hesneers, leaning down to grab my hands, no doubt to tape those too.I'msquirming in his hold trying to break free, wincing when every movement sends a shock of pain up my spine.Icontinue to scream until he takes his hand and covers my mouth. “Shutthe fuck up!”

Iuse the opportunity to bite him again.Muchlike before,Ifeel the skin split open beneath my teeth, butIdon't release my grip this time.I'mnot in the tub where he can attempt to drown me, so instead,Iwatch as his other hand rears back and swings toward my face.Imove butI'mnot nearly as fast as the resounding slap of his hand against my cheek.Thesting and shock of pain cause me to lose my grip on his palm.

“Youthink this is bad, just you fucking wait, you stupid, fucking bitch!”Heyells, sending another slap to my opposite cheek.

BeforeIcan react, he's ripping a new piece of tape and wrapping it around my head and mouth, leaving no way for me to remove it or call for help.Myhair gets tangled in the sticky adhesive and my skin is stretched tightly under the binding.Itry to scream behind the tape but only incomprehensible mumbles leave my covered mouth.

“YouareMYproperty.Ipaid a lot of fucking money for you, you bitch.Ido what the fuckIplease, so yesIwant to, and no you can’t change my mind.Iown you, you hear me?”Hesays, leaning in closer so he’s level with my ear.

“I.Fucking.Own.You.”Hegrowls.

Amuffled cry bursts from my mouth the moment he forcefully shoves himself inside of me.Ifeel my soul shrivel up and die within me.Iattempt to retreat to that safe corner inside my mind, a place whereIcan bury myself like a child hiding under the covers from a monster.Exceptmy monster is real, andIhave no cover to grasp onto.

I'mvaguely aware of the tears that trickle down my face and the burn of the hardwood floor rubbing against my body.Myscreams no longer leave my throat, it feels as if they've tangled up and died inside of me.

Awhisper slips through my mind, the voice familiar and deep.Itbrings a wave of heartbreak. “Youare mine andIam yours,Blair, my little obsession.”

Butwould he still want me?

WouldIstill be his?

Aslap to my already bruised face drags me out of the numbing holeIhad dug for myself, and that's whenIrealize he’s no longer inside of me.Ifit wasn't for the searing pain between my thighs and the shattered remnants of my essence,Iwould be grappling with the sensation of warm liquid hitting my raw, sliced-open flesh once more.Iflinch as his release strikes my skin for a second time.

Itfucking burns.

Hegroans above me as he empties himself onto my wounds.Anotherwave of bile rises in my throat, butIforce it back down.Itwould be easier to let myself choke on it behind the tape than to endure this torture any longer, butIwon’t.IknowIcan survive this, even if only a small percentage of me makes it out alive.

Ifeel betrayed by my body for keeping me conscious.I'mstill hiding in my mind, trying to drown out and numb what's happening to me when another blow to my skull registers, shoving me into immediate blackness.

Finally,Ican rest.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

EMMETT

Rescue - Lauren Daigle

Thenext coupleof days consist ofGrimmandIhunting down everyone involved inBlair’sauction and sale.Notwanting to waste any more time, each person gets a quick death.

Notthe death they deserve, but as long as their putrid souls are expelled from this earth and they’re rotting in the soil,Ican live with that.Onegunshot to the head and one gunshot to the heart, and then we’re moving on.

Afew of the buyersIhave yet to kill are next on my list.Theseare the men whoI’mfamiliar with, the ones who caused my childhood and innocence to be stripped from me.Theones that created the phantom feeling of hands on my skin whenIlet my mind wander back to that dark time.

AccordingtoEli, the men who liked to touch little boys still get together for poker night and drinks.EveryFriday, they gather at the tables ofDevil’sDebt, a shady casino located just outside of town.Elidoesn't know the small detail of their involvement in my past, just that they need to be eliminated because of their association with sellingBlair.Thankfully, he isn't the type to ask questions.

Thethree of them still hanging out doesn't surprise me in the slightest, they probably indulge in circle jerks after their poker matches.I'mless surprised that they’re all involved in human trafficking.Theywere always sick fucks, it makes perfect fucking sense.

Elimanaged to find the names of every person who had been involved in that day, every person besides the buyer.Theone who matters the most.Idon't know how his identity has been protected so heavily, but with each passing day, my darkness grows hungrier and my heart splinters further.

GrimmandIpull up to the gas station in the middle of bubblefuck nowhere to refuel.Wedon’t talk, and we don’t need to.Hecan feel the energy radiating off of me, and he knows these kills are different than any we’ve done before.

Afterwe fill up our tanks, we make our way over toDevil’sDebt.Thedrive is silent, andI'mgrateful for it right now.Idon’t have anything to say.Pullingup to the casino, we cut our engines, andItake off my helmet while peering up at the building.

Darkand shady, just like every asshole inside.Theneon sign with the nameDevil’sDebtwritten in script flashes red.Ablack carpet is laid out, and purple ropes line the entryway.Twoburly security guards, dressed in blacked-out suits, guard the doors.

Idrop the magazine to double-check that it’s loaded, before looking over toGrimmand signaling that we can head inside.Beingin the proximity of the men who had ruined my childhood makes my blood boil underneath my skin.Knowingthat onceIcross these doors,I’llhave no option but to face those who stole so much from me, that created the demon that’s been locked away until now, brings fear.Butthe taste of vengeance will be worth it.

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