Page 16 of Vengeful Lies

Last time they’d made her suck off every single one of them before allowing her access to the food. More than once she’d thought she was going to pass out when they refused to let her take a breath, shoving into her much more roughly than she’d ever had a man treat her. They’d made her swallow everything, and honestly, she wasn't sure she’d ever be able to get the taste out of her mouth no matter how long she lived.

Just as she was about to knock a third time, she heard someone on the other side of the door unlocking it.

“So, you need to use the facilities, huh?” the man who had opened the door said as he lounged against it. “How much are you willing to pay for the privilege?”

“Please, she’s only four, she needs to go,” Gabriella begged. She would pay whatever price they asked because Essie came first, but she didn't want the little girl to see.

“Nothing in life is free, darling,” the man drawled, reaching out to grasp her breast and squeezing painfully tight.

Biting her lip was the only way to keep her moan of pain in, and she was eternally grateful for the fact that she’d gone shopping for this one-piece suit when Essie took up swimming. Normally, she’d wear a bikini to the pool, but knowing she was going to be in the water with a toddler, with a bunch of other toddlers and their parents, she’d decided a sensible one-piece was much more appropriate. While it was still skintight, and showed off everything, at least the pale-yellow material was more modest than one of her bikinis would have been.

“I have to go real bad, Gabby,” Essie cried.

Lifting pleading eyes to the man she asked. “Please, let me take her, then … then you can do whatever you want.”

Offering her body like this felt more like offering up her soul on a platter to the devil. But what choice did she have? Let Essie starve? Let these men lay their filthy, disgusting hands on a little girl?

Leaning in so she could feel his breath, which reeked of cigarette smoke, against her cheeks, he whispered, “So long as you're prepared to pay double, for yourself and the kid.”

Giving him a nod of acceptance, she gripped Essie’s hand, edged around the man, taking care not to touch him, and hurried for the bathroom. The sound of his laugh crawled over her skin like a million fire ants, and she wondered for the millionth time how she was supposed to do this.

Where are you Cade?

Why haven’t you found us?

Please, we need you.

Essie needs you, and … I need you, too.

In the bathroom, she hurried the little girl through doing her business, then had Essie look the other way while she did her own. Once they had both washed their hands she guided the child back into the hall.

Where, of course, the man was waiting for her.

“Essie, go back in the room for me, sweetie,” she said, releasing her hold on the little girl’s hand and nudging her toward the door.

“But you promised you wouldn't leave me,” Essie said with a pout.

Don’t be stubborn now, cuddle bug.

Getting the child out of the room was her top priority, so Gabriella used the tone she usually only reserved for when Essie was in trouble, and she meant business. “Now, Esther. Why don’t you make us some lunch like a big girl,” she suggested, softening her tone for that last suggestion.

Eyes lighting up a bit, any hint of being treated like a big girl was always a winner with Essie, and she nodded. “I can make it all by myself?”

“Yep, you sure can,” Gabriella quickly agreed.

“’Kay, but don’t be long,” Essie said as she entered the room.

As soon as the little girl was out of sight, a hand circled her neck and she was shoved up against the wall hard enough that her head snapped back, slamming into it. Stars danced before her eyes for a moment, but she quickly willed them away.

Expecting things to take a sexual turn, Gabriella was caught off-guard when instead a fist rammed into her stomach, shoving all the air out of her lungs.

Choking and spluttering, barely able to breathe, she would have been helpless even without the hand locked around her neck, holding her in place but not cutting off her air supply. Another blow caught her in the ribs, then in the shoulder. One to her face had her seeing stars all over again.

When instinct had her trying to fight off her much bigger attacker, the hand around her neck moved to instead clamp around both of her wrists, pinning them above her head and leaving her stretched out and vulnerable before this man.

“The plan was just to take the kid, but I'm glad we took you, too.” He sneered as his free hand moved to one of her breasts, tugging away the material of her swimsuit to bare it. Then he leaned down and clamped his teeth around it, cutting through her flesh with a vicious bite.

She didn't want to scare Essie, didn't want to give this man the satisfaction, but Gabriella couldn’t help letting out a scream as reality set in.

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