Page 27 of Protect

His gaze flicks to the corner and I follow until I see it. A camera on the tripod, looming in the shadows like a fucking person.

“What…” I swallow. “Why is there a camera?”

He looks from it to me, then sighs. “I’m not the only one who likes the way you fuck. You should know that. Why do you think Knox, Jaxon, and Dimitri got involved?”

My throat tightens and the bit of food in my stomach rolls. “Y-you record it?”

He hums with a nod. “And publish it. You make me a great deal of money, Hope. Of course, you wouldn’t if you weren’t so sweet. Your mother was better. People liked how she screamed and yelled, how she’d break and do exactly as she was told. They liked giving me ideas too. Funny how hobbies can become income.”

I’m going to be sick.

“Y-you… you did that with Mom?” I whisper, not sure he can even hear me.

He drops his fork and stands, rounds the table until he’s behind me. His fingers gently stroke through my hair and I flinch. I try to move away from him, but the shackles keep me in place.

“That was the deal,” he replies, no hint of kindness there. “And when she forgot that… well…”

His hands curls through my hair, he grips tightly and jerks back. I gasp as the chair moves back. My arms are stretched in front of me and I whimper as I try to pull away.

“What deal?” I ask.

He shoves me forward and a scream rips from me. He presses my face on the cold, empty plate and tears the chair away. The smell of potatoes and beef invade my nose as tears well in my eyes.

“I don’t think that’s what you really want to know,” he answers and pats my hips as he steps closer. I can feel the roughness of his jeans graze against the flimsy fabric of my dress and nausea rises higher. “She doesn’t matter anymore—you do. Right here, so soft. They tried to take you from me, Hope. And you were going to let them, weren’t you?”

My heart beats rapidly against my chest, my body trembles. I can’t move, I can’t run. I claw at the wooden table; my legs kick back but I can’t seem to hit him as he keeps himself close.

I stammer as the panic spreads. “Tell me—tell me about Mom. We… we haven’t talked about her in a long time,” I say, trying to distract him. “Don’t you have any good memories of her? Like when we’d go to the cabin and go fishing?”

Please, someone hear me. Please, someone watching… help me.

His other hand bundles up my dress, pushing it over my hips until the brisk air tickles over my bare skin.

“Look at that,” he muses. “Just as pretty as I remembered.”

I shake my head. “Please, please, don’t do this. Let me go, I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

My pleas don’t get a reaction. They never did.

I move my body, or I try to, at least, but he pushes my head harder against the plate until I hear the crack.

“Beg harder,” he sneers as his hand scrapes over my lower back.

My body heaves, my insides curl, and I clench my eyes shut. I don’t want to see him; I don’t want to hear him as he takes a part of me.

I have to believe it doesn’t matter, that he’ll never fully have me, or break me.

I’m stronger than I was all those years ago. I have to be. My eyes flutter open, tears clouding my sight.

“Let me go,” I grit and kick down. My dirty feet slam onto his boots. My shoulders move just enough for his grip on my hair to falter slightly. The broken plate scratches my skin and blood drips down, staining the shattered white platter.

I can’t stop, I have to fight, I have to try—

My breath falls silent, my body goes rigid, and sobs tear from me as he forces himself inside me.

“Not that much fight in you, huh?” the monster behind me mocks with a groan.

I have to escape.

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