Page 54 of Casper
I clutched the seat of the chair in an effort to stay upright. The effects of the Taser were wearing off. Yet my muscles felt so sore and strange.
“We don’t have to do this, Jace. Let Casper go. I’ll stay with you.” Not knowing what else to do, I was prepared to bargain. To give him anything if it meant protecting Casper.
Casper’s eyes widened, his head shaking vigorously. His hands moved frantically as he begged me not to say such things. I didn’t see any other way out of here other than giving Jace what he wanted.
“I don’t want to hear your voice right now. In fact, every time you speak, I’m going to do something to your boyfriend.” Pulling a handgun from his waistband, Jace slammed the metal against Casper’s head. “Understand?”
Afraid to make a sound, I simply nodded, my lips pressed tight together. I glanced around the basement for any type of weapon. Other than a wooden box in the corner, there was nothing at all. Only the chair I sat on. I doubted I would do much damage with it while Jace had a gun.
“I think you both need to learn a lesson,” Jace continued, pacing in front of Casper. “You should know better than to test me, Luna. This is all on you.”
A gasp shook me when he slammed a fist into Casper’s jaw. He didn’t stop there. Following that with a kick to his ribs and then another to the side of his knee. Casper sucked in a sharp inhale of breath but didn’t make a sound. I saw the pain flash through his green eyes.
I pressed a hand over my mouth, trying to muffle the sob that threatened to burst free. Furiously, I blinked away my tears, not wanting Jace to enjoy them. I wished I would have called Codie from the car. If only I could go back in time and change things.
Watching him hurt Casper pained me in a way nothing else would. Jace seemed to know that. However, he also knew that hurting me was the best way to punish Casper. So when he’d finished with Casper, he turned on me.
Dragging me off the chair by my hair, Jace threw me to the floor. The cold concrete rubbed the skin off my hands when he grabbed my ankle and dragged me. Afraid to make too much noise and set him off further, I fought back every scream.
“Did you really think this wouldn’t happen?” Looming over me, Jace slapped me hard across the face. “Did you think you could fuck me over like that and get away with it, bitch?”
The next time he hit me, his hand had balled into a fist. The handcuff chain rattled against the iron bars as Casper tried desperately to break free. Whoever had installed those bars had done a damn good job. They weren’t budging.
Stuffing the gun back into his waistband, Jace grabbed my hair, holding my head at an awkward angle. “What’s wrong, Casper? Don’t like seeing your girl get what she deserves? Keep watching. I’m just getting started.”
Jace tightly grabbed my jaw, holding my face while he leaned down over me. “Why do you make it so hard to love you, Luna? Why do you insist on testing me this way? Do you think I like having to do this?”
I didn’t think he really wanted an answer. When he continued to stare at me, I simply shook my head. I didn’t know how to play along in a situation like this. What did he really want from me?
When he wrapped his hands tight around my throat, I thought surely he planned to kill me and make Casper watch. My ears rang. My cheeks burning as I struggled for breath. I clawed at his arm, trying to gouge his eyes. Anything to make him let go of me. Nothing worked. His arms were long enough to make my efforts useless.
My vision began to darken. As I was on the verge of passing out, he released me. I sucked in a deep breath before coughing. My hands going to my bruised neck.
“You forgot who you were dealing with. I guess it’s time for me to remind you.” Pinning me beneath him with one hand, Jace fumbled with his belt. “You’re nothing but property. My fucking property.”
As it became increasingly clear what he had in mind both Casper and I fought harder. He pulled desperately on the handcuffs before gripping the iron bars, jerking hard as he tried to rip them off the wall. They wouldn’t give.
I did everything I could to fight Jace off as he shoved my skirt up. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. Not like this.
Jace grabbed my underwear, tearing the fabric. I struggled to roll over, managing to get onto my knees before he grabbedme by the waist. My efforts to crawl away were thwarted. I stared at the chair as he pinned me to the floor, wishing I could get my hands on it. To smash him over the head with it. Anything to make this stop.
A rage-filled growl came from Casper as he thrashed about. Wild with desperation. Doing all he could to get to me.
“That’s right, big guy,” Jace smirked. “You get to watch while I take back everything you took from me. Then I’m going to fucking kill you.”
Unable to remain quiet any longer, I shouted, “Get off me. You’re fucking pathetic. The only way you can have me is to force yourself on me. I’ll never want you, Jace. I will never be with you.”
“You’ll do whatever I fucking tell you to do or you’ll end up like your boyfriend. I’ll leave you both here to rot.”
He shoved me down hard so I lay flat against the floor, my face smacking the concrete. It smelled dusty with a hint of must. That ugly scent dominated my focus as he shoved himself inside me. Although it may have been a small blessing, I was grateful I didn’t have to look at his face.
All the fight went out of me. I lay there hoping it would be over quickly. There was nothing else I could do.
Casper’s frantic banging against the iron bars with the handcuffs drowned out the sound of Jace’s heavy breathing. My head was turned in the opposite direction, facing away from Casper. I was glad I didn’t have to look in his eyes while this happened.
I began to disassociate. To zone out, leaving my body behind. Staring off at the basement wall but seeing nothing. Jace pushed into me three times, maybe four. Then a sound I never thought I would hear broke through the mental fog, jerking me back to reality.
His voice, husky and raw, lower than I’d imagined it and gravelly from disuse, Casper screamed, “Luna!”
