Page 86 of Bullseye
Exhaling audibly, my shoulders drop.
“But…”
“But?” Fear climbs up my spine, and my heartbeat thumps in my brain.
“But you know very well there are two parts of the initiation. First, you prove your strength, and then, your femininity.” He steps toward me and gently runs a hand down my cheek. Freezing, I wait for the slap.
Removing his hand, he smiles. “And since I would never hit a woman unless she deserved it, they’re here for the first part.”
Nodding, I swallow hard. How did this happen? Being with Ironclad in his disgusting world is a place I never thought I would be. I’m going to have to take a beating, and I won’t be allowed to fight back.
Looking at the two men by the door, I wonder which one of them will hit first, and how I’ll take it. I can’t dodge or step away.
Standing here with sweat trickling down my spine, I wait. Even if I could somehow manage to start the stream now, the police might come too early—to stop the beating. What I need is to get Ironclad literally with his pants down, and admitting to what happened with Mikey, Tony, and Matt. Then, I’d really appreciate it if the police—or anyone—came barging in.
Still, the mountain men don’t move.
Oh shit. This can’t be good. Or maybe, is it only about intimidation with a woman?
Just when this little glimmer of hope passes over me, there’s a knock on the door. The mountain men open the door, and I brace myself for what’s to come—nunchucks, throwing stars, ball with spikes…
Instead, it’s even worse. It’s the mountain of a man I maimed, and he’s still wearing a bandage on the lobe I tore.
“Fuck…” I whisper.
The three other men chuckle.
“Well, Seneca, this is your one and only chance. Once he starts, no matter how you beg for mercy, he will not stop until I tell him to.”
Oh fuck. What am I going to do? I can’t kill all three of these men. And if I did, Ironclad surely wouldn’t help me with Matt.
It’s only pain, I tell myself.And it’s my only chance to free Matt.
“Seneca?” Ironclad lifts his eyebrows.
“No. Let’s do this.”
“Very well.” He seems almost sorry as he nods to the mountain with the bandaged ear.
“Wait.” Putting up my hand, I stop them. “He’s got to be three times my weight. He could kill me with one punch. There has to be rules.”
“Okay,” Ironclad agrees. “No killing her.”
“Ironclad…”
“Well, Seneca, what do you have in mind?”
“No closed fists. No chokeholds. No choking. No breaking limbs. No losing an eye. No tearing.”
As I speak, I remove my earrings and put them into my back pocket. Discreetly, I feel for my phone that’s wedged in the back of my pants. I have to be careful not to fall in a way that cracks the phone or this will all be for nothing. The man glares at me, but I continue, undaunted.
“No permanent damage. No ripping off fingernails or toenails. No lifting me. No dropping me over something to crack my spine. No weapons. And my clothes stay on. Period.”
“Teeth, boss?” The bandaged mountain of a man looks at Ironclad.
“You have to give him something, Seneca.”
Nodding, I swallow hard. Losing a tooth is painful, but it’s not life-threatening. And at least I know he’s going to go for the face first. But the hardest part of all of this will be stopping my impulse to fight back.
