Page 2 of Rushed: Christopher

The man holding me began forcing me to walk straight toward a single curtained doorway. It was all I could do not to break down in tears. My uncle Micah would have automatically known what to do, and his husband, Con, well, he’d have neutralized the situation in a second flat. But I wasn’t an MMA fighter like Con, and for some reason, I couldn’t remember even one of the self-defense moves he’d taught me over the years.

Just before we reached the curtain, I heard a scuffle behind me but couldn’t see anything.

For about three seconds.

Then, just like that, I heard the guy holding me scream in pain, and then his hands were gone.

I was free.

Still, I was slow to turn around in case it was a trick.

“Christopher, run!” Gio called.

I spun around to see Gio struggling with one of the three attackers. The other two were focused on their injuries—injuries Gio had apparently inflicted on them.

The third guy slammed his fist into the side of Gio’s head, and just like that, Gio went limp. My mind raced as I tried to figure out how to save both of us. As I scanned our surroundings while the men regrouped, I saw it.

Salvation.

I lunged for the fire alarm on the wall next to the curtained doorway, but strong fingers closed around my wrist before I could pull the lever. I wanted to cry in frustration at the loss. I was slammed hard against a chest and then shoved forward through the curtain. I tried looking over my shoulder for Gio, but the man holding me gave me a hard jerk and then yanked me closer.

“You’re going to pay for that, you little bitch,” the man growled into my ear.

I ignored the chill that ran up my spine and called, “Gio!” The move earned me a hard yank on my hair, and meaty fingers closed around my throat.

“It’s always the quiet ones that put up the best fight,” the guy murmured as he ran his nose along my neck and up to my ear.

The tears I’d been desperately trying to fight off began to fall. I heard the men exchange crude remarks, and then I was dragged farther down the darkened hallway. I was only released long enough to be shoved through an open doorway. I desperately tried to get back to the quiet place in my head where my white knight had just gallantly saved me and was declaring his love for me, but the escape eluded me as easily as any hope for a physical one.

I didn’t have enough mental capacity to take in much about the room other than the single mattress in the center that didn’t have so much as even a sheet on it.

“Get on the bed, princess.”

I knew he wanted me to protest or fight him in some way, but I also knew what would happen if I did. And the reality was that I couldn’t let him push me against the wall.

So sweet, little one. Do you want to be my special boy…?

I moved stiffly to the bed.

“Get on your stomach.”

I hated myself for doing what he said. I couldn’t even make my mouth spit out the one little word that was screaming on a loop in my head.

No!

I tried to hold my breath as I lay down across the bed, but the stench of stale sweat and sex assailed my nose anyway. I only had seconds to think about it because a moment later, a heavy weight sank down on me, pinning me to the mattress from head to toe. The man smelled like cigar smoke and whiskey. I nearly gagged when his breath washed over me as he nuzzled the side of my face.

“Now show me all the fight you’ve got inside, princess.”

I closed my eyes, no longer able to control the tears. They fell silently down my cheeks. The asshole had to have felt them. The tears and the violent shaking of my entire body became completely uncontrollable when I realized I might not be able to escape to my safe space in my head at all.

“Please,” I whispered.

The guy ground his dick against my ass. “Begging works too,” he said snidely, and then his hand was between our bodies and he was lowering his zipper. “Turn over, princess. Let’s put that pretty little mouth of yours to use.”

I shook my head slowly but didn’t try to stop him from turning me over. If I just kept my eyes closed, it wouldn’t be real. None of it would be real.

That was my last thought before I heard a crashing sound in the room next to the one we were in. My eyes flew open just in time to see the guy over me looking worriedly at the wall that separated our rooms.

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