Page 58 of 23 Hours

White Boy heeds my instructions but stays on alert as I knock the locked handle with the butt of my gun, once, twice, three times… before the thing gives way and falls on the ground in a chorus of too much damn noise.

Opening the door, I step straight into a goddamn horror scene.

Dried blood and a putrid stench, I couldn’t explain if I tried to, rapes my senses. I gag and blink, then gag more. A thing shifts in a darkened corner—a person. There’s a fuckin’ person in here! What the hell is this place?

I pull out my cell and use its light to see better. A mop of reddish hair, and scarred, pale skin, is attached to a set of suspicious eyes as they glare at me from the dirty floor. White Boy gasps when he sees what I do. It’s a kid. A boy. Yet not quite a boy. A young man. A buck-ass naked one.

“Hey.” I lift a palm to show we come in peace. Beside me, my blond brother does the same as he slowly stows his weapon.

The kid says nothing. Doesn’t move. Doesn’t do jack. Only his glare intensifies. Jaw setting tight, his entire body primes for a fight. By the looks of him, it wouldn’t be his first.

“You wanna get outta this shithole?” Light lingering on him, I take a step back to give the kid space to breathe. If I were him, I wouldn’t trust me either, but I’d sure as fuck want outta this room. I’d want a decent meal and a hot shower. Then I’d wanna kill whoever left those whip marks all over my body. Remy and his crew are a magical bunch of pedos. This ain’t the first time I’ve seen this kinda skin décor. Not even the first time I saw it this week. Lots of scars and brandings are left on his treasures. Mostly on the males we save. Now what does that tell you about the piece of shit? I haven’t quite decided yet, but I’ll leave you to mull it over as I get our only find of the day out of this disgusting place and into some clean clothes.

Leaning against the doorjamb, I pop a mystery Dum Dum into my maw and wait for the kid to chill out. The last thing I wanna do is fight the guy. We don’t need that. “Me and my brothers are here to find our women who were kidnapped by the same asshole who did this to you.”

When the redhead doesn’t respond, much less move to leave, I keep talkin’. “We’ve freed a bunch of you lately, from bigger places than this.” I gesture to his chamber. “We’ve got a safe place to help ya get back on your feet... You got a name?”

The kid relaxes against the wall but doesn’t speak.

Thumbing toward the exit, I push off the frame. “I’m gonna head upstairs. You join us whenever you’re ready. Ain’t nobody here gonna mess with you.” With a parting nod and a tight smile, I leave the young man to decide what he wants. I’m not in the business of freeing people who don’t want it.

Hauling my tired ass up the stairs, I join my brothers in the parlor. To give the kid time, we shoot the shit and plan our next course of action. It doesn’t take long for the scarred redhead to join us.

One more down…

All our women to go.

Fuck this shit.

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

KIT

Soft fur sifts through my fingers. Chibs’ perky ears twitch as I give him the best rubdown of his life. On the grass beside us, Gunz and Adam laugh together. It’s a deep and beautiful sort of sound. I’m home with my guys. A real home. Not like before. Not like the shell I was. It’s new… one of comfort and peace. One of…

I wince.

“That’s it,” a man moans, bursting through my internal defenses.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I inhale, then exhale calmly.

I’ll get through this. I will.

They will not win. This is my fucking body, my fucking mind, my fucking spirit, not theirs.

Inside my dreamscape, a strong set of fingers lock with mine, bolstering my determination. “You’re a badass,” Gunz whispers, his beautiful blue eyes holding mine.

He’s right. I am a badass. I am strong.

My body remains numb, every muscle pliant to a fault. The table is no longer cold at my back. Their unwelcomed gropes no longer punishment upon flesh.

“We. Should. Make. Her. Scream.” The words penetrate in time with my rapist’s thrusts.

A different man laughs his loud, joker-esque approval moments before my nipples are twisted and yanked in brutal glee. Yet, I breathe… and breathe… and breathe… calm and collected. Cool as a cucumber. Right as rain. The present fades like ash in the wind, and I float back into my safe space… where I long to live forever.

“I love you both.” I lift Gunz’s knuckles to my lips and press a sweet kiss upon the rougher skin. He grins, cheeks pinking in the most handsome of ways.

“I’ll protect you for always,” he vows.

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