Wrong Series: Wrong Part 9

"Keep walking," he snaps at me, pus.h.i.+ng the back of my head.

I step toward the next door. Everything in me is screaming at me to run, but I can't, or at least I wouldn't get very far.

My hands are shaking, and my heart is banging against my ribs. My chest seizes, and for a moment, I feel as though I can't breathe. The only thought I can muster is the thought of what the h.e.l.l am I about to walk into? Why am I down here? What are they going to do to me? I just hope they make it quick.

He opens the door, pus.h.i.+ng me through it. My entire body freezes. I can't breathe. I can't move. I'm going to die.

It's so cold in here I can see my breath in front of my face. The walls are covered in plastic sheeting, and the room is empty except for a single aluminum chair in the middle and a metal trolley set against the far wall. I can't see what's on it, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to. Right underneath the chair, set into the concrete, is a drain.

This is the point where I freak the f.u.c.k out. I turn on my heels and I try to run. I make it to the door before I'm grabbed by the hair.

I fight.

I fight with everything I have left in me. I claw at his face and bite the grimy arms restraining me. I scream, begging for someone to save me, although I know no one will. I bite him again; this time, the cooper taste of blood trickles into my mouth, and the man holding me growls. He swings his arm back, smacking me across the face and sending me sprawling across the floor as blood fills my mouth.

"f.u.c.king b.i.t.c.h," he roars, shaking his bleeding hand.

I don't have the strength to even save myself. I've never felt so helpless in my life. Tears of frustration run down my face as my chest heaves in desolation.

"Get the f.u.c.k up, s.l.u.t!" he shouts at me.

I don't move, and he strikes me again. I feel my lip burst, and pain explodes through my face as blood streams down my chin. My head is spinning from the force of the blow.

"I said, get the f.u.c.k up," he says in a threatening voice. I can't get up, my vision is dipping in and out. I think I'm going to pa.s.s out. I groan and brace myself on my hands and knees. The next thing I know, I'm hit with ice-cold water. All the air leaves my lungs in a rush. My heart almost leaps from my chest as I scream. f.u.c.k!

"Up. Now!" He tosses a bucket to the side of the room.

I can't move. My limbs won't respond. I start to s.h.i.+ver, and my teeth are chattering.

"What the f.u.c.k, Bob!" A glimmer of hope blossoms in my chest at the sound of Caleb's voice. He appears in the doorway, wearing a smart s.h.i.+rt and suit trousers. He steps closer and drops to a crouch in front of me. He grabs my chin and his eyes lower to my swollen and bleeding lip.

"Ria." He draws in a heavy breath. "I'm sorry."

I peer through the wet strands of hair hanging in front of my face. My eyes lock with his, and I can see nothing but regret swimming in them. I trust Caleb, but right now, I'm realising what a mistake it was to ever trust anybody. He helps me up and tells me to sit on the chair. The cold metal bites against the backs of my bare legs. It's so frigid in here I can't stop shaking.

Caleb takes my wrists, pulling them behind my body and fastening them to the back of the chair with rope. His thumb brushes over my wrist gently, and I hear him release a soft sigh. I can't take this. I hang my head, shaking as tears stream down my cheeks. I don't want to die. At this moment all I can hope for is pity.

"Please, help me," I murmur.

"I'm sorry," Caleb whispers, sweeping his hand over my back before he joins the other guy.

"He told you not to f.u.c.king touch her," Caleb hisses, his voice deepening. He looks so scrawny standing in front of the brute of a man, but he projects some of his brother's power.

"What the h.e.l.l does it matter? Not like she's getting outta here," the guy grumbles, still inspecting the bite mark on his arm.

Caleb glances over at me, and with one look at his pity-filled eyes I know I'm not getting out of here. No one can save me now. I will never be a doctor. I will never get married, or have kids. This is my s.h.i.+tty destiny, to die in a freezing cold room, surrounded by people who couldn't care less about me. Surrounded by utter monsters. I drop my chin to my chest. I'm s.h.i.+vering so hard it's causing my muscles to ache.

Long minutes drag by, and no one says a word. They're just standing there, staring at me. They seem to be waiting for something. The longer I wait, the more anxious I grow, and the colder I get. s.h.i.+vering turns to full body convulsions. My teeth clench so hard, they feel like they might break.

Just when I think I can take no more, I hear footsteps. I glance up just as a figure steps into the doorway. Jude.

His eyes instantly lock with mine. He clenches his jaw, as he drags his gaze over my body. They're stone cold, unfeeling, remorseless. If I thought he would help me, I was wrong. He looks exactly like the cold killer I know he is.

She's sitting in the middle of the room on a chair, soaking f.u.c.king wet, and her lip is split. There's blood trickling down her chin. Torture a f.u.c.king woman? It's sick. But what choice do I have? What f.u.c.king choice do I have when everything is at stake?

"What the f.u.c.k is this?" I growl at Caleb. "I told you, no one f.u.c.king touches her until I get here!" I shout.

"She was like this when I got here. Apparently Bob couldn't control himself for two f.u.c.king minutes." He glares at Bob, and my gaze follows.

"The b.i.t.c.h bit me!" Bob sulks, showing me his bloodied hand.

I can't look at her. I clench my fists hard, wondering if I can actually go through with this. I inhale deeply. The longer I stare at Bob, the shallower my breathing grows. From the corner of my eye, I can see her shaking.

Taking several steps into the room, I tighten my fists. "I told you..." I can't even finish my sentence. I slam my fist into Bob's face and grab him by the shoulders, throwing him to the ground. "Get the f.u.c.k up!" I shout, my voice echoing around the concrete room. He clamors to his feet.

"You can't follow directions worth a s.h.i.+t." I take a second to calm my breathing. "You know what's been discussed. You veer from that plan and I will f.u.c.king gut you."

I go to look at her, but can only manage for a moment. Her teeth are chattering violently, her skin's pale, almost grey, and her lips are tinged a light blue. She almost looks like a corpse. "Victoria." I say her name in as stern a voice as I can manage, but she doesn't respond. "Victoria!"

I pull the gun from the waist of my jeans and c.o.c.k the trigger. That sound rebounds off the walls. I swallow because honestly, what I'm about to have to do to her sickens me to no end.

I close my eyes as my hand grips the handle of the gun. "b.i.t.c.h!" That comment causes her eyes to slowly rise. She blinks; the slow flutter of her lashes tells me she's barely coherent. "I know why you're here, and I have to tell you, it really, really p.i.s.ses me off."

Her brow wrinkles. "Why I'm here?" she says through her chattering teeth. "You took me." Her words are slurred and weak.

"No, you showed up here, remember? I had nothing to do with that." I raise my hand back like I'm going to strike her, the gun clenched tightly in my fist. She flinches, and I lean in closer to her. "This was well-played, I'll admit, but now the game is over. You made a mistake coming here, little girl, and you're about to learn just how much of a mistake that was. Woman or not, you step up like a man, you'll be treated like one."

"What are you talking about?" Her voice wavers, tears trickle down her pallid cheek.

"Who sent you here?"

"Euan," she says, her voice snagging, and her body convulses. I watch her eyes drift in and out of focus.

"If you won't tell me, I can make you tell me, I promise you that." I draw my hand back a little more, then s.n.a.t.c.h her chin; her chilled skin sears through my fingertips. I force her face up to look at me. "I will have no choice but to hurt you if you don't answer me." I swallow hard, then place the barrel of the gun underneath her chin, dragging it across her damp skin, and that action is harder for me to manage than I thought. My hands are shaking. My nerves are on f.u.c.king edge. She doesn't say anything, and I squeeze her jaw. "I will break you, and I will end you. You are f.u.c.king with the wrong people."

I drop her chin and stand, moving to the side of the room and leaning against the wall. My heart is hammering in my chest, my stomach knotting. Deep down inside, I don't think she has anything to do with this, but to be sure I'll have to break her like I would any other enemy. I will have to utterly destroy her, and if she really is innocent, I don't know that I will ever be able to forgive myself for what's about to happen.

I shrug at my uncle and brother. "She's not gonna cooperate, she doesn't understand what the f.u.c.k that word means."

Caleb glances at me. His expression is hard, his nostrils flaring as he glares at me. I shake my head at him and he pulls in a hard breath, silently mouthing the words "f.u.c.k you" to me as he walks toward her. Bob grabs her by the hair, jerking her head back while Caleb cuts her hands loose and stands her up.

"Ria, just tell us. You can make it stop if you tell us." Caleb is pleading with her, not demanding; he is begging her to tell us so he can stop.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Her chest swells and the next sound that comes from her is a loud sob. "I don't know. I don't know. Please, Caleb," she begs between sharp breaths. "You're not a monster," she whispers. "You promised."

I watch Caleb flinch as though she just inflicted a physical blow to him. His eyes move to mine. "Jude..."

"Do your f.u.c.king job, Caleb," I growl at him. I don't have time for his bleeding heart bulls.h.i.+t.

Caleb takes a deep breath and clenches his jaw as he motions for Bob to move to the side. He takes her by the shoulders, tilting his head up like he's begging G.o.d for forgiveness before he throws her to the ground. Water splashes up from the concrete when her body hits it. He hovers over her, panting. I know he wants to kill me for making him do this, but you can't befriend the enemy, and this is a lesson to him. Bob takes her legs, pinning them down beneath his spread knees.

Caleb glances back at me, once more silently pleading with me to let up, but I nod. "f.u.c.king do it," I growl.

He grabs the collar of the s.h.i.+rt she has on and rips it from her. I expected her to fight, to scream, something...but she's just lying there weeping and shaking uncontrollably. Her m.u.f.fled cries d.a.m.n near cripple me.

She's a person...I close my eyes for a second, trying to separate myself from this entire thing, and when I open them, Bob has torn the boxers from her. She's lying naked on a cold concrete floor with icy water puddled underneath her.

"Do you work for Joe, or did you come as a favor to Euan?" Bob asks.

She turns her head away from Bob, and her eyes squeeze shut as she tries to cover her chest with her arms. She's violently s.h.i.+vering from the cold temperature of the room; each ragged breath she manages to let go of comes out as a white cloud.

I just want her to answer him. I want this to be f.u.c.king over. I need to push her far enough to be sure, but this already feels too f.u.c.king far...and it shouldn't. I've done far worse than this.

Bob crawls off her and crosses the room, lighting a cigarette before he grabs the edge of the metal cart, the rusty wheels squeaking as he pushes it over beside her.

I swallow. My heart's banging around in my chest and up into my throat; sweat collects in the palms of my hands.

There's a loud thud on the thick door behind me, and I flinch as the door crashes against the wall.

"Jude, we got a problem. There's two men sneaking around in the woods in the back of the property."

"What? How did they get past the f.u.c.king security?"

"f.u.c.k if I know. But they're armed."

"f.u.c.king Joe!" I look at Victoria. "If I find out you have anything to do with this, I can promise you I will show no mercy!"

I motion with a quick jerk of my neck at Caleb. "Come on."

Caleb looks back at her, then up at me with a worried look.

"Come on!" I growl.

I step out, holding the door as I peer back into the room at Bob. "You f.u.c.king touch her, and I will strangle you with my bare hands."

Bob nods, standing up and pulling in another drag from his cigarette as he leans against the far wall.

"Do you f.u.c.king hear me?" I shake my gun at him. "Don't touch her until I get back!"

"Yeah, yeah. I won't. Cross my heart hope to f.u.c.king die."

The door slams shut just as she lets out another loud sob. I weave through the rooms and up the stairs, my gun clutched tightly in my fist as I follow the rest of the guys onto the deck.

"Two guys in the woods over there." Paul points to the back of the lot.

I don't wait. I feel like everything is collapsing around me. I've got her downstairs, these guys on my property. I feel like I'm being come at from all directions. I sprint toward the tree line, Caleb following close behind me. The rest of my guys swarm in, guns drawn. I hear one of the trespa.s.sers shout, and then I see them dart through the thin pine trunks.

I get one in my sight and pull the trigger. The loud explosion from the gun rings through my ears, momentarily m.u.f.fling the noises around me. Seconds later, a shot fires back at me. At that instant, the entire group exchange shots. Bullets ricochet from the trees, bark splintering off and spraying through the air.

I can no longer see the men, and I pick up my pace, my eyes scanning through the thick woods. "Do you see them?" I shout, gun still c.o.c.ked and ready.

"No," Caleb yells. "I don't see anything. s.h.i.+t! They must have gotten hit."

I comb through my hair, still searching for signs that they were shot. I take a few more steps in the direction I saw them flee, and I find bright red blood trailing over the dried leaves. "Well, there's blood." I squat, inspecting the leaves. "Not a lot." I scan the woods once more. I see nothing. I hear nothing. I have over fifty acres; these men could be anywhere.

"Find them!" I order, and head back to the house.

I watch Caleb leave the room, and any hope that I might actually survive this leaves with him. The door slams shut, and a deathly silence fills the room. The only sound is the steady trickle of water as it flows down the drain.

I'm freezing, and my body convulses violently. I can't feel my limbs. I can't feel anything except fear and desperation.

Bob goes into a coughing fit in the corner of the room. I refuse to look in his direction. I just lay here, naked, in a puddle of freezing water, and stare at the fluorescent light flickering overhead.

"You're f.u.c.king with his head," I can barely hear him mumble that over the rattle of my teeth. "You know he has a soft spot for you, huh?"

Again, I lay silent. His face moves into my line of sight, a sick smile on his lips. He blows a ring of smoke in my face, making me cough weakly. His teeth are nicotine-stained and his gums are tinged grey. Everything about him repulses and sickens me.

He rests the cigarette on his lips again and inhales. "You make him weak." I hear him move across the room, his boots squeaking against the concrete.

A few seconds later, he leans over me, holding out a blade. The light catches it, glinting off the steel surface. My mind is racing, panicking, but my body...my body can't react. A frustrated sob breaks from my chest. It's one thing to go down fighting, but to be unable to fight, this will not only destroy me physically, but also mentally. I only hope that whatever he's going to do, he does it quickly.

He brushes his finger across the sharpened edge of the knife. I close my eyes and when I open them, he's crouched down next to me. He grabs my face. His fingers are rough and reek of cigarettes.

He shoves the sharpened blade in front of my face and whispers, "I'mma do things to you that'll make sure he's not weak for you. Hard to be weak for a b.i.t.c.h that's got her guts hanging out of her."

My breath catches. I shake my head. His eyes are black, his face hard, except for a small flicker of excitement that crosses it when he stares at that d.a.m.ned knife.

"d.a.m.n"-Bob takes a drag of his cigarette, gripping it between his lips as he continues-"such a shame to f.u.c.k up a body as nice as yours."

He takes the knife, barely touching the tip to the skin between my b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

I want to scream, but the cold is overwhelming me. I can feel my breathing getting slower, and my vision starts to blur. If Bob here doesn't kill me, then the cold will.

He takes the cigarette and smashes the hot b.u.t.t out on my breast. The heat is searing and I make a weak attempt to scoot away, but he grabs hold of me and yanks me back. My bare back slips against the cold, wet concrete.

"Has he f.u.c.ked you yet?" He rolls his lip underneath his teeth and chuckles. He gropes my breast, pinching my nipple hard between his fingers. "Has he f.u.c.ked you the way a dirty wh.o.r.e like you deserves to be f.u.c.ked?"

I shake my head, a pitiful moan slipping from my lips. He presses the blade harder into my skin. "I'll be doing him a favor by killing you. 'Cause I don't think he's got it in him to do it himself."

My chest is heaving. I can't breathe. I feel the sharp edge slicing through my skin and pain erupts across my chest as he drags it down my body, inch by inch, stopping right before he reaches my belly b.u.t.ton. I feel warm blood oozing down my sides. I close my eyes, and tears trickle down my temples.

He grabs me by the throat, and leans his body weight into me, his face inches from mine as he growls, "I will cut up every"-he places the blade under my throat-"f.u.c.king inch of you, and enjoy each second."

He moves the knife from my neck, and the next thing I know, his fingers brush the inside of my thigh. I feel the slight scratch of the blade as he trails it lightly over my skin. He moves higher, until he's almost at the apex of my thigh. My vision swims, and I fight the urge to pa.s.s out. I cannot pa.s.s out, I cannot let this happen, I think to myself frantically.

"How 'bout I f.u.c.k you with this knife?" He drags the blade over the juncture of my thigh, laughing as I whimper.

I can't stop the sob that slips from my lips. I want to die. Please kill me. Please kill me. I silently plead over and over again.