Chapter Fourteen

Hadley

Waking to the same darkness as the previous time, the only differences I pick up are the mattress I am lying on that smells of piss and that my hands are no longer bound behind my back. My mouth feels like it has cotton wool in it and my limbs are stiff and sore. Lying still on the mattress, I start a mental inventory of my body. Everything aches and pains from my little toe to the top of my head.

Besides the aches and pains, I'm relieved to find that I'm still wearing my jeans and have no soreness between my thighs. I'm still wearing the remains of my tattered shirt but at least I don't feel like I was violated while under the influence of whatever drug he shot into my veins.

Sitting up, I look around. The room is still as dark as the previous time I woke. I remember the room clearly, not that there's much to remember. Moving off the mattress, I go to the far corner to get away from the stench that's making me constantly gag. A cough from the opposite end of the room startles me.

"Who's there?"

Turning around, I face the side of the room the sound came from. Fear courses through my veins as I know I can't defend myself if I can't see what I'm fighting.

"It's me, Kaiya. Didn't mean to frighten you. Thought you were still asleep."

As she talks to me, I have to listen carefully. Her voice is quiet and there's a wheezing sound in her chest with every word that is forced from her.

"Why are you in here? You were helping Viper earlier."

I sound like a complete and utter bitch, but I simply don't give a shit. This woman was charged with taking care of me until he got back from drinking with the boys and that fact puts her at the bottom of my trust totem.

"Help?" she asks and then bursts out laughing. She chokes off mid-laugh to cough loudly and I can hear that she is in pain.

"I haven't helped that man one goddamned day in my entire life. I'm his little sister and I haven't been out of this clubhouse since I was twelve. This is my hell and because I tried to help your ass, it has become significantly worse."

"I didn't ask for your help." Again, with the bitch in me coming to the forefront.

"Okay. So next time my brother comes in here with the purpose of raping you, tweaked out of his mind and so drunk he can't remember his own name, I'll simply mind my own motherfucking business. Thanks for the heads up."

Shock radiates through me. Besides Storm, no one has ever put themselves in harm to protect me. It's a strange feeling knowing that a stranger cares for me more than most of the other people in my life.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a bitch but I'm freaking the fuck out and all I knew was what I heard him tell you."

Kaiya doesn't answer me and we both fall into silence. As I sit on the floor, I relive my few short years on earth. There's so little I have done in my life and there's still so much I want to accomplish. My memories are more bad than good and I was looking forward to creating new memories with the people I am slowly letting into my life. This is the room I'll die in and no one will mourn me accept Storm and maybe some of the guys.

For what feels like forever, I sit on the floor and feel sorry for myself. Hearing footsteps on the outside of the door, I know someone's on their way. Sitting deathly still, I wait as my death approaches. The door swings inward on a creak so loud and shrill that my ears feel like they might start bleeding.

The strangest thought flits through my mind. Why don't they just oil the damn hinges? At that moment, I burst out laughing, and even to my own ears it's a crazy sound. The overhead light flares to life and blinds me for a minute. As my sight returns, I hear Kaiya scramble further into the corner of the room. Looking up from my spot on the floor, I can see Viper leaning against the door jamb.

"What you laughing at, bitch?" he snarls in my direction.

I take him in from his scuffed-up boots to the top of his head. The man is a fucking mess. His boots are covered in what I assume to be puke, his jeans are torn and ill-fitting. His white shirt has sweat stains under his armpits and a huge mustard stain down the middle, and his beard is scraggly and thin. Tilting my head to the side, I make a split-second decision. If I'm going to die … I'm going down swinging.

As I slowly lift myself from the floor, using the wall for support and covering my breasts with my other arm, another man enters. He doesn't look at me and simply walks straight to Kaiya, then he lifts her from the floor using her hair.

"Leave her alone," I yell at the new man.

He has dark hair, but I never see his face as he doesn't turn to acknowledge my existence.

"I'm so sorry. I tried to help." Kaiya looks me right in the eyes as tears stream down her face. The look in her eyes frightens me. It's one I know well from looking at it for years in the mirror—defeat. It's acceptance. She has accepted the fact that no one's coming for us and that this will be the end. The door closes behind her and the man. Looking to Viper, I see that he's licking his lips and staring at my barely covered breasts.

When I have my feet planted firmly beneath me, I tilt my head slightly to the right and smile maniacally at him.

"Are you stupid? You dumb fucking whore," he sneers at me. "You think this is a game or a joke?"

"The only joke here is you, asshole. You with your tiny prick. Needing to tie women up and intimidate them so you feel like you actually got some sack? I've seen bigger cocks on cockroaches." I cackle at him.

Antagonizing the guy who kidnapped me can't be a good idea. My mind must've finally snapped from all the stress. His face goes beet red and then purple and I wonder if he'll simply have an aneurysm and I can just walk out. My luck isn't that good. Before I can prepare, he's on me, pushing me against the wall and wrapping his hand around my throat. My feet leave the floor as my head smashes against the wall behind me and my brain rattles around in my skull. Black spots appear in front of my eyes and I will myself to stay conscious. I need to stay awake, I need to be present for the last fight of my life. I would rather die standing on my own two feet than live another day on my damn knees.

"I'll kill you, you cunt," he roars in my face.

An immense calm overtakes me as I smile. He seems confused by the smile and my feet touch the concrete floor again. Leaning my upper body forward, I look directly into his eyes. "So you've said, asshole."

He looks at me for a moment before he regains his control. Right then, I choose to start fighting. Lifting my knee to his groin, I attempt to shove his balls back into his body. His hold on my neck slips and I can adjust my stance just enough to bring my knee into his nose as he doubles over, holding his crown jewels. Feeling the bone crack, I have never been so damn grateful for self-defense classes in my entire life.

Slipping past him, I make it halfway to the door before I hear it. A boom rings through the room and a blinding, scorching pain runs through my left side. Propelling headfirst into the wall beside the door, I hit my head yet again.

Turning over, I sit with my back against the wall and stare at Viper. He's holding a gun in his hand, pointed straight at me. The motherfucker actually shot me. I press my hand to my side in a futile attempt to stop the pain or the bleeding, or both. The moment he snaps is written clearly across his face. He doesn't say a word, he simply limps over to me and cracks me in the side of my head with the butt of his gun.

Toppling over to my left side, I shriek in pain. The fact that I landed on my bullet wound is probably the only reason I'm still conscious. That won't last long. He starts kicking me, landing the blows anywhere and everywhere he can. Feeling my ribs give way, I try to cover myself and make myself as small a target as possible. He kicks my stomach repeatedly until I throw up whatever was still in my stomach. At some point during all this, my bladder decides to relieve itself and this only seems to anger him further.

"Dirty fucking whore."

He rages at me and kicks me in the left side of my head. Just as I finally pass out, I hear gunshots. At least it didn't hurt when he shot me this time.