I need answers, otherwise, I’m just going around in circles.
They’ve left me here, tied up. There’s a camera up in the corner with a red light blinking, so someone’s got me under surveillance. If I break out of here, they’ll be on me, probably before I can get to the door.
If I sit here like a model prisoner, maybe I’ll get answers. If I escape without knowing more, I’ll probably get a bullet in the head.
So, I wait. It’s up to Gun to make the first move.
I close my eyes, taking the time to try to let my head heal. When the door opens, I snap open my eyes. It’s two of the thugs who’d accompanied Gun.
Jesus! He’s sent them to work me over as they immediately start beating me again. Soon fresh blood leaks from my nose which I fear is broken, well, it’s not the first time and won’t be the last. My vision, that was already hazy, is now worse with one eye swollen closed. Having decided on my inaction, I stoically take what they hand out. When I make no protest, they seem to get bored.
They’re disciplined, I’ll give them that. They don’t talk among themselves. I choke back the question what are we waiting for? The answer, I’m sure, would be for Gun.
When he eventually turns up, he’s not alone.
At least Cat’s alive and appears unharmed. The sight of her eases my soul. That she’s told to dispense with her clothes makes me want to rage, but I’m sure Gun wants to taunt me. If I convince him she means nothing to me, maybe he’ll let her go. Or, at least, be merciful when he kills her.
No!
I can’t let it come to that. Not while I still have breath in my body. But I know how this torture will probably go, they’ll use her to break me.
Hardening my heart and my expression, I look impassively through my one working eye, as if only mildly interested when that body that’s mine is exposed. I bide my time thinking how painfully these four men are going to die. None of them will go easily.
She stands there, shaking, shivering with cold and fear. I want to tell her she’s no need to worry, that I’ll save her, but I keep silent.
“Good pair of tits on her,” a nameless man behind me states.
Another, I can see out of the corner of my eye, is adjusting himself in his pants. No, don’t rape her. She’s fucking mine, not yours. But still I keep every expression off my face.
Gun looks at me, then back to her. “Hmm, I wonder which of you will break first?” He steps up to Cat and dares put a hand on her breast, twisting her nipple hard.
She shrieks and tries to dislodge his touch, but he backhands her across the face. His attention though is on me and not her.
“Not going to say anything, Stormy? Not when I’m touching your bitch?”
“I told you, she’s nothing to me.” My tone sounds weary, almost bored.
“Soften him up,” Gun instructs.
While I was expecting it, I suffer through the attack, vaguely conscious of Cat screaming, begging for them to stop. The baseball bat they’ve chosen hits my ribs, my legs and my arms even though they’re tied behind my back. I think my right leg has been broken, there’s a worryingly sharp pain in my ribs, and my shoulder is pure agony as I lose the feeling in my right arm.
“Stop!” Cat screams again.
Gun laughs loudly. “Well, looks like this relationship is one sided.” He turns to her, pushing her back hard against the rough brickwork. A small yelp of pain sounds from her mouth as her skin connects.
“How do you know Stormy?” he yells at her.
“I don’t know him,” she cries back. “My cousin tied me in the basement. Stormy found me. I’ve no idea how he got there.”
Good girl. It’s only the truth that can save her.
As Gun slaps her around the face, he demands, “Tell me more.”
She continues, “It was a coincidence. He was looking for a place to stay. He found me, rescued me. I owed him a debt. I let him crash at my house.” Her eyes narrow as they land on me. “I thought he liked me, obviously not. He was using me.”
“Of course he was. I’ll punish him, shall I?” Without giving her a chance to respond, Gun lets her go. As she stumbles trying to regain her balance, he takes out a knife and comes over to me. A flash of a blade and the knife descends sending more burning agony through me.
“Why did you choose her house?”
“I was riding past. It looked deserted.” I gasp out, trying to force the pain down to a place I can keep it buried.
“I don’t fuckin’ believe you,” Gun spits out. He rakes his hands through his hair, and I can almost read his thoughts. He won’t believe me, but he’s got nothing to go on. Even if I’m right and it’s Pip he’s after, he can’t know my connection to him. Satan’s Devils don’t keep employment records, or not those which can be hacked into. Thank Christ he’s into women and not men. If he got me naked, he’d see the tattoo on my back.
Cat’s crying loudly, tears rolling down her face, snot coming out of her nose. The sight guts me, but I can’t react, can’t tell her I’m not worth her tears, and while they’re beating on me, they’re not hurting her. If that’s my only win, I’ll take it.
Gun starts on me himself. Maybe my head’s already weakened, or perhaps it was a lucky shot, but my world soon goes black.
I wake, coming back to myself with a jolt. The first thing I notice is I’m not alone. Cat’s here, naked, purpling on her skins shows her body already starting to bruise. She can’t come to me, she’s tied fast to another chair, and I can’t go to her.
She’s still weeping, or maybe she’s started again.
“Cat?” I say, quietly. “Cat, you okay?”
Her answer is to sob harder, and my gut rolls. Have they dared…?
She struggles in vain against her bindings.
I want nothing more than to put my arms around her, to tell her that whatever’s happened it doesn’t matter. She’s mine. I love her. But I’d left it too long to make my escape, my broken body won’t cooperate. Once again, I’ve fucked up.
If I had gotten free earlier, I’d now have a bullet in the head. At least this way, I can talk to her.
“Cat, babe. Cat, look at me.”
“They… they…” She can’t put it into words.
Goddamnit, they’ve raped her.
“They’re dead,” I tell her. Then realise exacting revenge won’t put her back to rights. “Cat, sweetheart, what they did…” But how can I tell her it’s going to be alright?
I want to go to her, hold her, wrap her in my arms and tell her it doesn’t matter to me. But I can’t and even if I could, words would be unable to help.
She shudders, leans forward and is violently sick, retching until there’s nothing more she can bring up.
“We’ll get out of here, Cat. They’ll never touch you again.” I’ve just got to work out how to achieve my aim.
She turns to me, her eyes wide, horror written all over her face. “They didn’t touch me.”
They didn’t?
Short-lived relief shoots through me. They might not yet, but they will. I’d seen the gleam in their eyes, the blatant approval of her womanly form. They’ll be unable to resist her, just like me. The difference will be they won’t treat her with the reverence and respect she deserves.