Needing one last touch, I let my hand run carefully down the untouched part of his face, making sure to burn the feeling of him to my memory.
Unable to speak, I went to leave the vehicle, but Benny exclaimed. “Oh shit, Mrs C, I almost forgot.” He pulled a necklace from his pocket, a chunky thing that dangled from a long chain, and my blood ran cold. That was Marnie's. “You forgot this.” He said, placing the piece of jewelry in my hand.
I looked down at it, the angels' wings, the blue gem in the middle. “Where did you find this?" I asked.
“It was outside the motel room with Jax's shit,” he shrugged, before switching off the engine.
I didn't have any pockets, and so I shoved the necklace in my bra, and looked at Jax one last time, feeding off the bravery he'd shown since arriving here.
Vladimir hadn't moved from his spot by the time I made it up the front steps. He glowered at me, his knuckles white around the bottle he held, I could smell the fury. His black eyes had burned a hole in the top of my head as I'd ascended the stairs. Every inch of me, from my toes to my head, was trembling. Even my breaths were coming out as noisy, shaking rattles.
I stood before him, waiting, preparing myself for the worst.
“Hello, Ella,” he said, deep and dark.
“Hello, Vladimir,” I replied.
“You're late,” he looked towards the truck. “A junkie, huh?” The raised eyebrow told me everything: he didn't believe Benny's story.
“Y-yes, I believe so. I wasn't with him when it happened.”
Vladimir regarded me for a moment; his eyes raked up and down my body. “Get inside, Ella. We need to have a little talk.”
He stood aside, and I walked into the foyer, Edith came bustling out the kitchen and gave me a sad smile before disappearing again. Behind me, the door slammed shut, and I spun on my heels.
Vladimir was stalking towards me, placing the bottle on a small table beside the main doors, and then his fingers unbuckled his belt.
“Vladimir, please don't. The weather, we wouldn't have made it.” I said, taking careful steps backward.
He made a show of flipping the leather of his belt aside so he could release the catch, and then he yanked it through the loops of his pants. My hand went to the scars across my chest, a pathetic defense mechanism against the most evil of men.
Folding the belt, he swished it through the air, grinning as it cracked back and forth. “Shut up, Ella. I'm tired, exhausted even, and I want to play with my wife.”
“Play?” I gulped.
“Meet me in the library in five minutes. I want you naked, on your knees, and waiting for me, sweet wife. Don't fucking argue, I am in no mood for any more lies this evening.” With that, he stormed upstairs, the crack of the belt echoing as he continued to whip it through the air.
Just at that moment, Edith appeared. I ran over to her, pulling the necklace from my bra. “Edith, please, you must hide this somewhere Jax will find it.” I shoved the chain into her warm palm and looked into soft blue eyes.
She looked nervous, quickly tucking the jewelry into the pocket of her apron. “Mrs Chrobak, what's going on?” She asked, touching my shoulder.
I flinched. “I don't have time to explain, just... will you do this for me? Please.” I pleaded, kicking off my heels. I had minutes before Vladimir returned.
She nodded. “Of course, my child. Of course.”
I deflated in relief. “Thank you; I have to go.”
I ran into the library, yanking down the zip of my dress, pushing the material from my body. I unclasped my bra and set it aside in a neat pile along with my underwear. Getting to my knees just as the door opened, I heard several footsteps walking across the wooden floor, but somehow, I clung on to my desperation to survive, for me, for my child, for Jax. And so, when I looked up and saw three masked faces, my husband standing between them, I didn't cry and plead. I didn't throw myself at his feet. I simply sat, hands in my lap, heart in my stomach, and waited for my punishment.
I didn't get this close to the truth, this close to winning, to quit now.
And as the first strike of the belt sliced my face open, I said this over in my mind.
My blood was proof that I was still alive.
Do your worst, I thought.
There's something to be said for not fighting back, for not giving in to the blinding pain a human can inflict upon you, for not begging the man who'll never stop to stop.
My body laid broken across the library floor that evening, blood surrounding me like a morbid halo, and even though I could have curled up and died - I didn't. My mind was fragile and splintered, and I looked on through puffy blues as the men who'd just raped me gathered around me and spoke in hushed tones about what happened next.
Vladimir was sitting in his chair at the table, sweating, his chest heaving from exertion, and I'm not sure, but something told me that he'd shocked himself tonight, shocked at just how far he could take his brutal ways.
From the waist down I was numb, at first, the searing pain as I was passed from man to man almost split me in half, and now I could feel nothing but my blood around me as it dried.
“Vladimir, what now? Is it time?” A masked man asked, tucking himself back into black combats. I didn't recognize his voice through the fog of my brain.
Sighing, Vlad stood again and towered over me, and all I could do was watch as four pairs of eyes looked down at me. “I suppose so. She'll be here soon, and I want her gone, and this cleaned up. Everything must be perfect.” His muffled voice was confusing, unable to pierce the violent throbbing of my brain.
Vladimir slapped a set of keys into the masked man's hand. “You know where to take her, right? You understand what I'm asking of you?”
The masked man nodded. “Of course, we won't let you down.”
Satisfied with this answer, Vladimir came closer to me, bending at the waist to speak to me. “You will embarrass me no more, Ella. Know this, that if you ever see the light of day again, it'll be to end you, sweet wife.” He left the room, slamming the door behind me as the men got to work.
Two of the bigger ones each took my arms and legs, hoisting me into the air when every bone in my body cracked and popped. I wanted to scream, the unbearable pain almost crushing my resolve to stay quiet.
The darkness came and went, leaving me with only snippets of what was going on. I just wanted to sleep now. There was a lot of walking, the men grunting as they opened and locked doors, a lot of bickering over how I should be chained to the bed. Should they at least wash me? I heard one ask. To which the others had laughed at him, dismissing his concern for me. His concern came too late.
I remember feeling a hard mattress underneath me, the cold metal of cuffs being attached to my wrists. I remember seeing the darkness even when my eyes were open, and then there was nothing but complete silence.
Silence and darkness once more.
I soon succumbed to my injuries.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Jax.
Covered in sweat, I woke with a start, sitting bolt upright, I had no idea where the fuck I was. It was dark, only a sliver of light coming through the blinds at the window.
The gasp of air I inhaled scratched the back of my throat, and I coughed and spluttered, it felt as though my lungs were broken. Leaning forward, I clung to the bedsheets as the violent cough ripped through me when I heard footsteps growing quieter. A soft click and the light above me came on, illuminating the elderly lady I hadn't noticed before.