Page 5

Falling to my side, I gripped my face and moaned. The pain was surreal, hitting and igniting a fire that spread over my body.

I don't deserve this. I only wanted a better life.

Not this, not what I had.

“There you go, Sweetheart, lay down. That's exactly where I want you anyway.” Tony slid his hand over my thigh, curling his finger into my panties, and tearing them off. I tried to fight him again, despite the crushing throb in my jaw.

But he had me pinned down, I couldn't kick him, couldn't hit him. His hands were tightly wrapped around my wrists, holding my arms above my head. Lowering down, his hips kept me in place, knees bracing my legs open.

And the tears I had been holding filled my lids to the point I couldn't hold them back anymore. They came hard and fast, rushing out with so much force and emotion that I couldn't breathe.

Vince was standing over us, smiling and chuckling, while his hand found his cock to stroke it slowly. I was sick to my stomach, ready to throw up. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't be.

Closing my eyes tightly, I wished myself to wake up. To wake up and be at Remo's house, in his bed, in the sick safety he had harbored me with.

Either place I honestly didn't want to be in. But at Remo's, I knew my place, I knew what to expect.

At least until he grew tired of me. That was his threat, his line to keep me good, to keep me at the mercy of his ways.

But I never let that thought flutter through my head. Because I wouldn't let him tire of me, I was determined to live.

Shit. Is this what he meant?

Is this what he was talking about?

My family had made the sale with more rules then Remo had wanted, but he was so eager to have what no one else had that he was willing to put up with it.

I tried desperately to force my thoughts into a happy place, to remove myself from my body, and not feel what Tony was about to do.

His fingers eagerly tore at his pants, tugging at the button, and feeling for the zipper. I tried not to look at his eyes. They scared me, there was no life, no emotion, no feelings or care for another person.

He was a living zombie, death in the form of a human body . . .

Except he wasn't human.

As he worked at his pants, Vince watched like a he was actually enjoying what was happening. And as the world was about to collapse around me, and kill me yet again . . .

A calm, deep voice rained down above my head. His tone was thick, smooth, flowing like cognac.

A voice I knew, but couldn't place, a voice that saved me for the moment.

“Get the fuck off her. You don't touch her, no one touches her.” A gun was being aimed at Tony's head, the unknown man set back in a shadow covering his face.

“Boss man, I was just tasting the merchandise. Come on, I deserve that, I did all the dirty work to get her here.” Tony held his hands up, eyes large and wide.

“Wrong answer, Tony.” A loud click echoed in the shadows, Tony's brows drew up, hands shaking briefly. Fear had stained his face for that one second, only to wash his skin in white.

BAM! The shot rang out, slicing my eardrums like a serrated knife.

“No one touches her. Now clean this mess up.” Waving the gun, he motioned towards Vince.

I wanted to look up, but I kept my face on the floor. Forcing every muscle in my body to keep still, I curled my legs up into my chest and waited.

I wasn't sure what I was waiting for; a verbal assault, a reprimand for having forced his hand to kill one of his own, an onslaught of pain for bringing this on him.

But the faceless man's voice calmed my nerves and I couldn't explain why.

His voice stopped my heart, and breathed life back into my soul.

I was alive.

I was untouched.

But for how long?