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Yanking my wrist from his hold, I jammed my elbow into his gut. Then I slammed down on his foot. He groaned in pain, releasing me. But only for a second before his men were on me.
I fought against them, panic taking over. I thrashed and punched.
"You disappoint me, Tatiana," Manuel said, then, "Hold her down."
Hands went to my back, my side, my arms. Imprisoning me. Salty tears of sweat dripped into my eyes. My breath heaved. Someone shoved my neck into the wall. I was helpless to move a single inch.
"Move," Manuel commanded. Hands shuffled, still holding me still. Then Manuel was at my back, again. "Looks like the little bird hasn't learned her lesson yet." He paused, pressing a small kiss on my shoulder. A shiver of disgust rolled up over me. "But you will.You will."
A needle pricked right over the same spot he'd just kissed.
"No!" I screamed, renewing my urge to fight, even as the numbness surged through my veins.
He tenderly kissed each spot on my skin before he injected me. The poison spread quickly.
He left my neck and head free.
I was outnumbered. I had to get him alone. I leaned against the wall limply.
He turned my face away from the cold concrete to give me a triumphant smile.
Drool leaked from my mouth.
"Now, now," he wiped it away, his lips tilted down. "Even under these circumstances, we must still be a lady."
My eyes drifted to Antonio. For the first time, I noticed that he hadn't been one of the men restraining me. He was standing to the side, a conflicted look on his face.
"Please," I begged him.
Grabbing my chin, Manuel jerked my face towards him. "Eyes only on me, doll."
There was a loud boom, stilling everyone into silence for a brief second.
His eyes flashed with surprise and anger. "He's here already."
Knight.
Panic seared through me. He shouldn't be here.How'd he find me so quickly?
"Go take care of that," he ordered his men. "Hold him in the red room. You," He pointed to Antonio, "quit standing there with your dick in your hand. Guard the door. Don't let anyone in, or out."
Hands gripping my arms harshly, he drug me towards his office.
Bile crawled up my throat, as the flashback of times behind red doors threatened to overtake me.
In my mind I was screaming but I bit down on my tongue to stop it from escaping.
I wouldn't let him hear what he was doing to me.
Manuel slammed the door behind us, and there was a muted silence from the fighting outside the room. "Now," he said, an evil grin to his face. "Time for some more fun."
FORTY-TWO
My body hunglimp as he drug me carefully over to an orange settee.
"So many pictures," I slurred, staring at a plethora of photos pinned to the wall.
"Thank you," Manuel assumed it was a compliment.