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M y hands tremble as I peek through the thin curtain, trying to get a look at what’s happening out in the courtyard. I know Jols told me to hide in the bathroom, but then I heard yelling through the open window, and I need to listen to make sure everything is okay.

“Come on now. Everyone is sleeping. Can’t you come back later?” I hear Stocky’s voice, and my eyes find him standing before four cops, whose faces I cannot see, their backs to me.

“Do you seriously think we should believe over thirty men are sleeping at this time of day?” a deep authoritative tone asks, and my spine stiffens.

That voice…

Why do cops all sound the same? Do they teach them that at the police academy? Like a female newsreader is taught how to read the news with the same tone as all the other female newsreaders, are cops trained to sound the same too?

“It’s called a siesta.” Brody, the young guy that was doing a bad job of watching my door the other night, chuckles like it’s a joke, and one of the officers lurches forward and punches him square in the nose.

The crack of it travels all the way over to me, a gasp lodging in my throat as the Doxies standing around all release theirs in loud unison.

“Hey. Hey. Hey.” Stocky holds his hands up, gesturing for calm as Brody stumbles back, his hand flying to his nose where blood starts pouring from it.

Oh, my god.

What is happening?

“He’s just a dumb kid. There was no need to hit him.” Stocky points out, slowly sidestepping to put himself between the officer and Brody.

“Let’s stop wasting time.” That same deep authoritative voice says, and a memory slams into me.

“Let’s stop wasting time, Abbey. I know you don’t want anything bad to happen to your little sisters. So do everyone a favour, and just leave. If you don’t sign the statement, then this little misunderstanding never happened.”

No.

It can’t be him.

Surely not .

My trembling morphs into violent shaking tremors as tears prick the back of my eyes.

Calm down, Abbey. It’s just your mind playing tricks on you.

“Aligning with the regulations set by the state’s governing authority concerning the State of Emergency set in place due to the pandemic,” another authoritative voice speaks this time, and I notice how different it is from the first officer. “We have the right to search private premises without a warrant to ensure lockdown compliances. Anyone found to be in breach of the current governing laws could be issued fines up to twenty thousand dollars.”

“You can’t be serious?” Jols is the one to speak this time, stepping up beside Stocky.

“Oh, we are very serious.” The first officer sneers before rolling his shoulders back and yelling. “Start checking rooms!”

His bellow is loud, a few squeaks fly from some of the Doxies huddled together, and I get ready to run to the bathroom to hide, but when I see two of the officers move to the rooms across the other side of the yard, I stay in place, needing to know what’s happening.

“Officer, I don’t suppose you’d like a drink on this fine day?” an old guy asks, using his cane as he shuffles closer to the officers.

I’ve only noticed him once in the times I ventured out of the room. He’s never been in the crowd for the parties.

“Or perhaps you’re interested in something else? Something a little more… exquisite?” The old guy slowly turns, holding out his arm and gesturing to the huddled Doxies.

Oh, my… Is he trying to bribe the officers? With sex ?

“Tucker,” the second officer says, leaning forward like he’s reading the name patch on the front of the old guy’s vest. “You wouldn’t be trying to bribe a police officer, would you?”

“No. No,” Tucker says quickly.

“Because you know, if I want to fuck one of your whores,” the officer stands taller, “I don’t need to fucking ask.”

“You can’t touch them!” Brody yells from behind Stocky and Jols, and the two officers start laughing, while the other two keep checking rooms over the other side.

“Anything?” The first officer bellows as he turns to glance at his officers checking the rooms.

That’s when I get a decent view of his profile, and all my breath seizes in my lungs.

No.

“Nope. No one,” an officer responds, and the main one turns back to face the few club members and Doxies.

“Well, what a surprise. That’s a helluva lot of fines.”

The officers snicker and turn, starting to walk away, and finally, the air in my lungs comes rushing out.

It’s okay.

He’s not here for me.

They are going to leave.

I see the Doxies visibly relax too, probably feeling the same relief as me, although for different reasons, but then they stiffen as a group, and I hold my breath again as my gaze darts back to the officers who are now spinning back to face them.

“You know what, I’m feeling generous,” the main officer says, stepping back towards the group. “Because I estimate at least thirty men aren’t accounted for, and correct me if I’m wrong, but that would add up to six hundred thousand dollars in fines.” He leans closer, getting in Stocky’s face. “Do the Southern Sadists have six hundred thousand dollars?”

I can see Stocky’s face better than that of the officer’s, and he has rage written all over his expression, yet he remains quiet.

“But!” the officer yells, and I notice Jols flinch back a little. “Since I’m a reasonable kind of guy, we’ll take four blowjobs right fucking here, right fucking now, and call it even.”

Oh, my god.

No.

“Now hang on a minut—”

Stocky’s words are cut off when the second officer whips out his baton and slogs Stocky over the side of the head.

The Doxies cry out, and I leap back in horror as Stocky falls to the ground with a heavy thud.

“Hey fuck you!” Brody yells, and Barts, the guy who’s drunk twenty-four seven, stumbles up from the chair he was perched on, charging the officer.

It all happens so quickly, the officers and the men start fighting, while Jols urges the Doxies back, trying to keep them out of harm’s way, but it’s no use. The officers overpower the few men left behind, and in a matter of minutes, Stocky, Barts, Tucker, Brody, and another young guy I haven’t come across before, are beaten to a pulp on the ground, leaving Jols and the Doxies to fend for themselves.

“Now.” The officer I wish I didn’t know shouts before spitting off to the side as he slips his baton back onto his belt, and proceeds to undo his fly.

He’s not really going to…

Oh shit.

“Which one of you sluts is going to blow me? ”

The other officers chuckle, doing the same as their leading officer, and undoing their flies to release their...

This can't be happening.

“How about you, darlin’?” the leading officer asks Jols, but before she can react, Wendy shoves Jols aside and steps forward.

“I can take your big fat cock, officer.”

Shit. Did Wendy just do that for Jols?

“Get on your knees then, whore,” he snarls, and she hurries forward to do just that.

“Come on, girls. Don’t be scared.” One of the other officers says this time, and almost like the Doxies have already discussed it and know who is meant to do the deed, Celina who was all over the President the first time I met him, steps forward, followed by, Helina, which was the Doxy Brody had bailed up outside Ringo’s door. And the last to step forward is perhaps the biggest surprise because of how young she is.

Nessy.

I look away. I can’t watch this. There’s nothing sensual about this at all, and although explicit scenes are common outside Ringo’s room, this is nothing but vulgar coercion that rolls my stomach.

Ringo.

Come back.

I want to cry, but I know that won’t help the situation, and the fact that Officer Allen is out there, the same officer that threatened the safety of my sisters if I proceeded with my rape allegations, reminds me that I need to stay alert. Strong. And ready to run.

What is he doing here, anyway? He works in the Timber Valley district… Doesn’t he?

Maybe more police were required in the city to ensure compliance of the lockdown.

Whatever the reason, I hate the thought that it’s no coincidence that he’s turned up here. Surely, I’m overthinking this.

When I hear the officers cheering a little, I sneak another peek to find some of the Doxies kissing each other.

They can’t be getting off on this too, right?

I try my best not to look at the officers getting their appendages sucked, but when I do, I notice Officer Allen forcefully holding Wendy’s head as he thrusts into her mouth, and I know, I just know it’s choking her. Gagging her. Hurting her.

It’s then that some of the Doxies strip their tops off and start sucking on each other’s nipples. I’m momentarily shocked that they would be so on board with this, until I notice Casey’s face as she turns away from the officers. She’s fighting back tears.

Oh… my…

I watch on, assessing every detail this time, and every time the officers get too rough, the Doxies try to catch their attention.

Of course.

They are trying to help.

They are trying to get the officers over the line faster, so they stop hurting their friends and leave.

Tears well in my eyes at how utterly wrong this entire thing is, yet how beautiful it is that friends would go that far to help each other.

I used to have that. Until I betrayed Lexi. Until I helped the girls at school bully her about the secret she’d tried to keep. A devastatingly humiliating secret, much like mine in ways, but so different in others.

Lexi didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve her best friend turning her back on her and helping others harass her. Hell, there was even a physical fight or two.

But I still did it. To save my own arse.

I flop down in the chair, giving my eyes a break from the vile scene outside, and glance around the room.

It’s a shitty room. There’s nothing special about it and not a hint of personality that speaks to the man Ringo is.

No, to find a peek of that you need to rummage through his drawers.

The corner of my mouth quirks.

I can’t believe I found his sex toy and, like… touched it. And he sprung me.

My cheeks heat at the memory.

Sex had been such a hateful thing before I came here. I know it’s not about love here, but what I’ve observed, it’s absolutely about pleasure. Most of the time, that also includes the woman’s pleasure too. Well, all but the time Brody choked Darla with his… dick in Ringo’s bathtub. There’s no way that was pleasurable for her.

The knowing sound of grunts has me peeking back out, and I regret that decision instantly witnessing Celina throw up a few mouthfuls of semen, while poor Wendy gets sprayed with thick white ropes of the same stuff, all over her face, hair and chest.

Ew.

I gag.

Shit.

Sucking in a deep breath, I try to ward off my need to hurl right now.

It can wait until these awful officers have left. Then I can purge all I want.

I notice a few of the men are conscious again, but they make no attempt to stand, and as I, and they, watch the Doxies get up off the ground from their knees and scurry back over to the others, the officers tuck their now limp penises away before Officer Allen speaks.

“One last thing.” He reaches into the breast pocket of his shirt and pulls out something. A piece of paper maybe. Then he holds it out for everyone to see, walking slowly past them to make sure each Doxy, and then each conscious man gets a good look.

“Has anyone seen this girl? She was kidnapped from her home in Fox Pines last Thursday night. Her name is Abbey Delany, and her parents are distraught.”

What?

No.

NO!

This can’t be happening.

“What did you say her name was?” Wendy asks, and my heart thrashes wildly in my chest.

She’ll give me up. I know she will. She hates me. Has some sort of infatuation with Ringo, so getting me out of the way will solve her problems.

Officer Allen strolls back towards Wendy, still holding the photo up, and I notice Jols subtly glance my way.

Oh, my god.

I have to go.

But I can’t.

I’ m trapped in here. There’s no back door.

If Officer Allen gets me, not only will I be taken back to my parents, but I’ll be forced to marry Daniel, and this nightmare will never end.

“I’ve never seen her before.” Jols speaks up before anyone else, and slowly, one by one, the other Doxies shake their heads in agreement.

“Hmmm.” Wendy hums, leaning closer to the picture. “I’m not sure why you’d ask us.” Wendy shifts back, glaring up at Officer Allen. “We aren’t in the skin trade. And besides. None of our men would take a liking to such a plain Jane. Poor thing looks like she’d cry if she saw a cock.”

The other Doxies giggle, but Officer Allen remains stoic, glaring at Wendy.

Then he clicks his tongue.

“You won’t mind if we search every room for her, just in case.”

Gasping, I stumble back from the window, my heart in my throat as panic washes over me.

Ringo.

Help.

Please come back.

Dammit Abbey. He’s not here. Only you.

You have to fight for yourself!

Feeling the same desperation I did the night my parents locked me in my room and drugged me, a wildness, untamed and raw, ripples through my veins.

I am the protector now.

I am the only one that can stop this.

Hurrying forward, I pull Ringo’s drawer open, rummaging through it, only to find his sex toy.

Ugh .

I hurry to the wardrobe, opening the drawers there, and freeze when I find a gun under a pair of jeans in the second drawer.

Panting from fear and adrenalin, I pick it up in my trembling hand.

It’s heavier than I imagined. The metal cool against my skin. It almost feels surreal to hold it. I’ve never seen one in real life until Ringo came into my life, let alone held one. What with Australia’s tough gun laws, I would’ve thought it would be harder to possess one, yet Ringo left with a gun and has this one hidden in his room.

I have no idea how to work it, but when I hear yelling outside, a small cry lurches from my throat and I rush into the bathroom, closing myself in.

This is it.

I’m going to die today.

Glancing to the side, I see my reflection in the mirror. My brown eyes are wide. Wild looking. Like a crazy woman, and perhaps I am.

My lower lip wobbles and I accept my fate.

“I tried,” I whisper as tears fall over, my shoulders slumping before my chin hits my chest in defeat. “I really did try. But I can’t go back to them. I can’t let that happen. This is the only way.”

Glancing at the bath, I decide that’s where it’ll happen, and I move forward to climb in.