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Chapter Twenty-Three

Adelaide

I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately trying to fight the panic attack that was threatening to overwhelm me. I needed to be uncuffed. God, I would do whatever Tristan wanted me to do if it meant I got uncuffed. I couldn’t stand being restrained anymore. Not after everything that I had gone through.

Tristan had to come back in here and uncuff me.

“Tristan!” I shouted, squeezing my eyes shut again. Tears burned in my throat, and my chest tightened. I couldn’t fucking breathe .

I watched as Vin stepped into the room, his heavy boots making soft thudding noises as he made his way closer to me. Fear clawed at my veins, shredding me apart. I pulled at the shackles that held my wrists to the wall, my breathing quickening as panic began to settle in. Vin officially had his hands on me, just like he’d always wanted.

He was going to ruin me. Destroy me.

Vin was going to break me in the worst way possible.

“You know you’re mine now, right?” Vin taunted as he pulled his shirt off, revealing his heavily muscled form.

“What is your obsession with me?” I choked out, fear making my heart slam heavily against my breastbone. It was beating so hard, I thought I might have a heart attack.

“You’re the only one to escape me, love.” Tears slid down my cheeks. I hated when he called me that. “And I can’t have that. You’re supposed to be mine.”

“Vin, please,” I begged, tears streaming down my face.

He undid his belt, and I sobbed. “Oh, I’m going to love listening to you beg me to stop.”

I yanked at my cuffs, tears streaming down my face. Tears of relief slid down my cheeks when I looked down and realized I was still in Tristan’s clothes.

I was still dressed.

I wasn’t naked.

I was on Tristan’s bed. I was okay. Vin couldn’t hurt me here.

I squeezed my eyes shut, turning my face to the side as silent tears streamed down my face.

Unable to fight it, another fucking flashback dragged me under, and my entire body trembled as I cried.

A scream tore from my lips, my heart pounding hard in my chest. My eyes snapped open when the door flew open, and Zyla rushed in with Tank and River. “Please get me out of these,” I sobbed, my eyes searching out River’s. I’d paid enough attention to River a year ago to know he would go against his president, and he wouldn’t give two fucks about the consequences as he did it either.

River ran by his own book, and I was relying on that. I needed him to help me.

“Let me help her,” River said softly as he gently moved Zyla aside so that he could get to me. Zyla nodded, standing back, wringing her fingers in front of her.

Tank placed a hand on River’s shoulder. “You know Tristan will be pissed,” he warned his friend.

“You think I give a fuck?” River growled, swinging furious eyes to him. “This is fucking inhumane, Tank. She doesn’t deserve this shit. What Adelaide needs is fucking love and support, and Tristan is being a goddamn dick.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately fighting against the images wanting to rise to the surface. A sob ripped from my sore throat, and I pulled at my cuffs again, losing the battle. My chest was caving in, and my entire body shook.

I fell into my tortured memories again. But before I could completely succumb to the darkness, to the pain and torment, River’s lips brushed my forehead. “Just come back to me, darlin’,” he whispered before I disappeared inside of my head completely.