Page 185 of Stand: Part One

“Darren, please,” I implored again, but the only answer I got was the top of the cage slamming shut over of me.

He then crouched down beside me, his eyes hard with that vengeful intensity I knew so well, devoid of any mercy or sympathy, just like the tone in his voice.

“I wanted you to watch this next part while my cum leaks out of your pussy. Remember how this feels the next time you think about defying me.” Darren then stood back up, straightened his blood-red tie and took out his phone to text something. Ten seconds later, the door to the top of the stairs opened and three of the same guards from earlier descended. “Just so you’re aware,” Darren said as I watched two of the guards pull the same skull face ski masks over their heads while the third went to stand behind the camera. “Every time you look away, Camaro will be the one to take the shock this time. So be mindful if you don’t want your dog to suffer your consequences.”

A stunned sob wracked up my throat as more tears slipped down my cheeks, Darren’s cruelty boundless in its ability to torment and destroy.

“You asshole,” I whispered bitterly under my breath as my hands curled into fists. I was rewarded with a quick burst of electricity that jolted through my entire body, the pain sharp and intense.

“Consider that your one and final warning,” he rumbled. “From now on, every curse that leaves your mouth, Camaro will take the shock. One way or another, Jaden, you will learn to control that disrespectful mouth of yours.”

I refused to look at him, my jaw straining as my fingernails bit into the palm of my hands until I was sure I broke the skin. I had warned this man not to threaten my dog, and I vowed right then to make him regret it. If Darren thought he wanted my obedience that bad, then I would fucking bore him to death with it.

“No! Wait! Please!” the woman shouted as the men descended on her.

She fought back as best she could as they ripped her clothes from her body. I watched with blurred vision thanks to the tears in my eyes as they viciously raped her from both ends, one from behind while the other was in her mouth. About three brutal minutes later, they both pulled out long hunting knives that glinted in the dim light.

My stomach ate itself alive as each man took a single turn stabbing her outstretched skinny body at every angle they could reach. I made the mistake of lowering my lids for too long, my body suddenly struck with dread at the sound of Camaro’s sharp yelp and subsequent whine.

The poor woman continued to scream and fight, but it didn’t make one bit of a difference as they drove their blades into her body, covering her with blood as it poured down and soaked into the mattress beneath them. They continued to fuck and stab her long after she’d gone limp, her lifeless eyes glossed over as she stared off into the empty distance.

Her own husband had orchestrated this, wanted her to die just like this, and wanted to remember her just like this. My body shivered as a desolate coldness seeped into my bones, all the while Darren’s warm cum leaked out of me to drip onto the cold metal floor of the cage.

Was my husband just as cruel as hers? Or was he worse? Would he condemn me to the same fate if he were so inclined? Would he tire of my antics and recycle my body into an immortalized reel of suffering too? Did he actually have a breaking point?

He very nearly killed me just a few weeks ago but stopped at the last second. Maybe it was time I really did change my behavioral strategy.

Whatever power Sid thought I had before was now officially gone. Things had clearly changed thanks to all these wars, and I would have to do what I always did when the occasion called for it—adapt.

45

Doomed

The following morning, I found myself sitting silently in the dining room, attempting to eat my breakfast as quietly as possible while Darren sipped his coffee and read something on his tablet.

The air was thick with an awkward silence, but if Darren noticed, he certainly didn’t care as he remained focused on his work.

My stomach was still uneasy from the horrors I had witnessed the day before, but I knew Darren wouldn’t accept that as an excuse not to eat. So I settled for fruit and toast, hoping it would be enough.

But the sound of him clearing his throat had me stiffening in my seat, and all my attention immediately focused on his movements as he folded the case over the screen of his tablet and stood.

“When you’re finished, I want you to go see Sid about your hip. You’ve been limping since yesterday, and I want it resolved.”

I wonder why…

I kept my features neutral as my mind went back to the ache still lingering in my hip. I didn’t think I had been limping that bad and had just planned to stretch it out, but if that was what Darren wanted, then I guess I wouldn’t argue.

“Okay,” I responded plainly.

“After that, you’ll spend the day with Ella like we discussed.”

I immediately panicked inside. “Alone? Darren, I have no idea how to care for a toddler.” I mentally cursed myself for arguing, but the panic couldn’t be stopped.

“Carla will assist you.”

That was better than nothing. “Has Katherine woken up yet?” I asked.

Darren paused as he leveled me with a glare of caution. “She woke up last night. She’s fine.”