5. Luella
Chapter 5
Luella
I clamp my hand over my mouth, hiding my frightened breath. I’ve been in her shoes; I know what’s coming next. But Xavier isn’t like any other beast I’ve encountered. This one needs putting down. The mattress creaks above me as the girl scrambles onto it upon his command, and I let my forehead fall onto the wooden floor, its dusty chill doing nothing to calm my frantic pulse. I try not to think about what will happen if he finds me here—or worse—if he doesn’t. Can I sit here while he violates that poor girl, hearing her cry and plead for help? My body shakes violently when he kicks his shoes off, his trousers and belt hitting the floor soon after.
Think of your plan. You cannot fuck up now.
My hand moves subconsciously toward my blade, fingers twitching to grab it, but I stop myself, knowing I can’t afford to strike now. I scrunch my eyes shut and pray to a God that’s never once listened to me before that someone can save me. But I know I’m alone in this; no one is coming to save me.
His cologne is stifling; he must bathe in it. That girl will forever be haunted by this rich stench, a reminder of her downfall. I have no choice but to inhale it, and then I hear her whimper.
It cuts through me like a knife, twisting in my heart as she begs for the monster to let her go.
He’s never going to let you go, babe. Never.
“Shh, sweetie. Just do as I say, hmm? Everything will be fine; you know I won’t hurt you.” Xavier’s voice makes me shudder. He’s lying, and there’s nothing I can do.
I want to reach up and hold her hand, drag her under the bed with me, and call the fucking police, but my goal is higher than that. I want to end this bastard’s life.
“Such a good girl. Aren’t you? You’re very pretty. Like your sister.”
I still—wishing I could cut his words out. I don’t want to hear this.
“She wasn’t a good girl. Will you be a good girl for me?”
Oh my God. Oh my God.
My sister’s face flashes before my eyes, her innocence stolen by this very monster. Rage simmers beneath my skin, a fire that threatens to consume me if I don’t keep it in check.
What does this make me? I’m here, able to do something, yet I’m not moving. What if this was my sister? I’m as complicit in this as he is.
I squeeze my eyes shut tighter as if doing so can block out the reality of what’s happening above me. The girl’s pleas grow more desperate, her voice breaking with every word. My hands clench into fists, and the urge to lunge at Xavier and claw his eyes out is almost overpowering. But I can’t. Not yet. My plan—my sweet, calculated revenge—hinges on patience and precision, not impulsive acts of fury.
“Please,” the girl begs, her voice barely above a whisper. “Please, don’t.”
Xavier chuckles, the sound dripping with malice. “Don’t what, darling? This is your role, just as it was your sister’s. You should be honored.”
Bile rises in my throat, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from gagging. The metallic taste of blood grounds me and reminds me of what is at risk. I can’t afford to be discovered, not when I’m this close to dismantling Xavier’s empire brick by twisted brick.
I focus on my breathing, on the steady rhythm of inhales and exhales. I imagine each breath fueling the flames of my vengeance and strengthening my resolve. I am here for a reason. I am here to end this. The girl above me, the countless others—they are why I must succeed.
“You can take it. All of it.” There’s a sickening squelching noise, and I know all too well that he’s forcing his dick down her throat. I can hear her ragged, panicked breaths as he rams himself into her. “Swallow!”
I want to remove myself from what’s happening, but I make myself live through it with the girl above me. She’s not alone, even though she doesn’t know it. I’m here, and I’ll get retribution for her, for every victim he’s ever touched.
His grunts make me clamp my hands over my ears, wishing I could slide out from under the bed and slice his stomach open, watch him bleed out like the disgusting vermin that he is.
“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” he pants, cackling in between breaths. “All day, teasing me, begging me to let you suck my dick. You got what you wanted, didn’t you?”
He stifles the girl’s sobs. She can’t even defend herself.
“Is this what Daddy thought you’d end up doing, hmm? Sucking my dick? All that expensive education for what? You can’t waste his money, darling. Don’t disappoint him, suck me good.”
Slap.
“Better than that.”
More whimpering.
“That’s it, don’t stop now,” he hisses, thrusts rocking the bed above me in line with my churning stomach. “And after this, you’re going to make my son come in your mouth and swallow every drop.”
Oh no.
The girl must panic because she stops, earning her another slap, and this time he isn’t fucking with her head anymore; he’s the real deal. Her scream tears through the room as he stands on the floor beside me, dragging her to the side of the bed as he forces himself into her.
“Colton!” he roars, the sound of his skin slapping against the poor girl’s on the bed. “Get in here!”
He’ll see me; He can’t see me.
But I can’t move, so I have no choice but to pray that he won’t see me. The door slams open, and my blood freezes in my veins.
Is Colton going to assault her, too? How long will the girl be used against her will?
Fuck!
My hands tremble. I should slice them both up right now, fuck my plan, but I know I can’t take on both of them. It’s impossible. My heart hammers against the floor. Hard.
Please give me the strength to endure this hell.
Xavier’s cologne and sweat fill the air.
Suffocating .
I can’t breathe.
I can hear Colton’s casual and lazy footsteps as he enters the chamber of horrors his father has created.
“What?” Colton’s voice cuts through the tension, a trace of irritation lacing his words. He doesn’t sound surprised, just mildly inconvenienced by the intrusion into his life.
Xavier grunts, his rhythm never faltering as he continues his assault on the girl. “I thought you might want to join in?”
The bed creaks ominously as Colton approaches, his presence an oppressive weight that seems to suffocate what little air is left in the room. I can’t see him, but I can picture the cold detachment in his eyes, a reflection of the darkness he’s been nurtured in.
Please say no. Please.
It feels like forever before he sighs.
“I don’t think so,” Colton replies, his tone flat. “I have better things to do.”
The girl’s sobs hiccup into silence, replaced by the unsettling sound of Xavier’s laughter. “I’m not asking,” he counters, the disappointment in his voice sharp as a blade. “Fill her mouth.”
I can feel the shift in the room, the power struggle concealed beneath layers of twisted bonds. There’s a deep silence between father and son that seems to last forever. But then Colton speaks again, and there’s a dangerous edge to his voice that sends a chill down my spine. “I said no.”
Xavier pauses, his breaths heavy and labored. “Just fucking do it,” he spits out, frustration seeping into his words. “Or I’ll use you as the entertainment at the club.”
My eyes widen as Colton curses. “I’m not hard. She doesn’t do it for me.”
“I said do it.”
Colton walks away from the bed, and I stiffen in fear.
What’s going to happen now?
“No.”
“Remember who owns you, boy!” Xavier snaps, but the door closes quietly, leaving a heavy silence behind until Xavier mutters something inaudible, flipping the girl over and slamming back into her.
Colton is gone, but I can’t relax. I’m still trapped. I’m still in hell.
“Did you hear that? You’re not good enough for my son. He likes his girls with a natural beauty, something you—don’t—have.” He emphasizes each word with a thrust that makes her sob once again. “He didn’t want to put his dick in your mouth, so he’ll pay. No one refuses me. Get ready, I’m going to fill your dirty tight cunt—” He stops, his breaths staggering as he releases into the girl, and I continue to pray, my hatred making my skin alight with rage.
I have to remain calm.
The girl on the bed lies still, her body heaving with silent sobs as Xavier dresses himself. Then he grabs the girl by the hair, dragging her onto the floor as he walks towards the closet.
She’s so busy screaming and trying to get out of his grip that she doesn’t notice me, but I see the fear in her eyes. Her hands, shaking uncontrollably, reminding me of my sister’s—small and fragile but trying so desperately to stay strong.
“No! Please!”
But Xavier slaps her so hard that her head hits the solid wood floor, and I know from the way her body slumps that she’s unconscious. I have to swallow repeatedly so I don’t vomit, but tears stream down my cheeks as Xavier drags the girl into the closet, shutting the door behind him. I hear a mechanical whirl, and my body tenses.
What’s in the fucking closet?
It must be an entrance to another room. A house this size must have so many fucking hidden rooms...
Tears stream down my cheeks as I glance at the door, wondering if I could slither out on my belly. If I’m quick, can I make it out? I don’t have long. I don’t know what he’s doing in that closet, but I hear another door slam, confirming my worst fears. That closet hides an entrance to something else.
Run! my instincts scream at me.
I slip from under the bed, muscles burning. A floorboard creaks. I freeze. Xavier’s footsteps stop. My heart pounds louder than the silence. He’s listening. He knows.
Then his footsteps continue to fade, so I move. My hands are covered in tears and dust, but I don’t look back as I clutch the folder to my chest.
It feels like hours before I finally reach the door, twisting the doorknob and pulling it free.
Heavy footsteps sound again.
He’s coming back!
My fingers twitch, hovering over my blade. This could be the moment I have to strike. I feel like I can’t breathe, but I remember my training and force myself to breathe so deeply that my lungs scream for release.
One, two, three, four, five...
RUN!
My body freezes, but I force my legs to move, slipping through the door as the door to the closet starts to open.
Out.
In.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten...
A sob threatens to escape my chest, but I bite it back, closing the door to the room of horrors behind me with a soft click.
As I slip out into the dimly lit hallway, I can’t help but think of Colton. His refusal to participate in his father’s depravity is a small victory, a chink in the armor of the Blackwood empire. But it also complicates matters. Colton is a wild card I didn’t expect. I need to understand him, something I don’t think will come easily. He seems unpredictable, and that's dangerous in an already precarious situation.
I glance back at the closed door.
This isn’t over. The game of cat and mouse has only just begun, and I won’t stop until Xavier Blackwood is dead.