Chapter 236
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-SIX
NICOLE
Heart pounding in my ears, I stood in a dimly lit room and stared at the blood dripping off Akio’s fist. Tension hung heavily in the air, and the poisoned scent of piss and fear clung to every wall of this huge room.
In the center of the warehouse, a man who I was sure had touched me at some point—there had been so many men that I could barely keep it straight anymore—was tied to a chair, his face swollen from the punches Akio had already thrown.
Blood dripped onto the floor from Akio’s fist, and I listened to it splatter on the concrete. Akio, the scrawny kid who was just supposed to be my science project partner, stood over the man with ferocious eyes.
Never before had I seen him like this, and, God … I thought I loved it.
Consumed by anger, Akio hurled another punch to the man’s jaw. The thud echoed throughout the room, and a pained cry left the man’s mouth. My lips twitched into a small smile as adrenaline rushed through me.
My breaths came in shallow gasps, but it wasn’t from fear. No. Not at all this time.
I physically couldn’t peel my gaze away. Every punch, every scream—it was music to my ears because the last time he had seen me, I had been the one screaming in pain and in agony, begging for him to stop.
“I’ll give you anything you want!” he cried. “Just stop!”
“Anything I want, huh?” Akio taunted, slamming another fist into his mouth.
The man in the chair groaned in pain, and a giggle left my lips, one that I couldn’t stop. One that I didn’t want to stop. Akio glanced over at me, his eyes filled with excitement and his lips curled into a wider smirk.
“Nicole,” Akio said, his voice gruff, “do you want to try?”
The room fell silent, and the man shook his head at me in horror, breathing raggedly. Akio stood over our captive, chest heaving and knuckles beyond bloodied. I was waiting for him to take it back, to snap out of this trance.
Because this wasn’t him.
But he stepped back from the man and pulled a knife out of his back pocket, extending his arm for me to take the weapon. My eyes grew wider, and my heart pumped so loudly that I could hear it all around me.
“Yes,” I whispered, “I do want a try.”
“Here,” Akio whispered, placing the knife in my hand and wrapping my fingers around it. “Hurt him.”
I gripped the knife tightly and walked closer to the man who had hurt me, relishing in the fear evident in his eyes. He shook wildly and screamed at the top of his lungs for me to stop. But like my screams had driven those men to rape me, his screams only made me want to hurt him more.
With a deep breath, I smirked softly at the man, and then in one swoop, I slashed the blade across his face, happiness washing over me.