Chapter 23
23
JO
I’m not sure how long we sleep. I wake up multiple times with Cole curled around me in some position or another. If I could have tossed and turned, I would have, but the ropes, his heavy weight, and the small seats made that impossible. Despite that, the ropes weren’t uncomfortable, and Cole made sure to take the collar off before I slept, which I appreciated more than I’d tell him.
When we get up, it’s getting dark again. They untie me, and I shake the stiffness out of my limbs. I have to change into my last pair of shorts since Cole ruined my other one, and they make me take a piss outside. The whole time, both men are stiff and silent. They’re like a storm waiting to happen.
I’m hungry and thirsty, but I don’t want to break the stifling silence. No one speaks. Jayden dresses my arm again, and Cole continues to send me obsessive looks. It makes goosebumps prickle across my skin.
When we get back in the car, Jayden gets in the front seat. “Hand me the damn bag.”
Cole has slid in next to me, and he slowly cocks his head, flipping his knife back and forth, back and forth.
“For fuck’s sake.” Jayden shuffles his huge body around and snatches at a backpack by my feet.
Cole kicks it away with his foot. “Why don’t you learn to ask for help nicely instead of just strongarming your way through everything.”
Jayden stiffens.
The energy rolling around in the car makes the hair on my arms stand on end.
At the wrong moment, my stomach growls. It sounds loud in the silence.
Cole slowly tilts his head toward me. “Are you hungry, little one?”
I swallow. Fuck. I’m not sure what he and Jayden are fighting about, but suddenly, Cole looks at me like I’m the only one on his radar.
Cole gives me a slow, mean smile. “Did I not tell you we’d take care of you?”
I clench my jaw. He waits for an answer.
“Yes,” I grind out.
“Then why,” Cole leans in, “didn’t you tell us you were hungry?”
I glare at him. “I was going to get it myself. Do I have to ask for water and snacks like a damn kid?”
Jayden snorts. I glance at him, and he quickly hides a smirk.
“Oh?” Cole leans back, glancing between the two of us. “You know Jo, you have a lot in common with Jay here. Can’t ask for help to save your life.”
I don’t know what to say to that.
Cole twirls the knife again, and it slips, slicing into one of his fingers. He hisses.
Oh shit, he cut himself.
Jayden whirls around. “Give me the goddamn knife, Cole!”
“Take it from me.” Cole winks, throwing his finger in his mouth.
Jayden looks like he’s going to lunge into the backseat.
“I’ll tell you what.” Cole hands me the knife. “We’ll play a game for it. Whoever catches her gets it.”
I stare at the blade in my hand. This is the same knife I whittled with in the cabin. The same one I fought him with when he chased me and then fucked me within an inch of my life.
Jayden lunges for me, and instinctively, I close my hand around the handle and recoil in the seat.
“Jo,” Jayden growls. “Give it to me.” His big body is pinned between the two front seats.
The tiny bit of control that I have flows through me.
Cole digs around in his bag and throws something at Jayden. “Gotta wear a mask. Makes it more fun.”
“I’m not doing that shit. Give me the knife, Jo.”
“If you don’t wear it, the deal is off. What, afraid you can’t catch her?” Cole gives me a predatory look. “Better run, Jo.”
“Don’t,” Jayden growls.
If I don’t get out of here, something is going to happen to me. The pressure is far too high.
I dart out of the car and take off into the woods. The sun is just setting, casting golden light all over the trees and bushes. I run as fast as I can go, tree branches and shrubs whipping my face. A burst of excitement rushes through me, and I feel alive.
I can breathe again. The stifling pressure in the car is gone.
There’s a whoop behind me and heavy footsteps. I dart to the right, away from the sound.
Fuck, they’re chasing me. The woods are thick with summer growth, which makes running hard.
I need to find somewhere to hide. I scramble down a hill, getting caught by bushes. They claw at and catch on my clothes.
I jump over a small overhang and land heavily on the ground. I roll, then realize the overhang is just enough for me to squeeze under. I scramble under it, breathing heavily.
“Where are you, little one? Don’t you want to get caught?” It’s Cole’s voice, and he doesn’t even sound out of breath. Movement catches my eye, and I suck in a breath.
One of them stalks through the woods. He has a ski mask on.
“Here kitty kitty.”
It’s Cole. I can tell by the voice.
He whirls slowly, scanning the area. I freeze completely.
Cole’s blue eyes lock on mine, and a grin stretches across his face. “Oh, hello.”
He’s about five feet away. I scramble out of my hiding spot and sprint as fast as I can.
“I think she wants to be caught,” I hear Jayden say.
I let out a scream. I see Jayden running toward me on the left. He also has a ski mask on.
I dart away. Fuck! They’re so damn close. I know I can’t outrun them, and I can’t hide from them. And that makes a thrill run through me.
I whirl, holding my knife out in front of me, gasping for breath.
Both men slow.
“What a good girl. Running as soon as I told you to.” I recognize the voice as Cole, even though they look almost identical in the masks. Cole doesn’t even sound out of breath. “I say jump, and you say: how high?”
“Fuck you,” I pant for breath. I can only see slivers of their faces. I think Jayden is on the right, and his dark eyes flash with menace.
“Don’t come any closer.” I slash the blade out at Jayden as he tries to edge up behind me.
“You keep telling us what to do, and you won’t be coming for a long, long time.”
“Tell us what to do, lemon drop,” Cole says. “It makes it all the more fun to punish you.”
“Would you stop telling her to do the opposite of what I say?” Jayden snaps.
“Why? It’s so much fun.”
Both men close in on either side. I maneuver so my back is to a tree so they can’t sneak up behind me. I see Jayden throw Cole a nasty glare.
When I glance at Cole to see his reaction, Jayden lunges at me. I snap the knife out, but he darts to the side, batting my arm down. I try to swing it back up, but Jayden is on top of me, shoving me into the tree.
I hit it so hard that the breath explodes from my lungs. Jayden is on me in a second, pressing into me and ripping the knife from my hand.
“Fuck.” I jerk my knee up. Jayden doesn’t move in time, and I graze him.
“Jesus,” Jayden doubles over, and I scramble away.
“Uh uh.” There’s a hand in my hair and a sharp yank downward that makes me cry out. Cole has stepped between us, pulling me by my hair as he grabs at Jayden. “You’ve had your fun; now it’s time for us to have ours.”
I scratch at his hands, but Cole yanks me to the ground, pulling hard enough that my eyes fill with tears. “Atta girl. Get on your knees for us. Submit like the good little whore we know you are.”
I blink away the tears, seeing the dirt and leaves where Cole holds me.
“Give it,” Jayden gasps to Cole. I hear him pull in a breath through the mask.
“No, no. I’m not done playing.” Cole shoves me down, and I catch myself on my hands.
I turn on my knees to face them. Both stand over me, their masks menacing and dark.
“I’m going to give you one chance to take your clothes off, little one.” Cole flips the knife in his hand. “And if you don’t take that chance, I will cut them off. I know you only have one pair of shorts left.”
I swallow. He has me, and he knows it. Despite myself, my pussy pulses. I glare at them and hook my fingers in my pants.
Cole fixes his gaze on me. “Say: thank you, master, for letting me undress for you.”
I narrow my eyes further.
Cole cocks his head, and his voice gets lower, “Say it, Jo.”
“Thank. You.” I grit my teeth.
“Thank you, who?”
If I could reach him to hit him, I would. I bite out, “Thank you, master , for letting me keep my clothes.” I lower my voice as I yank my pants down and mutter, “Dick.”
“What was that?” Jayden is on me in a flash, hand around my throat, forcing my head up to look at him. His eyes narrow behind the mask. “What did you say?”
“Thank you.” I narrow my eyes at Jayden further, but I can feel my pulse pick up under his fingers.
Jayden leans down, the fabric of his mask brushing my nose as he squeezes my neck. “So you think you can just disrespect him ‘cause we’re fighting?” He chuckles, rubbing the fabric of his mask against my neck. “What a silly kitten. Now get your fucking pants off, and we’ll see how much you’re going to pay for that little comment.”
He lets go of me. Heat throbs in my pussy. I yank my pants as far as I can get them while still kneeling. That dark look is back in Jayden’s eyes. I see him smirk under his mask, and then he steps behind me. Suddenly, Jayden yanks my shirt over my head, pulling my arms up with it. I try to wiggle out, but I’m yanked back by my shoulders. I cry out as I fall back, unable to catch myself.
My head lands on Jayden. The shirt is over my eyes, and I struggle to yank it all the way off. Panic rolls through me. The last time they covered my head, they drowned me.
“No, no.” Hands land on my arms and pin them above my head. “You don’t deserve to see. Right now, I want to hear your pitiful little cries as Cole teaches you a lesson.”
I wiggle and arch my back, but a hot hand lands on my hip, holding me down. “Ohhh, Jo. You’re wet already. So eager to take our dicks?” There’s a tsk. “How embarrassing. I thought you hated us and wanted to run?”
“I do,” I suck in a breath. Will this be my last one? Will they drown me again?
“So fucking wet.” A finger swipes at my pussy, and I jump at the contact. Fingers land on my clit and rub slowly. “Such a fucking slut for me. That’s it. Take it like my good little girl.”
I struggle to get away, throwing my head back and forth.
Jayden laughs cruelly. “What is it, kitten? Are you afraid?”
I jump at the snap of a stick. Did they bring water with them? I don’t think they did.
There’s an intake of breath by my left ear. Jayden chuckles. “You are afraid. You talk a big talk, but as soon as we get you in our hands, you crumble. Pitiful.”
Pleasure is starting to build in my clit. I start to fight for an entirely different reason.
Cole’s fingers disappear. I tense.
Something hard and blunt presses against my entrance. Something foreign.
“Cole!” I struggle.
“Easy now. It’s just a knife. Not even as big as the spice jar.”
The object is pressed harder into me. I feel it push inside me, all hard edges and cold.
“Wait!” I whip my head back and forth again.
“That’s it,” Jayden leans into my ear again. “Fucking beg. Fucking beg for mercy.”
The handle slips in, rough and harsh. Bites of pain course through me, and I suck in a hot breath against the shirt. I clench down, and Cole’s fingers are on my clit again, rubbing circles.
“It hurts,” I gasp.
Suddenly, the shirt is ripped off my head, and Jayden’s masked face is there, leaning down. His eyes are dark and wild. “I want to see those pretty little tears when you break for me. Go on. Cry. It makes me come.”
Cole gently pumps the knife handle in and out of me, pushing up so it grazes my G-spot, and I gasp in pain and pleasure.
I can’t handle what these men are doing to me. The constant swing from fear to hate to exhaustion has me strung out on every emotion possible.
Jayden still has my arms pinned above my head, and he moves his hand until it’s over my bandage. He squeezes, causing another bolt of pain to run through me. I gasp and arch my back, tears immediately filling my eyes.
Jayden bucks his hips up into me and groans.
Pleasure in my clit builds as Cole continues his assault. Their angry, dominating touch fills me with need, and I clench around the knife handle.
“Good girl. Be a nasty thing, and come on my knife.”
I think I’m going to. Jayden gives another harsh press to my cuts.
I squeeze my eyes shut.
“Open, Jo. I want to see you fall apart,” Jayden demands.
Cole slows his pace, dropping me from the edge. I snap my eyes open. He winks at me. “Obey him, and you can come.”
I drop my head back but keep them open, staring up into the twilight.
Cole builds me back up instantly, and Jayden squeezes my wound. He growls, “You’re going to stop running from Cole unless he tells you to. Got it?”
I clench my jaw.
Jayden drops his head to mine, speaking so low into my ear I almost can’t hear him, “He trusted you. Then you ran.” Jayden jerks his hips up into me. “He spent everything he had to find you, and you ran again. And again .” Jayden digs his fingers into me and speaks a little louder, “So why don’t you stop being a fucking ungrateful slut and stop. Fucking. Fighting.”
The adrenaline and dopamine swirl in my head immediately, and a pang runs through my heart. Guilt eats at me.
Cole leans over, lifts his mask up, and spits on my clit, rubbing it in with his fingers.
“Now, come,” Jayden demands.
The orgasm rolls over me. Pleasure explodes, and I clench around the knife handle. I come with such intensity that my entire body locks up.
Cole jerks his dick out of his pants and rubs one out over me. He comes with a growl, shooting pearls of cum onto my skin.
“Good.” Jayden gets out from under me. He leans over me, and Cole snaps his hand down to the knife handle that’s still in my pussy, keeping it from Jayden. He works it out gently, reclaiming it.
“Now that that’s handled. We have a situation to take care of.”