Chapter 36
Thirty-Six
Emilia
A s I’m shoved back into the bedroom, Jess wakes with a start from her position curled up on the cot.
“Stupid fucking bitch. I can’t wait to have another lesson with you once you’re stitched up again,” spits Vincent, eyeing me hungrily where I’m sprawled on the floor, the cut on my stomach dripping blood all over the place. It makes the floor slick and difficult for me to push up into a sitting position. I’m a complete mess, blood smeared all over my body, Vincent’s cum dried on my chest, and my sex pounding from the abuse I’ve endured at his hands. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.
“The doctor should be here soon, then, princess, we’ll see if you’ve learned anything from your lessons,” he says as he turns, shutting the door behind him and turning the lock, eliminating our only means of escape.
Jess peeks over at me, pity in her eyes as she takes in the sorry state of me. “They really did a number on you this time, didn’t they?” she asks.
“You could say that again… Lorenzo showed up mid-lesson, the fucking bastard.”
“You know him on a personal level, outside of this hellhole?”
“He was like an uncle to me growing up. I never would have thought that he held such hatred for me and my family,” I respond, grimacing as the blood still runs in rivers down my body. I’m worried I’m losing too much blood.
“That’s really fucked up. But hey, the doctor should be here soon. I’m sure he’ll get you patched up,” she responds tentatively. It’s evident she’s trying to lift my spirits.
“Yeah, just so those bastards can have another go at me,” I spit out, not necessarily meaning to take my anger out on her, but starting to feel defeated is making me lose my temper.
She winces at my response, knowing I speak the truth. Those bastards will just get me sewed up and ready to go for another lesson, intent on breaking my spirit and my body. I plan on pleading my case with the doctor today, hoping there’s a way he can get us out of here. Or at least Jess, if not me. I swore a promise to get her out of here, and I’ll keep my word, if it’s the last thing I do.
We stayed up late, long after the cries and screams quieted as the men settled down for rest last night. Jess told me about her life as an aspiring model. It’s how she met Anthony, actually. He pretended to be a photographer helping new-to-the-industry models build their portfolio. He drugged her at their photo shoot, and she’s been here ever since. The women are all kept apart so she doesn’t know the names of the other women, but she thinks they may be from similar situations as they are all beautiful, or at least they were before the abuse at the hands of the men.
“You said Kayden and James were going to get us out of here, right? We just need to hold out long enough to get rescued. We can do this, Emilia.”
“You’re such a ray of fucking sunshine, you know that, Jess? Always looking on the bright side of things.”
“I’m trying,” she replies, looking down at her hands. “It’s getting harder each day, but lord knows I’m trying.”
“There is no lord hearing our prayers, Jess,” I say, lying down on the floor as I start to feel lightheaded from the blood loss.
“I have to believe in something, Emilia…”
Her voice fades out as my eyes fight to stay open, and darkness claims me once again.
* * *
“Emilia, Emilia.”
My eyes snap open and I sit up, looking around for the source of the voice. I must be dreaming.
“Emilia, can you hear me?”
The voice is coming from my right ear. I notice the doctor crouched in front of me, tapping his ear and pointing at me.
“James?” I ask on a sob, my hand coming up to my mouth to stifle the sound.
“Emilia, love. We are going to get you out of there, do you hear me? We have a plan. I can’t talk long, but we are coming for you, OK?”
“OK.” It’s all I can say as I try to process that I’m actually hearing his voice. It gives me hope, and hope is not something I can afford to have right now, not when I’m so close to breaking. Because if I have hope, and their plan doesn’t work, or worse, if something happens to him, I will be broken beyond repair.
“Once night falls in a few minutes, you will probably hear some commotion. We are going to draw as many men as we can outside, taking them out before making our way through the house. The power is going to go out, and you will be plunged in darkness. We know what room you’re in, so I want you to stay put, and keep your head down.”
“OK. OK.” My chest tightens with the hope that is clogging my throat, preventing me from getting any more words out.
“I love you, Emilia. I’m coming for you. Doc, get her patched up and ready to go.”
Before I can return those three words to him, the doctor reaches over and takes the ear piece out of my ear, grabbing his own and placing it in his medical bag.
“But how?” I ask the doctor, stunned beyond words.
“Don’t talk, Emilia. Just let me patch you up. We can’t risk the men outside overhearing anything we say. Rest assured though, help is on the way.”
Speechless, I lie back, giving the doctor access to my stomach which is leaking fresh blood from sitting up.
The doctor disinfects the wound and starts suturing the skin back together. He hums as he works, and I focus on the sound, escaping into a corner of my mind to block out the pain. After bandaging my arms up and restitching the sutures that tore on my chest, he starts to put his supplies back in his bag.
“Emilia, dear. I need you to take this. Keep it behind you should anyone come in here. But protect yourself at all costs,” he says as he hands me a tool, its metal surface cool in my warm hand.
“It’s a scalpel. It’s small but can deal quite a bit of damage. Aim for the carotid artery in the neck if you can,” he whispers, looking back toward the door and making sure no one is listening.
Gathering up his bag, he peers at us one more time, tears shining in his eyes. “I hope to God you all make it out alive. I’m truly sorry I couldn’t do more.”
Turning to go, he knocks on the door three times, signaling to whoever waits down the hall that his work is complete.
I share a look with Jess, who is sitting up on her cot, hope shining in her eyes.
“We’re going to get out of here, Jess,” I say, finally allowing myself to have a sliver of hope.
The door slams open again, this time Lorenzo walks through holding a tray of food in each hand. “Time for dinner, you sluts.”
I bristle at his remark. He acts as though we are here willingly spreading our legs.
He sets our trays on the floor, backing up and smirking. “Here, I even placed it on the floor so you can eat like the bitches that you are.”
“Fuck you, Lorenzo. Fucking tough guy getting his thrills by beating on women.”
“Watch it, Emilia, or else I’ll have to get my thrills on poor Jess over here.”
Jess immediately backs into the corner on her cot, knowing his words aren’t a bluff. When we spoke late last night, she let me know that it’s Lorenzo that does the majority of the physical abuse to the women here. Vincent and Anthony are the guys that relish in the sexual abuse, but Lorenzo here gets off on beating the women. I never in a million years would have thought that this darkness dwelled inside him. He was always the exact opposite around me and my family. But now I know, he held a deep-seated hate for all of us and was just biding his time to make a move.
“Have a good night ladies. I hear tomorrow is going to be mighty eventful for you women. Plenty of lessons to go around,” he says with a smirk before leaving the room.
Fucking cocksucker. I hope he gets what’s coming to him.
Before Jess and I can even dig into the mess they consider food, we hear shouting in the hallway along with pounding steps of those running down the stairs.
Kayden and his men must have made their move because next thing we know, the power cuts out, and we’re surrounded by darkness. Jess and I wait for what feels like forever before the doorknob starts to slowly turn. We both back into our respective corners, unsure of who is going to come through the door. Reaching behind me, I feel for the scalpel, relieved to find that it’s still tucked behind me, ready to use should I need it.
The door opens and I can barely make out the shape of a tall figure. My hope whispers in my mind that it’s Kayden, only to be dashed when the figure speaks.
“With everyone busy dealing with the fire, I finally have my chance to get some royal pussy,” says Vincent, coming further into the room and turning on a flash light.
I squint, holding my hand out to block out the rays of light and turn my head, dread tangling my stomach in knots.
Before I can get a good look at where he is, a sharp pain explodes on the side of my head, the light flaring across the room as I topple over onto my side. I feel blood running down my temple as the room spins. He takes the opportunity to push me onto my back, laying his body across mine as he pins my arms above my head with one hand. He fumbles for the button on his jeans as he becomes desperate to free his dick, growing increasingly frustrated as I kick at him with my feet.
Laying a kick to his balls, he lets go of my wrists, and I reach out a hand, frantically searching for the scalpel that I lost in the scuffle. Not feeling the metal tool, I start to lose hope as I hear the zipper to his jeans and a tug on my ankle.
“Come here, princess. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity,” he sneers, latching onto both my ankles and tugging my body across the floor. The flashlight lays on the floor illuminating Jess in her corner on the cot. I see the flash of metal just out of my reach, and I yell out for her, catching her gaze and pointing to the scalpel laying on the floor close to her cot. Vincent doesn’t catch my movement, too busy trying to angle his dick as I fight him with my legs.
Jess jumps off the cot as far as her chain allows and kicks the scalpel toward my outstretched hand. Closing my hand around the cool metal, I swing up just as I feel Vincent’s dick brush my inner thigh. My aim is true as I bring my hand in an arc across his throat, the scalpel cutting cleanly through his flesh like a knife to butter.
Vincent’s hands immediately go to his neck, clutching and trying to stop the blood that sprays out, coating me in a layer of the sticky redness. Holy fuck that is a sharp-as-hell blade. I have to remember to thank the doctor.
“You bitch.” His words come out in garbles, and I smile. Vincent falls back on his ass, still clutching his neck and looking at me with wide eyes as I tower over him.
“Who’s the weak little bitch now, hmmm?” I ask him, starting to feel hysterical in my quest for vengeance. I must look half-crazed, my naked body a patchwork of stitches and covered in his blood.
I bend down and grab the pocket knife from his jean pocket, flipping it open and flashing a sinister smile at Vincent. “I think I’ll have a little fun with you before you completely bleed out.”
Before he can make a single sound, I take the knife and slash it across his chest. He attempts to scream, but only gurgles are heard as blood starts to pool out of his mouth.
“Such a shame, I thought I’d have more time with you, Vince.” His chest is completely torn open, and as much as I want to continue paying him back for every cut on my body, I hear Jess whimper off to the side.
Swinging my gaze over to her, I notice a figure in the doorway, barely illuminated by the flashlight.
“Emilia, you have certainly been a naughty, naughty girl,” drawls Anthony as he takes in Vincent dying in the corner. “I guess you still need to learn a lesson.”
As he takes a step into the room, he starts to undo his belt, pulling it from his waistband and grabbing the ends in his fist.
I tighten my hold on the knife and square my shoulders, not ready to go down without a fight.