Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Jenna
Daniel typed a four-digit code into the lock and opened the door, gesturing for me to go in ahead of him.
The door closed behind him with a click, and the music grew louder.
We were in a narrow space between the newly constructed walls of the sensory room and the temporary wall that separated the work area from the rest of the library.
I hadn’t seen inside since they started working, and even in my rush, I paused to admire the sensory room entrance, a zigzag maze opening, perfectly designed to keep anyone from being locked in or out.
“This looks great.”
“Go in.”
I jumped at the sound of his voice. It was close. Too close. And...different.
My skin prickled, a knot coiling in my stomach. The niggling in my gut that I’d ignored before was screaming at me now, but it was too late. Liam was going to kill me, and I couldn’t blame him. I was an idiot.
“I...um, maybe I should wait out there. Someone might need me. Why don’t I go back out, and you can ask them to come out so we can talk.”
“Go in, Jenna.”
I spun around and tried to push past him, ready to run back out that door kicking and screaming if I had to. But before I could take a single step, he grabbed me.
“Hel—”
His hand slammed into my face, snapping my head back.
Pain and panic surged through me, but before I could react, his arm locked around my chest and his hand clamped over my mouth.
His other arm wrapped around my hips, pinning my arms to my sides and my body against his.
His fingers dug into me. His erection stabbed into my back.
No. God, no.
I tried to buck and twist away. Tried to wrench my arms free. Tried to headbutt and kick and bite and elbow and do a heel strike, but his grip was punishing and unbreakable. All my struggling did was make me rub against his penis.
There was no room to move, no room to fight. Trapped like a helpless child, he carried me into the sensory room, away from the door, away from escape.
My heart raced and my chest heaved, burning and aching, frantically trying to pull in air through his thick, clammy fingers.
“Breathe, darling. Breathe through your nose.” His voice oozed over me, stealing the last bit of air from my lungs. I desperately wanted to refuse, but I needed oxygen more desperately.
I forced my body to relax, to push back the panic and breathe through my nose, and when some of the pressure in my chest eased, I tried to yell again, but he tightened his hand in a jaw-crushing grip.
A whimper tried to escape, and tears streamed down my face. I thrashed harder. Or tried to anyway. His arms were like steel manacles around me.
He laughed, low and menacing, his hot, wet breath heavy in my ear. “That’s my good girl, I knew you’d be fun. Relax, though. I don’t want to hurt you. Not yet.”
Panic clawed at my insides. He was insane. And so strong. And his penis...
Liam, where are you? Hurry, please.
“Do you know who I am?”
I might not be able to fight him, but I wouldn’t play along. I kicked and writhed mutely.
“I said, do you know who I am?” His voice was angry now.
I didn’t. But even if I did, with his hand wrenching at my face and fear wrenching at my heart, I couldn’t speak anyway.
His hand around my hips was gone suddenly, but before I could do anything, his fist plowed into my stomach.
My body jerked, trying to fold in on itself, but he held me in place against him, gasping and heaving. My stomach spasmed like it was trying to force its way up my throat.
“Shush, darling,” he purred. “Take a deep breath. You’re okay.”
Pain and dizziness blurred my vision. It felt like he was moving, but I couldn’t see. Couldn’t breathe.
No Jenna, don’t panic. I had to be ready to fight.
Long, horrifying moments later, the sharp pain faded to an ache and I finally dragged in air. I looked around, but nothing made sense. I blinked, trying to focus.
Oh crap. We were on the floor in the middle of the construction, and he had me cradled on his lap, my arms pinned to my sides. One of his hands clamped over my mouth, the other wrapped around my legs, and his penis jabbed my butt.
I tried to scramble away, but I was a minnow in the jaws of a great white. And we were alone. I was a fool. The other guys weren’t here—not doing any construction, and not to save me. But at least it wasn’t all of them against me.
“I’m sorry for hitting you. Let’s try again. Do you know who I am?”
I shook my head quickly.
He let out, a low, dark chuckle. “Look at me, darling.”
I didn’t want to be punched again, so I swallowed back my terror and looked up at him. He smiled down at me...a thin, sinister smile.
No. No, no, no. He couldn’t be.
“Ah, you do know who I am. I’m not sure if I’m happy or disappointed it took you so long.”
Cold, hard, soulless blue eyes glimmered down at me.
Snake Eyes.
Daniel was Snake Eyes.
Oh, God. Panic burned through me. I writhed and bucked and kicked, fighting with every bit of strength and adrenaline I had, but he just laughed, the most terrifying, evil laugh.
His arm around my legs tightened, his fingers biting into my thigh.
He pulled his leg out from under me and pinned my legs down with it. Trapped.
A whimper crawled up my throat, and he squeezed my jaw, his already painful grip clenching. Suffocating.
His other hand, now free, so big it spanned from hip to hip, slid over my body. I squeezed my thighs together. Braced to feel him between my legs.
He barely touched me before his hand moved between us, against the outside of my thigh. It was in his pocket, I realized, and then he was holding something white. A sock.
He dropped the sock on my stomach and shifted his grip to hold my wrists, his fingers biting into me in an unbreakable grasp. My mouth was free!
“Help!” But it came out small and useless. With the music so loud, no one would hear me. I sucked in a breath and tried again, and I tried to twist away, but he yanked my arms to the ground over my head, arching my back painfully over his other leg.
“Beautiful.”
I swallowed back my sob and opened my mouth to scream then slammed it shut as he brought the sock to my face.
“Open up.”
I shook my head frantically, my jaw clenched tight.
“No worries. I’ll wait until you’re ready.” His smile was scarier than his anger.
He held the sock over my mouth and nose and pinched my nose shut. My chest burned and black dots danced across my vision. My heartbeat pounded through my head, heavy and demanding.
“Are you ready yet, Jenna?” Slowly, so slowly, like he was relishing my pain, he eased off my mouth, but tightened his grip on my nose.
I tried to breathe through clenched teeth, but I couldn’t. My mouth refused to stay closed. As soon as it opened, before I could even take a breath, his fingers plunged into my mouth, the taste and feel of him nearly gagging me, and then he was shoving the thick cotton in too.
He pulled his hand away, and I tried to push the sock out, but somehow, he had duct tape, and he quickly bit the edge and tore a big piece off. He jammed the sock back in and covered my mouth, the tape stretching from ear to ear.
“I’m sorry to have to do that, darling. Sorry we’re in here. I’d love to hear you scream for me.”
I looked away and tried to breathe. In. Out. I didn’t know how I could stop him, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of watching me gag and choke and cry.
His hand slithered down my body, squeezing my throat, then my breasts, and then he lifted my shirt and dragged it up, pulling my bra up with it too, exposing me to his beady blue eyes.
“So beautiful, darling.” His voice was almost reverent and his touch was gentle, and it was even more sickening than if he’d just pawed at me. “I’ve been waiting a long time to see you like this.”
His hand was gone suddenly, and I couldn’t help but look up at him, bracing for what was next.
“That’s right, Jenna. Watch me like I’ve been watching you.
” Terrified, I did. I watched as he pulled off a wig, revealing a brown crew cut under his long gray hair, and plucked contacts out of his eyes.
Black, soulless snake eyes stared down at me.
I pulled and jerked and writhed, but he just tightened his grip, pinning my arms and legs to the ground, and he laughed sinisterly. He raised his leg under me, arching my back, straining my shoulders and hips painfully and pushing my breasts up in a grotesque display.
I tried to ignore the feeling of being torn apart. Tried to breathe through my nose and ignore the feeling of suffocating. The chill of his cold stare slid over me. I tried to ignore his hand on me. On my chest, my stomach, my hips, my thighs. Between my legs. Just breathe.
I searched around me as best as I could, looking for anything I could use as a weapon.
Distracting myself from the panic threatening to take over.
There was nothing within reach, but there was a stepladder not too far behind me with tools on one of the steps.
I couldn’t tell what they were, but they looked big.
If I could scoot back, I could pull the ladder over to make the tools fall.
Hopefully, a hammer would fall within my reach, and I could bludgeon him with it.
Or a sharp screwdriver I could stab him with. Maybe a box cutter.
I’d fight with everything I had as soon as I had a chance. It didn’t matter what he might be doing to me that would distract him enough for me to fight back. I could handle whatever he did. I just needed to survive.
He made quick work of opening my belt, then fumbled with the button on my jeans.
“Tsk-tsk. Of all days for you to wear jeans, darling. You’ve been teasing me with your skirts for so long.
I was looking forward to flipping your skirt up to taste this cunt you’ve been hiding from me.
That’s what I was fantasizing about just this morning. How does that sock taste, by the way?”
My heart thudded, dread filling my belly. Breathe. Gotta keep breathing.
“Yeah, you taste it, don’t you? I jacked off to thoughts of you. Imagining you in your bed, your skirt rucked up around your waist, your cunt bare for me, your Texas longhorn watching over us. I came on that sock, saved it for you. Can you taste my cum, Jenna?”
Vomit rushed up, burning and pooling in my mouth, mixing with his cum-covered sock, gagging me. If I choked on my vomit and died, would he still rape my dead body? Tears streamed down my face and my body jerked in his grasp, my stomach heaving against my will, trying to kill me.
Liam, please come now. I need you!
He’d come. I knew he’d come soon. I just had to survive until then. But I was seriously choking and drowning in my own vomit. And his cum.
Breathe. In. Out.
Snake Eyes smiled at me. His sinister smile, not Daniel’s smile. Both were terrifying.
“That’s right, darling, I’ve been watching you for a long time. Do you remember when we met in the park?”
Oh God, it was him. Buzzing rang in my ears and my vision blurred. I couldn’t have answered him even if I wanted to.
Pain burst through my cheek before I even registered his hand moving. The metallic taste of blood mixed with vomit and cum-covered cotton.
Breathe. In. Out.
I nodded.
“The moment I saw you…the way your eyes widened in fear…the way you tried to skip away, but smiled at me as you did. You couldn’t take your eyes off me. You were so tiny and fragile, I was careful not to bump you too hard, but even still, with that little touch, you panicked. Do you remember?”
I nodded quickly, hating how easily he’d made me compliant.
“I knew then how much fun you’d be, and I was right.
It’s been a pleasure getting to know you, Jenna.
Watching you in the park. Watching you work.
Watching you squirm. Following you home and seeing the lights come on in your apartment.
First the living room, and then you’d walk into your room, and I’d see you for a few minutes before you closed your blinds, and I’d jack off right there in my car outside your window, imagining you just like this. ”
He squeezed my breasts and brutally pinched my nipples, pain shooting through me. “You’re even more beautiful than I imagined.” He sank his hand into my pants, grabbing me, and pushing them down, and my underwear too.
I couldn’t help the whimpers that tried to escape. I tried to focus on the ladder. Distract him. Make noise. I tried to think about how I’d smash him in the face with the tools. I’d smash his nuts too. I tried to think of anything but the feel of his fingers on me. In me. But it hurt.
Where are you, Liam?
He pulled his hand away from between my legs and his heavy breathing paused. Against my will, my eyes snapped back to him and—No! I squeezed my eyes shut, but the image of him sucking on his fingers still played in my mind.
“Your cunt tastes almost as good as your fear.”
My stomach lurched again.
“So skittish, my love. You always knew it was me, didn’t you? In the bushes, you and that mutt both knew. And at work, I saw you looking for me. Always so responsive to me, I love that about you.”
Oh God, I did know. How could I know and still end up here?
He sighed heavily. “I’m sorry I have to end this so soon, but you pushed me to take a risk doing this in here. You’ve been well worth it, though, darling, and we’re not done yet. I’ll always remember you just like this. It’s a shame someone so beautiful is going to die so tragically.”
Liam!
Black spots danced across my vision.
“Breathe, darling. In and out through your nose. You can’t leave me yet.” His hand smoothed down my body like he was trying to caress me.
The urge to defy his order just to spite him before he could rape and kill me was strong but fleeting. Liam’s voice was stronger. Do whatever it takes to survive, Firefly. Fight with everything you have.
I closed my eyes and focused on breathing. Ignored his penis under me. His hands on me. His cum-covered sock in my mouth. My body being stretched and pulled past its limits. Just breathe.
“Good girl. That’s not how this ends. It ends with a pretty, young librarian who was too curious for her own good.
You saw all the workers leave early and decided to come in and explore.
Made the tragic choice to try out the angle grinder.
It may look small and lightweight, but that saw is way too powerful for a little thing like you, especially with the blade guard broken.
It can cut through metal, stone, and bone.
By the time anyone finds your body, it'll be so severely mangled and bloodied, this will all stay our little secret.”
Ignore him. Just breathe.
He was delusional. Liam was coming back. There were cameras and people. It might be too late to save me, but he wouldn’t get away with it.
Then suddenly he was on top of me, and all thought fled my brain.