Chapter 7 Wren #2
He opens a door and guides me through before his arm drops from my shoulder.
I step inside and look around. There’s a large bed in the center, which really is just a mattress on the floor, with blankets tossed about, looking like it hasn’t been made in weeks.
There are some crates at the side with clothing hanging over them, and… no desk. No computer.
“Tony?” I ask, turning to face him as he closes the door and locks it. I swallow nervously as he looks down at me, as if waiting to see what I’ll do next. “I thought you were taking me to your office? You know, for the ID?”
“Change of plans, tiny.” He turns and pushes a bolt across the door that I hadn’t noticed at the top of the door frame. One that’s way out of my reach. My body starts to tremble as I take a worried step away from him.
He circles me slowly, then takes a seat on the end of the bed, watching me. “Come here.” He points to the ground in front of him.
I don’t want to listen, but years of being told to obey have me stepping toward him before I even know what’s going on.
He nods in approval before twirling his finger in a circle. “Turn… slowly.” I clench my hands into fists and I do as he says, hoping it will give me a chance to think of a way out of here.
“Good. Now, take off your dress.”
“What?!” I screech in shock, jumping backward away from him. “I can’t!”
“Why not?”
I want to tell him it’s because he’s gross, his breath smells like beer, I don’t like him, and he makes my skin crawl, but I decide that insulting him might not be the best idea. I might be naive, but I’m not an idiot.
“It’s illegal.”
He frowns. “What is?”
“Sex before marriage.”
His eyebrows raise high on his forehead before he releases a laugh. Stroking his hand through his beard, he asks, “Where the hell did you come from?”
“I—I can’t answer that.”
“Hmm. Almost perfect.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, taking another step away from him.
“I should thank whoever made you this way. But there’s still a hint of a backbone in there.
Regardless, I can work with this.” I try to make sense of his words as his eyes trail down my body and back up again.
“Never thought I had a thing for snow white before, but hot damn.” He lets out a laugh as he cups himself between his legs.
“I need to go. Forget the ID,” I say in alarm, moving quickly to the door.
“Sorry, tiny. You ain’t going anywhere.”
“What do you mean?” When the door won’t budge, I turn back to him, my back pressing into the door and my heart hammering hard in my chest as I wait for his answer.
“I’ve been looking for someone like you for a long time.
The club sluts are good at sucking cock and all, but after a while they get old, and they ain’t worth my time when they start talking back.
What I need is a good girl, like you. Someone who’ll be obedient and loyal.
Someone whom none of the others have ever touched. Someone who will do whatever I say.”
My eyes widen in fear, unsure if I’m understanding him correctly. “Are you saying you want to marry me?” I ask, making him bark out a laugh as he shakes his head.
“Marry? No. We don’t do that here. We have our own ceremony, though, and that includes me fucking you in front of my men, so they know you’re mine.”
“I-I… I don’t want that!” I cry out in alarm as I try again to turn the door handle, desperate to get away from him.
“You’ll learn to love me,” he says as he stands and moves in front of me, forcing me to press my back to the wall beside the door. “And if you obey me, then I’ll never raise a hand to you. You have my word.”
He pushes a strand of my black hair behind my ear before trailing his hand down my face to my neck, making me cringe in revulsion. The feeling makes my skin crawl.
He rests his hand gently on my throat as he bends down closer and whispers, “And if you defy me, especially in front of my men…” He tightens his hand and I gasp, my hands flying to his as I try to pry it off of me. “You’ll pay.”
The threat is clear, and as tears spring to my eyes, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve jumped straight from one cage into another.
Holding me by my throat, he turns and moves me to sit on the bed, then lets go. I gasp, my hands flying to my throat as I take in deep lungfuls of air.
“I’ll be back shortly. Behave if you don’t want to anger me. I promise I’m much nicer to get along with when I’m in a good mood.” The smile he gives before leaving is pure evil.
The second he closes the door behind him and I hear the locks click, I burst out crying, dropping my face into my hands.
What have I done? This is so much worse than things ever were before. At least Ivan had never threatened me. Not physically anyway.
Not yet.
I let myself have a few minutes to feel sorry for myself, telling myself how stupid I was to go to the bar in the first place, and even more stupid for leaving with him.
Then I force myself to try to calm down.
I need a plan to get out of here. I escaped once before; I can do it again.
Besides, I didn’t see any fences or guards.
Getting out of here should be a cake walk compared to getting out of my home.
I explore the room, but it has no windows, and all I find are clothes—nothing that would work as a weapon. I start to pace, wondering why I hadn’t thought to pack a knife. Even a butter knife would be something right now.
The lock clicks, startling me as Tony steps back inside. He watches me quietly for a second before he speaks. “It’s time, come with me.” He holds out his hand, and I fight every instinct I have to step away from him. I grip the strap of my bag as I debate what to do.
If I want to escape, it starts with getting out of this room.
If he takes me back to the main room, only one door will separate me from the outside.
I’m not sure if I can outrun him, but I’m smaller and lighter, and there's a forest right beside this place—I might be able to lose him in there.
His big belly will probably keep him from running fast.
It takes all the strength I have to place my hand in his. He smirks in approval as he tugs me along behind him into the main room. I eye the front door, not seeing any bolts up top like there were in his room. The fact that he even had that in his bedroom makes my skin crawl.
How many women has he locked in there before? And for what purpose?
When I tear my eyes from the door, I realize the room is filled with men, probably around twenty-five of them. My eyes widen in fear.
What are they all doing here?
That’s when I notice they’re all standing around a large mattress in the middle of the room. Tony starts to tug me toward it, but I yank my hand back, clutching it to my chest as I shake my head.
“No, I can’t! P-Please—” I’ve never been hit before and had no idea how much it would hurt as he backhands me across the cheek, sending me falling to my hands and knees on the wooden floor, my bag landing with a heavy thud underneath me.
His boots step toward me, and I flip over and shuffle backward on my butt as he stares down at me, anger burning in his eyes.
“I warned you, tiny. You have one more chance. Get. On. The. Mattress. Now!” I jump to my feet, my eyes bouncing between him and the mattress. Then I turn and try to run for the door, but he grabs me by the hair, making me scream as he yanks me back and throws me several feet onto the mattress.
A few of the men chuckle, and as I look around, I know nobody here is going to help me; they’re enjoying this. I try to crawl away, but Tony drops down on his knees and pulls me under him, pinning my arms above my head with one of his massive hands as he straddles my hips.
He smirks down at me as I squirm and try to buck him off me. “Please, someone! Help me!”
“No one’s going to help you, tiny. And if you don’t behave, I might let them have a turn after I’m finished with you.”
His free hand squeezes my breast over my dress, and a scream rips from my throat.
He growls, and fear courses through me as he raises his hand in anger. And as he readies himself to hit me again, a loud bang echoes through the room. His hand comes down in an angry swipe as he slaps me across the face, silencing me as pain radiates through my already sore cheek.
A loud roar that almost sounds inhuman comes from the other side of the room, and Tony frowns as he twists around to see what it is.
“What the fuck—” Men start to scream as loud thuds reach my ears.
Dios mio! What’s happening?
I think a brawl has broken out amongst his men, but that doesn’t seem to faze Tony as he turns back to me, anger and determination filling his eyes.
He releases my hands and grabs the bottom of my dress, trying to pull it up and expose my body to him.
“No! Stop!” I yell as I try to push his hands off me.
He growls and lifts his hand again, but in a fist this time. I gasp as it starts to swing toward me, but someone hooks their arm through his and yanks it back.
Tony’s cry of pain is cut off when someone’s fist connects with his temple, and he’s knocked sideways.
Before I even know what’s happening, a large man crouches in front of me and scoops me up into his arms.
As he stands, I come to my senses and start struggling. “Let me go!”
“Shh shh, it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” he soothes, his deep, calm voice in contrast with what’s happening.
I shake my head, tears springing from my eyes as I try to push away from his chest. “Please, just let me go!”
“Sorry, little bird, but now I’ve found you, I’m never letting you go.”
The nickname has me stilling, and slowly, I tilt my head to look at the man holding me. His gorgeous green eyes pin me in place as if he can see straight into my soul, and somehow I know… It’s him.
“Sly?”