Chapter 27 Confessions #2
Darren gripped my hair and shoved my head forward, forcing my gaze to the computer screen.
“I don’t give a shit about what you believe, Jaden,” he growled into my ear. “The only beliefs that actually matter around here are mine, and right now, I’m feeling pretty fucking vindicated.”
“You’re wrong,” I spat.
“I’m not, and you fucking know it.”
I tried to shake my head again, but with his hand tangled so tightly in my hair, it was impossible. “It’s not her!” I shouted.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
Darren yanked me away from the screen and brought his mouth to my ear, the words he spoke making my entire system implode with horror.
“You lied to me.”
I whimpered, my eyes clouding with tears while my stomach ripped itself to shreds. This had been the reckoning he’d been referring to. The one thing I had hoped he would never be able to uncover. But I was a goddamn fool.
“No,” I murmured in denial, like I could still somehow convince him otherwise. But I knew in my heart his mind was already made up. He had made it up a long time ago. Nothing I said was going to change a damn thing now.
In a single breath, I found myself being slammed face-first onto Darren’s desk, my chest pressing painfully into the hard wood beneath it. With his hand at the back of my neck, he kept me pinned in place while a rage I hadn’t felt in so long radiated off him in waves.
The sharp sound of a knife being unsheathed abruptly sliced through the air, and I suddenly found cold air caressing my bare skin as Darren cut through the back of my sundress with a single swipe.
“Darren, don’t!” I cried out as he unhooked my bra and tore my thong down my legs.
“I’m going to give you one more chance, princess,” he warned, the sound of his belt buckle clinking as the leather strap was pulled from his waist. “And if you lie to me again, I swear to God, I won’t stop until I see you bleed.”
Fuck.
The familiar icy edge of panic crystalized my limbs, damn near locking them in place, my entire body tensing for the absolute worst.
Darren planted himself right behind my legs, trapping them against the desk.
“Tell me the truth, Jaden. Did you have anything to do with Kayla’s escape?”
My whole body shook with fear, and as much as I tried to get ahold of myself and stow away the paralyzing terror, there was no escaping it. No escaping him.
“If it makes it any easier for you, I’ve already commissioned a team to find her. So you should have no qualms about giving her up. She’s already being pursued.”
This time, the tears did finally break free as a quiet sob escaped my throat. I had tried so hard to protect Kayla, to keep her hidden, to give her a chance to get away.
And now all my efforts had been ripped apart by a monster I actually thought I could outsmart. And here were the consequences ready to bust down my front door.
The only silver lining left was that he clearly hadn’t found her if he was still pursuing her. Maybe she had found Jason. Or maybe she died somewhere, and they just hadn’t found her body yet. The possibilities were endless.
“Last chance, Jaden,” Darren warned, his voice hard with the promise of pain.
More tears spilled. What was the point in lying now when he already knew the truth? That ship had already sailed. But I could still save myself from an agony I knew would last much longer than I could bear right now. There was no point in suffering for a lie I could no longer defend.
Pick your battles, Jaden. You already lost this one long before you knew it even existed.
I sucked in a breath, absolutely hating myself.
“I did,” I whispered, the rancid taste of weakness and betrayal coating my tongue.
Darren dropped the belt to the desk and flipped me over to face him. His hand then shot out and wrapped around my throat, squeezing hard, harder than he ever had before.
Terror clutched my heart as my eyes caught the unyielded rage emanating from Darren’s gaze, his teeth bared in a vicious snarl as he compressed my airway with one incredibly strong hand.
His arm was like steel as I fought against it, but all my clawing and kicking did absolutely nothing as he strangled me like he was actually trying to kill me.
Oh God, was this it? Was this how I finally met my end? Was he finally going to kill me?
I could feel the intense pressure building behind my eyes, drawing tears that blurred my vision.
The sound of my blood pounded through my ears as a blunt agony collared my throat.
My arms grew weak, and my strength finally left my body, darkness clouding everything as my chest burned for mercy.
Only then did Darren finally release me.
My lungs immediately filled with a powerful rush of oxygen, my airway spasming as I choked and coughed on the air it desperately craved. Tears continued to spill over, wetting my cheeks as my body shook from the adrenaline surging through my veins.
Relief was immediate as the gift of life was restored by my god while my internal panic battered my body from the trauma of believing that death was imminent.
When Darren’s eyes locked with mine, not an ounce of leniency or regret reflected back at me, just the cold dark promise of more to come.
Still recovering, he leaned down and leered over top of me, both hands planted on either side of my head. He studied me with the kind of intensity that penetrated through even the strongest of resolves, and made lesser men run for their lives.
“The truth, Jaden. Now,” he spat.
My tongue felt huge in my mouth, like forming words was the hardest thing I could possibly do right now.
“We s-stole the cloaking device from Tony,” I croaked, my voice raw and scratchy. “I gave it to Kayla, along with my ring to sell. I told her to d-disappear.”
I wanted to slit my own throat. My stomach was sour, the sickly toxin of cowardice snaking through my veins while my heart pulsed with self-hatred.
Darren’s steely eyes searched mine, hunting for even the slightest hint of a lie, and while I didn’t give him all the details, I did tell him the truth.
“Why didn’t you go with her?” he asked, his hard gaze sharpening. “Why didn’t you run when you had the chance?”
Now’s your opportunity for redemption. Tell him what he wants to hear. Make him forgive you.
“Because my place is h-here,” I whispered, my breath hitching. “And leaving you isn’t an option.”
My soul sank at my words, but they were still technically true. My place was here so that I could tamper from the inside, like an infection festering in a wound. And I couldn’t leave Darren until I knew he was fucking dead.
His features softened just slightly, signifying his acceptance and approval of my answer. His hand gently reached out, his thumb caressing my cheek, smearing the tears into my skin. Hope flickered when Darren finally sighed a breath of satisfaction.
“Good girl,” he cooed. And then he swiftly flipped me back over onto my stomach.
Within seconds, my shoulders were searing from the hot lash that bloomed across my skin.
I screamed, my hands instinctively reaching out to pull myself away, but Darren’s hand snatched the back of my neck and held me still.
Blow after blow from his belt rained down on my back, ass and thighs, scorching my skin to shreds.
“I told you the truth!” I cried, my nails cracking as they dug into the wooden desk.
“I know you did,” he rasped, his voice barely recognizable as he struck me harder than he ever had before, making me scream louder.
“But you still lied. And you assisted in her escape. You have no idea how much penance you owe for those grave mistakes, little girl.” He struck me again, the belt hitting just below my ass and I swore I could feel my skin splitting.
“But I’m going to rectify that so it never happens again. ”
The strikes were endless, my back, ass, and legs made up entirely of acid as Darren rained hellfire over my skin. When the exhaustion was too much, and I didn’t have the energy to scream anymore, only then did he finally stop.
“You should know that I’ve had that footage for months,” he growled as he tossed the belt aside, his voice rough with fury.
“So if you’re still wondering why I kept you trapped in our bed for so long, now you know.
I couldn’t very well punish an already broken body with more pain. At least, not yet.”
I closed my eyes at his confession, hating the absolute poetry of it. There was more than one way to make me suffer, and keeping me trapped like that had certainly hit its mark. Now it all made sense.
Fucking monster.
I didn’t even flinch when I felt his cock suddenly slam into me, my passage still just as wet to allow him to slide in with ease. I lay there like I was dead, internally sobbing from the pure agony of my skin combined with the punishing onslaught of his cock inside me.
Grabbing my hair at the back of my head, he yanked my face up from the desk and snarled in my ear.
“The fact that you obeyed me and stayed behind like a good girl is the only reason Kayla will be allowed to live when I find her. Until then, you and I will be exploring some new methods for your much-needed attitude adjustment.”
Oh God. No.
“You’re mine, Jaden. And it’s fucking time you started acting like it.”
With a savage growl, Darren pulled out and came all over my back and ass, creating a sharp sting where each rope of cum landed. And then the bastard rubbed it into my skin with his hand, causing me to cry out and shudder from the minor touch.
When he was finished, he picked up my dead weight, removed the remaining ribbons of my clothes still hanging from my arms and chest, and placed me over his shoulder.
My back stretched in a new way that made me grimace and cry. But still, I had no energy to move. I just hung there loosely over his back, watching the floor as we passed over it. And then he opened a door and started walking down a set of stairs.