Chapter 33
CHAPTER 33
SPENCER
T he sound of fists meeting flesh and Asher’s grunts of pain are stuck in my brain. As long as I live, I’ll never get that sound out of my memory.
After a lifetime of driving, the van stops, and Asher and I are lugged into a building. As my body is dropped into a chair, the wood groans. The same sound echoes from my right as I assume Asher is set in an identical chair. My wrists and ankles are released but then quickly taped to the arms and legs of the chair.
The bag is removed from my head, and a bright, hanging light directly overhead blinds me momentarily as my eyes adjust.
A figure comes into my vision, blocking the light. “Flower, my Flower. I finally have you back right where you belong.” Anthony’s finger trails down the side of my face and across the top of my breasts.
I jerk my head to the side to get away from his touch. Asher’s beaten body sags in the chair next to me, and my stomach drops. The hors d’oeuvres I consumed earlier are ready to come back up, but I force the food to stay in my stomach.
The rest of the room comes into view. It’s spacious and sparsely lit with some wooden crates in the corner. Earthy scents fill my nose. The ceiling is high, at least twenty feet or higher. The windows are only along the wall’s top three feet or so. The walls are red brick, and the floor is made of smooth, dark gray concrete. I think it’s safe to assume we’re in a warehouse somewhere in New York or New Jersey, based on how long it took us to get here. The air isn’t as humid as Manhattan, but humid enough that I feel like I’m wearing a hot wet blanket.
Asher’s left eye is swollen shut and blood trickles from his nose. Sweat drips from his hairline as his body slumps forward. His clothes are in disarray and soaked in blood and sweat.
“What did you do to him?” I ask while whimpering.
Anthony grips my chin too hard and turns my face back to him. “Ignore him. He doesn’t matter anymore now that I’m here.”
He dared to touch what’s mine.
Asher is mine.
My knuckles turn white as I clutch the arms of the chair, and my voice lowers. “What the fuck did you do to him?”
Anthony’s hand flies across my face again, and he leans down to whisper threateningly in my ear. “You’ll do well to remember not to speak to me that way.”
“Leave her alone,” Asher gets out between panting breaths.
Hearing his struggle renews my vigor. Whipping my head to the side, I butt my forehead into his nose. Anthony’s hand flies to his face, and blood streams down his mouth. “I will speak to you however I want! You don’t touch him ever again! Let us go!”
Anthony uses the handkerchief from his pocket to help staunch the bleeding. “You’re going to learn your place again, Flower. Don’t worry. I know just how to do that.”
His hands go for his belt buckle. The clink of metal causes nausea to whirl in my stomach. He whips off the leather with a crack and undoes his pants.
“Remember what I taught you before? You’re going to give me exactly what I want. Now don’t move.”
My mind and body freeze as he wraps the belt around my throat, yanking my head into a bow. He lowers his pants just enough to allow his erect dick to slip free.
“Open.”
Before he can force me to comply, a young man rushes through the door, barely out of adolescence. “Boss! Boss!” When he reaches us, Anthony spins with a punch to the kid’s gut.
Through gritted teeth, Anthony hisses, “Never interrupt me when I’m training, Jackson. You should have been informed of that.”
Jackson rolls onto his hands and knees and wheezes. “Sorry, Boss. Mr. Murphy sent me in. He said he’s urgent.”
Anthony turns to one of his men, giving instructions to stay with us and the rest are to set a perimeter around the building.
When everyone leaves except our guard, I whisper discreetly to Asher, waking him. “Are you okay?”
“Right as rain, Princess.” His words are tired, and I know he’s trying to make the situation seem less severe.
“We’re going to be okay. I’ll find us a way out of here.”
“The guys will come for us. We just have to hold on until they get here. It won’t be long.”
Dear God, I can only hope he’s right.