Chapter Nineteen
Amara
“H ere’s the thing,” Hunter says, shoving an apple into my hands. “A lot of people loved that you weren’t present when I fucked you.”
“Raped,” I correct, my voice barely a whisper.
“Semantics. Anyway, the other half wants you awake and struggling. So, I’m giving you ten minutes to build your energy back up because I need you to struggle. I will have to gag you, though. I don’t want you saying my name. I want to send the live stream to Ghost, so we need to make sure he doesn’t know it’s me behind the mask. Good thing I’ve never shown the man my dick.”
His laughter sours my stomach as I take small bites of the apple. The taste is bland, but I force myself to eat, knowing I need whatever strength I can muster. My mind races, searching for any possible escape or way to buy more time. But the reality of my situation crushes any semblance of hope.
“Ghost will come for me,” I say, my voice trembling. “You know he will. And when he does, you’ll regret every second of this.”
Hunter’s eyes darken, a flicker of something unreadable passing through them. “Let him come. By the time he finds you, it’ll be too late. He’ll be broken and broke because I plan to take every dime he has.”
My heart aches with fear and sorrow, but I can’t let him see my despair. I have to stay strong for Ghost, for Zoe, for myself. I finish the apple, feeling a slight surge of energy but knowing it won’t be enough.
Hunter watches me with a predatory gaze, his patience wearing thin. “Time’s up. Get ready to struggle, Snow. And remember, if you call out my name, it’ll only make things worse for you.”
He moves to gag me, and I fight back the tears threatening to spill over. As he secures the gag, my mind races with desperation. I have to find a way to survive this, to hold on until Ghost finds me. I can’t give up now.
Hunter steps back, adjusting the camera and checking his mask. The sinister look in his eyes sends chills down my spine as he unzips his pants and pulls out his already hard member. I brace myself for what’s to come, knowing I have to endure, to fight, to survive.
But I don’t think I have any strength left in me to endure what’s about to happen. Already, I can feel my hope fading away. Even if I had the opportunity to escape right this second, I wouldn’t be able to make it up the steps.
The camera starts recording, and Hunter rubs his hands together as if he’s excited about his task. He reaches down and rips my shirt right from my body. I do my best to hold the strips together to hide my skin, but it only causes the man to laugh.
“No way you can hide all of that body,” he tells me. “Not that I mind. I do love a woman that jiggles.”
I try crawling away, but it’s useless. Hunter has me pinned down and completely naked in seconds flat. He said his viewers wanted to watch me struggle. But I don’t have any struggle left. Is it still rape if I just lay here and don’t fight?
My mind is a whirlwind of terror and exhaustion. The strength I once had feels like a distant memory, replaced by a numbness that spreads throughout my limbs. The room spins, and I can’t focus on anything but the crushing weight of my situation.
Hunter’s hands are rough and merciless, and I can feel every touch like a brand on my skin. I want to scream, to cry out for help, but the gag muffles my voice. Tears stream down my face, and I close my eyes, wishing I could disappear.
The sound of his laughter echoes in my ears, a cruel reminder of my helplessness. I feel myself slipping away, retreating into the darkest corners of my mind where the pain can’t reach me as intensely.
In this moment, all I can do is survive. My body may be here, but my spirit is far away, clinging to the hope that Ghost will find me. I have to hold on to that. It’s all I have left.
Hunter continues, his cruel delight evident in every movement. The camera captures everything, but my mind drifts, trying to escape the horror of what’s happening. I focus on Ghost’s face. On the life we were building together.
I don’t know how much more I can take, but I won’t give Hunter the satisfaction of my defeat. Even in my silence, I refuse to let him break me completely. I may be scared and defeated, but a small spark of defiance remains deep inside.
As I lie there, enduring the nightmare, I hold on to that spark, hoping it will be enough to keep me alive until I’m free.
I feel the moment he penetrates my bottom. It burns, and even though I’m exhausted, I cry out in pain, wasting what little energy I have left.
“That’s it,” he grunts. “That’s a good girl. Show the viewers how much it hurts.”
I ignore his voice and try to focus on my daughter. Behind my eyes, I see her smile. I hear her laughter. I watch as she grows into a beautiful woman with a family of her own. Ghost stands behind her, holding his grandchild, eyes filled with sadness and pride.
“We miss you, babe,” Ghost says, his voice echoing off the walls of my mind.
Tears blur my vision, and the weight of what I’m enduring threatens to crush me. My body trembles with agony, but my heart clings to the images of my family, to the love that still binds us together.
“Please, Ghost,” I whisper in my mind, “find me. I need you.”
The pain intensifies, and I feel myself drifting further away, the darkness closing in around me. I see my daughter’s young face one last time, her bright eyes filled with hope and love.
“I love you, Mommy,” she says, her voice like a sweet melody. “Be strong.”
I hold on to those words, letting them wrap around my heart like a protective shield. The nightmare continues, but I refuse to let it break me completely. I have to survive. For Ghost. For my daughter. For the future we still have together.
With every ounce of strength left in me, I focus on that love, letting it be my anchor in this sea of despair. I won’t give up. I won’t let him win.
As the darkness threatens to consume me, I hold onto that small spark of hope, praying that it will be enough to guide me back to the light.
But my body betrays me, and I feel myself slipping further away. The seizures, the lack of medication, the relentless torment—it’s all too much. My vision blurs and the edges of my consciousness begin to fade.
“Mommy, don’t go,” my daughter’s voice echoes softly, a plea from a place beyond my reach.
“I’m trying, baby,” I whisper back, my voice choked with tears. “I’m trying so hard.”
The last thing I see before the darkness takes over completely is her smile, her beautiful, innocent smile, and the love that radiates from it. It’s the only thing keeping me tethered to this world.
“I’ll come back to you,” I promise her silently. “I’ll fight with everything I have.”
As the world goes black, I cling to that promise. I cling to the love of my family. It’s all I have left.
I reach for consciousness one last time. One more attempt to keep my unspoken promise to my daughter, but I can’t reach it. Just before I fall back into the darkness, a roar unlike any I’ve ever heard before follows me.
He came for me.
But he’s too late.
I’m already gone.
***Ghost***
I burst into the room, fury pulsing through every fiber of my being as I see Hunter molesting Snow, her nearly lifeless form sprawled on the ground. Without a second thought, I rip Hunter away from her, the sound of my own growl filling the air.
“You’re dead, Hunter,” I snarl, my hands trembling with rage.
“G-Ghost, it’s not what it looks like,” Hunter stammers, blood trickling down his face.
I advance on him, my vision red with fury, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall. His feeble protests only fuel my anger.
“Not what it looks like?” I spit out, my grip tightening around his throat. “You sick bastard. You’ll pay for this.”
Hunter struggles, but I overpower him, throwing him to the ground and knocking over a tripod. “WERE YOU RECORDING THIS?” I move forward to kill the bastard, but a small voice stops me.
“Ghost,” Snow whimpers.
I turn, her bruised and broken body lying before me, and my heart breaks.
“Snow,” I whisper, my voice thick with anguish as I kneel beside her. “I’m here, baby. I’ve got you.”
She manages another weak response, “Ghost…”
“I’ve got you,” I repeat, gently cradling her in my arms. “You’re safe now. I’m so sorry, Snow.”
Tears blur my vision as I hold her close, the weight of guilt crushing me. I should have protected her. I should have found her sooner.
Behind us, Hunter runs up the steps, probably thinking he’s going to escape before he’s tossed right back down them.
“Surprise,” Reynolds smiles. “My friend is on his way down here. You’ve heard of him. His name is King. He really wants you to check out his chambers.”
Hunter panics, knowing exactly what happens to people who end up in King’s chambers. As a matter of fact, he has visited them on more than one occasion to get in a few punches on someone who hurt my family.
“Let me explain,” he cries out.
“I brought a ball gag,” King says. “It was still stuck in the mouth of the corpse stinking up my chambers. Need to clean that out once I’m done with this one.”
I watch as King shoves the gag into Hunter’s mouth.
“Too big,” Reynolds says, using the palm of his hand to hit the gag hard enough that I hear teeth break. “Better.”
“Doc or hospital?” King says.
“Hospital,” I answer. “Call ahead for Dr. Hoffer. He’s on our payroll. And find me a fucking blanket.”
Why didn’t I think to bring her meds? Hell, I wouldn’t even know which ones to bring.
“Reynolds, help me get her in my arms,” I say.
My woman isn’t tiny, and lifting her at dead weight straight from the ground would be hard. But I’ll find a fucking way if I have to.
I growl at Reynolds as he places his hands under her body on the opposite side.
“Sorry,” I wince. “She’s naked.”
“Lift on three,” he says. “One, two, three.”
We both lift her up and Reynolds tucks her safely in my arms.
“I got this,” I say.
King rushes back down the stairs and covers Snow with a thin sheet.
“You two go ahead to the hospital,” he says. “I’ll call for Dr. Hoffer before dealing with this fucker.”
“I want his dick cut off and cauterized so he doesn’t bleed to death,” I say. “Use that as his gag next time.”
I take one last long look at my best friend. Gone are the happy memories of our past, and in their place is the image of him violating Snow’s nearly dead body.
I connect with his pleading eyes, but he must see the answer in mine.
“Fffmmly,” he says around the gag.
I walk to King and place Snow in his arms, knowing he can hold her just fine. Walking over to Hunter, I pull the necklace from under his shirt and snap it right off his neck.
“You’re no family of mine. See you soon,” I say, lacing my words with the promise of pain. “You better fucking hope that she survives.”
He’s going to die either way. But, if she dies, he won’t for a long time to come.
I take Snow back from King, and we head up and out of the empty house. Reynolds has the back door to the car already open, and I climb inside, cradling my bundle against my body.
“Drive fast,” I order as I count every shallow breath Snow takes. It’s nowhere near enough.
Reynolds doesn’t disappoint. He drives over the speed limit and gets us to the hospital in record time. But as he slams on the brakes and opens the back door, I’m still waiting to count Snow’s next breath.
But it never comes.