Chapter 20 #2
Like she was clouded in darkness, not just actual darkness, but like it had seeped inside her head, making everything hazy, hard to hold onto, and just out of grasp no matter how much she tried to reach for it.
Despite that, Cassandra knew she needed to focus.
Important.
That word kept shoving its way through her sluggish mind, and it was about the only thing she was able to cling to.
Close to her, something grunted.
Not something.
Someone.
The someone stumbled slightly, and all of a sudden, a flash of bright light flooded her vision, and she could make out around her piles of what looked to be rubble.
From the explosion.
A little unsure what explosion her own mind was referring to, she figured it didn't really matter. If she knew there had been an explosion, she’d just run with that.
Details could be filled in later.
Muttering a curse, the someone beside her bent, and since Cassandra moved with him, she had to assume that meant he was holding her.
Why would someone be holding her?
Who would be holding her?
Her brothers?
Had they been caught in an explosion at a family event? Had the people after them managed to strike when they were all together?
No.
That wasn't right.
They’d found the people responsible for framing her mom and stepdad as traitors. Monique. She had a sister now. Her biological dad was dead. Shot by her own hand.
Then who else would be carrying her?
Dragon?
Snippets floated through her mind. Running through the forest, someone chasing her, pinned against a tree trunk.
Pain screaming through her shoulders, blood smearing her wrists.
Filled to perfection, that pain had turned to pleasure, giving her the most powerful orgasm of her life.
Soft words, gentle touches, tending wounds, shampooing hair, tucking her into bed.
Aftercare to soothe away any lingering pain.
Everything she needed with the one person she’d always known could give it to her.
But this wasn't Dragon.
This person didn't hold her gently, and he was muttering something about more trouble than it was worth, and if he hadn't found the sister, he would have just left them all behind, but now he was going to insist on triple what the original price had been.
Sister?
Monique was there?
No, that didn't make any sense. Why would Monique be with her right now when she was … running from someone? Hiding from someone? In danger from someone?
The someone with an arm wrapped around her waist, dragging her along with him? This someone’s arm was digging painfully into her ribs. Not the good kind of pain, not the kind she craved, this just hurt, and she moaned before she could stop herself.
For some reason, it seemed important that the someone think she was unconscious.
They stopped moving, and she allowed all her body weight to drop against the arm holding her upright. Another muttered curse, but then they were moving again.
Light danced haphazardly around, and Cassandra knew that meant her eyes were open if she could see it. Without moving and alerting the person carrying her that she was awake, she tried to catch glimpses of her surroundings, but all she could see were more piles of what looked like rubble.
It wasn't until a brush of icy cold air touched her skin that everything snapped into place.
Sister didn't mean Monique, the man who had her wasn't talking about her sister, he was talking about the sister of the man responsible for the experimental drugs Dragon and his team had been given. After drugging both her and Rose, he must now be carrying them from the building.
If he got them away from there it would all be over.
Their chances of escape were virtually zero.
Pausing briefly, the mercenary dragged in several ragged breaths before moving again.
He’d been in the building when the explosives went off, which meant he had to be injured too.
Plus, Rose had wrestled with him, so she might have inflicted some more injuries.
Enough to give her a chance at doing something?
Cassandra remembered Rose’s slurred words warning her that the man had drugged her, and she remembered the prick of the needle piercing her own skin.
Yet she wasn't unconscious. Not fully anyway.
Rose must be though because there was no peep from her, and now that there was more light, she could just see another pair of feet being dragged along the ground as the man carried them one in each arm.
The man was carrying them across a parking lot now.
Away from the building.
Away from Dragon and the others.
When they reached a white van, he dropped both her and Rose on the ground. While her friend’s body hit without rousing her, it took all of Cassandra’s energy not to react as more pain assaulted her already aching body.
But somehow, she remained limp and bit back her screams.
A moment later, she watched through cracked lids as the man scooped up Rose and physically threw her into the back of the van.
She was next.
As a young woman—especially one who had six overprotective big brothers—she knew that if the man got her in the back of that van, it was all over.
Yet she didn't think she was strong enough to run.
To fight.
Her body was uncooperative, heavy, like her limbs had been encased in concrete.
So she was helpless to stop it from happening when the man reached for her, picked her up, and threw her in to join Rose.
Instead of the darkness she expected to engulf them as he locked them in, light danced across her body. A shadowy figure moved along with the light. Coming closer.
Him.
Why wasn't he driving off?
Kneeling beside her, she felt his fingers brush across her face as he moved a lock of hair off her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. If the gesture had been done by Dragon she would have thought it was sweet, and leaned into the caress.
But it wasn't Dragon.
It was a man who was going to take her to Dr. Gardner and receive a bundle of money for doing it.
His touch didn't stop there.
It dropped lower. Cold fingers trailing down her neck, then her chest, pausing to grab one breast and tweak a nipple, before sliding down her stomach and settling between her legs.
No.
He wouldn't, would he? Not here. Not now.
“I shouldn’t,” the man murmured. “Should get out of here. But … the rules didn't say to leave her unharmed. Been too long. Ever since that slut of an ex decided to leave me. Won't take long.”
The sound of a zipper being opened had to be the loudest one she’d ever heard.
Louder even than the explosion.
Fear and terror churned in her gut, making her nauseous.
Desperation clawed at her, and she tried to make her body move. Playing dead was only going to get her raped and then eventually killed, but it wasn't really playing if you couldn’t seem to do anything else.
Blood pounding in her ears, she felt a rush of cold air on her pelvis as her pants and underwear were pulled down.
Every fear she’d ever had about her sexual tastes and what had happened to her mom played out, and she was unable to do anything to stop it.
Was this how her mom had felt?
Terrified, powerless, so very aware that her life was about to be forever altered, yet unable to stop it from happening.
Above her, the man shifted so he was positioned above her, and she could feel it nudging against her entrance.
You deserve it.
You wanted it rough, now you're going to get it.
Just like your mom.
Just like how you were conceived.
Punished.
You always knew you deserved to be punished.
“There’s a difference between rape and consent, you know that, little rabbit. What you like is different, there’s nothing you need to be punished for. You're perfect just the way you are.”
Dragon’s voice came out of nowhere. She knew it was just inside her head, but its power caught her by surprise.
Even though there were still lingering doubts, she knew he was right.
When a wave of nausea rushed through her, she didn't fight against it, didn't even turn her head. She allowed the contents of her stomach to empty all over herself and the man who was inching himself inside her.
He swore as vomit sprayed all over him and quickly pulled back.
Like Dragon’s words in her mind had flipped a switch, Cassandra managed to get her body to somewhat cooperate, and she slammed a hand up and into the nose of the man who was trying to get away from her without touching her more than he had to.
A howl echoed through the van, and she felt something wet drip down on her.
Hopefully, she’d broken his nose, it was the least he deserved.
Scrambling backward, her movements jerky and clumsy, Cassandra knew she had to run.
She was pretty sure that the man would follow rather than drive off with Rose.
Not only would he want the money he’d get for delivering her to Dr. Gardner, but she’d made a fool of him, hit him, thrown up on him, and he’d want to punish her for it.
Somehow, she managed to slide out the back of the van, her feet hitting the ground with a thud.
Yanking up her pants, she didn't bother doing them up, she just started running.
Her head was still spinning, and she wasn't really sure of where she was going.
All Cassandra knew was that she had to get away, had to get help, had to find a way to survive.