48. Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Maeve Henderson
Tonight has immediately made the top of the list for most humiliating experiences of my entire life!
I go to school with these guys, they’re all in my friend group, and just watched Leon walk me around like a dog on a leash.
I want to kick Leon in his stupid handsome face and never look at him again.
I don’t want to cry, he doesn’t deserve my tears and the knowledge that he got to me, but they won’t stop. They’ve been in freefall since the moment he went back inside and left me essentially chained to his car door.
Everytime I think I’ve gotten them all out, my mind flashes back to the predatory and intimidating looks on the guys’ faces when they saw my leash.
I can't believe Leon brought me here, and for what? Did he bring me here just to show off that I'm a prisoner now? That I'm some kind of kept woman.
I thought I was starting to trust him, and now the whole school will know, and they'll laugh at me. So even if Leon ever lets me finish school, I'll be the laughing stock of campus.
I hear the back gate open on his SUV, slightly jumping when I feel the entire vehicle dip as if someone jumped in the back.
Was that Leon?
I wasn’t paying attention…
I should have been watching my surroundings, but I was too upset to focus on anything else.
I shouldn’t feel unsafe when my kidnapper isn’t around, it’s supposed to be the other way around, but I just want him to come back.
I scream when my door opens, but Leon shushes me and holds onto the sides of my face.
“Ma petite fleur…” He says quietly.
I smack his hands away and quickly wipe the tears off my face. I don’t want to hear his stupid pet names right now.
“Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.” He begs.
I glare at him and spit in his face. He can’t fix it, he did it!
Leon grins and reaches up to wipe my spit from his face, making full eye contact with me while he licks his hand. “I didn’t think I’d be into that. Do it again, this time in my mouth.” He rambles with an almost crazed look in his eyes.
“Are you crazy? What is wrong with you?” I snap back.
How can he act so unserious when he’s humiliated me?
Smug jerk.
He simply shrugs and keeps his same stupid grin at me. “Maybe, but not the point. Do it again.” He insists before opening his mouth for me.
“You’re a butt, just get away from me.” I beg, feeling my tears starting up again.
He can’t fix what he’s done because those men will never unsee how he’s treated me.
He’ll never be able to stop them from telling the entire school what they saw.
He huffs before giving up and closing his mouth, annoyingly unbothered by this situation he’s put me in. “Those boys will never utter a word of this to anyone, I promise.” He states.
I laugh through my tears and roll my eyes at his arrogance. “You can’t know that; you’ve yet again ruined me.” I remind him.
I hate that he knows what’s bothering me; he knew it would destroy me, yet he did this anyway.
Does he even care at all?
“I can know that; they all die tonight.” He states.
I whip my head around and stare at him. This man is insane!
What have I gotten myself into?
How did all of this start from some freaking apple cider?
“These men raped one of my patients, possibly multiple patients but we’re not sure, but this was a young woman a couple of years above you and she threatened to kill herself if she had to carry her rapist’s baby. They’re not getting away with that. Are you in?” He asks.
Am I?
Do I really want to be a part of this? Do I even have a choice in the matter? I’m already involved just by being here, but do I really want to be more involved?
“Did they really do that?” I ask, just to be sure before I sign up for anything.
Leon sighs and leans in to kiss me in such a soft way that I barely feel it. “Yes. She dropped out of college because she was too scared of seeing these guys again.” He answers.
I feel sick.
These men, my classmates, they're rapists.
I've been invited to parties they've thrown! That could have been me!
"Who was she?" I ask.
My friends may have ditched me, but I wouldn't have wanted it to be one of them.
"Abby Marino." He answers. At the same time that I'm thankful not to know her, I'm sickened that I didn't know this happened.
The jocks at that school silenced a young woman and scared her until she quit college. Their father’s fat bank accounts and their mentality that they’re untouchable has terrorized campus.
They’re who the signs around campus are warning us about!
"She was pre-law. Her grades were exceptional, and as far as I can see, she was well loved on campus. They're going to pay for what they've done, petite fleur." He tells me.
I don’t know how else to respond, so I simply nod.
I don’t feel like I have any other choices. I’m not a killer, I don’t even want to eat animals, but these men have ruined peoples lives and they don’t get to get away with it unharmed.
Leon loads up the other three men while I stay in the car. I hate to admit that I feel better knowing the guys won't tell all of campus what they saw tonight, I also feel better that they won't be able to hurt anyone else ever again.
Is it sick that I feel like this?
Am I as much of a monster as Leon?
Even if I'm not currently, I agreed to help him. I'm an accomplice.
When Leon gets back in the car, I'm so distracted that I jolt when he touches me. "It's okay, ma fleur. You don't have to help me." He says calmly.
I feel his thumb stroking my knuckles as he drives, and I don't know if what he says comforts me or pisses me off.
Does he not think I'm capable? Wait, do I think I am?
I don't know if I am.
"How many times have you done this?" I ask instead of commenting on his statement.
There's silence for a minute, for far too long. The silence hangs between us, making the air tense and uncomfortable, but he links our hands together on the center console after a minute.
"These guys will bring me up to 31." He answers.
I think I just stroked out.
Is this what a stroke feels like?
Do I smell toast?
No, I'm just losing my mind.
Stop being dramatic, Maeve. "Does that include your mom?” I say quietly, I’m not sure why it makes a difference, but I’m curious.
"No. She would be 32." He answers immediately.
Okay, I had sex with a murderer.
Why don't I care about that?
Why aren't I disgusted with the thought?
"You okay, ma fleur?" Leon asks me. He effectively snaps me out of my panic, making me turn to face him.
He's still somehow the same gorgeous man that was nice to me at the supermarket.
He's still the same gorgeous man that was in front of me in line at the cafe.
He's still the man who took care of me after I was glutened, but he's also still the same man who tied me up and kidnapped me, still the same man who tackled me in a field and stole my virginity, still the same man that put a shock collar on me like a caged pet and pierced me.
Why am I so conflicted? I want to want to be away from him. I want to be disgusted by him, I want to want to run, but I don't.
I don't want to run; I don't want to be away from him.
I just want a life outside of the walls of his home, with him.
Crap, I think I love him...