Chapter 23 #2
A snap of a glove sounded, echoing through the space. I shook my head in denial, horrified, as he worked the other one on. He slowly dialed the combination—our son’s birthday—into the small locking mechanism, and I heard it disengage. He set the box down in front of me.
“Now to keep this fun, I think I’ll gag you…one last time.”
He reached into his pocket for what I knew was a simple gag. It wouldn’t be the one from the box because that one had sharp metal pieces. The fact that he hadn’t flown into a rage and inflicted any marks thus far wasn’t lost on me. He quickly went about the task of securing it around my head.
“And let’s ratch it up a notch and tie your hands in front of you, of course. You’ll need them,” he hummed as he pulled out a scarf. A blindfold emerged as well.
Once he had completed the two tasks, he guided my hands to the box. I jerked them back. All my senses were heightened now.
“Open the fucking box or I’ll call for Declan now and you can watch me use the contents on him,” he seethed.
Unwilling to take that chance, I flipped it open.
He forced my tied hands into the box. My hands landed on one of the biggest items in the box.
I gulped as I felt the sharp edges of a spiked paddle.
It was wet, and I heaved, realizing why.
I shook my head and yanked my hand back, but he gripped my wrist and wouldn’t let go.
“Don’t make me do it. Comply, this is your last warning.”
And so, one-by-one, he forced me to handle the horrific contents of the box. The scissors, pliers, a hammer, a badine, the Gorean slave whip. I sobbed as I imagined him using it on her.
“A few more to go. You’re almost there. In case you’re wondering how they could possibly be wet still, while you were being the dutiful good girl—”
I sobbed hearing him use those words, mocking me.
He continued, “And writing down your confession, I had Nigel visit Jenny once more. How much fun do you think he had dipping these items in the various pools around her? Hmm, I guess you’ll never know. Now let’s see, where were we? Yes, you’ll remember this one.”
I shuddered as he wrapped my hands around something he’d only ever threatened me with, but had never used. Inside my head, I screamed the words the gag wouldn’t allow me to speak. I wretched my hands away.
God, please, no. He couldn’t have.
Let this be a ploy to horrify me. If he used this on her—I couldn’t complete the thought. My fingers were slippery by now. Blood coated everything he pulled from the box.
“Oh, let’s wipe your hands so you can properly grip it.”
He laughed as he wiped my hands down the front of my jeans. I sobbed helplessly, and my mind tried to distance itself from this entire shitshow.
“Don’t worry. When I get you downstairs, we’ll really coat you up. But this one item—” He paused and then shoved my hands back into the box.
My fingers were forced around the custom-made dildo. The spikes on it were different. Some were more pointed than others. Several small pricks later, he ensured that not only was my DNA all over it, but hers mixed with mine.
The minute it dropped from my fingers, I wretched. Too bad he hadn’t used a ball-gag on me, or I would have opted to throw my head back and let asphyxiation take me. He yanked the blindfold off.
“One more thing to go.”
My hair was tangled now, hanging in my face.
But seeing the mess my clothes were in—the red streaks, tissue, and hair covering me—was too much.
I dry heaved violently and tilted my head back.
Fuck it. He yanked my head and shoved it forward.
Simultaneously, he yanked the gag down, and the contents that had gathered in my mouth ended up on the floor.
“You stupid fucking bitch,” he screamed in my face.
His fingers worked the knots loose. Before I could move, he jerked me upright, hard enough that the room tilted.
My knees buckled, but his grip held. The light caught the spikes, and metal flashed—brief, sharp, almost blinding.
Unable to cope with whatever was next in this hellish nightmare, the world folded in on itself; the edges dimmed until there was nothing left to hold on to.
A sharp sting roused me, and I stumbled. My head lolled, heavy and useless. He dragged my body across the floor.
Where was I?
When the blur thinned enough to see, the ceiling spun above me. My arms hung useless at my sides, my feet dragging along the floor. Every jolt sent a pulse of pain through my body. The sound of my trainers knocking against each step echoed with my heartbeat.
The smell hit before the cold did. It was stale and damp.
I half expected the Mask or the Collector to appear.
With a grunt, he heaved my body onto the floor.
My shoulder struck the wall once, twice, and pain lanced through the fog.
Then, cold stone pressed against my cheek.
We’d reached the bottom. The basement waited.
The place where screams didn’t carry. He unlocked the door and pushed me inside.
“All that is left is for you to carry out the final act of your confession. I’ll be watching. Don’t disappoint me again.”
He hefted me up once more, and with one final shove—the door closed behind me. The sickening thud echoed all around. God, how I hated this room. It mocked me, and I wanted to scream.
Cameron had re-created down to the last detail the beach themed prison from my childhood hell. On one side of the room, an oceanic mural decorated the wall. The full-sized bed was turquoise and had a large coral-colored shell-shaped headboard.
It was complete with a tulle shade that hung from the top of the ceiling and draped loosely around the bed. There was a mini sofa with a white vanity and a small desk. When the bright lights were on, it made this side seem innocent and cheerful.
On the other side, it resembled X’s torture chamber.
I hadn’t been as detailed in that part of my journaling, so some things were different, but the basics were there.
A pulley system with chains, eye bolts embedded into the concrete and walls.
And a cabinet with instruments of torture.
This side was always dimly lit and dirty.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to still the need to vomit again.
I tuned out that Jenny’s blood covered my pants and hands.
My heart pounded like a trapped bird’s frantic wings.
A moan drew my attention, and cold sweat beaded on my forehead.
I hugged my arms around myself. The room’s chill seeped into my skin.
I was having a hard time adjusting. I’d let myself believe and hope again, and this was my punishment.
Cameron heard everything. I was so glad I hadn’t told Andrew and Pasha that Declan wasn’t Cameron’s.
The truth would come out. I’d scrawled it across the back of that purple kitten stationery.
Hopefully, it would be enough to save him.
I’d more than likely be dead by the time someone found it.
I only hoped Andrew would rise above his fear and fight for him.
I didn’t want to think of the alternative.
The groaning became louder, and I whipped my head in the direction.
It was coming from the torture side. Fumbling along the walls, I searched for the source of light.
I flicked the switch, and nothing happened.
Cameron’s threats and his basic plan echoed in my ears.
What he didn’t understand was that I couldn’t do it.
I copied the suicide note as he requested, but the final act of killing Jenny…
would not be on me. Unlike on that hot summer day when the Mask held my head underwater, I couldn’t subject Jenny to that.
There was no way to free her; this much I knew.
From the sound of things, it was too late anyway.
There was no freeing myself either. I shivered as the contents of the box flashed through my head.
She and I would die here in this room, but at least she wouldn’t die alone.
Tears welled up in my eyes as the weight of powerlessness crushed me.
I raced over and called out. My voice sounded fragile and weak.
“Jenny.” I recoiled as I rolled her over.
She was unrecognizable, her face was a massive bloody wound. Several teeth were missing, and from the angle of her nose, I knew he had broken it. A blood-soaked blindfold covered her eyes. I worked to untie her, my fingers slipping on the bloody rope.
Once I had her free, I gathered her in my arms and sobbed, apologizing over and over. How she was even still alive was beyond me. I rocked her in my arms, trying to at least comfort her in some small way. Her breaths came in quick, uneven gasps, and I could tell she wouldn’t last much longer.
My eyes fell on the tub, which was filled with water. I opened my mouth and let out a scream.