blood from his nose dripping onto her cheeks. Black spots began dotting her vision as she struggled to breathe. He was killing her. He was really going to kill her this time.
“Fuck you,” she rasped. She hadn’t come this far to let him win now. She pried her clenched fingers from his T-shirt and threw her arm to the side . . . reaching . . . reaching . . . until she grasped the fallen lamp. And with all the power she had, she swung it down on his head.
The metal made a twanging sound as it hit his skull, stunning him enough for his grip to loosen on her throat. She sucked in mouthfuls of fiery oxygen and shoved him as hard as she could, just enough to slip out from beneath him.
Scraping and clawing, she crossed the bed, but before she could make it off the other side his hand manacled around her ankle and yanked her back. Another fist hammered into her, this one hitting her in the chest. She could have sworn her heart stopped for a second before speeding into a damaging rhythm that pumped faster than ever. Pain was a thing of the past as Nika struggled to breathe, survival first and foremost in her mind.
“You’re not getting away, you cunt. I’ll never let you get away. You belong to me.”
“No. I. Don’t,” she gritted out. She jammed the heel of her hand under his chin, slamming his jaws together, and swung her elbow, connecting with his eye socket. Another grunt shot from his mouth.
“You’ve never been like this, Niki. I fuckin’ love it,” he panted. Then he added, “And so will everyone else. You’ll see. This is how it’s gonna go down. You fighting them off.” He wrapped her hair around his wrist and slammed the side of her head into the headboard. With his free hand he captured one of her arms.
Around her sudden dizziness, she punched at his face, the ring on her middle finger slicing into his skin to leave a long gash that started to bleed.
“They’re gonna slap you around, and then once they beat the shit outta your spirit, they’re gonna fuck you, Niki. That’ll be your debut vid into the porn world. You’ll be a little worse for wear,” he said with a sick smile as he twisted her arm hard and jammed his thigh between her legs, “but you’ll still be takin’ it right here from four guys tomorrow night.”
Only if it’s my corpse , she thought through a tsunami of panic at what she felt on her thigh. He was aroused. For the first time in a year, Kevin had an erection. Because of the ferocity with which she was fighting him?
“Nika!”
Everything happened so quickly after that, she was barely able to follow.
Kevin shot off her so fast it would have been comical if the situation wasn’t so tragic.
“Nika? Open the door!” Vincente shouted again.
She watched in horror as Kevin grabbed the suitcase and dove for the open window with the fire escape outside.
No!
Nika sprang up and lunged, her fingers closing in an iron grip on the cheap leather case. “No fucking way,” she wheezed, holding his evil glare as she yanked. He yanked back, pulling her with him, until she felt the warm garbage-tainted breeze from outside brush over her face.
A hard slam against the door had Kevin’s eyes rounding with fear, and he shoved her, and the case, back into the room. The sound of his scrambling footfalls on the metal steps rang in her ears as Nika flailed. Her feet tripped up in the blanket that had fallen from the bed, and she went down, smashing the back of her head on the dresser behind her. At the same time, the door burst open and her brother and Vincente poured into the disheveled room.
“Nika!” Caleb flew over, sliding most of the way because he’d fallen to his knees.
God, she had to get the water out of her ears, she thought in confusion as she tried to focus. Her vision was blurred as hell; fireworks and black spiderwebs nearly covered her sight. “Knife,” she panted.
“What? He had a knife?”
Vincente’s voice. She tipped her head, or she thought she
“Fuck you,” she rasped. She hadn’t come this far to let him win now. She pried her clenched fingers from his T-shirt and threw her arm to the side . . . reaching . . . reaching . . . until she grasped the fallen lamp. And with all the power she had, she swung it down on his head.
The metal made a twanging sound as it hit his skull, stunning him enough for his grip to loosen on her throat. She sucked in mouthfuls of fiery oxygen and shoved him as hard as she could, just enough to slip out from beneath him.
Scraping and clawing, she crossed the bed, but before she could make it off the other side his hand manacled around her ankle and yanked her back. Another fist hammered into her, this one hitting her in the chest. She could have sworn her heart stopped for a second before speeding into a damaging rhythm that pumped faster than ever. Pain was a thing of the past as Nika struggled to breathe, survival first and foremost in her mind.
“You’re not getting away, you cunt. I’ll never let you get away. You belong to me.”
“No. I. Don’t,” she gritted out. She jammed the heel of her hand under his chin, slamming his jaws together, and swung her elbow, connecting with his eye socket. Another grunt shot from his mouth.
“You’ve never been like this, Niki. I fuckin’ love it,” he panted. Then he added, “And so will everyone else. You’ll see. This is how it’s gonna go down. You fighting them off.” He wrapped her hair around his wrist and slammed the side of her head into the headboard. With his free hand he captured one of her arms.
Around her sudden dizziness, she punched at his face, the ring on her middle finger slicing into his skin to leave a long gash that started to bleed.
“They’re gonna slap you around, and then once they beat the shit outta your spirit, they’re gonna fuck you, Niki. That’ll be your debut vid into the porn world. You’ll be a little worse for wear,” he said with a sick smile as he twisted her arm hard and jammed his thigh between her legs, “but you’ll still be takin’ it right here from four guys tomorrow night.”
Only if it’s my corpse , she thought through a tsunami of panic at what she felt on her thigh. He was aroused. For the first time in a year, Kevin had an erection. Because of the ferocity with which she was fighting him?
“Nika!”
Everything happened so quickly after that, she was barely able to follow.
Kevin shot off her so fast it would have been comical if the situation wasn’t so tragic.
“Nika? Open the door!” Vincente shouted again.
She watched in horror as Kevin grabbed the suitcase and dove for the open window with the fire escape outside.
No!
Nika sprang up and lunged, her fingers closing in an iron grip on the cheap leather case. “No fucking way,” she wheezed, holding his evil glare as she yanked. He yanked back, pulling her with him, until she felt the warm garbage-tainted breeze from outside brush over her face.
A hard slam against the door had Kevin’s eyes rounding with fear, and he shoved her, and the case, back into the room. The sound of his scrambling footfalls on the metal steps rang in her ears as Nika flailed. Her feet tripped up in the blanket that had fallen from the bed, and she went down, smashing the back of her head on the dresser behind her. At the same time, the door burst open and her brother and Vincente poured into the disheveled room.
“Nika!” Caleb flew over, sliding most of the way because he’d fallen to his knees.
God, she had to get the water out of her ears, she thought in confusion as she tried to focus. Her vision was blurred as hell; fireworks and black spiderwebs nearly covered her sight. “Knife,” she panted.
“What? He had a knife?”
Vincente’s voice. She tipped her head, or she thought she
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