Page 6 of Snatched Up By the Cartel

I wasn't going to draw more attention to myself than I already was.

Mateo's jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light. "Back off, Vance. He's off-limits." There was an underlying threat in his tone, one that the other inmates seemed to recognize. Vance may have been a force to be reckoned with, but Mateo held his own brand of power.

What was more surprising about this was that Mateo was defending me. I thought he didn't care about me, so why was he doing this? It didn't make any sense. We weren't fated mates. If we were, I would have already started to feel something strong for him. I didn't.

With a dismissive snort, Vance turned his attention back to me. Of course he wanted to say something else to me. I became his most recent obsession and he couldn't stop thinking about me.

"Have it your way, Solstice. But the rest of us sure as hell ain't gonna hold back." He signaled to the others, and they closed in, their eyes gleaming with malicious intent.

The guards had to do something! Otherwise, there really was going to be a fight and somebody could die. They might even kill me.

I took an instinctive step back, my heart pounding. I was trapped, surrounded by a circle of inmates, their faces twisted with cruel smiles. I didn't have anywhere to run.

I felt their hands reach for me, rough and calloused, grabbing at my arms, my shoulders. What the fuck? What were they doing? This wasn't allowed. It shouldn't be happening.

"Let's see what we got here, boys." Vance's hand snaked out, his fingers gripping my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. His eyes bored into mine, cold and calculating. "A pretty little omega, all for us to play with."

Somebody had to do something. Either Mateo or the guards. At the moment, it felt more like Mateo was the one who was going to save me. The guards didn't appear to be interested in doing their job.

I tried to pull away, but their hands held me firm. I felt their fingers trailing over my skin, their touches unwanted, invasive. They touched every part of me they could. It was an abhorrent experience. It made my skin crawl.

My breath quickened, my heart racing as panic gripped me. I wanted to shout, to plead for them to stop, but my voice failed me. I was used to speaking so much in front of several audiences, and yet, here I was, incapable of pronouncing a single word

Rough hands pushed me forward, toward the showerheads. They knew what they wanted to do. They wanted to keep using me and touching me. They were going to make this experience even worse than it was already going to be.

The spray of water hit my skin, soaking me instantly. I sputtered, my eyes stinging from the onslaught. It was cold, oh so cold. It was horrible. I wanted to be anywhere but here.

I wanted to cover myself, to hide my nakedness, but their hands held me firm, on display for their amusement. And even though only a few seconds passed since this started, it felt more like it was an eternity.

Laughter filled the room, their voices echoing off the walls. I felt even more vulnerable, exposed, as their eyes devoured me, their touches violating my personal space. Their hands roamed, their fingers gripping, pinching, their laughter ringing in my ears.

"That's enough!" Mateo's voice boomed, cutting through the room once more. I felt his presence behind me, his aura commanding attention.

Relief washed over me. Finally, someone was doing something. I wished somebody was recording this so I could show everyone outside of here what was happening. The guards couldn't leave this place unpunished.

The hands fell away as the inmates turned to face him, their faces twisted with annoyance at the interruption. Annoyance was the only thing they were feeling. They couldn't care less about any possible repercussions. They knew there was going to be none.

Vance scowled, his eyes narrowing. "This ain't your business, Solstice. Back off."

Mateo advanced, his tall frame filling the space. Out of all the people who could protect me in a similar situation, he was at the bottom of the list. Again, I couldn't help but reaffirm he didn't care about me at all.

"I made it my business," he growled. "Now back the hell off." There was an underlying threat in his tone, one that Vance seemed to recognize.

Was it going to be enough? The next seconds were going to be very defining.

With a snarl, Vance stepped forward, his fists clenched. "You asking for a fight, Solstice? 'Cause I'm happy to oblige."

My heart raced. The last thing I wanted was a fight. I didn't want anybody to fight because of me. And worse, it felt like the guards were just waiting for the fight to break out. Then, they would intervene and come out of it looking like heroes.

Mateo stood his ground, his eyes hard as stone. "Try me," he challenged. I liked his attitude. He was the kind of person who didn't take shit from anybody.

For a moment, the two alpha wolves faced off, their stares intense, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Anything could happen here. Really, anything.

Then, Vance smirked, his eyes flicking to me. "Another time, Solstice. For now, we'll let the pretty boy go."

I scowled slightly. I hated it when people called me 'boy.' I was an adult now and should be treated as such.

With that, they stepped back, their hands falling away. I stood there, shaking, the spray of water washing away the remnants of their touches. And yet, I knew that, no matter how much I stayed here, it wouldn't be enough to wash away how it felt when their hands were touching me.

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