Page 102 of Something So Strong

“That’s a bit fucking rich when I know you’ve been fantasizing about ramming some British man’s cock down your throat.”

“I haven’t.”

“There’s no need to lie to us.” Josh stalks forward and leers condescendingly down at me. “We know all about it. How you want him to dominate you, choke you, force himself inside your mouth so hard you can’t breathe.”

“You know he cries like a little bitch?” Dad pipes up.

“Ha! Look at his face.” Josh points with a foul glee. “He’s worried about him.”

“Probably wants to know how we got him here.”

“I’ll admit, he put up a decent fight, but we still managed to hog-tie him.”

“He’s in the shed, Kai.” Dad stands, spits in disgust, and pushes the shed door open. “Why don’t you come say hello to your boyfriend?”

“Jesse,” my voice breaks again, but I drag myself forward—inch by inch—along the cold and wet ground.

“He thinks he can save him,” Josh chuckles, his hands resting on his knees as he creeps beside me.

“The pair of them are beyond saving.” My father walks to Jesse, whose stomach down on the concrete floor, and kicks him in the kidney.

He cries out for me to stop. To not worry about him. To focus on myself.

“If you’re so determined to make the journey, you can watch him get punished like you did.” Leaving my side, Josh enters the shed and starts unbuckling his belt.

“Don’t touch him!” I try to scream, but it’s nothing more than a whimper.

Dad marches towards me and grabs me by the hair, drags me into the shed, and tosses me on the floor beside Jesse. “There. You happy now? Now he can look you in the eye while he gets fucked by someone else.”

“I’m sorry,” I tell him.

“It’s not your fault…” His words are kind, no matter how untrue.

“I’ll kill you.”

“I’d like to see you try.” Wretched as ever, Josh rolls Jesse onto his side and starts tugging at his pants. Then, as if someone is manipulating my body like a marionette, I find a strength I shouldn’t have, and leap on him.

“STOP! No! Don’t touch him!”

Shit!

I jump out of bed so fast that my feet catch on the covers and I fall flat on my face. But I don’t care. There’s no time to.

Feeling around in the pile of clothes I fell into, I grab a pair of sweatpants and pull them on.

Then I’m up again, fumbling blindly over my desk until my fingers fall on the cold metal of Kai’s key.

“I’ll fucking kill you!”

Goddamnit. Why did I go to sleep?

I grab my phone and head for the door.

The corridor is freezing against my bare chest, but epinephrine is heating me from the inside out.

I slide the key into the lock. Turn. Open.

My first time in Kai’s room.

---