Page 49 of Before the Fall

“My brother thinks this family can live on that bullshit he’s got going on,” Victor says, stopping briefly in front of the man on the side of the room who nods his agreement. “He wanted to stay dealing with fucking gamblers, but I told him that’s not something men like us do anymore. Fuck, it’s legal to gamble on fucking phones nowadays. What the hell would make anyone want to bother with bookies then? He talks about hacking and other bullshit, but that’s not what people like us do. Why can’t he understand that?”

I don’t say anything, but he proceeds to answer his own question, spinning around to face me with a look of rage in his eyes. “It’s because he fucking settled down! I’ll never understand how that bitch changed him. He used to wear that mask and act like a Varens should. Now he spends his time playing fucking pattycake and other domesticated nonsense. And I’m the bad guy here?”

My plan isn’t working. I keep making him angry when I’m trying to get him to see he doesn’t have to hurt me because he’s upset with his family.

When he stops in front of me again, I consider simply asking him to let me go. He did it with Kaia, so he might do it for me too.

But then he reaches out to touch my cheek, and I see in his eyes something that makes my blood run cold. “You really are very pretty, and it’s definitely that innocent girl thing. I should have known Jaxon would fall for the likes of you. Do you know he one time set free one of the girls I was selling? She started talking to him, and lo and behold, a few days later, he asked me if he could have her. I figured he meant to fuck around with, so I said yes, and the son of a bitch let her go. It took me a fucking week to track her down. Then when he found out I sold her anyway, you would have sworn I shot someone he loved. She was a whore, for God’s sake! But she had big blue eyes I swear you could get lost in. Sort of like yours.”

Hearing Jaxon cared enough about someone to want to help them reinforces my belief that he’s not the kind of man he claims he is. Yes, he does bad things, but a truly bad man wouldn’t try to help a girl to safety.

Victor slides his hand down over my jaw to encircle my neck. Smiling, he says, “You’re going to be fun to play with, little Tia.”

I can’t stop my fear from producing a noise that sounds like a moan, and he mistakes it for my wanting him. He couldn’t be more wrong. Everything about him sickens me, from the way he looks to the way he smells to the kind of man he is.

I’d tell him that too if I didn’t think it would get me shot in the head. I don’t know how to play this because I had hoped he’d never get the chance to do anything to me, but Jaxon hasn’t arrived to save me yet, so I’m on my own.

And I’ve never been more terrified in my life.

He moves his hand down to my shirt and in one pull rips it down the middle, exposing my bra underneath. Ogling me like I’m some piece of meat, he licks his lips, smacking them as if he can’t wait to taste me.

“Please don’t do this,” I say in a shaky voice I wish sounded tougher at this moment.

Looking up from my breasts, he smirks. “Don’t worry. My second wife was like you. She got used to it. You will too.”

I tightly squeeze my eyes shut, in part to hold back the tears and in part so I don’t have to see what he’s doing. Holding my breath to avoid smelling him as he leans in and fondles my breast through my bra, I silently pray to God to let me pass out.

Oh, God. I can’t handle this! Please, somehow don’t let him go any further.

His fingers press into my tender flesh, hurting me. “Nice tits. I like that.”

My emotions swirl inside me, threatening to make me break down into a sobbing mess, but I find the ability to control myself and take a deep breath, filling my lungs with that disgusting fried food smell that emanates off him.

I can do this. Whatever he does to me, I can handle. It’s not sex. It’s not sexy. What he’s doing is nothing short of rape, and while it’s more horrible than anything I’ve ever experienced, I can make it through this.

I have to.

Moaning as he rips my bra off my body, Victor says in a low voice, “Oh, I’m going to enjoy this. And the fact that your boyfriend will always know I had you is like a cherry on top of the cake.”

All that bravado I filled my head with a few moments ago practically disappears when he starts to move his hands down to my jeans. I steel myself for what’s about to happen next, swearing to myself I won’t fall apart.

Even though that’s all I feel like I can do right now.

“So the tits are nice, but they’re just the appetizer. Now let’s see the main course,” he says with a laugh.

Everything about him is repellent, so all my body does is recoil at the mere thought that in a moment he’s going to be stuffing his hands in my pants. He breathes heavily, hopefully because he’s a fat fuck who’s completely out of shape and not because he’s excited, but I can’t tell. Not that it matters. I can’t stop what’s about to happen next.

Every muscle in my body stiffens in pure terror as he trails his stubby fingers down over my ribs on his way to that main course he’s so interested in. I’m powerless to stop him from doing anything physically, but I won’t let him get to me.

The first touch of his hand inside my pants does me in, and I can’t stop myself from crying. It’s involuntary, and I wish I could make it stop, but I can’t. Here I sit in this horrible room with that enormous man in the corner probably watching Victor do this to me, and all I can do is squeeze my eyes shut as tightly as possible even as my tears stream down my face.

I’m strong. I can handle this. This isn’t sex. This is just about his power over me. Nothing else. I’m still alive. That’s what matters. Not what he’s about to do to me.

I hear him grunt like a pig as he tries in vain to jam his fingers inside me. My pants are too tight and don’t allow him the access he needs. I’ve never been more thankful to be wearing a pair of jeans.

As I await that horrible moment when he rips them off and does what he wants, I hear a noise like what I think a gunshot might sound like. Has Jaxon come for me?

Suddenly, Victor stops pawing me, and after a few seconds I open my eyes to see he’s walked over to talk to the other man. I try to see the monitors he’s watching, but they’re too far away and my eyes are still full of tears.

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