Page 100 of Lie With Me

Resident drug lord. The man who taught me what I needed to know to get started on the streets of New York. The man I stole from so that I could disappear and start my life over.

The first man to offer me cash for my body.

“Hello, Father.”

Petey frowns at the reminder that I ended up being his real daughter. It’s ironic that he once called himself daddy while he fucked me—before we knew the truth—the day he offered to pay me cash if Icould make it better for him by reciprocating the pain he liked to cause.

The nurse never had to tamper with anything. The day we found out he was my birth father was the day he stopped touching me. Apparently, raping his own flesh and blood went too far. But he’d always curse and complain that he wished he’d never had the test done.

Since Petey’s moral compass wouldn’t let him enjoy me anymore, he became just like Momma. Only, instead of trading drugs for my body, he traded jobs. And Reker was his best employee.

“Look at you. All grown up. Tell me, Valentine, did you bring back the money you stole? That’s the only reason I can think of why you’d show your face around here again.” Petey cracks his knuckles when he’s four steps away from me, and I brace myself for what I know is coming.

Sure enough, he rears back as I squeeze my one good eye shut just before his knuckles kiss my unbruised cheek. Pain blossoms like the petals of a flower uncurling. The gaudy gold ring he always wears catches my skin and tears it open, a warm gush of blood streaming from the cut. He roughly grips the back of my neck, forcing me to look at him as he screams, “Where’s my money, Valentine?”

“I don’t have it,” I grit out. My mouth is full of blood, and it drips between my lips as I speak.

Petey reaches up and smears it over my face as he glares at me. “That’s right, I didn’t think so. And you know what? You’re gonna spend a long time makingit up to me, isn’t that right? Two hundred thousand with interest, you little bitch. And where the fuck is your good-for-nothing mother?”

“She’s dead.” I pour all my anger into those two words.

That makes him pause, a flicker of something that looks an awful lot like remorse flashing through his eyes for a split second before he huffs and shakes his head. “That’s a damn shame because she owed me too, so you can pay off her debt as well.”

“I want her first.” Reker is practically salivating as he watches us. The outline of his erection is still prominent against his pants, and the thought of him touching me again makes me want to vomit.

Immediately, I begin wondering how I can possibly end my life from this chair. That would be better than being subjected to this again.

“You’ll never have me.” I grin at him before sneering up at Petey. They hate being talked back to. I know they’ll beat me for it. The harder they beat me, the longer it will take for me to recover. And I’m no good to them if I’m not in perfect health. None of Petey’s customers want to fuck a lifeless body.

Petey scowls down at me. “Oh, he’ll have you. As a matter of fact, he’s the only one who’s gonna have you for a while. You obviously need to be fucked back into submission.”

I aim for his feet as I spit a mouthful of blood onto the floor. “Thought you liked it better when I fought back,Dad.”

The chair disappears from beneath me as the manbehind it dumps me on the floor. Hands grab at my pants, and terror grips my heart, crushing it between cold, bony fingers. “No! Stop!”

There’s an unmistakable clanking of a buckle and awhooshas Petey pulls his belt completely out from the loops on his pants. I try to slide away the best I can with my hands tied, but the other man holds me down as he pulls my pants below my butt.

For a moment, I think Petey is going to say to hell with his morals and rape me. Utter hopelessness sears through me. I worked so hard for my freedom from this life, only to have it stripped away from me in the span of a few seconds.

I hear the stir of the air a second before feeling the sting of his belt across my backside. Startled, I let out a yelp of pain that mixes with Reker’s joyous laughter as he walks closer to watch.

Petey strikes me hard, from the back of my thighs up to the middle of my back, letting out an angered shout with each whip of his belt. Raw, hoarse screams leaving my throat with each one. My skin stings, burning as welts bubble up.

“Slap her pussy with it, I’ll bet the little slut is already soaked. Then get the fuck out so I can have my fun,” Reker says.

Once more, the belt strikes at the juncture between my thighs, just narrowly missing my core. Petey gets down on his haunches, sniffing before he whispers, “You thought you had it bad before. You ain’t experienced nothing yet. Welcome home, Valentine.” When he stands, I focus on his shoes as hebegins to walk away. The tears dry on my cheeks, as I prepare to go somewhere deep in my mind to protect myself from what’s about to happen.

“She’s all yours. Make sure you don’t kill her. And for fuck’s sake, don’t mark her up anymore.”

“Oh, I’mgoingto do a lot worse than that, boss,” Reker argues. I can hear him unzipping his pants.

“Listen here, fucker–” The sound of loud banging on the door cuts Petey off.

I can’t see anyone’s face from my place on the floor, but from the sounds of confusion they make as they all mumble that they weren’t expecting anyone, I imagine they’re surprised they have visitors. My backside screams in agony as I try to twist on my side, hiding my naked flesh from whoever is on the other side of the door.

“Should I get it, boss?” the man behind me asks.

“Flash ‘em your gun, tell ‘em were busy, and to get the fuck out of here,” Reker commands. Petey hums his agreement, and the man goes over to the door, the sound of his safety being turned off clicking loudly just before he opens it.

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