Page 84 of The Devil's Pawn

“Tell me, Raquel.” Carlito treads around me slowly, garnishing my anxiety and fear. “You let him fuck you?”

His hand sneaks to the back of my head and clutches my hair, pulling so hard my scalp burns as he looks at me.

“Did you give that scum something that belongs tome? Did he take your virginity?”

A laugh bubbles out of me, small at first, until it collects more fury and begins spiraling into cackling too big to control.

“You thought I was a virgin?” I ask, tears running down my face. “You’re a bigger idiot than I thought.” My shoulders roll with another laugh. “I haven’t been a virgin since I was seventeen, when Lenny fucked me in the back of his mother’s van.”

His other hand surrounds my neck, his fingers creeping deeper and suffocating me as his glare turns harsher.

“Dante, even with all his lies…” I huff. “…is a better man than you could ever be, and believe me, the orgasms he gave me were the best ones I’ll ever have.”

The punch to my cheek comes so fast, I don’t even see it coming. Light flickers in and out of my right eye, and stars go off like fireworks on the Fourth of July. The taste of copper filters through my tongue as I try not to cry.

Carlito stands before me, removing a knife with a long, shiny blade from his waistband. The sheer level of anger on his face is scarier than the weapon in his hand.

“I didn’t know who he was when he got all friendly with me at the club,” he tells me. “Did you know about it?”

He bends, his face nearing mine, so close I can smell cigarettes on his breath.

“Did you know what he was doing, you bitch? Were you in on it?”

“No,” I hiss with a tremor, not from fear anymore, but from pure, unadulterated rage. “He’s going to find me. And whether I’m dead or not, he’s gonna kill you. So painfully, so slowly, you’ll wish you’d done it yourself.”

He chuckles, running his knuckles down my face and pushing into where he hit me. “I’ll gladly die knowing I took you from him.”

“If you kill me, my father will kill you.”

“Is that what you honestly think? He left you here with me, didn’t he? He’ll forgive me if I take things a bit too far.”

His words sting, pouring salt on a wound that already bleeds. His hand clamps around my jaw, but I fight the pain, refusing to let him see me crumble anymore.

“Do you think he really gives a shit about you?” he says too close to my face. “Your mother gave you up, and your father abandoned you when you begged for help. You’re a stain on your family’s name. They don’t want you. Your death will be celebrated. And if you don’t die, you’ll be too ugly for anyone else to love you.”

His fingers tighten, making my pulse fire faster.

“I’ll take your fucking tits and slice open your cunt. Then I’ll carve out your face.”

I gasp for air, unable to hold back the terror crawling over me. The skin on my arms prickles and pinches.

“You’ll be no good for anyone.” The knife nears and slices down my black t-shirt until it comes apart, the pointy tip almost piercing my skin.

My entire body breaks into a tremor as my heartbeats race so quickly they nearly explode out of me.

Using his thumbs, he yanks the shirt completely open, exposing me to him.

“Mmm,” he moans, walking back a step so he can take pieces of my soul I’ll never get back. “I’ve been dying to see you naked for so long. It’s a shame what I’ll have to do to your body. But…” He takes a step up, the tip of the knife against my breast. “You’ve left me no choice.”

“Ahh!” I scream as the first slice to my areola comes.

The cut is small, but deep enough for the blood to ooze, dripping down my breast and onto my jean-clad thighs.

“This is only the beginning, Raquel. Better get used to the pain.”

Then I scream as the next slash comes.

* * *

---