Page 84 of Deceptive Lies

Cooper will get here before they touch you.

Unless the professor was further away than they believed and Cooper and his brothers had to wait for confirmation before coming in to rescue her.

Terror spiraled inside her and Willow could feel herself losing whatever control she had on her emotions. Before she could devolve into a full on panic the van slowed and came to a stop.

Time was up.

They’d arrived.

Now all she could do was pray that the professor was already there waiting for her. If he was then this would all be over in minutes. Well before what she feared was about to happen ever got a chance to get off the ground.

Still laughing and chattering amongst themselves, the four men dragged her out of the van along with them. With her arms bound, and still no vision, if they weren't holding her up then Willow was sure she would have stumbled at least a dozen times.

After a brief walk, she was taken inside a building. The slightly cooler air was a relief. With the bag over her head not only couldn’t she see, but her much too fast panicked breathing only made it hotter beneath the rough material, increasing her fear.

Doing her best to control it, she found it so much harder than it had been before.

Maybe it was because now if she died, she’d be leaving a hole in someone’s life whereas before she’d felt untethered to anything.

“Well, well, well,” Professor Mahmoud snickered as she was shoved down onto something soft, a mattress by the feel of it. “The prodigal daughter returns.”

It took everything Willow had to give to hold it together as the hands on her shoulders shoved her backward, and more hands grabbed at her ankles. The only reason she didn't lose it completely as she was twisted so she was lying flat on her back, and the unmistakable sound of duct tape filled the air was because she knew Cooper would be coming any second now.

The professor was there. It wouldn't take the guys with their gadgets long to get visual confirmation, then they’d be breaking down these doors and killing everyone inside.

Bloodthirsty or not, Willow wanted Professor Mahmoud dead and she didn't even care if that made her a bad person, which she didn't believe it did.

“No one is going to save you this time, Ms. Purcell,” Professor Mahmoud said, and she could feel him close beside her even before he snatched the bag off her head revealing his smirking face.

Yeah, that’s whatyou think.

Doing her best to keep her face impassive, Willow pressed her lips together and merely returned the man’s stare until his brows knit together in irritation.

“Your friend is dead, died in the crash, but you know that don’t you?” Professor Mahmoud leaned over her until the hot stench of his breath invaded her nostrils. “He’s not coming to your rescue this time, and you are going to end up just like his mother did.”

That revelation caught her attention, and she shoved away her fear. She had to gather as much intel as she could for Cooper because she was pretty sure that neither the professor nor his men were going to be alive much longer.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Tossing his head back, he laughed. “Always the reporter, aren't you, Ms. Purcell? I guess it doesn’t hurt to tell you since you won't be alive much longer. My wedding day wasn't the first time I’d met Caterina Charleston. I met her for the first time six years earlier. A night I remember very well.” His hand dropped, caressing her neck before sweeping lower to palm one of her breasts. “Very well,” he added with a chuckle, the hand on her breast squeezing painfully tight.

Her breathing accelerated, and she tugged on her bonds even as she attempted to command her body to stay still. These men would pounce on her fear and use it to their advantage.

Cooper is probably right outside this very second. Just hold on a little longer.

“She was tied up much the same way you are right now,” Professor Mahmoud continued. “Only with a little less clothing on.”

Straightening abruptly, he nodded to one of his men who approached her with what looked like a box cutter.

Instinct had her flinching and all the men in the room—over half a dozen of them—laughed.

There was nowhere for her to go, no way for her to fight as the man sawed at her clothing, nicking her dozens of times as he cut her clothing off her until they hung in rags between her body and the mattress.

Tied spreadeagled as she was, there was no way for her to close her legs or cover her private areas. They were on display for every one ofthese disgusting men to ogle, and even though she’d been so strong every other time she was in the professor’s presence, this time she couldn’t prevent a couple of tears from escaping.

Come on, Cooper. What are you waiting for?

Smiling in delight at her tears, Professor Mahmoud cupped her center, one of his fingers forcing its way inside her body. He added another, and then another, tearing at her dry skin as he laughed at her vain attempts at expelling him from her body.

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