Page 83 of Ruckus

Five Years Ago

Iwake up when I feel my mattress dip and when a hand slides around my waist, it feels as if a thousand spiders are crawling over my skin.

“Daddy’s home, princess,” he whispers in my ear and I keep my eyes closed, hoping that he’ll go away.

“Aren’t you gonna ask how the run went today?” His body is pressed tight behind mine and I can feel his cock prodding into my back. It makes me feel sick.

“H—How did it go?” I hear the fear in my voice because up to recently, I’ve convinced myself that he wouldn’t touch me like he touched them, but now I’m not so sure.

“It went as well as it could have, we sure coulda done without worryin’ about the damage control.”

“Damage control?” I turn my head to look at him.

“There was an accident on the road, Davy didn’t make it, baby.” He forces my head to turn away from him again, then delicately strokes my face. “I expect that makes ya sad, considerin’ how close the two of you got, lately.” My stomach turns ice cold when I realize what he’s saying.

“Dad, I…”

“Shhhh, it’s okay, it’s okay.” He leans over me and whispers into my ear. “Everyone makes mistakes, that's how we learn.” His soft touch turns rough as he grips my hair and forces me face first into my pillow. I struggle because I can’t breathe and the weight of his body pins me down as he climbs on top of me.

“If you ever speak to anyone about our private business again, I will give you to Verretti and let him sell you as a fuck toy,” he growls into the back of my head as I thrash and fight against the mattress and just when I feel myself start to go light-headed, he lifts my head so I can take a breath, then spins me around.

“Use that pretty, little mouth for the purpose it was intended.” Pinning my wrists to the mattress, he lingers over me. “Today…that pretty, little mouth got someone killed.” I gasp when he forces his tongue between my lips, rolling it inside me as I gag and try to get free from under him.

“Don’t try and fight me, Freya, you’re always gonna be the loser.” He laughs as he stands up from the bed and strides back out into the hall.

I jump when I feel something grab me, and I hear myself continuing to gag and choke. The mattress trembles beneath me as I fight against his strong hold, but this time I can breathe and I don’t feel his weight on top of me.

The grip on my arm gets tighter and more desperate, pinching and clawing at my skin. It’s making me sticky and when I open my eyes, what I see makes me panic.

“Cam!” Dark, red blood covers his hand as he clutches at me with it, and when I look up his arm, I see that the choking and gagging is coming from him. There's a deep cut in the side of his neck that's spilling blood out over his pillow, and his eyes are wild and desperate as more blood pours from his mouth.

“Cam.” I press my hand over the wound and feel it pulsing against my palm as his skin pales and his pupils get bigger.

“Cam, shit!” My hand slips off him as the sheets beneath me grow redder and I realise I can’t save him. There's too much blood, too much for him to possibly survive, and when his grip on me goes limp and his scared eyes turn empty, I don’t know why but I start to cry. This man doesn’t deserve my tears. I should be relieved that he’s dead. Maybe it’s shock… or maybe I’m still dreaming. I’ve thought a lot lately about how Ruckus would kill him but never has it been like this.

A low, gravelly laugh comes from the corner of the room behind me, and I realise that I’m not alone.

Cam’s killer is still in the room, and when I slowly turn around, I can’t believe who it is that I see.

“Josh!” I gasp when I see the knife in his hand, dripping with Cam’s blood.

“You really need to make up your mind about who you want to be with.” He shakes his head and stares at Cam’s body coldly.

“Josh, did you do this?” I look between them both, trying to make sense of what's happening.

“You’re such a pretty, little head fuck.” He laughs again as he steps closer to the bed. “All those pitiful looks you used to give me, and the cute little smiles.” I remain static as he climbs up onto the bed and kneels in front of me. I’m covered in Cam’s blood, his body is behind me, and when Josh takes the knife in his hand and teases the tip of the blade along my collar I hold on to my breath.

“I don’t wanna play games anymore, Freya, I’m done.” He shakes his head.

“Josh, I’ve never–.”

“Why do you think I left the show? Why do you think I ensured that Drew could never hurt you again?” He interrupts what I was going to say. “Those cute, little smiles and‘help me,Josh’looks gave me so much hope. Then you do such stupid things.” He looks disappointed in me.

“First Ruckus, then him. You’re not a whore, Freya, so why the fuck have you been acting like one?” I watch the blade of the knife, while he tilts his head and smiles

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. There's things you don’t understand.” I try not to cry when his free hand lifts up to cradle my face.

“You were so innocent before you went back to them, poor, broken, beat-up Freya. I was gonna be the person who saved you, I had a plan.”

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