Page 29 of Vendetta

He had given them the key. He had not only left me alone with two creeps that clearly had less than stellar intentions, but he had actually given them access to me as well.

The first tear slid down my face as I faced the fact that this was real. It was actually happening, and nobody was coming to save me.

Connor slowly lowered himself down, unlocking one of the locks and then the other. My breathing grew faster as my mind began racing, trying to figure out a way that I could get out of this. I would fight, I knew that much, but it was me against two grown men. Another tear followed the first as the odds became clear.

The door to the crate was thrown open, Connor reaching in to grab me as Levi’s laughter only grew louder. He grabbed one of my ankles, his broad frame making it impossible for his shoulders to clear the entrance, and I threw my free foot right into his face. He let out a pained grunt, letting me go as he grabbed his nose, blood instantly streaming down his face.

“Fuck!” he bellowed, and I could visibly see the anger bloom in his eyes.

“You little bitch.” He ground out, reaching in the crate again and wrapping a firm hand around my ankle, managing to catch my other one as I kicked at him again. It all happened so fast after that.

Pulling me by the ankles, he violently dragged me out of the cage, the wiring of the entrance’s bottom border tearing my skin. I screamed, warm liquid instantly blooming across my back as pain erupted through me.

As soon as I was out of the cage, I tried rolling over to get up and run, but a hard body came down on mine before Icould get the chance. Tears spilled down my face and a cry left my mouth as my torn back rubbed against the ground, the rough carpet making the sting unbearable as blinding pain shot through me.

The stench of beer hit me in the face, the smell nauseating as I struggled to get free. I felt his cock through his jeans as he rubbed it against me, one of his hands coming up around my throat as the other reached down to unbutton his pants.

For a brief moment, I almost let the defeat win. My body threatened to go slack, a part of my brain begging me to just shut down my mind. I knew that what was coming was inevitable and that I should just retreat into myself. That way, I wouldn’t have to face what was happening to me. I squeezed my eyes shut, a sob wracking through me as his fingers tightened around my neck.

I had never fought when I needed to. When it came to fight or flight, my instincts had always led me to freeze. But I was different now. Older. Better. Stronger. And I was tired of letting people bulldoze over me. In one swift motion, I threw my knee up as hard as I could, landing it exactly as I had intended directly into Conner’s crotch.

He grunted, his weight falling off of me as his fingers slipped from my throat. I rolled to my knees, jumping to my feet and launching myself forward only to be caught by a set of arms wrapping around my waist, my body slamming back into Levi’s chest. One arm wrapped around my throat, putting me in a chokehold as my hands immediately lifted to latch onto his forearm, trying to pry it away as my windpipe was crushed.

“So fucking pretty.” He breathed into my ear, “And all ours for the night. We have such fun things planned for you, babydoll.” His slurred words twisted my insides, and I might have actually puked if I had been able to breathe.

His other hand reached up to grab the collar of my tank top, sloppily yanking it down and tearing the material in the process, the audible rip loud in the empty apartment. I felt the cool air graze my exposed breast, Levi’s hand wasting no time grabbing a handful and crudely squeezing it.

I closed my eyes, the temptation to let my mind pull me under reaching its peak, and I almost gave in. I almost retreated into myself, the promise of peace seeming like such a sweet escape as my body was violated and the lack of air getting to my lungs became painful.

I thought of Olivia and Bexley, the two people who had fought for me, had my back, and been there for me time and time again. Another sob wracked through me as I thought of their faces, remembering how Olivia had forced me to fight when I had tried to give up on everything. I remembered the heart to heart with Bexley where she had confessed that she looked up to me and the confidence I held. And then I thought of my mom, and how she had always told me that I was her little fighter, and that I would become a force to be reckoned with.

And then I thought about how I would be letting all of them down if I gave up and stopped fighting.

Levi didn’t see the back of my head coming as it slammed into his face. The impact made my head spin for a brief moment, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me going as I used his disorientation to slip through his grasp. Connor was slowly standing up, one hand still cupping his junkas he tried to reach for me, blocking my path to the elevator. I managed to dodge him and race to the kitchen.

A fire now lit under me, I raced around the counter, scanning my surroundings and dashing for the knife block in the far corner. I didn’t slow as I pushed myself, slamming into the counters and reaching for a butcher knife before spinning on my heels and swiping it through the air. My eyes widened at how close Connor had been to catching me, a sliver of blood now running down his cheek from the gash that I had inflicted. He jumped backwards, Levi slowly approaching from the other side of the island and slowing as he spotted what I was holding.

Cornering myself might not have been the brightest idea, but I had been acting on instinct, and at least I now had a weapon.

My breathing was so heavy that it was the only thing I could hear as Conner and Levi’s eyes darted to each other, something unspoken passing between them before moving their predatory gazes back to me. We stood at a standstill, the knife shaking in my hands as I looked back and forth between the two, desperately trying to figure out my next move.

A ding cut through the silence, signaling the arrival of the elevator.

We all turned to look towards the entryway.

Cashton assessed the scene, his eyes darting from Levi to Connor and the harsh slash now marring the latter’s face. His gaze landed on me next, zero-ing in on the knife in my hand before making its way up my body, taking in my torn shirt and still exposed breast. My chest rose and fell from my ragged breathing as his eyes finally met mine, no doubt seeing the panic and terror that I could feel thrumming through me.

I had seen Cashton angry. But what I saw in his eyes at that moment wasn’t anger, it was rage. It was white hot fury, and his calm demeanor only made him more intimidating.

Nobody moved a muscle as he took a step out of the elevator, slowly advancing towards us with eyes still locked onto mine. I had been in danger with Connor and Levi, but it didn’t take much to see that the true predator had just entered the room.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath, unsure of what would happen next. Would he watch? Would he help them? I mean, he had given them the key, after all. He might be a dick, but I had been around him enough to see that he was also annoyingly intelligent, so there was no way that it was lost on him what they had been planning to do. I tightened my grip on the knife, bracing myself for whatever was coming next.

He continued his eerie approach, hands in his pockets as he entered the kitchen and passed Connor, reaching the corner and planting himself directly in front of me, eyes boring down into mine. There were so many emotions swirling through the various shades of green, the depths of them hypnotizing.

“Which one.” He growled.

My mind raced, trying to figure out what he was asking.

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