Page 21 of Lose Me In The Shadows

“I’d say we could trade a sloppy fuck for a decent mattress, but you’re used goods. Damaged. Defective.” He sneered. “Did they all fuck you at the same time? Stretch those holes out good? I bet you liked it. Maybe I’ll have my men try them out while I watch.”

“I did like it,” she said. “Conor, Micah, Luke—they fucked me good. So good, it helped me realize what I’d had before was basically a gas station hotdog in comparison.”

“Oh right, your men. Let me tell you something about your men. Did they tell you about why they were dishonorably discharged from the military? What they do for a living now?”

Kara sealed her mouth. She couldn’t tell if he was fishing or trying to fuck with her head. Or both. Before Micah, she’d once thought that Chris could manipulate people into believing just about anything. Now she knew his manipulation was child’s play at best. And Kara had learned something about herself…she could mind fuck with the best of them.

Chris shrugged. “Why don’t I tell you something they don’t know. See, you might think it’s a wild coincidence that you’re here right now, that I know about them and you. Did you know that my brothers were the ones who made the military send them on that suicide mission? Or what should’ve been a suicide mission?” He played with his cuffs. “Anyway, it still destroyed their lives. Just a coincidence, right? Except that when you blew up my entire life and left, I kept eyes on you. Saw you leave that bar with Conor in San Diego, sit at that restaurant with Micah in New Orleans, go hiking with Luke in Denver.” His grin was sickeningly lascivious. “And I decided to punish all of you for it. My brothers needed a highly skilled team of patsies to kill off the competition, and I needed to keep them away from you. I didn’t expect them to kidnap you, but this all works out. Because now, Kara, you’re going to tell me where they are, and what they know.”

The room began to spin in slow motion around Kara, and she forgot how to breathe.

He straightened his cuffs and turned to leave the cell. “Tell these nice men what you know, or I’ll let them use you and abuse you however they want. And I’ll make sure to watch the whole thing. Have fun!” he sing-songed, leaving Kara alone in the crowded cell.

Breathe, sweetheart, just breathe, Luke coaxed in her mind.

She tried to do breathing exercises, to remind herself that she was okay…except she wasn’t okay.

I’ll keep you safe, brave girl,Conor promised.

Oh god, not only was she having a panic attack, she was imagining things.

She was going to die here, filthy and alone, after these men and Chris did god knew what to her. And suddenly, all she wanted was to be back in the cabin. She’d been safe there, hadn’t she? She’d been so wrong, so sure that the men—hermen, because they were hers—had been the worst thing that could possibly happen to her. She’d felt so trapped, and so worthless. But here she was now, truly trapped, and the only worth she had here was what, bait? Chris’s revenge? It didn’t mean she forgave them, but she saw the difference now.

But it was too late.

You can outwit him, baby. You outwitted me, didn’t you?Micah pointed out.

Kara squared her shoulders. Fantasy-Micah was right. She’d outwitted three men before. She could do it again.

Couldn’t she?

She would’ve believed it, too, when the Tweedles descended on her.

The first kick landed right between her ribs, knocking her to the floor. The next was to her stomach. She tried to curl up in a ball but they didn’t let her, one of them stepping directly on her arm. She thought she felt something give.

Kick after kick, punch after punch. And taunts, about how they were going to rape her with a broken bottle and leave her bloody and broken, that all she was was sloppy pussy, that she wasn’t going to make it out of here alive.

Kara believed them.

Luke kept appearing in her mind, asking her in a broken voice why she shot him as blood oozed out of his shoulder, his breath going shallow. He died in her arms, accusing her with sickly yellow green eyes, blankly staring eyes.

I’m sorry. You deserved it,she cried, but she wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

Micah had her tied up on the bed, but instead of fucking her or playing with her, he asked her to tell him about what had happened with Chris, over, and over, and over again. Why she was so broken she couldn’t just want them back.

Stop,she begged.

But he didn’t stop.

And Conor stood in front of her, arms crossed, eyes hard.It’s your fault. I’m broken because of you. Because you were selfish and reckless and made another man obsessed with you. Are you proud, horrible girl?

It wasn’t my fault,she told him, but he just walked away from her.

She was so thirsty, so hungry, so tired. The music never stopped, the lights never shut off. She was trapped here. She hadn’t known what being trapped meant until now. She’d been so stupid.

Used goods. Damaged. Defective, Chris had said, and Kara began to believe him.

No.Micah’s voice was adamant.If you didn’t fall for my manipulative bullshit, you’re not going to fall for his, baby.

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