Page 75 of Sexted By a Stranger
Tremendous fear instantly gripped my heart. I struggled desperately, ramming my elbow backward, making gasping sounds in my throat.
Consciousness felt like it was being rapidly drained by an invisible hand. All my defensive tactics completely failed at that moment—I couldn't even lift my arms.
"Stay still." A deliberately lowered female voice hissed in my ear, carrying a vicious threat.
It was that sales associate.
Her strength was surprisingly powerful, her other hand clamping around my waist like an iron vise, making it impossible for me to move.
My vision began to blur, the overhead spotlights becoming dazzling spots of light. My last remaining consciousness drove me to cross my hands and press them protectively over my abdomen.
Bone-chilling cold yanked me back from the abyss of unconsciousness.
My eyelids felt like they were filled with lead, taking tremendous effort to crack open even slightly.
Thick, impenetrable darkness surrounded me, the rough, cold texture of concrete beneath me.
A strong, familiar smell mixed with dust and the sour stench of something rotting entered my nostrils—it was the distinctive scent of the Celestial, the decay and filth accumulated over years.
I'd been brought to this place? Was Connor hiding here all along?
As if a bucket of ice water had been poured over my entire body, my remaining consciousness fully awakened, followed by overwhelming terror.
Connor. That man who hated Luca with every fiber of his being. I'd fallen into his hands.
The heavy iron door was pushed open. A harsh flashlight beam shot in roughly, stabbing my eyes painfully.
Heavy footsteps filled with malice approached step by step.
I curled up, desperately trying to suppress my body's trembling, forcing myself to open my eyes against that blinding light.
Behind the beam was Connor Murphy's dark, twisted face. Black leather jacket, stubbled chin, eyes rolling with undisguised venom and a kind of nearly insane satisfaction. He loomed over me like looking at prey in a trap.
"Awake now, 'stellina'?" He spoke mockingly, his voice particularly hoarse.
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly bent down—
And slapped me twice in the face with full strength.
The massive impact sent my head jerking to one side, my entire body crashing back onto the cold ground, my cheek scraped raw against the rough surface.
I groaned in pain, my vision going black, nearly losing consciousness again.
"Bitch." Connor spat, his furious voice exploding in the cramped space, making my eardrums ring. "Look what I am now! A rat hiding in a stinking sewer. This is all thanks to you. If it weren't for you, you fucking plague, how would Luca Bellomo be chasing me like a rabid dog? My territory. My business. Everything I had. All fucking ruined! All because of you!"
He paced in front of me like a completely enraged caged beast, limping, the flashlight beam swinging wildly with his movements, casting his shadow twisted and enlarged on the walls like a grotesque demon.
The severe pain and taste of blood stimulated my nerves, but I understood that provoking this already insane beast would have unthinkable consequences.
I had to survive.
I curled up on the ground, pleading with heavy sobs,
"I'm-I'm sorry, Mr. Murphy." I lifted my face, letting the flashlight shine directly on the swelling and blood marks.
"I-I didn't want this either. Luca forced me. He locked me by his side. I couldn't escape. I hate him! I really hate him!" By the end, I was sobbing uncontrollably, my shoulders shaking as if they might fall apart. "Please let me go. I'm just a useless mistress. Luca won't care. He won't risk his life for me."
Connor stopped pacing, those sinister eyes boring into me, as if examining the truth in my words, evaluating my worth as a bargaining chip.
