Page 9 of Jase
Kody was curling into the smallest ball she could as she sobbed. All I could do was tighten my fists as I dreamed of revenge. A good minute passed. Then, five. Then, longer. Each stretched out like a millennia. It wasn’t until light snores filled the speaker that he moved. That she was asleep or unconscious, and he hadn’t left her until she did, told me more than I liked. The man went beyond a physical sadist. He wanted her mentally tortured as well. After what she’d been through and how hard she must have fought to stay awake, her body gave out before her mind could. Even leaving consciousness, she wouldn’t feel safe. That’s what he wanted. I didn’t like that. The healing it’d take Kody to get past this…I wasn’t even sure it was possible for her to live a normal life again.
Footsteps retreated, and the man stormed from the room. From the light that flashed on the screen, I knew he had left the entire area, just like before. I headed to my laptop, turning on the mic. She wouldn’t hear me. Not consciously, but subconsciously, she’d know I was here for her.
“Kody?” I watched her body move with every breath. I waited to see if she’d come to. Her fingers drew in, but she didn’t wake. “I’m going to find you, okay? We’re going to get you out of there. I need you to be strong and hold on. Tiffany would want you to fight. She needs you.” I swallowed hard, leaning to press my hands on the desk as my eyes cut up to the large monitor that held her small frame. “I need you to…get better after this. I need…to see…to watch and help.” My stare dropped angrily. How creepy was that? She didn’t need me outside of this.
But what about me? What did I need? To offer support for the broken? To kill? Both? Hadn’t I thought this through? Wasn’t it the only thing I’d been doing now for months?Years?
I should rescue her and move on to the next psycho out there. I should cut all ties and walk away. Let her heal on her own.
Alone…
Would she shut down and retreat? Would she turn out like me, a hermit who couldn’t be around other people anymore? I didn’t want that for her.
“I’m going to take away your fear. Maybe not today or tomorrow. Maybe not months from now, but I’ll figure out a way to help you. It’s not fair what’s happened.”
“Help.”
My heart jumped to my throat at Kody’s whisper. She was still sleeping, but she had to know I was here.
“Yes, I’m going to help you. I’m never going to let anyone hurt you again. That sounds like an impossible task, but I have ways. Obviously. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
Kody’s breathing slowed once again, and I put it on mute as I watched and paced. Her nude body was darkening with the bruises from her injuries. Her hand was swollen beyond belief. My mind raced while I calculated all the different paths I could take. I was just starting to formulate a plan when a notification from my laptop alerted. I headed over, watching as the information on Kody’s facial recognition filled the screen.
“My God.”
Was I seeing that right? She lived not far from me. A few blocks. She was twenty-nine and worked at an insurance company in San Rafael. When I came across a link to a local news broadcast, I clicked it, realizing why she’d appeared so familiar.I saw her on there.I hadn’t been paying much attention at the time, but it was the clip of her at the beach that triggered my memory.The angel tattoo. I knew I’d seen it before. Son of a bitch. Had I been paying better attention I could have tried to stop this from the beginning. I would have known the show wasn’t voluntary.
There wasn’t much I could do now. The light returned, and so did he, but the man never came back through the door. He stayed in the dark section just beyond the glass. There was nothing left for me to do but sleep. There’d be no show tonight, but I’d be ready tomorrow. There needed to be an auction, and I needed to attend.
Chapter 4
Kody
Had it not been for the light, I wouldn’t have stirred from the numb cocoon I was hiding in. I vaguely recalled the transition in cold temperatures against my back, but I didn’t want to face what it meant. I was on the table again. I wasn’t ready for what was in store for me. If I laid here; If I refused to open my eyes or awaken, maybe he’d leave me alone. Maybe I truly could just disappear. Or…maybe I was wishing for a miracle that I wouldn’t get. A person didn’t get lucky twice. Not here.
“You have some serious money to make up for tonight. You’re lucky people are already joining the chat.”
My eyes cracked open, but I didn’t speak. I wasn’t sure I could. My skin was on fire despite that I was ice cold. It was a fever. That was obvious, but I was also in too much pain to force words free. If I opened my mouth, I might not stop screaming.
“Welcome to night four. Tonight, we bring in the toys.” Footsteps headed off in the distance. I turned my head just in time to see my captor pushing a two-leveled cart forward. There was everything from whips, to spiked paddles, to handles with strands sporting twisted hooks that were similar to barbed wire. My stomach sank as the bile rose in my throat. “I’m shortening the timeline and switching things up a bit. This is the last night before we go red. Come tomorrow night, there’s only one chance to win, and that’s at the beginning of the show. The winner calls the shots from start to death. Now, take in your tools. You have five minutes before we open the bidding.”
Although I wanted to close my eyes, I wasn’t able. One minute I was prone, the next the table shifted, and it was almost like I was standing. The straps held me in place, but my tiptoes were able to brush against stone, just short of the drain.
“Four minutes.” He turned to me. Seconds dragged on as his hard stare stayed connected to mine. I wasn’t sure how I wasn’t looking away. A part of me couldn’t. The agony made it to where I almost wished he’d kill me now. “Three minutes.” He turned to the far table, holding up a bottle of water. “Open your mouth. You’re weak. You won’t pass out on the first hit and ruin it.”
“No.”
Fingers dug into the sides of my jaw as he pried my mouth open. I screamed, trying to go crazy under the bonds holding me straight. All I could do was make small movements with my head, but the pain was nearly my undoing. Stars danced in front of my vision from the lightheadedness just as ice cold water splashed in my face. I gasped as my breath caught from the frigid temperature. It gave him the perfect opportunity to shove the bottle past my lips.
“Don’t you dare spit that out.”
He still had my face, holding me with an iron grip as I tried not to choke. One gulp. Two. It was all I could do to stop the water from drowning me.
“Two minutes! You get no choice on location tonight, just your preference for tools.”
“I hope I do pass out and ruin your show. I hope you kill me.”
Dark eyes glared as he turned towards me and stepped closer. “Hope is for the weak. Death will come soon enough, but only when I’m ready.”
