Page 10 of Screwed

“Pay attention!” Dogberry snapped, kneeing me sharply in the back. Shit, that hurt. I was half a second away from whirling around and snapping at him, but Brutus took care of it before I could.

“Cooper!” he snarled. “Know your place.”

Cooper. Cooper was my kidnapper’s real name.

NotDogberry. And Cooper would be the first to die.

From what I had seen, the brothers were careful to only use their Shakespearean names around me, but Cooper must have already been toeing a line.

Brutus offered me a hand, pulling me to my feet.

“You’ll have to excuse him. He’s still young. I asked if you were ready for the Choosing. You will be chosen first, of course, and my brother will show you what is required of you from there. Do you accept this honor?”

I realized he was asking me if I accepted. If I accepted being assaulted and raped, impregnated against my will, only for my child to be sold. He acted like all of this was some kind of blessing for me.

Was he seriously this delusional, or was something else going on here? Regardless, I knew I had to play dumb. Not necessarily act like I wanted it – they wouldn’t buy that.

But at the very least, I would have to seem dense enough that they could control me. I pressed my lips together, nodding. This seemed to appease the Kingsnake, and he turned around to Prospero with the longish blond hair. “And you, my brother? Do you accept this honor?”

“I do,” was his curt, gruff reply. Something in my brain snapped to attention, a memory falling into place. I knew that voice. Or a voice like it. Because the man I had known in university wouldn’t be here. He wouldn’t have hurt a fly, let alone take a woman against her will.

But I couldn’t shake the memory of his voice, running over me, flooding my veins with euphoria. His low timbre, whispering how much he loved me as we lay in bed, holding each other in the gray dawn. The way his gravelly laugh would make my heart hurt. But I was here, and the man that was supposedly “claiming” me for a month couldn’t be Ray. I had left Ray in the past, along with cheap motels, vodka, beach trips, and Olivia.

In front of me, the Kingsnake’s tanned face split into a smile. “Splendid. Round up the rest of the females. It’s time for the Choosing.” Several of the men made their way up the stairs at the opposite end of the room, while the one I assumed was the leader brought me to stand against the peeling wall. Surely once, it had been white. Clean and bare. Now it was dirty and scuffed, more ash than snow.

All of these titles they had for such vile acts made it seem so official. Because how could rape be rape if it was aCeremony?

How could an auction be an auction if it was theChoosing?

I wanted to be sick all over blue-eyes’ sneakers. But it was my own damn fault. I had been careless for all of twenty seconds, and now I was paying for my mistakes.

One by one girls shuffled down the stairs, some dressed in sweatpants and jeans. Others were barefoot, some wore heels and dresses.

It was apparent which of the girls didn’t mind this supposedhonor, and which girls were ready to bolt at the first opportunity. I didn’t think I knew any of them, but that didn’t mean anything. Surely an extended length of time in this place would change anyone beyond recognition.

Next to me, a girl teetered in heels like ones I used to wear to the bars – glossy, black, and out of place in our surroundings. Her hair was a mess, but I could still see the time she had taken to make herself look presentable. She must have been stunning once, the kind of girl who drew attention wherever she went. She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “Hey, new girl. What’s your name?”

She spoke so quietly, I almost missed it. I kept my eyes forward as I whispered back, “Mila.”

“I’m Laura.” She laughed, a raspy noise that sounded more like a cough. “Welcome to hell, Mila.”

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