Page 19 of Fear and Desire

Laura:

Runninghadbeenareally stupid idea. Hanging by the arms sounded sexy in erotic novels, but it was awful in real life. She could barely put her feet flat. When she did, the weight on her wrists made them go numb, and since her shoulders were pulled up high, the collar around her neck lifted until it cut into the underside of her jaw. The ache in her arms had grown to a fire, and there was no way to relieve it. When she rose to the balls of her feet to take the strain off her wrists, her calf muscles cramped. She shifted her weight back and forth from one leg to another, trying to relieve the pressure.

The sweat that ran down her body itched. She had started whimpering a long time ago.

She didn’t know if her stunt had worked. It was likely someone else was about to whip her skin off, and Dan would never know she was here. And if he knew she was here, it was possible that the person she cared so much about was going to hurt her.

The boards of the barn floor creaked. Despite knowing it wouldn’t help, she begged again. “Please, sir, I’m sorry, I’ll never try it again, I promise, just don’t hurt me anymore. I’ll be obedient, I promise—”

A hand covered her mouth.

“Don’t say anything.”

It was Dan!Relief swept over her. She nodded.

“Stay silent with your head bowed while you listen to me. There are cameras everywhere and I never know who’s watching, but if we whisper, we won’t be overheard.” She nodded once more, and he released his hand.

“Laura, I amsounbelievably sorry you got mixed up with this. You know I’m undercover, right? Please tell me you don’t think I’d actually do this kind of thing?”

“Dan, of course you wouldn’t!”

He let his breath out, as though he’d been holding it until she gave the answer he needed to hear.

“But, shit, Dan, I never imagined anything like this!”

He sighed. “I’ve been on this case ever since I came back into town. And now there’s someone who wants me to screw up so he can replace me. I’m sure he grabbed you because he thinks I’ll give you special treatment, which won’t make his uncle, who’s the head of this whole slave ring, happy. Laura, I’m so sorry, but I can’t let you go, and I can’t treat you any different from the others.”

“Dan, please, I’m scared!” She was shaking. She’d wanted to be brave, but her fear was rapidly overtaking her resolve.

“I know you’re scared. But I can’t get you out of here. This place is crawling with guards who are absolutely loyal to this guy DeLeo. They’ll shoot all of us if they suspect anything. But in a little less than a month there’s going to be an auction, and this will all be over,” he said. “You’ll have to stay until then, but if you never want to see me again after that, I understand.”

“Don’t say that! You can’t do anything that would make me hate you!”

It was a moment before he spoke.

“Laura, you have no idea how bad this is going to get. I’m going to have to punish you harder than I would punish the others, to prove that I’m not affected by your presence here.”

Hearing him say those words crushed the small hope she’d still carried. There was no solution that would see her safely home. She had no choice but to remain here, and she wept silently as she struggled to say the words he needed to hear.

“If I have to stay,” she stuttered, “then I want you—Ineedyou—to do whatever it takes to get through this, and I don’t want you to feel guilty about it later. If you have to hurt me, do it. Just get us home safe, please.” She had to get those words out, no matter how terrified she was, before the band of fear squeezing her chest prevented her from saying anything at all. She couldn’t put any more burden on him.

“Laura, you don’t know what–”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m giving you consent.”

There was silence.

“Dan?” she whispered.

When he spoke, it was barely above a whisper. “Laura, I love you, and when we get out of here, I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much.”

The statement stunned her and suddenly everything she’d spent years refusing to think about fell into place.

“I love you too, Dan,” she replied, her heart tearing apart. “I think I always have. Now please, do what you have to do.”

She felt him nod. He stepped away.

She didn’t want him to leave yet. “Dan?”

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