Page 119 of Merciless

“You fuckers coming?”

“I haven’t had a fight yet.” Dev argues like a child.

“Stay then. Whatever,” I mutter before taking off, not caring who follows.

A few sets of eyes turn to me as I move toward the door, but there’s another fight in progress, so most are too focused on that to care about what I’m doing.

Warm air rushes over my skin as I step out in the night, the lingering sweat covering my body instantly cooling.

The second I drop into my car, my adrenaline begins to wane. My fists, my face, and my ribs start to ache. But it’s still not enough.

I push the key into the ignition as the rest of the doors open, and familiar voices fill the car.

“What the fuck are you waiting for? Party at the Manor.”

“You can fuck right off. If you want to party, you can go to one of your little college gatherings,” I bark back at Devin.

“Oh, don’t worry, big brother. We’ve already been, and we’ll be heading back later. Letting the minions do some work for a change.”

“Fucking prick,” I mutter, putting my Charger into reverse before spinning out of the lot and toward home.

29

ALANA

“Hold her arms above her head,” a deep, raspy voice says before the man he’s talking to follows orders.

I don’t recognize either of them. Not that it matters. The men I know are just as vicious as the ones I don’t.

“Tighter,” he demands, stretching my body out across the dining table, making my skirt rise up, exposing my panty-covered ass to the room.

My toes no longer touch the floor. I’m floating and totally at their mercy.

The tang of copper fills my mouth from where one backhanded me before they even got started.

I knew they were in the room, they hadn’t made a secret of their arrival, but I had no idea what they were doing. I’d been told to close my eyes and lower my head, and that’s exactly what I did. I’ve learned that if I defy them, it only hurts worse in the long run.

“Better to be a good little slut,” a deep voice taunts. “You know it only hurts worse if you fight us.”

I wanted to fight. I wanted to fight so fucking hard. But I couldn’t. I was too small, too weak. Too useless.

At least that’s how I felt. My father made sure to remind me of it every day.

I was nothing. Pointless. My only use was as a toy. A plaything for men to use to get their kicks.

I was ugly and stupid. I couldn’t do any of the jobs he requested of me properly. The only thing I could do was lie back and open my legs in the hopes of making up for all my misgivings.

I cry out as I do as I’m told, my shoulders smarting, the unforgiving tabletop digging into my hips.

“Your daddy was right, princess. Perfect toy,” the man behind me muses before his fingers brush my upper thighs, reminding me just how much of me is on show right now.

I swallow bile as it rushes up my throat. I might think this is bad, but it’s only the beginning.

The fabric that’s still covering some of my ass is flipped up, letting everyone see my white cotton panties.

“Oh, look at those,” the man holding my wrists muses. “Kurt sure understood the assignment with this one.”

I bite on the inside of my cheek until more blood fills my mouth.

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