Page 134 of Merciless

“M-me?” I stutter.

“You,” he confirms.

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“Bro, this is—” JD starts, but he’s soon cut off by his ringleader.

“The other option is that you do it,” Reid snaps, glaring at his best friend, daring him to defy him and let me off.

His eyes find mine and I read everything he doesn’t want to say within the bright blue depths.

Accepting my fate, I reach for the sponge and plunge it into the water. At least it’s warm.

Climbing to my feet, I navigate the stains on the floor to the farthest wall and begin scrubbing.

My body aches and my muscles burn. My lack of sleep has never been more apparent, or my lack of clothing.

JD’s tank brushes against my nipples every time I move, making me more aware of the tiny pieces of jewelry than ever. But that’s nothing compared to when I bend over to rinse the sponge.

I still the second cool air washes over my pussy and a loud gasp fills the air.

“Oh, now I’m starting to get it,” JD murmurs, while Reid remains mute.

I should predict what’s coming next, but my thoughts are too full of them and their reaction to watching me do this to truly understand but no sooner do I stand to my full height again does the vibrating start. And it’s not gentle.

“Motherfucker,” I bark, slamming the wet soapy sponge against the wall aggressively, spraying myself with water in the process.

Locking all my emotions and disgust down, I continue scrubbing.

I will not let them win. They will not beat me.

After a few minutes, the vibrating slows and my body relaxes. But I don’t turn around or acknowledge them in any way.

I shouldn’t be grateful for the task of cleaning blood and other unmentionable things from this cell wall, but after days of nothing, having a job feels kinda good. A focus. Something that isn’t dwelling on my nightmares or worrying about Mav.

I still as the image of Reid overpowering him at the fight last night comes back to me.

A sob threatens to rip from my throat, but I stuff it down. Deep down.

They want to break me. Beat me down, make me weak and then watch me shatter. But it’s going to take more than this.

Whenever Mav used to fight, I was always there to clean up after it. In the first few years we were together, we spent many hours in the bathroom, while I patched him up and even stitched him up a time or two.

I hated it. Hated causing the one man who ever cared for me pain, but I knew I needed to if I wanted him fixed.

Watching him fight terrified me. I used to beg him not to go, not to put himself at risk like that.

The thought of losing him was scarier than anything I’d been through up until that point. He was my hero, my savior, my everything.

All I wanted was to be his in return.

I don’t realize I’m crying until a tear hits my arm.

I hang my head, totally defeated.Exhausted and right on the edge of my sanity.

And that’s the moment when the vibrating starts up again.

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