Page 112 of Timber

Biting my lip, I push the pain of the ropes biting into my skin and rubbing it raw out of my mind. Thankfully, I didn’t scrub my wrists as rough as I did my arms this morning. If I had, I’d probably already be in a lot more pain as I tried to get free.

Feeling the ropes loosen a little more gives me hope and start trying to free my left hand as well.

After a few minutes, the ropes loosen a fraction more, but the sound of stomping boots approaching has me freezing and closing my eyes. Maybe I can convince them that I’m still passed out from the drug?

Taking a few deep breaths, I try to calm my racing heart.

The door flies open and I force myself not to flinch as it bounces off the wall. Keeping my breath low and steady, I will my limbs to remain lax as whoever it is approaches the bed.

A smack rings through the air as my head whips to the side and a cry escapes me despite my best efforts to keep silent. I feel a trickle down my face and know he cut me somehow. My gaze goes to his hand to find a ring with some stones inlaid on it.

Wait.

He’s married and he’s doing this to me? About to rape me?

A shiver runs through me at how he must treat his wife.

The stinging feeling around my eye worsens, but I blink to keep the tears at bay. How is it that men know just the right spot to hit a woman’s face?

Turning, I fight not to flinch at the angry look on Carter’s face. The man standing behind him is also angry, but he’s also looking at me in a calculating way. It’s similar to how X first looked at me as his eyes raked over my body.

Movement has my attention turning back to Carter. Gone is his anger, and in its place, concern. I’m not buying it for a minute. I’ve seen Preston pulling this same trick with Mom before.

“Now, see what you made me do, love? If you would have just accepted my invitation, none of this would have had to have happened.”

He cannot be for real right now.

“Yeah, about that. You gave your number to a woman in a committed relationship. Why would I step out on the man that I love? Not to mention, you’re married yourself.”

That response earns me another, and somehow harder, backhand to the face.

Crickey, that hurt! You can do this, Mae. You can do this. Stall. Somehow, Liam will find me and rescue me. I just need to stall.

“Why do you keep making me hit you? Does that lowlife thug not know anything about keeping a woman in line? Regardless, I’ll teach you the right way to behave. And as for my wife, she knows how to behave properly. She’s just one of many.”

He reaches for his belt and I panic, trying to scoot as far away from him as I can. The other man walks over and flips open a switchblade. I freeze, my eyes tracking every movement of the blade.

Oh, sugar honey ice tea.

This is it. They’re going to rape me at knifepoint.

The man grabs my shirt and I try to wiggle away from him despite the knife. Fabric tears as he cuts up my shirt and opens it. He backs away, but doesn’t put away the knife.

Relief flows through me that he isn’t cutting off anymore of my clothes, but that relief is short lived.

He sets down the knife and yanks my pants down before cutting them off. Surprisingly, he keeps my panties in place. I bite back a sob as the man picks his knife up again with one hand and rubs himself through his jeans with his other hand.

I’m so distracted by watching the knife that I stupidly didn’t pay attention to Carter.

Seconds later, I scream as the metal part of Carter’s belt lands on my stomach. The sting from the metal and leather lingers and I don’t need to look to know that he’s drawn blood. I can feel it trickling down my side.

Closing my eyes, I try to block out the pain, but the next hit is even harder than the first before he backhands me again and twists my nipples painfully through my bra. If he keeps this up, my eye will be completely swollen shut.

“Look at me when I’m punishing you, bitch! Remember, you made me do this. You will learn your place. Women are nothing but birthers, there to please their owners in the bedroom, and obey their master’s commands. Nothing more. Now, shut up and take your punishment.”

Lash after lash lands, and I lose count of how many times he’s hit me. On top of using the belt, he periodically hits my breasts with his hands and twists my nipples painfully. My screams bounce off the walls. There’s no way to keep them in with the amount of pain he’s inflicting on me.

Finally, he lowers his arms, and I pant as I try and not pass out from the amount of pain coursing through my body.

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