Against Her Will

Chapter Fifty-seven

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Temperance and Sophia sat tied side by side in a dark and damp basement. Their skirts and underclothes were soaked through to the skin with mud and water and neither of them were speaking.

Their captors, Yancy and Gus, he turned out to be named, were discussing just what they were going to do with them. Gus wanted to have Sophia to himself it seemed, but Yancy was insisting that a colored girl under the age of twenty with her virginity and all her teeth could fetch a real good price.

Temperance shivered. These bastards hadn't changed a bit. They planned on putting poor Sophia on the auction block just as they had her. They planned on letting her be poked, prodded and examined by men who were so foul and undesirable that they had to pay good money for a female companionship.

Temperance would die before she'd see that happen to such an innocent girl.

Sophia had large tears running silently down her cheeks and Temperance offered her a small smile of reassurance. Tanner would come. He would realize she wasn't there and somehow, someway, he would come....

"We're selling the colored girl, Gus, but you can use her mouth if you wanna. Just don't leave no lumps, welts or cuts on her. They don't bring as much money if their faces are unsightly," Yancy warned.

Gus leered at Sophia and the girl whimpered and backed away the best she could with her hands and ankles bound. Temperance felt her heart race with fear but fought against it. It would not do a bit of good to panic and if she didn't keep her wits about her and fight this then she would never again see her son or her husband....

"Gus?" she called.

The man stopped and looked at her with curiosity. "What the hell do you want?"

Temperance swallowed hard and managed to get to her knees. She kept her shoulders straight and her head high. Her voice shook but she managed to speak despite her fear. "You seemed to like what I could do before and I've learned a lot since then. Why are you worried about some inexperienced little girl when you could have a woman who knows how to please a man?"

Gus stepped toward her and grinned. "Well, haven't you turned into quite the accomodatin' little whore?" he sneered before spitting on her dress. "I don't like whores. I like me the screamin', cryin', whimperin' ones. Nice try though," he added before slapping her cheek.

Pain radiated through Temperance's head and she heard Yancy yelling at Gus for damaging the merchandise. Temperance didn't have time to focus on that however because her attention was on Sophia as the girl screamed and Gus took her by her hair and dragged her over behind a pillar.

"I'm sorry, Sophia!" Temperance called out with tears burning her eyes. She heard Gus laughing and Sophia whimpering... then she heard the sound of Sophia's voice being trapped in her throat as the girl gagged and Temperance squeezed her eyes shut. She might not be able to see the abuse but she knew exactly what Gus was doing.

"Alright there, girlie, it's time to let ol' Yancy have a real good look at ya," Yancy drawled. "We gotta make sure having that babe didn't ruin your body too awful bad." He walked to Temperance, grabbed her arm roughly and jerked her to her feet. He chuckled when she glared at him defiantly. "You have some spunk back," he admitted. "I assumed that'd be beat out of ya by now but then again I always knew ya'd be a tough one to truly tame."

"I'm not a horse, you son of a bitch," Temperance spat. "And you are going to regret this."

"Why's that?" Yancy chuckled as he scratched at his stubble covered cheek.

"Because my husband is going to tear you limb from limb."

Yancy laughed loudly. "Your husband? I saw you all cuddled up to a man yesterday with that little boy as well. That man ain't the one that bought ya from me."

"Trevor is dead," Temperance replied, feeling bile rise in her throat as Yancy walked around her and his eyes scanned her up and down. "He died over five years ago."

"Is that right?" Yancy clicked his tongue. Temperance stiffened when she felt his rough fingers in her hair. She let out a surprised cry of shock and pain when Yancy yanked her red curls and pulled her head to the side. "And just who is this new husband that my limbs should fear?"

"His brother," Temperance replied. "He'll kill you, Yancy."

"He can't find me, girlie," Yancy assured her. "He won't find you, he won't save you and you'll never see him or that little brat boy you were lovin' on yesterday."

Temperance's heart broke because she knew there was a decent chance that the man was telling the truth. She refused to give up hope however.

Gus came back around the corner dragging a sobbing Sophia by the hair. He tossed her against the pillar and she fell to the ground all curled up in a ball. Gus laughed as he adjusted his trousers and Temperance could see the dampness on their front. "She's not quite as good as a few I've had before but she was better than some."

Yancy checked his pocket watch. "There's an auction tonight in about six hours. I'd say we could make us a good payday tonight with these two."

Temperance glared but said nothing. Yancy stooped low and untied her ankles and then he stood and undid her wrists. "Take off your clothes," he ordered.

Temperance shook her head, her insides trembling with fear. "No."

Yancy hissed through his teeth and pulled his gun. He aimed it at Sophia in the corner. "Take off your clothes or I'll shoot that bitch!"

Gus grunted and put himself in the line of fire. "You ain't shootin' her! She's mine."

Yancy growled and hit Gus in the cheek with the butt of his revolver. Gus cried out with pain and clutched the bleeding gash as he moved out of Yancy's way.

"Now take your damned clothes off, girlie, or I'll kill your little nigger girl."

Temperance knew what she had to do... She knew that if she got her clothes off these men would reduce her once again to the woman she had been for so long and Temperance wasn't about to let that happen. Fighting back may end with her and Sophia dead but it was the only option that Temperance could see.

Temperance crouched low and pretended as if she were untying her boot. Instead she clutched the handle of the knife that Tanner had insisted she always keep on her ankle. Temperance swallowed hard.

Tanner's voice came to her head as she thought about their many lessons in fighting. 'Don't think too hard, just go with your instinct. Your body wants to survive and it'll tell your mind what to do'

With a deep breath, Temperance counted silently to three and then launched her attack.