A Liberated Decision - COMPLETED!

Chapter 17

Stan blinked back at him. "I'm confused. You want me to bring her to a cop?"

"That's what I said. There's a sentimental twist to it for the both of them." Trent patted Stan's shoulder again. "I can trust that it'll be done?" He studied Stan intently.

"Yes, sir." Stan wasn't sure about any of this. At least it meant that Ashley was alive still, but it didn't answer his worry of how bad she was. The blood on Trent's hands didn't offer any form of comfort. The dark twisted evil in the leader's eyes led Stan to a dark desire to put a bullet in his brain right then and there. Eddie wouldn't be so bad to drop either. Moreover his sick, twisted, demented self didn't deserve to live. Stan figured that the second in command had probably just watched everything that Trent did with pleasure. Maybe even getting off on the demented desire for pain to be inflicted.

"We'll leave you to it then." Trent said calmly. He held out a small key to the man. "You're going to need this." He pushed the key into Stan's open palm before walking away with Eddie in tow behind him.

Stan didn't want to seem too eager, even though the thought of not knowing how Ash was was quickly leaving a hollow space in him that ached. He could feel the key etching its print into his palm as he squeezed it as tightly as he could.

He sprung into action as soon as the two men rounded a corner. He shoved open the door to the building. He had to hold open the door wide enough to get enough brightness to find a light switch. His fingers stumbled over it, allowing him to flick it on with ease. His shoulders dropped as a breath caught in his throat. Oh shit...

The picture in front of him was nothing that he'd seen before. Ashley's small wrists were trapped in cuffs above her head. It looked like they had been lowered enough for her to kneel, but by the look of bruising on her wrists he guessed that they had just recently been lowered. He caught her eyes lightly peek open. "Stan..." Her voice was quiet. Weak and pained.

"Ash, what'd they do to you." He hurried over to her nearly naked body. As gently as he could, he removed the sharp metal cuffs from around her wrists.

Ashley lightly flashed a painful smile. "I guess I asked for it, didn't I?" A tear slipped down her face as she cringed at her arms being moved to her sides.

"No, baby girl, nobody deserves this." Stan could barely spit out. Bruises began coloring her face and body. Blood dripped from everywhere on her. He didn't know where she was cut or where the blood had just dripped down upon her. He caught a glimpse of her back. It was covered in bruises and blood from strike after strike with Trent's belt. Her panties looked like they had been messily put back on her. "Did they rape you?" Stan couldn't stop the words tumbling out of his mouth. It was instinct to ask that question and the scene in front of him made him know the answer sooner than the question had left his lips.

Ashley was barely staying with him. Her head was spinning and the pain was excruciating. She had fought them when they wanted to take advantage of her. First Trent. Then Eddie. And Trent again. She could feel the soreness and burning in between her legs from the struggling. Neither of them had taken it easy on her. They had made everything as rough as they could. She could hardly meet Stan's eyes as she barely nodded. "Get me out of here, Stan. I don't want to pass out in here again."

"You got it, Ash." He had a t-shirt on under his jacket. He pulled it off as fast as he could. "Let me get this on you first." He had spotted her torn and bloody clothes piled in a heap next to them. There was no way that he was going to put those on her. As carefully as he could, Stan slipped the shirt over the girl's head and slid her arms through the sleeves. Every pinched look and every painful moan made it that much easier for Stan to want to find Trent and beat him to death. Eddie too for that matter. He put criminals in prison for less than that, but there was a time and place to put people in line, like had been done before stricter laws had been put into place.