"This is the end, right?" Rebecca's hands stilled on the back of the black leather corset dress I was forced to wear, but she didn't make a sound. I slightly shook my head. "You can tell me. I'm not scared anymore. I just want it all to end." The knowledge that nobody was coming for me and Ginger had numbed me a long time ago. I felt no fear, no pain... Nothing. Not anymore.
"I don't know..." Rebecca whispered, her hands starting to fumble with the laces of the corset again. The dress hugged my body tighter, pressing over my wound and making me gasp. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." The woman quickly mumbled, spunning me around and softly running her hands through my blond hair. "Can you walk?" She asked, taking a step back and letting her eyes scan over my entire body. Normally that question would've been absurd, but considering the fact that I hadn't used my feet in what felt like forever, that the dress I was wearing was so thinght I could barely breathe and that I'd never wore heels so high before, I was not so sure I could.
Slowly taking a tentative step forward, I tried to balance my weight from one foot to the other without actually falling flat on my ass. Rebecca was right next to me though, her hands shooting forward each time I woobled, her tiny frame so very determined to follow me around the room while I tried to get used to walking again.
"Will you be there?" The question just popped out of my mouth, making the young woman freeze to the spot.
"I can't help you anymore, Julia. I took care of you. I kept stalling them, hoping that Gabriel would come for you, but he hasn't and now I don't know what else to do." Those whispered, shaky words made the entire world collapse around me. This really was the end and that little, crazy part of me still hoping for a way out of this mess was slowly starting to fade away, leaving me exhausted and broken. I still needed to know that Rebecca would be there, though. This entire time, she'd been my only friend. I needed her to at least be there for me.
"Please." My hand grabbed hers and weakly squeezed, my eyes full of unshed tears.
"I'll be there." She pursed her lips into a thin line before letting go of my hand and starting for the closed door. Placing her hand on the knob she stopped and lowered her head. "I wish I could..." Her voice broke, her shoulders sagging. "He would kill me if he knew everything I'd done for you. Marco doesn't deal easily with betrayal." I immediately took a step forward, my mind instantly coming up with a solution to that.
"Then leave. Help me and Ginger get out of here and come with us. We'll run. He'll never find us." A short, unamused laugh escaped her lips.
"I'm his protege, Julia, and he's all the family I have. I may not be ok with his choices and actions, but I could never leave him." Just like that, the little hope I had left was gone in an instant. She belonged to him just like Ginger and the other girls at the mansion belonged to Gabriel. "You don't get it. You don't know what it feels like for your life to depend on somebody else's will. He has the right to kill me anytime he wants. He owns me. And if I tried to run away... He would find me, Julia." The air in my lungs refused to come out, my heart almost bursting out of my chest. That word again... So this was what a protege really was. This was what Gabriel had asked me to become. "I'll be there tonight, but that's all I can do for you. I've put myself in danger too many times already. I'm sorry but I need to start thinking about myself." Pushing the door open, Rebecca stepped out of the room without so much as glancing back at me while I tried to come to peace with the fact that I had just lost the battle for my life. Fuck...
$$$
The door opened and I stood up from my chair, facing the man who wanted to kill me. Marco was wearing a perfectly pressed black shirt, unbuttoned at the collar and a pair of black jeans. He was the grim ripper personified.
A cocky smile pulled at the corner of his lips at the sight of me, making my empty stomach churn. Taking a step forward, he extended his hand to me and I had no other choice but to take it, while digging my teeth into my lower lip and drawing blood. The pain was good, though. The pain helped me realise that I was still alive. It helped me feel something -anything.
Pulling at my hand, Marco forced me to step into him, my knees almost giving in, my chest coliding with his.
"Nervous, Ms Groves?" He purred into my ear, making my skin crawl. He was standing too close to me.
"Where's Ginger?" The motherfucker smiled again, wider this time.
"Don't worry about it judge. You'll soon be reunited." I prayed to God for that not to mean my bodyguard was already dead. "Now shall we? We wouldn't want to miss the party." I knew he wasn't really expecting an answer from me, but I was still surprised to be dragged out of my cell before I even knew what was going on.
Three black suited men walked us down the hallway and up a flight of stairs, stopping at the top of the staircase and signaling something to Marco. He nodded in agreement and I held my breath for a moment. I had no fucking idea what they had planned for me, so the slaughter could've started at any moment, including right then and there.
One of the men stepped forward opening a door that seemed to lead outside, while the other two came to stand on either side of us. Marco leaned into me, taking his mouth to my ear for what seemed to be the thousandth time that evening.
"Don't get any ideas for when we get out, judge. First of all, nobody lives anywhere near this place, so there would be nobody to hear your screams and jump to your rescue. Second of all, don't think for a second that you'd get away from us. We'd catch you, judge, and then there would be consequences to your wreckless actions." My breath caught in my throat, but again, I had nothing to lose anymore.
"What consequences could there be? You're going to kill me anyway." That superior fucking smirk pulled at his lips as Marco huffed.
"Killing somebody is a form of art, Julia, and I fucking love art. Therefore I would very much enjoy seeing you writhe in agony and I would also have all the means to make you do just that. Just don't provoke me. As long as you behave I promise to make it fast." I swallowed hard, his words now replaying in my head. Whenever I thought I wasn't scared anymore, he said something like this and all the anxiety came back, making my head spin. "Do we have a deal, judge?" I nodded my head at him, my voice entirely useless. "Good girl."
The man who'd opened the door poked his head back inside, nodding and we started moving again. Three black SUVs were being parked by the door, their engines already roaring and I got pulled towards the one in the middle. The night air bit into my skin making me shiver, the imposibly high heeled boots I wore making it impossible for me to walk any faster, not that it mattered.
Beofore I even got the chace to scan my surroundings, Marco's hands were already pushing me inside the car. I obeyed his silent command, immediately climbing inside the back seat, while pulling at my tight dress. Without bothering to go around the SUV, he simply climbed in next to me, his hand landing onto my thigh and squeezing hard.
"Don't get any ideas, Julia." He growled, making the little hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end. Trying to ignore his threat, I silently watched out the window, knowing fully well that this was probably the last time I saw the starry, night sky.
$$$
The driver pulled up into the club's underground parking lot and Marco opened the door, not letting go of my hand. I followed him out of the car, trying not to trip over my own two feet and break my neck. I wanted to stay alive for as long as possible, even though I knew that wasn't much.
The man stopped before reaching the door and spun me around, his eyes carefully roaming over me.
"You need more lipstick." He said and then produced a tube of fiery red Maybelline from his pocket. "Apply some." I did as instructed and then put the lid on the tube before extending it back to him. Grabbing the lipstick and throwing it away, he then placed one hand at the back of my head, forcing my lips to touch his neck. I was quickly released though and left standing there, staring at the fiery red mark my lips had left onto his skin. "Let's go." Marco said, before I got the chance to say anything and pulled me towards the door and into the club.
A chill ran through me the moment we set foot into the wretched place. Red was obviously the theme of the party, the dim light of the wall lamps scattered around the room creating the sensual ambiance Marco had probably aimed for. Metallic chains were also placed here and there, some women already hanged from the walls or ceiling, some just watching in awe. What really made me want to run for the hills though, was the huge metallic cage sat in the middle of the room and surrounded by a huge crowd of people. The woman being held captive in that cage was scarcely wearing anything, the red bra and matching panties barely covering the most important parts of her body. Her face was all covered up in bruises and so was her torso and her legs. She looked nothing like the Ginger I knew any longer.
I couldn't help the gasp of surprise that escaped me and I involuntarily took a step back gaining myself a stinging slap across my backside. Marco's grasp then tightened and I was pulled back into him in only a matter of seconds.
"Let's not cause a scene, judge. You do not want to end up next to your friend, now do you?" I gritted my teeth to stop myself from yelling at him, from telling him to go to fuking hell. He was right. I didn't want to end up next to Ginger. I needed my freedom -or whatever was left of it- to try and find a way to get us both out of that place alive. "I didn't think so..." Marco drawled, pulling me towards an open bar. Grabbing a glass of bourbon from there he unceremoniously took it to my mouth. "Drink! You'll thank me later."
I slowly parted my lips and tilted my head back a little so that the amber liquid would flow freely down my throat, making Marco smile.
"You really are beautiful when you give up on your control. If it wasn't so much at stake, I might've kept you." Trying to give him a weak smile I then turned my head towards Ginger again. A man had climbed into the cage and was now forcing her lips to his groin. Closing my eyes I exhaled sharply. "Don't worry about her, Julia. She'll soon be put out of her misery." A tear travelled down my cheek, while thinking of my poor bodyguard. She was there because of me. She was being raped because of me.
A man approached us from the crowd and stopped next to Marco, whispering something into his ear. No matter how much I tried to make out the man's words, it was impossible for me to understand what he was saying, but the smile on his boss's face gave me the chills. Whatever news he was bringing, they were certainly not good -not for me and Ginger anyway. I had to hurry up and think of a way to get us out of here. Fast.
Somebody touched my ass and I jumped, Marco immediately narrowing his eyes on me. Without allowing me to open my mouth and explain what had happened, I found myself being dragged away from the crowd and into a slightly smaller lounge, completely encased in glass.
Locking the door, he finally let go of me, and headed for the small bar in the corner, placing the keys onto the island and pouring himself a glass of Jack.
"Make yourself at home, judge." He mumbled, his voice coated in honey. I sat down onto the huge velvety armchair, placed by the door, trying to control my shaking body. "I love this place." He said, walking to one of the glass walls and leaning against it. "Wanna know why?" I shrugged my shoulders and he laughed. " Because it can be both private and out in the open. All it takes to turn it from private to not so much so, is for me to turn on the lights." My heart leaped into my throat the moment the glass in his hand got smashed against the window, the Jack now dripping from it and onto the ground. "This is the other thing I like about it. Bulletproof glass." He smiled and gently tapped his nails against the wall.
The cogs in my head started to frantically spin, Ginger's words coming to mind once again. You need to seduce him... But what if I couldn't? I mean, I had the chance to seduce him before and not once did I do it. What if I was simply incapable of that? Well, then, I guess we'll just die. My conscience sarcastically mumbled and I knew that it was now or never. The bitch was right. I only had two choices. 1. Do nothing and die. 2. Do something and probably die nonetheless, but at least die knowing that you'd tried.
I chose the second option.
Slowly standing up from the chair, I walked to the man watching me closely and cornered him. Placing my surprisingly steady hands onto his chest, I risked a glance at his face. He was surprised, that much was obvious and maybe also a little intrigued. I simply hoped nothing gave away my true intentions.
Taking my mouth to his ear while keeping my hands onto his chest, I let my tongue dart out of my mouth and suck on his ear lobe. A violent shiver ran through him, one of his hands quickly capturing both of mine and pushing me back a little.
"You shouldn't be doing this, Ms Groves." The lust in his voice made my my teeth clench in disgust. Opening my mouth to speak I prayed for my voice to be as sensual as I hoped it would be.
"Why not?" Marco swallowed hard, his jaw ticking.
"Because it's dangerous for an already beautiful woman -such as you- to also be seductive." It was my turn to swallow hard. I knew I was playing with fire here, but what other choice did I have?
A sly smile pulled at his lips for a moment before he had me pressed up against the wall, my hands resting against the cold glass, his hands pulling at my dress and revealing my ass. The lack of any kind of underware made me cringe at the thought that he was now staring at my most intimate part, but I didn't have the time to dwell on that thought for too long. He'd somehow managed to turn the lights on, our activity now visible to everybody in the fucking club.
Closing my eyes in pure horror, I then had to open them again the moment my ass got smacked out of the blue. Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them flow. The sound of a belt hitting the floor made my heart beat faster, then the sound of a zipper being pulled made it stop beating at all. I didn't want to do this, but again, what other choice did I fucking have?
The moment he slammed into me, his breathing becoming erratic, my body shuddered, my stomach twisting in knots but that was not what made me open my eyes this time. The sharp scream coming from the other side of the glass walls made me open them.
Marco stilled completely, one of his hands going to the small of my back and holding me down while the other reached for his gun. The silence that had fallen over the entire club was not a good thing and even I knew that. I felt his weight on me as he pressed his chest against my back and took his lips to my ear.
"Don't get your hopes up, judge. I'm a man of my word. You're still going to die tonight." So that was it. I had no escape. How did I not see it sooner? No escape? You fucking idiot! You have all the means to escape right now. My hands started shaking the moment the cold barrel of his gun touched the sensitive skin of my stomach and the voice of my conscience faded away. This really was the end and I was too scared to even try and save myself. What would've been the point anyway? The club was surrounded by Marco's people. I would've been shot before even getting the chance to walk out the door.
Something -I couldn't tell exactly what- made me look out the window and the sight ahead of me made me gasp, while also giving me hope. The chaos on the dance floor could've only meant one thing.
Quickly grabbing the needle hidden just inside my corset, I aimed it at the man still leaning his chest against my back, only succeding in stabbing his eye with it. Dropping the gun and covering the open wound with both his hands, Marco took a step back allowing me the space to move away from him. After kicking his Berreta under one of the armchairs, I ran towards the bar in the corner -completely oblivious to my aching feet and to the not so healed wound marring my stomach- somehow managing to find the keys he'd left there earlier.
Risking a glance behind, I found my self entitled murderer trying to remove the needle from the bloody mess that was his eye and almost succeding. Fuck! I had to hurry. Running to the door, I made quick work of the lock and stepped out of the lounge, before it was too late.
Quickly scanning my surroundings, I realised that the metallic cage was now empty, my mouth dropping open, fear flooding my body. Where the fuck was Ginger? Somebody grabbed my upper arm and I jumped, but then I caught sight of Rebecca, my flailing hands stopping their assault on her.
"Your friend's safe." She yelled over the music and the noises coming from the other people around us. "Mathew's here. He'll take care of everything, but you need to get out." I wondered idly how she knew about Mathew, but then her hand squeezed my arm, making me snap out of it. "Julia, you need to get out. Now." I nodded my head at her and Rebecca smiled and nodded as well. I knew this was probably the last time I saw her, but I didn't have the time for good bye's. Instead of that I started running, pushing people out of my way and feeling the adrenaline coursing through me.
Mathew was here. He'd saved Ginger and he was probably also looking for me. I was going to live through the fucking night after all.
Avicii's Waiting for love was playing in the background and I knew for a fact that I would never be able to listen to that song again. I wanted nothing to rememind me of this night.
And then, during my frantic race to get out of the club, my eyes caught sight of the huge man punching one of the black suited gorillas who'd accompanied me and Marco here and my heart filled with joy. I'd never thought I would be so happy to see Mathew punching a guy in the face. I'd just started to run toward him when somebody grabbed my wrist pulling me back against a solid chest.
Marco's face was covered in blood, his left eye, a complete mess, but that didn't stop him from picking me up from the ground and putting me over his shoulder. He then started for the door, completely impassive to my feet repeteadly bumping against his stomach, my hands scratching and pulling at his shirt.
One way or another, he'd managed to take me back to the underground parking lot and place me inside one of his SUVs. After carefully strapping me in -making sure I go nowhere-, he silently went around the car and climbed into the driver's seat as well.
"You shouldn't have done what you did, Ms Groves." He growled, starting the engine and driving away just as the door opened again and Mathew stepped into the parking lot. "Now, I'm gonna have to hurt you..."