"All right." Dustin's hand touches my waist and it takes everything inside me not to slap it away. He walks me a few steps towards a corridor and points down a long run of doors. I stare back at Xander, his eyes still trained on me. "Go to the end. There's a little courtyard out there."
Xander joins us by the corridor. "I'll go with her."
Dustin tsks. "And leave Stacey unattended?"
"Stacey has three guards in this room, Dustin." Xander almost barks the words, and his tone makes Dustin straighten.
Then Dustin relaxes.
It's chilling. His stance. Like the quiet of the sea at night. You know that there are monsters beneath its dark depths, but all you can see is still glassy blackness. "Are you still talking, little Butcher?" he finally says, his voice smooth.
Around the room, several guards watch our exchange closely. Xander clenches his fists on either side of his body as he acknowledges them with a nod. It's not clear where their loyalties lie. With Jimmy, I suppose.
"It's fine," I say to Xander, honestly just eager to get away at this point. I reach for Xander's arm, stroking the tensemuscles beneath. "I'll just be outside." Walking away from both of them, I head straight down the corridor, passing five doors as I do. It's well lit. My stomach rolls again, so I clutch at it, wincing slightly. At the end of the corridor, I push the door open and the fresh air greets me. A crisp wisp of air fills my lungs... and then something else. Something smoky. The atmosphere is not quite right.
The door behind me closes on its own. A shadow in the corner moves.
"Ah, thank you, God! This is a sign," I hear someone say.
Squinting as the shadow moves towards me, a face is gradually revealed. Erik. He's smoking something that is definitely not tobacco. The herbal remedy wraps him in thick, pungent smoke.
"Stay away from me," I say as I turn for the door handle, only to find it has locked behind me. Erik is quickly beside me, pressing his fist to the door. Tugging on the doorknob, a shaky breath expels my mouth. I spin to scowl at him, my lips curled up in disgust. My eyes well, but I wrestle with them so they don't expel tears like rain. But they want to.
His gaze shifts around my face before fixing on a single tear as it slides down my cheek. "We got interrupted last time I found you. This is a little gift from God. He owes me."
I narrow my eyes with defiance.
He grins. "Did you get my messages?"
Oh God.
My throat tightens, but I manage to say, "Are you crazy? Max is going to kill you."
He laughs and the hysteria in it chills me to my core. "Max is going to kill me?" he mocks. "Do you think I care if I die?Thisis all I want. This is all I asked for. Revenge. It's the only item on my bucket list. Dustin wants my revenge aswell, ya know?" He leans in, his eyes wild. Crazed. "He doesn't like your brother either."
A whimper escapes me without my permission. His hand slides up the slit of my dress and I tense, willing myself not to break down as I begin to vibrate with fear against the door. My eyes drop to his hand as I feel two fingers push against the thin fabric between my legs.
Where aremyhands? What are they doing?
Push him away!
My head screams Max's name.
Max!
But my lips do nothing but draw in air.
"I have no life. I have no interest in living like this... with this face," he hisses.
My teeth tighten as I stare at his disfigured face. I will myself to hold my own. Don’t break down. His cruel brown eyes crinkle in the corners at my attempt to stay strong. He chuckles a little, which causes another tear to fall from my eye.
As he talks, he leans in until his lips are pressed to my wet cheek. "I want to take something from him. He took Blesk from me. She was mine first. The only girl I've ever loved. I didn't even know that he had a sister until I saw you in The District News. So pretty as well. Such was my luck that day. And now this day. Of course, I didn't realise that Max Butcher had already put his cock inside you. That was a bit of a disappointment."
It's hard to breathe as he presses his forearm into my neck, pinning me, near airless, against the door. His other hand—oh God. It begins to rub me through my knickers. I squeeze my eyes shut, pleading with my body not to respond, not to betray me. Although I'm frozen, my heart is riotous in my ears. I imagine fighting back. I imagineslapping him. Frozen by fear, my body isn’t responding to my demands. To move. To fight. To scream.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. I just want to fuck his sister like he's fucking mine." His hot, smoky breath slithers down my neck as he slides his fingers under my knickers and inside me. "Women were created to be so weak. Small. Fragile. And with this little part of your body, men can control you. Max controls you with it too. Doesn't he? We literally enter you. Like the devil himself. We enter you."
As Erik moves his fingers inside me, my teeth fix tight, but my throat groans my discomfort.
