“Thanks,” I say. “Really, it’s okay, though. It was my fault. I forgot something and came back for it.” I drink the water before tossing the cup in my trash can.
“But you went to Sutter,” Conrad says.
“I should have just talked with you guys. I’m sorry about that,” I say nervously. When they don’t say anything, I stand. “I need to recount something.” I go to the door, but Ethan grabs me before I can get out.
“Run, Ari,” he whispers in my ear. “Run like your life depends on it.”
I yank the door open and sprint out of my office. Fuck them and fuck all of my belongings. I hear their maniacal laughter as I run down the hallway. I opt to cut across the rink and get to the exit on the other side. My car is parked out there, so I’ll be able to get away faster. What I don’t consider is the fact that it’s fucking ice. I get about halfway across when my feet slip out from under me, and I fall. I try to scramble up, but a hand grabs my ankle.
“Stop it! Let go!” I scream. I am roughly flipped over, and I start screaming when I see two demons. One is over the top of me, and the other is helping tear my clothing off. I fight back, but the assistant pins my arms. “Stop! Please don’t do this. Please. I’m sorry. Please don’t.”
“Why’d you have to run your mouth, huh?” One of them screams at me as my legs are forcefully pulled apart.
“Stop! Please, God. No. Please. Someone help! Please, help me!”
“God can’t help you now,” the demon grunts as he slams into me. A shrill scream rips from my throat as fire burns through my pelvis. The other demon straddles my face from above me and thrusts down my throat, forcing me to take him as I gag. I let out a gargled scream when they grab my nipples and twist hard before pulling out.
“Let’s see how much this bitch can take,” one demon says to the other. When I see the hockey stick, I start screaming and fighting against them, trying to get away. I manage to get to my belly and drag myself across the ice a short way, but scream in pain when they shove the hockey stick into my vagina and thrust hard and fast as they cackle at my agony.
Today
A scream rips from my throat as I try to jump out of bed and evade the hands on me. I thrash and fight when they pull me back down.
“Shhh. You’re okay. It’s me. It’s Jovi. You’re okay,” Jovian says as he wraps me in a tight hug against his chest. Elijah is behind me with his chest pressed against my back. Being squished between them and unable to move helps ground me. “We’ve got you. You’re okay.”
“What’s wrong? Is she okay?" Kip asks, running into the room.
“She’s okay. Just had a nightmare,” Jovian says, still holding me as my entire body shakes.
“It seemed so real,” I whisper.
“It’s over now, Ari. It wasn’t real,” Jovi reminds me. “You survived.”
“I survived,” I remind myself. “They weren’t trying to kill me.”
“No?” Jovian asks, lifting my chin.
“They said if I opened my mouth again, they’d kill me. They knew I’d survive,” I say. “But… Ray?”
“Yes?” he asks as I sit up.
“Are the cops here?”
“Yeah. Detective Rogers is. Why?”
“I need to talk to him,” I say. Elijah gets up, and I stand. The shirt I have on is practically a dress, so I decide to just go downstairs.
“Detective,” I say when I get to the kitchen, where he and another man are standing.
“Hey,” he says. “How are…”
“Was the rape kit tested?” I ask. He sighs and just stares at me. “Well?”
“What’s going on?” Ray asks me.
“The nightmare I had. It just replays what happened on a loop. I don’t remember them wearing condoms, and I vividly remember one of them throat fucking me. If there was a rape kit, there would have been DNA,” I say.
“The kit was open when it was given to the lab. It’s useless at that point, so…”
