When they reached a white van, he dropped both her and Rose on the ground. While her friend’s body hit without rousing her, it took all of Cassandra’s energy not to react as more pain assaulted her already aching body.
But somehow, she remained limp and bit back her screams.
A moment later, she watched through cracked lids as the man scooped up Rose and physically threw her into the back of the van.
She was next.
As a young woman—especially one who had six overprotective big brothers—she knew that if the man got her in the back of that van, it was all over.
Yet she didn't think she was strong enough to run.
To fight.
Her body was uncooperative, heavy, like her limbs had been encased in concrete.
So she was helpless to stop it from happening when the man reached for her, picked her up, and threw her in to join Rose.
Instead of the darkness she expected to engulf them as he locked them in, light danced across her body. A shadowy figure moved along with the light. Coming closer.
Him.
Why wasn't he driving off?
Kneeling beside her, she felt his fingers brush across her face as he moved a lock of hair off her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. If the gesture had been done by Dragon she would have thought it was sweet, and leaned into the caress.
But it wasn't Dragon.
It was a man who was going to take her to Dr. Gardner and receive a bundle of money for doing it.
His touch didn't stop there.
It dropped lower. Cold fingers trailing down her neck, then her chest, pausing to grab one breast and tweak a nipple, before sliding down her stomach and settling between her legs.
No.
He wouldn't, would he? Not here. Not now.
“I shouldn’t,” the man murmured. “Should get out of here. But … the rules didn't say to leave her unharmed. Been too long. Ever since that slut of an ex decided to leave me. Won't take long.”
The sound of a zipper being opened had to be the loudest one she’d ever heard.
Louder even than the explosion.
Fear and terror churned in her gut, making her nauseous.
Desperation clawed at her, and she tried to make her body move. Playing dead was only going to get her raped and then eventually killed, but it wasn't really playing if you couldn’t seem to do anything else.
Blood pounding in her ears, she felt a rush of cold air on her pelvis as her pants and underwear were pulled down.
Every fear she’d ever had about her sexual tastes and what had happened to her mom played out, and she was unable to do anything to stop it.
Was this how her mom had felt?
Terrified, powerless, so very aware that her life was about to be forever altered, yet unable to stop it from happening.
Above her, the man shifted so he was positioned above her, and she could feelitnudging against her entrance.
You deserve it.
