Page 21

Guys get it worse. I watch one get slammed to the ground and beaten until his face is pulp, blood spraying with every punch. In a small clearing, two masked men have a third guy on his knees between them. They have their cocks out, thick and hard, forcing them down his throat one after the other. The guy gags and chokes, tears and spit running down his chin while they fuck his face raw, laughing and calling him their little cum rag. One pulls out and shoots thick ropes across his bloody face before shoving back in deeper. This game is lawless. These rich bastards can do anything out here, and no one will stop them.

A little ahead, three people argue near some bushes. Two guys and one girl. They’re frantically searching the ground while they fight.

“I need that token,” the girl hisses in a shaking voice. “I’m in so much trouble if I don’t win something tonight. My family’s fucked. Please, just help me find it.”

One of the guys snaps back with a cruel laugh. “Who the fuck cares if you get raped or grabbed out here? You came looking for the token just like the rest of us. Probably good for a scared little bitch like you anyway. We guys have to bust our asses for this shit. We deserve it more.”

The girl’s voice cracks with panic. “I don’t want to get raped and grabbed by one of these men! I’m so scared. Please just help me out.

Another guy's voice chimes in, “You’re supposed to be helping me find it. I know you made me drop it on purpose. Why are both of you trying to take it from me? Go find your own. I’m getting my token. Besides, you guys made me drop it. Now we have to search these bushes in this dark red light.”

The other guy shoves her shoulder hard. “Shut the fuck up and keep looking. You think these rich bastards care who lost or owns a token.” He says, shoving both of them.

They keep shoving each other, their voices rising into ugly, violent threats. I stay hidden in the deep shadows and scan the ground. My boot nudges a heavy, loose stone. I grab it, aim at a thick patch of bushes farther down the path, and hurl it as hard as I can.

The rock crashes violently through the dry leaves and branches. All three of them freeze in dead silence.

“What the fuck was that?” one of the guys barks.

They bolt in the opposite direction without looking back, crashing blindly through the undergrowth in pure terror.

I let out a shaky breath. Once they disappear around a sharp bend, I step out of the shadows and move toward the exact bushes they were fighting over.

A low voice slides right into my ear from behind. “Still as crafty as ever, I see. Always scheming, and playing your little games. I don’t mind the selfishness. It just makes me want to break you open and own every fucking piece of you even more.”

Every hair on my body shoots up. I turn around stiff and slow like my spine has turned to wood. A green mask stares back at me, hiding dark, starving eyes. The voice comes again, soft and deadly close.

“Surprised, wifey? Shocked? Should I have made a better entrance? Maybe dragged you out of those bushes by your hair instead?”

“Yakov,” I whisper.

“Bingo. That’s me. But I prefer husband. Yakov sounds too fucking formal now. We passed that stage a long time ago, wifey.”

He steps closer. I stumble back, shaking. “You weren’t supposed to be here. Wait—is this whole game run by your gang?”

Yakov tilts his head, his tone shifting into a smooth, educated drawl. “I would not use the word gang. Gangs are temporary. They are uneducated punks bleeding in the dirt over a few blocks of territory. They have a lifespan of five years before they end up dead or locked in a cell. We are a syndicate. We do not break the law; we write the checks for the politicians who make the laws. We move billions in assets, and we erase problems without leaving a single trace behind. We are permanent, and we are absolutely untouchable.”

I swallow the lump in my throat and take a step forward, refusing to back down. “Is this what it takes to soothe your bruised pride? You can’t handle a simple rejection. You refuse to suck it up and accept my answer, so you bring me to your private playground to murder me in the dark where there are no cameras and no consequences for you. You can cover up the murder and pretend you won. Is that your big, untouchable mafia move?”

Yakov steps in so close his broad chest almost brushes mine. He lifts one thick hand to cup my face, his thumb stroking my cheek gently

“No no no, baby. I won’t kill you. Why the fuck would I? I plan to marry you. You can’t marry a dead bride, can you? How else are we supposed to go on that long honeymoon and have me fucking you senseless every single night? You can’t ride a cold corpse, and I sure as hell love how your warm mouth feels stretched around my cock and how tight your hole squeezes me when you come. So here’s what’s going to happen. I’ll let you run around like a scared little rabbit for now. Grabbing you immediately and fucking you raw right here feels too easy.

Don’t you agree? So why don’t we make this fun for both of us? I hear couples do better when they give each other choices. See? I listen to everything you say. I’m putting it into practice like a good husband. So I’m going to let you run. I’ll give you a two-second head start because I can’t help myself. Then I’m chasing you. Every single time I catch you, you give me something of yours. Don’t worry—I see those wide terrified eyes; I’m not cutting off fingers, but every time I catch you, you drop to your knees and suck my cock like the good little wife you are. And if you somehow manage to slip away after one or two catches, I’ll even give you a two-minute head start next time.”

I stare at the painted mask, my gut twisting into sick knots. He is giving me a rigged choice. He is taller, stronger, and much faster. He will catch me no matter what, even with a ten-minute start. I don’t know the layout of this forest at all. The game is rigged perfectly for him.

I force the words past the huge lump in my throat. “What if I refuse to suck your cock?”

Yakov’s voice drops lower, turning almost gentle, but the words drip with pure venom. “Have you ever felt your lungs burning? Have you ever had an asthma attack where you genuinely believe you are going to die? If you refuse the gracious choice I am giving you, I will pinch your nose shut and fuck your throat until the only oxygen you get is whatever air leaks past my cock. I will make it slow and deeply unpleasant. I don’t want to hurt you, baby. I love you too much. There’s nobody else for me but you. So think of this as our date night. Just you and me having fun. Without further ado, you have about two seconds to run. On the count of one and two, I expect you to sprint like your life depends on it, and don’t even bother with the tokens. They won’t save you from me. I don’t play by the rules. Rules are for weak men, and I am not weak.”

He growls the last words.

“One.”

Before he can even say two, I sprint. I tear through the woods, running for my life. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds before I hear his heavy boots slamming into the dirt right behind me, accompanied by a loud, wild laugh.

“Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh my God, wifey, this is so fucking fun! It’s like we’re running down a forest trail together on our honeymoon. Doesn’t it feel exciting? Don’t you feel it?”