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Yuli looks to the other guard and smiles. My heart skips a beat, and I’m tempted to wrap my arms around my middle and make myself appear small. Maybe they won’t hurt me then? Maybe they’ll forget I’m here.
There isn’t a chance, but I can hope.
“Maybe we can take her on a brief walk? Take her to see what awaits her?” Yuli pauses, looking from me and back to the other guard. I don’t want to beg, but I will if it means they’ll leave me alone. I’ll do anything. “What d’ya say, Robert?”
Robert rubs at his jaw like he’s contemplating it.
“Please…” The whimper of a word slips free before I can stop it.
Yuli turns on me, his face morphed in rage, and I cower beneath his stare, wishing I had pressed my lips together. He doesn’t even wait for the other guard’s approval. He grabs me by the arm, his fingers dig into my skin, and I know there will be bruises tomorrow.
Rushing out of the cell, he drags me behind him. I can barely keep up and end up tripping over my own feet. I’m so afraid of what’s going to happen next.
Are they going to hurt me? Punish me? Rape me? It won’t matter if Lucca returns to save me if they do any of those things. I’m not sure I can mentally survive something like that. I’ve endured enough in my life—more pain and sadness than most. I don’t think my heart can take anymore.
Yuli’s boots slap against the marble floor once we reach the landing. Peering over my shoulder, I find the other guard following a few steps behind us.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” he growls, his face morphed with worry.
We turn down a hall, and then another, and all I feel is dread—complete and utter dread. Yuli stops at a door, and I almost topple over. He retrieves a key from his pocket and unlocks the massive wooden door.
I swallow down the fear as he pushes the door open, and I’m tugged inside. My gaze darts around the room full of whips, chains, and other objects that promise pain and humiliation. The sights before me leave me overwhelmed with fear.
“No!” I scream.
My entire body trembles, and I struggle to break free of Yuli’s unforgiving grip. That only causes him to tighten his hold.
“What? Are you afraid of the future that awaits you? Because this is where you will spend most of your time. As a sex slave, used and abused in every unimaginable way.”
“Stop! Please, stop.” I refuse to believe that this is my future. My struggles intensify, my fear reaching a new height. I can’t let them hurt me. My foot connects with Yuli’s calf, and I shove away from him.
“You stupid fucking bitch!” he sneers, and his grip on me loosens enough that I pull my arm free of his grasp altogether.
I don’t realize the mistake I’ve made until Yuli’s fist is flying at my face, and I can’t move out of the way fast enough.
Robert tries to step between us, to stop the train wreck from happening, but it’s too late. By the time he’s reached me, Yuli has already hit me.
His knuckles collide with my cheekbone, and pain radiates across and up my face. I stumble backward, cradling the side of my face. I sob, uncaring how weak it makes me look or feel.
“Jesus fuck, Yuli! Boss said not to touch the girl.”
Robert takes a step toward me, and I shake my head. My vision blurs, and I feel helpless and at the mercy of these horrible people.
“I don’t care what the boss said. She fucking kicked me.”
Robert shakes his head. “You stay upstairs, and I’ll go put her back in the cell.” I can already feel my cheek and eye swelling.
I know it shouldn’t surprise me, but I can’t believe he hit me. Before gesturing for me to walk ahead of him, he says, “Try to run, and I’ll drag you back.”
The warning is clear, and with a black and blue eye already, I’m not about to dig myself a shallow grave. I nod and start walking back the way I came, cradling my bruised cheek the entire way. Tears fall like raindrops from my eyes, and I barely hold back the sob building in my throat. I miss Lucca. I wish he never left me alone.
By the time we reach the cell, I’m a sobbing mess. Robert doesn’t touch me or even offer an apology. He seems more worried about what his boss is going to say than anything. I rush to the back of the cell, where I always sit, passing the uneaten food on the ground.
I hold myself together, hoping and praying that Lucca returns for me tonight. I don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t. In no time at all, he went from being the villain to being my savior all over again.
