Thunder didn't disagree that there had only ever been one way this was all going to play out. They just disagreed on what that one way was. Dr. Gardner was so much of an egomaniac that he couldn’t fathom any other outcome than one where he got whatever it was he wanted.
But Thunder and his teammates had always known that they wouldn't stop until they’d made the man pay for everything he’dput them through. Maybe they hadn't always gone about things the right way. Targeting Rose to use her like she was nothing but a pawn, had been a mistake even if things had worked out in the end and she’d forgiven them, even going so far as to fall in love with Steel. Torturing Whitney before they had all the facts had also been a mistake, but again, one that had been forgiven, and she was now happy with Blade.
Their single-minded determination—obsession was a more accurate word—with revenge had led to them making mistakes, but that didn't change the fact that Dr. Gardner was going to die for the experimental drugs he loved so much. Drugs that had killed every other recipient, except for the six of them and Indigo. Not all of those people had signed up willingly, not that the scientist cared. He’d been prepared to kidnap and imprison, hadn't thought anything of buying the ten-year-old Whitney from her parents to get access to her drugs. He thought buying a human trafficking victim was no big deal, because he wanted to have his very own sex slave.
A sex slave who now stood beside him, her head bowed, staring at the floor, or possibly nothing at all. There wasn't a single thing that Thunder liked about the sleazy way Dr. Gardner’s gaze raked over Maya’s body. It didn’t matter how possessive the man’s gaze was, Maya was wearinghisclothes, and it washisbody she’d willingly sought both comfort and pleasure from.
“Strip,” Dr. Gardner ordered Maya.
Like the well-trained toy that she was, there was no hesitation in Maya’s movements, no indication that she was embarrassed by removing her clothes, or concerned about her modesty, or lack thereof.
With practiced hands, she made quick work of removing her clothing—hisclothing—letting them fall at her feet until she was standing completely naked. Once again, she bowed her head,and her arms hung limply at her sides. Bright red welts on her backside were now clearly visible, and Thunder couldn’t stop the low growl that rumbled through his chest.
Dr. Gardner beamed at him, obviously pleased to have gotten a reaction when so far Thunder had been denying him one. There was a sick smugness in the scientist as he eyed Maya’s body like it was nothing more than a piece of meat for him to enjoy.
“On your knees,” Dr. Gardner commanded Maya, who moved as if she were on strings, dropping down so quickly there was a thump as her knees hit the floor, and he knew it must have hurt.
If she was still capable of feeling pain.
If she hadn't burrowed herself too deeply inside her head.
“Take it out,” Dr. Gardner told Maya, and she reached out to unzip him, reaching inside the man’s boxers to pull out a rather insipid-looking penis.
Still, the sight of it in Maya’s hands, knowing that she was doing this against her will, either acting on trained instincts, or doing what she felt she had to do in order to buy them enough time for his team to show up, had nausea churning inside him. He was right there, a mere seven feet or so away from her, and yet there was absolutely nothing he could do to protect her, to stop this from happening.
“Make me come, pretty toy,” Dr. Gardner commanded, and this time there was the barest hint of hesitation before Maya leaned toward him and parted her lips.
But that hesitation told him all he needed to know.
Dr. Gardner hadn't seen it because he was too busy alternating between staring with lust at Maya’s mouth and shooting Thunder smirks.
Thunder’s fingers curled around the bars, wishing with every fiber of his body that he had Steel’s enhanced strength ratherthan enhanced speed, forced to watch helplessly as Maya took Dr. Gardner’s length between her lips and began to suck him off with a resignation that told him she’d done this hundreds of times before.
As the scientist began to moan, Maya’s gaze finally shifted, met his, and in those beautiful gray depths he saw clarity, determination, and something that looked a whole hell of a lot like love, and he knew that so far he hadn't lost his girl to her own mind.
Unfortunately, if his team didn't arrive soon, he could still lose her to the crazed scientist who was never going to willingly give either of them up.
March 11th
6:27 A.M.
You can do this.
You’ve done it a thousand times before.
Probably more.
And you haveneverhad better motivation to do something that makes you want to throw up.
The only way Maya could ensure she didn't choke on the penis currently thrusting into her mouth and tapping the back of her throat, making her almost gag, was to keep coaching herself.
While it was true she really had been forced to do this thousands of times over the last thirteen years, this time felt different. It was the worst, well, maybe second worst after her first time when she’d been so scared and unprepared she’d choked, vomited, and been punished for it, but this was a close second.
Because Thunder was there.
Forced to watch her down on her knees with another man’s penis in her mouth.
It didn't matter that they both knew she didn't want to do this, the facts were that shewasdoing it, and it had to be as awful for him as it was for her.
