Page 32 of Defending Van

“Stupid woman,” he growled, dragging her off the bed and shoving her up against the wall, making her grunt in pain.

Good.

He needed her pain.

Needed her to stop making him feel guilty with her stupid sunshine attitude. If she wanted to live in a dreamland where love conquered all and everyone cared about and helped everyone else, then that was her business. On the other hand, he preferred to live in the real world, where people were selfish, prioritized themselves, and people like Makayla Adair were outliers not the norm.

“I'm not asking you to change the way you view the world all at once, Van,” she said, tone still even, calm, and reassuring. “All I'm saying is don’t forget. Don’t forget how you once longed to find someone who cared, how badly you longed for a light in the dark. Those lights are out there, and whether you believe it, you are that light for me right now, and I’ll forever be grateful for it. You don’t have to like it, you don’t have to accept it, you don’t have to accept my gratitude, but you can't change how I feel.”

Since that seemed more true than he would have liked, Van sighed, dropped his head, looked at his fingers curled around Makayla’s slender neck, and wondered what the hell he thought he was doing. Makayla wasn't his enemy. Just because she was making him uncomfortable by stirring up things better left untouched didn't mean he should treat her like this.

Letting his hand fall away, it would have dropped to his side, but Makayla caught it, lifted it, and pressed it to her naked chest, above her heart.

“I lived through the same horrors you did as a child, Van. I know it changes you, but my heart is still beating.” Shifting his hand to move to his own chest, he didn't fight her on it, couldn’t seem to muster much fight anymore. “Your heart is still beating, too. Despite everything, it’s still there, you still care about others even if you pretend you don’t. If you didn't, you would have let one of the others deliver my punishment. I'm sorry if seeing through your shields makes you angry and uncomfortable, but I can, I do. I see the cracks that still let the light inside you through. It’s okay, you don’t have to be scared of it.” With another smile, she released him and took a step toward the bed. “Would it be okay if I just slept for a bit? I don’t know how long you plan on keeping me in here, but I could do with a little bit of proper rest.”

“You think you see light in me, Makayla, but I can't save you from what's happening.” He wanted to, though. For the first time, he wanted to save one of the women trapped here.

“That’s okay, Van. I understand you're doing the best you can to protect me, and that’s enough. I'm glad you're here, not just for me, but to find what you need to stop them all and bring them to justice.”

With one last smile, she climbed onto the bed, pulling back the covers, sliding under them, then curling up on her side and tucking herself in. She looked so small under the blankets, so vulnerable, but even as she drifted off, there was a strength about her that couldn’t be denied. It was her perseverance, her determination, she wouldn't ever give up, and more than that, she knew how to conquer, to overcome.

They’d lived the same sort of childhood, and yet while Makayla wanted to love and care for everyone, he wouldn't allow himself to love or care for anyone.

Chapter

Twelve

August 29th

7:44 A.M.

“Rise and shine, smart mouth,” someone announced, kicking the metal frame of her bed and jolting her awake.

Yawning, Makayla lifted her head to find Marvin grinning down at her. It felt too early for her to be woken up. It wasn't like she had to get to work or anything, and after a really long night, she wanted a bit more sleep.

Still, it didn't seem like that was happening, so instead she fought another yawn and met the man’s gaze squarely. “I thought it was one four six, did I get a new name?”

“New name, new life,” Marvin replied cheerfully as he reached down to grab her bicep and pull her off the mattress.

It wasn't all that comfortable, nowhere near as good as the bed had been yesterday afternoon, and she was eternally grateful that Van had allowed her those few hours to rest properly. Without them, she doubted she would have made it through the night.

When he’d eventually woken her up, somewhat apologetically, he’d told her that if he didn't return her soon, the others would start getting suspicious. He’d also told her that they expected not just that he’d done something to her while they were in here alone together, but that when he brought her out, it would be to share her.

The idea of being shared had terrified her, but Van hadn't pushed her to do anything. Instead, he’d discussed some options he thought would work. In the end, he’d let her choose which one she wanted, and she’d gone with the idea of having a remote-controlled toy left inside her that the others could use to make her come. Out of all the options Van had offered, and his explanation that this was one a colleague of his had chosen as the best-case scenario when the man’s secret girlfriend had been abducted by Azure, that had seemed the least invasive.

What followed were hours of being taunted while the guys played with the remote. Sometimes working her right to the edge of an orgasm but not letting her come, repeatedly until she was writhing on her thin mattress, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she begged for an orgasm she didn't even want. Other times, they flooded her system with one orgasm after another until it was more pain than pleasure that kept assaulting her body.

Eventually, they must have gotten bored or headed home, because the torture had stopped. Well mostly. Marvin had been the last one to see her last night, and he’d left the toy humming inside her. It kept her body lightly aroused, and although it had made it hard to fall asleep, exhaustion had finally won out, and she must have drifted off.

Now, though, her body felt heavy and uncoordinated, the lack of food catching up with her, as did the fragmented sleep. Even if an opportunity for escape presented itself today, she wasn't sure she had enough energy to take advantage of it.

“I’d rather go back to my old life if it’s all the same to you,” she said on a yawn.

“And that smart mouth right there is why you're leaving us today,” Marvin said as he began to drag her across the room.

From the bed beside hers, Cecilia was watching her with terrified blue eyes, and while she wanted to say something reassuring to the woman, she wasn't sure what that was. If she were leaving today, it was because they were planning to sell her. While it definitely wasn't that she wanted to stay here, she knew these men would enjoy every second of torturing her. At least here, she had Van.

Did Van know she was being sold?