CUT (New Adult Dark Romance) (22 page)

Why did you run? Why the fuck did you run?

“Crawl.”

I didn’t move. I curled into a ball on the floor. Jude’s boot crashed into my ribs painfully.

“CRAWL.”

My body found itself moving without any assistance from my mind. It was easier this way. I always pulled inward, just let my body do the work… I crawled.

“Now that’s not so hard is it?”

“No, Jude.”

“I’m not Jude to you. You don’t fucking deserve that. I’m your master. Now CRAWL!” he shouted again, his boot lifting from the floor and dropping back down as I moved toward the door. The humiliation filled me, but deep down, I felt the anger. I kept it, nurtured it, shielded myself in it. Maybe today wasn’t my day, but there would be tomorrow, or the next. Sooner or later, I would find my way out of this as long as I held onto that little fire inside…

“Up. Get up there.”

I stared up the darkened stairwell from my little cell. Trying to lift myself up to my feet, Jude kicked me back down.

“I said crawl.”

I turned my head, pleading, my mouth opening to speak.

“You say one word up there. Even one. I’ll cut your fucking tongue out. Do you understand?”

I went dead inside as Jude walked me up the stairs like an animal, and soon I saw the main floor. It looked familiar, a warehouse turned clubhouse not unlike the Rampant’s home. This one was different in one key way…

The women.

The Rampant enjoyed their pussy, and I’d met a few of the girls that made their way through the club life, but they were there by choice. Whether it was for money or a good time away from some aloof husband, drugs or a one night fling, they were free to come and free to go…

A metal o-ring came up from the floor with leather leashes tied onto it, a circle of chairs surrounding the little concrete pleasure pit. Three naked women were on their knees tied to that post. They looked dirty, used, abused…

They looked vacant.

I caught the eyes of a thin blonde as she worked, but she made no flash of recognition.

“Fresh blood huh Jude. Where’d you find this beauty?”

“Just some bitch off the street.” Jude said, smiling. “Thought I’d do my part for club business.”

“She’ll fetch some dead sexy money with a pair of tits like those… You break her in yet?”

“Hoping you guys would help me with that,” Jude said, grinning viciously.

I looked around, all eyes on me as even the other girls pulled away from the bikers seated around the circle.

“We can do that,” the big leather clad man replied, waving to the others. “How about we start right now?”

I shivered in place, but Jude stopped the man, holding his hand in the air. “No, not yet. I want her to see what’s going to happen. I want her to have a few days to think about it first.”

“Fine by me. Enjoy the show little lady. Might consider taking notes, because I’m going to personally fuck you raw.”

Jude kept me like that, on my hands and knees watching, but he didn’t let anyone touch me…

Days and nights blended together in my little room. It felt like I’d been here forever. Laying in the bed with nothing else to do, I found myself checking over the squeaking cot. Thick metal springs ran under the mattress, stretching as I moved. I felt for the edge, prying one loose and unhooking it from the edge. It came free, and I lay there quietly feeling the rough metal. As food arrived, I scratched a line into my thigh, feeling for it with my fingertips. Three days? Four? I notched a few more bloody lines. If I kept track of meals, maybe I could keep track of time…

Interrupted from my task by the light flashing on, I settled into another quiet dinner. I knew any day now Jude would tie me to the ring up stairs. I didn’t want to think about that. Deep down, I wanted nothing more than to live, but I didn’t want to live in a world where I had to suffer that kind of abuse.

Jude hadn’t taken me out of the room in awhile. It had been days. Maybe he couldn’t stand to look at me.

I lay the spring down next to the mattress against the wall, moving across the floor and grabbing hold of the food. I’d need my energy to survive, to wait, to live…

Black will come…

I fell asleep, the cold air wrapping around me and making it a restless night.

Jude made it a little more restless.

“Wake up you fucking whore.”

His fist hit my body as my consciousness tried to rouse me, the pain excruciating as it pulsated from my side. More bruises to add to the collection. More pain. My eyes snapped open, the dim light from the hall illuminating the space. Jude stood silently above me.

“Why do you do this to me baby? Why do you make me hurt you like this? Why can’t you just be a good fucking girl?”

I stayed silent, curling up and trying to protect myself, but Jude was forceful.

“I’m sorry Jude…” I whispered, desperate to stop the attack as he pressed me down against the mattress. His eyes burned in the dark, flaring with rage.

“I… I love you Jude… Please!” I said, desperately trying to find some kind of edge to calm him, some way to get under his skin.

The lie felt dirty to my tongue, but I could see his eyes changing, shifting. Murder was still in them, but maybe for someone else.

He pulled away from me.

“You did this to me Jude. You don’t have to do this… I’ll be good, I promise.”

“No. Don’t you fucking lie to me bitch.”

“I love you Jude… Please…”

My body coursed with anger, pain, and frustration. Jude just paced back and forth on the concrete floor. I couldn’t get free in this room, but if I could convince Jude to let me out…

He gave me one more look before leaving again, the big door closing in his wake.

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Jude started taking me out of the room again the next morning. I scratched another line into my skin as breakfast came, hiding my little spring away as the door opened. Once again, the leather strap locked into my collar, and he made me crawl. Had it finally come to this? Was he going to strap me to the ring in the floor? No women walked in the Kings clubhouse and Jude made no exception for me. Still, I found myself relieved when he didn’t bring me to the circle, or tie me into the ring.

“You thirsty?” Jude said, looking down at me. I just nodded as he pulled two beers down from a shelf and cracked them open, handing one down. I drank greedily, desperate for any release from this hell.

Jude pulled his cellphone out, checking a message before looking back down and letting out a little laugh.

“Baby doll, we’re not in any hurry and you don’t need to be chugging that.”

His eyes weren’t as harsh, not nearly as evil. Maybe some part of him believed me. I’d planted doubt. Why was he acting so nice?

“You know, I like you just like this. Quiet. You look like you’re starting to understand your fucking place.”

I nodded up at him, nuzzling with his leg. Any time I spent here was time not in the hole. There was a chance here. There was freedom here…

It was short lived.

“Put your fucking pet away Jude. Los Locos have a drop coming tomorrow and I need your ass out with Hernandez getting us a truck.”

Jude nodded, and I looked up, noting the big man that had just arrived. He was older than Black, maybe even old enough to be his father. I cast my eyes downward as he met my gaze.

“And tell your bitch to keep her eyes to herself before I teach her some proper fucking respect.”

Jude nodded again but I could see the ferocity behind his movements. He was a monster, but with effort, he could be my monster…

“You heard him, crawl.”

I didn’t want to go back into the hole. Jude reached up, grabbing another bottle from the shelf.

“Here, take it. Now crawl.”

Down the stairs we went and I looked to the door, seeing the long iron bar that slipped into a bracket and held the door shut. It was impossible, there was no escape. The door closed and I did the only thing I could, slamming the beer back and laying in bed, letting the faint buzz relax my nerves. Hours passed, day undoubtedly turning to night somewhere above me, but I couldn’t sleep. Up there, it didn’t matter if it was broad daylight or three in the morning, from where I was laying, it was the darkest night of my life…

I let out a little scream, throwing the bottle at the far wall and listening to it crash in the darkness. Eventually, sleep found me.

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Another meal slid under the door, another scratch went into the wall. I waited for the light to flash on and moved from the bed carefully. The small space was littered with glass, remnants of my little outburst. Almost instinctively, I found myself crawling. My hands carefully swept the shards toward the corner, moving them away as I approached the food. Reaching out, I ate greedily. Today it was some kind of fast food burger, but I didn’t really care. I needed it.

Like some kind of animal I tore through the burger, staring around my space. I’d brushed away most of the glass, but the bigger pieces still lay in the corner.

Bigger pieces…

My hand reached up to the collar, it’s chafing leather cutting a line in my delicate skin. It had become infuriating, almost insufferable, a sign of my ownership. Without bothering with the water I moved, reaching the corner and lifting up the largest piece I could find. It was the neck of the bottle, still intact with long spikes of glass off the bottom. I held it up to my throat and began sawing away, careful to avoid nicking my skin. The blade cut deeply with every swipe, and I anticipated the freedom from this disgusting collar any minute. Faster I drew the blade, faster and faster with every stroke.

Free…

The clasp of leather fell free, my neck singing with joy in the dim room. The light flashed off but I no longer cared. I might die tonight, but I was going to go out without that fucking collar on. I stared in the darkness toward the door, waiting, wishing for it to open. The bottle lay in my hand, my fingers testing the edge. It was sharper than the spring. I pushed it up against my arm, ready to draw another line…