Dark Boundaries (4 page)

Chapter Seven

Garrett~

I didn’t think it would be so hard to get her naked. She seemed to really love her friends. I thought she’d be the vulnerable one. I thought the threat would be enough to subdue her, but she has more fight in her than I gave her credit for. My cheek burns from where she scratched me. I can’t blame her for trying. I would also do anything to get out and that thought alone is enough to make me sink down in a black hole of guilt.

I need to get a plan of action in place before I go back in there. I can’t look into those tearful grey eyes without feeling like an asshole. Somehow I need to switch off and just get things done. She has the perfect body and just one glimpse at her breasts gave me a raging hard on. I should just focus on her body, not her face. She’s here to be used. It’s better if I remember that.

I open the fridge and take out a beer. It’s all there is in there. We need to get some food. Can’t let the girls starve. They need to look good for the auction.

I take a few gulps from the refreshingly ice cold beer. After giving myself a few minutes to recover from the undressing scene, I grab the keys for the car out front. I find Eric in the lounge, picking on the leftovers Bill left. Eric reminds me of a vulture. Why Bill got him as the fourth man, I’ll never know.

“I’m going to go get some food. This place is empty.”

“Sure, get some more beer while you’re at it. And some peanuts. I’m in the mood for peanuts,” he orders as I walk out of the house.

We’re situated in the country, far from our neighbors. Bill chose this location for a reason – no one will hear the girls’ when they scream.

It takes me thirty minutes to drive to the nearest gas station. At least they’re open twenty-four-seven so I don’t have to go searching for something at four in the morning. I fill the tank while I run in to the store. I grab some bread, butter and cheese. I find peanuts and beer for Eric, so I don’t have to listen to him whining.

Twenty minutes later, I’m heading back to the house. The sun is rising as I pull up to the backdoor. I grab the packet off the back seat and go in through the kitchen. It’s better if I park the car at the back, that way it doesn’t look like anyone’s home. Just in case a nosy neighbor decides to stop by.

As I set the packet on the counter, a shrill scream pierces the air. I take a deep breath. I guess I’ll have to get used to the sound of the girls screaming.

“Fuck!” Justin yells. “I tried to phone you!”

I frown and patting down my pockets, I realize my phone is missing.

“You left it on the counter. You have to stop him,” Justin’s words are filled with panic.

“Stop who?” I sigh, a feeling of irritation washing over me. It’s not my job to control the guys. I’m here to break Kristine and to use her so I can find our sister. Another scream shatters the silence in the house.

“Eric,” he’s out of control. “He’s using the other girls to scare the shit out of Cathy so she’ll listen.”

Fear ripples through me. “What do you mean he’s using the other girls?” I start to walk down the passage.

“He tried it with Riza, but I stopped him. Chase wouldn’t let him close to Kelly. It’s Kristine. You weren’t here and he won’t stop!”

When I notice the door to Kristine’s room standing wide open, I break into a run. Reaching the door, the scene unfolding in front of me brings me to a standstill. I notice the lock has been shot off.

Eric is standing over Kristine where she’s lying in a heap on the floor. He is fisting a belt which he lifts high over his shoulder, bringing it down on her back with a loud crack. She’s covered in red welts.

Eric grins at Cathy. “I’m gonna beat this whore to death if you don’t bend over and take my dick like a good little slut!” He raises his arm high, and then lashes Kristine again. She groans painfully and tries to drag her body away from him.

A burst of adrenaline washes through me. “What the fuck!” I shout. “Get the fuck away from her. What you do with that one is your business, but you don’t touch what’s mine!” I grab the belt from his hand and throw it into the hallway. “Get the fuck out of here!”

“You took the easy one. It’s not fair man. Why do I get stuck with the fat slut?”

“We got them, we choose,” I growl. I’m taller than Eric. If a fight has to go down, I know I can take him.

“I don’t want the fat one. I’ll go get me another one.” Eric’s face contorts with disgust. I don’t realize what he’s doing until it’s too late. He takes a gun from where it’s tucked into the back of his pants. The shot is earsplitting in the small space. Cathy’s body jerks back with the impact of the bullet. Shock vibrates through me. It’s not that I haven’t seen someone being killed before, it’s the fact that she’s innocent.

Eric walks closer to her, looming over her as she sucks in ragged breaths, her eyes already glazing over. “You should’ve listened,” he sneers down at her before pulling the trigger again, this time shooting her in the head.

“Oh God,” Justin whispers from the open door. “What the fuck have you done?”

“She was mine to do with what I wanted. The next bitch will listen.” Eric stalks out of the room. “Did you get me beer and peanuts like I told you to?” he yells from the kitchen.

I walk out of the room and close the door behind me. When I walk into the kitchen, I go straight for the drawer. The man is fucking crazy. Someone who has no feelings can be dangerous to us all, and this whole operation. We need men who will keep their calm and do as they’re told.

Eric’s back is turned to me, while he’s digging through the bag. I take a knife, the biggest one and not giving myself time to second guess what I’m about to do, I lunge for Eric. The knife sinks into his neck, as if it’s slicing into melted butter.

He falls to his knees, blood gurgling up his throat. For a moment I feel guilty, but then I reassure myself that it needed to be done. We can’t afford to be busted and kidnapping more women will only give the police more leads to find us. I did the right thing.

He falls face first onto the dirty kitchen floor, gurgling his last breath.

Chase and Justin just stare at me. I roll my shoulders to rid myself of the tension.

“We are here to do a job. Bill said we have to train the girls, break them in – not fucking kill them.” I grab hold of Eric’s foot and start to drag him outside. “We do as we are told. Now get back to work.” I yell over my shoulder at them, “Bring the dead girl.”

I take Eric’s body outside, to the compost heap in the back. Once Justin throws Cathy’s body next to Eric’s, I set it all on fire. “What’s done is done, let’s get back to work.”

~*~

Chapter Eight

Kristine~

My skin feels like there are flames licking every inch of me. I’m too scared to move. When that man shot Cathy, I thought he would shoot me, too. My heart is still fluttering like a caged bird in my chest.

When fingers brush softly over my back, it hurts like hell and I flinch away. I didn’t hear someone come in after Justin came to take Cathy’s body away. I was hoping they’d ignore my existence for a while, give me time to gather myself.

“It’s okay,” Garrett whispers. “It’s just me.”

Ha! Like that makes any difference!

He helps me up, using his body to keep me standing. I have no strength in my legs to stand by myself. That man beat all my strength out of me. I’m so thirsty from all the crying. I can’t remember when last I ate or drank something.

“I’m going to take you to the showers. We need to clean you up.” His breath stirs the hair that’s sticking to my face.

He picks me up and as his arms brush against my scorching skin, I can’t keep the pain filled groan from slipping over my parched lips. Every step he takes jolts through my body. But I’d much rather take him over Eric. At least Garrett hasn’t hurt me yet. Eric is insane!

Garrett walks into a huge bathroom. It almost looks like the bathroom we shared at our dorm. Rows of showers line the back wall. There are open cubicles with toilets. No doors for privacy. He places me down in a corner and waits for me to take hold of the railing before he steps back.

“You’re going to shower. Your friends can help you. You only get ten minutes together.” Then I hear their cries as they are brought into the showers. Relief floods me when I see no new bruises on them. They are naked just like me.

I reach one hand out to them and use the other to keep my balance. Just seeing them, returns some energy to my beaten body.

Kelly breaks down when she sees me. “God, what have they done to you? I listened to him, I promise.” We’ve past the point of caring that we’re naked. Kelly holds me to her and I start to cry, letting some of the tension seep from me.

Riza takes my hand from the railing and puts it on her shoulder. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” She places a kiss to my forehead and then softly brushes a finger over the wound above my eyebrow. “I’m sorry they hurt you,” she whispers and then starts to cry softly.

We forget about the men and soak up every second we get together.

“We’ll make it,” Kelly whispers. She washes my hair, untangling it with her fingers.

She’s right. I give them a weak smile. “I know we will. We just have to stay strong.”

“We have to get out before they kill one of us, like they did Cathy,” Riza murmurs softly so the men won’t hear.

An idea comes to mind. “We should run now, while we’re all together and not shackled. Who knows when we’ll see each other again and what they’ll do to us in the meantime.”

“You’re right.” Kelly looks over to where the men are standing. “They look relaxed. We can pretend we’re finished, grab towels and make a run for it.”

“Will you be able to run?” Riza asks.

“Yes. I’ll do anything it takes!” I’m starting to feel stronger already.

When we’re finished we look for towels, but find none. What are we supposed to dry ourselves with? I was hoping to have a towel to cover myself so we’re not naked when we make a run for it.

I walk carefully with the assistance of Kelly and Riza, giving the impression that I haven’t recovered from the beating. The men need to think that we’re helpless. It will give us the element of surprise.

“Come.” Garrett holds his hand out to me. He doesn’t rush me when I take a minute to hug Kelly and Riza. “Now,” I whisper to them, hoping they’ll understand that I mean we have to run right now.

I’ve seen plenty of thrillers and horrors, and read plenty of books to know that our lives are at stake. If we don’t escape now, we might not get another chance. One of us might be killed before we get a chance to escape!

I let go of the girls and turn towards Garrett, pretending to listen to him. My heart starts to beat heavily with adrenaline, fueling me with the burst of energy I need to do this.

I take two steps toward him. “Now!” I scream, and then bolt to my left, making a run for the door.

I try to remember the layout of the house. I should’ve paid more attention! I take two stairs at a time and then take another left. I curse under my breath when I pass the rooms we were being kept in. I should’ve turned right. The front door is closer from the stairs. I see the kitchen light flickering bright and know it’s not far now. I want to look behind me to see if Riza and Kelly is there, but I know that will only make me slow down.

I burst through the backdoor, and a sliver of glee fills me. I’m outside! The sun shines down on me in all its morning brilliance.

Something is on fire straight ahead. It looks like logs. If I can get to it I might be able to use one as a weapon. I know I can’t outrun them. I’m too tired and the fleeting burst of adrenalin I had is wearing off.

When I get close to the burning wood, I stumble to a stop. It’s not wood! It’s people. Horror clogs up my throat. The scream that was building up in me comes out sounding like a strangled croak.

My body freezes as wave upon wave of horror crashes into me. Then a hard body crashes into me from behind, arms circle me and yank me off my feet.

My body has no strength to fight and all I feel is this suffocating terror. All I can think of is that soon I’ll be one of those burning bodies. My parents won’t know what happened to me.

We’ll just disappear.

Eric killed Cathy because she wouldn’t bend over so he could have his way with her. They just burned her body, like she was nothing but a piece of trash.

I’m dropped to the floor but Garrett doesn’t let go of me, not until my ankle is chained again. My eyes flit around the room and I realize he didn’t bring me back to the same room I was in earlier. This one is bigger and it’s not empty.

My fluttering heart stops and sinks to my stomach as I look at the flimsy mattress in the one corner. Next to it is a bucket and on the other side of the room is a cross of some sort, huge and nailed to the wall with cuffs hanging at the end of each of the beams. I shudder to think what it’s used for.

“Don’t ever try that shit with me again!” Garrett shouts. He stalks up and down in front of me a few times. When he stops in front of me, his boots are a few inches from my face. I flinch back as I anticipate a kick. He kneels down and grabs hold of my hair, yanking my face to his.

“Do you understand me? Don’t ever fucking do that again,” he hisses. His jaw is clenched tight with anger.

He drops his hand to his side, a flash of impatience crossing his chiseled features. I thought he was an attractive man, now I don’t know what I saw in him to begin with. He’s a monster, that’s all he is now.

He stalks out of the room and I hear a lock click in place.

I look around the room again. I don’t know what the bucket is for. I won’t use the dingy looking mattress. I’d rather lie on the cold hard floor. Refusing to use the little he gives me feels like in some way I’m rebelling. In some way I’m winning.

Remembering how Eric beat me, and then killed Cathy for disobeying, I start to cry. It’s been eight months since a guy touched me. I’ve only had sex with two guys.

I’ve tried to walk the straight and narrow. I tried to be good. I had dreams of a house I could call home with my dream man. I had dreams of having children with the man I love. I had dreams of being successful.

I had dreams.

They’ve been stolen from me in a matter of one day.

Now all that’s left is this nightmare.

~*~