Christian couldn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want to see the blows coming. It made it worse, knowing that the pain was about to come again. Knowing the blow that was about to land.
At least in the darkness, tucked behind his eyelids, he could lose himself in images of Melody. Of her laughing, her dark eyes glimmering with joy, with heat. The way she tilted her head back and made that little sound of pleasure in the back of her throat just before she came apart in his arms.
Christian clung to those images, those memories. Anything to block out the pain as Enrique’s fists landed over and over again. Anything to forget the pale-faced look of terror and guilt that Melody had sent him as she’d stood, powerless to do anything to help him, as Enrique’s men held him still so that their boss could beat the shit out of him.
It had only lasted moments, but those moments were the longest of his life. Because Christian knew that, once he was gone, there was no one else to keep Melody safe, no one else to protect their unborn baby.
He was the only one standing in the way of Melody and the enraged psychopath that was currently trying to beat his face into a pulp and doing a fairly good job of it. It gave Christian the strength he needed to hang on. For her. For their child. He had promised her that he would protect them, that he would keep her safe from harm. And he would fight for as long as he could to keep that promise. Even if it cost him everything. Even if it cost him his life. It wouldn’t matter, as long as Melody and their baby survived.
Christian had resigned himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to make it out of this alive. He had reconciled himself to that. As soon as he had, a strange peace settled over him. He wanted to tell Melody that he loved her, that he would always love her, even after he was gone, but he could barely form the words.
So, he sent them to her, in his mind, with all the love that he had, that he’d never thought himself capable of. She had torn into his life like a storm, turning everything upside down and changing him forever. And he wouldn’t have changed a damned thing. Not even now, as he could feel his blood trickle down from multiple cuts and wounds on his face and body.
“NO! Stop! Please stop! You’re going to kill him!” Melody’s choked cry broke through the calm.
Christian drew in a ragged breath as the pounding blows stopped. Christian had to force his swollen eyes open so he could see Enrique turn to Melody, his face twisted in a snarl of rage at being interrupted.
“It’s not your turn yet, angel. Soon enough,” the man crooned.
Christian wanted to lunge to his feet. He wanted to tackle the other man and pummel him to the ground. But Enrique’s men still held him tightly in place. He wasn’t going anywhere.
“P-please Enrique. I’ll do anything if you just stop,” Melody pleaded.
Christian could hear something in her voice that made his heart break. Defeat.
“If you let them go, let ALL of them go, then I promise that I’ll stay here with you of my own free will. I swear that I won’t try and run away again. I’ll… I’ll belong to you.”
“Mel, no!” Christian shouted, horrified by her offer. He would rather die than see her in Enrique’s arms again. To know the pain and agony that he would put her through. “You can’t do that!”
But Melody didn’t look at him. Her dark gaze was locked on Enrique, holding his attention.
“Well? What do you say? Let them go, and I’m yours.”
“Forever?” Enrique growled.
After a harsh moment, Melody nodded.
“Forever,” she replied, echoing his word.
It had barely left her lips when Enrique started forward, rushing towards her, and pulled her ruthlessly into his arms.
Melody stiffened instinctively, and Enrique let out a monstrous laugh.
“Remember your promise. No fighting me. No running away. You belong to me now, and only me. I own you. I get to do whatever I want to you, and you won’t protest.”
“After… after you let them go,” Melody stuttered
Christian grit his teeth at the pain and fear he heard trembling in her soft voice.
“That’s the deal. Let them go first. Them I’m yours.”
Enrique grinned victoriously as he turned back towards Christian, dragging Melody with him, not letting her out of his iron hard embrace.
“Did you hear that? Melody is mine. She said so herself. Out of her own mouth. I own her, and you will never touch her again.”
Enrique punctuated the last word by grabbing a handful of Melody’s long dark hair and dragging her face painfully towards his as he kissed her hard and mercilessly.
Christian heard Melody’s muffled cry, and his heart stuttered and froze in his chest.
“No. No you can’t do this. You can’t…”
“Of course, I can,” Enrique sneered as he drew back from a shaken Melody. “I can do anything I want with my possessions. And Melody is mine. She’s always been mine.”
Enrique’s hands strayed over Melody’s body, touching her intimately in front of everyone, especially Christian, in a show of dominance and possession. Christian hated the look of pure agony on Melody’s face, the way her eyelids shuttered over eyes gone dark with despair.
Christian growled as his anger flared and a red haze filled his head. The only thing he could think about was getting Melody as far away from Enrique as he could, of taking the other man down and hitting the smug look of satisfaction of his face. It was obvious that he enjoyed Melody’s pain and discomfort, relished her embarrassment.
“Let her go! Fucking kill me. I don’t care! Just let her go!” Christian raged, struggling to get free of the hard grip holding him in place.
But all of his fighting was useless. He couldn’t break free, he couldn’t save her, he couldn’t save any of them. He had failed.
“There it is. There’s that look that I’ve been waiting for,” Enrique whispered softly. “You know now, don’t you? How useless it is to fight me. You lost. I won. You finally accepted that.”
Christian bared his teeth at the man, beyond words. He was stripped down to nothing but animal instinct, driven by rage and terror for his woman.
Enrique threw back his head and laughed.
“You still have some fight in you, though. Good. It wouldn’t be any fun otherwise.”
Enrique suddenly grabbed Melody and pulled her body obscenely against his own.
“Now, I’m going to take her in front of you. And you’re going to watch how a real man…”
But the rest of the monster’s words were drowned out. Instead, another sound filled the air. A sound that had hope replacing the despair inside Christian, and he forced a smile to his cut and bleeding face. The sound of rumbling engines that could only mean one thing. Back up had finally arrived.
Christian turned that painful grin on Enrique.
“You lose.”