Ruby

 

 

 

I don't even know what I was thinking. I'm running up the stairs, yelling for help without any idea of what exactly I'm doing.

To be honest, I didn't think it would work. I didn't think that I would get past him. I expected him to grab me before I could even reach the door, but it turns out that he was just as surprised as I was to hear the front door opening. I could see it on his face. He was not only surprised, but shocked. That means he didn't expect anyone to follow him here, and that also means this could be my chance to escape.

Even though I don't know if that's what I truly want anymore.

I'm taking the stairs two steps at a time, flying up the stairs so fast that I almost end up running into the wall opposite them when I finally reach the first floor.

I turn to the front door, and am met with the face of a tall man with equally dark eyes as my master's. He looks to be a few years older, and his hair looks very different. It‘s a lighter color and already beginning to turn gray at the temples. He's not quite as handsome as the man who's held me captive for the past few weeks, but the similarities are enough for me to believe that I'm standing in front of my master's brother.

"What the fuck!" the man exclaims when he sees me appear in front of him.

His reaction makes me remember something that I didn't take into account when I fled up here. I didn't even think about my appearance. I totally forgot about the collar, the leash, and the fact that I'm barely dressed. I look like a sex slave, even to the untrained eye.

My master closed in on me rather quickly. He emerges right next to me just a moment after I reach the first floor, his hand closing tightly around my upper arm as he pulls me close to him. I let it happen, but my eyes are fixated on the stranger who walked into the house.

"He...," I stammer, unable to finish the word.

Help me. That's what I should be saying. He's kidnapped me, and I've been locked up in dungeon basement for the past three weeks. Help me get out of here.

But the words don't come out of my mouth. For whatever reason, I can't get myself to say them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" my master barks at the man, still holding me in a tight grip.

The man's facial expression changes into a sinister smile.

"Holy shit, Loran," he says, as he slowly approaches us. "What have we here?"

He's pretty tall, but not as tall as the man who's been my world for the past three weeks.

The man whose name I just heard for the very first time.

"Loran," I whisper absently, detaching my eyes from the intruder to look at him instead.

His face is tense. He's pressing his lips together, and he's evading my eyes, staring instead at the man who's coming closer to us. His expression is full of hate and anger.

"What's this, Loran?" the guy asks, and now I'm looking at him with a similar expression. He's referring to me as if I was an item, not a person.

"Another little slave you have chained up in here?" he adds, his eyes flickering wickedly.

Despite not being the target of his threatening glare, I find myself worrying. Worrying for my safety just as much as his - Loran's.

The guy stops right in front of us, my master's hand still closed around my upper arm and holding me close, as if he was afraid to lose me, while the guy continues glaring at us. His eyes move back and forth between the two of us, until they rest on me. His eyes narrow to evil little slits, and he hisses, "Who are you? What's your story?"

"Leave her out of this," Loran growls.

"Leave her out of what?" the guy asks, jutting his chin forward as if to challenge him. "If I'm not mistaken, she was the one who just fled up the stairs and straight into my arms in search for help?"

He pauses and turns to me. "Ain't that right, sweetheart?"

A cold shiver of loathing is running down my spine. I can feel both their eyes on me, but Loran's are the ones I choose to look at. He looks tense and apprehensive, and for good reason. This is my chance, this is why I ran up here, this is what I've been waiting for, for weeks.

Then why am I not saying anything? Why am I standing here, biting my lower lip and struggling to say a word, any word.

"Hey, girl, it's okay," the intruder says, touching my shoulder. "You can tell me."

I jerk back from his touch. It feels so much more like a violation than Loran's hand ever did.

"Fuck girl, I can help you, save you from this maniac," the guy says, withdrawing his hand and holding it up in defense. "I know what kind of sick bastard he is. Whatever he did to you - you're safe now. You can tell me."

My lips part, but the words don't come out. I don't know what I'm doing. I've never been this torn before. There's a voice inside me, a voice of reason screaming for me not to be an idiot. A voice that knows the sane thing to do would be to tell him the truth, to do what I came up here to do, to call for help, to let him know what's been going on here - to take this damn chance I thought I've been waiting for all along.

But every time I decide to do that, it feels like a clamp closes around my throat. I can't bring myself to say it. I can't bring myself to betray the man standing next to me. My master.

I can feel his grip around my arm loosening, and my heart sinks. Is he giving me up? Is he surrendering?

"No."

It's the first word I've spoken since I came up here, and as it escapes my mouth, both men look at me with a similar expression of surprise, and I no longer doubt their relationship.

"You're his brother," I say in a shaking voice.

He nods. "Yes, girl, but who are-"

"Loran has told me a lot about you," I continue. My heart is wrapped in comforting warmth when I say his name for the first time. Loran. An uncommon name for an uncommon man.

"But he didn't tell me that you were coming to visit today," I add. "I must say, I'm a little...surprised."

I free myself of my master's grip, pointedly trying to cover myself up by crossing arms in front of my chest. Loran lets go of me without resistance. Even without looking at him, I can tell that his eyes are locked on me in confusion.

"This is my brother, Joel," Loran says. "He has a tendency to show up when he's not invited."

His brother glares at him.

"You fucking sick bastard," he snarls. "What did you do to this girl?"

"Nothing... none of your business," I utter, trying to appear more confident than I'm actually feeling at this moment.

"Oh yeah?" Joel hisses at me. "What the hell is this then?!"

I gasp when he reaches for the leash and yanks on it so hard that I'm forced to step forward, choked by the collar around my throat.

Loran steps in within a split second, taking hold of the leash and tearing it from his brother's hand before he deals a blow against his chest, pushing him about two feet away from us.

"Don't fucking touch her!"

He turns around to me then, his eyes laced with concern. "Are you alright?"

I reach up to my throat, coughing and nodding, while I raise my hand in an appeasing gesture.

"Yes, I'm fine."

My eyes dart over to Joel, narrowing as I fixate on him. "But I'd like for him to leave."

Joel gasps with indignation and makes a move to step forward in protest, but Loran holds him back by raising his hand and stepping in front of me.

"You heard what she said," he hisses at his brother. "You're neither needed nor welcome here."

His brother stares coldly at him. I don't know the whole story, but I'm sure that he doesn't believe either of us and would have been all too happy to secure me from Loran's hands, if only to have something to use against his brother.

I'm not going to let that happen. That's not how I want this to end.

"You're fucking sick, kiddo," Joel bellows at me. "Whatever he did to you - you're fucking sick and wrong for not ratting this asshole out!"

"Get out!" Loran yells at him. "You had no business following me here, and you have no business being here. If you're not out within ten seconds, I'm going to call the police!"

Jack stares at him in angry disbelief. "You fucking wouldn't..."

"Yes!" Loran exclaims. "Yes, I fucking would."

A few moments of unpleasant silence follows their heated exchange, but then Joel finally turns and heads out the door.