I try to fight them off.

I try so hard my body aches. It burns. It screams.

I squirm, I bite, I thrash, I do anything I can to stop the filthy hands groping at my body. I’ve connected my teeth with flesh more times than I can count, but it hasn’t stopped anyone. I’m helpless, I’m bound, and they’re going to take what they want before they kill me in the morning.

There is nothing I can do.

The agony in my body is out of this world, but my determination is so much stronger. I’ll keep fighting, no matter how much the pain threatens to take me down.

Sweat coats my body, and runs down my face, from the sheer willpower it is taking not to pass out. I am slowly weakening, my body begging me to just stop, to let it rest, to let it sleep, to let it go and give it a break.

But I know if I do that, I’ll never wake up again.

And my strength, everything I’ve ever fought for, will die with me.

I won’t let that happen.

A hand grabs my breast, squeezing angrily, so hard it burns. I spin my head to the side and latch onto the hand that is groping at me, trying to touch what is not okay to touch. My teeth sink into flesh, and I bite so hard the roar that fills the room gives me a small moment of satisfaction. Just a small moment. Blood pours from the wound on the man’s arm, and it feels good. It feels good to know I caused that.

Another hand grabs hold of my shoulder, trying to force me down onto my back. I swing my head the other way, trying to bite, but the arm is too low. A man leans over me, and I slam my forehead into his, hitting him so hard I nearly knock myself out. It deters him, but only for a moment. Blood runs down my forehead, I know I just split my skin, but I don’t care.

“Get off me,” I hiss. “Get off.”

“You’re a fighter,” Blondie says, standing, watching it all happening. “I’m impressed by that. You’re stronger than any other girl they’ve played with.”

The fact that they’ve done this to other girls, makes me so angry I launch both my bound legs up and hit someone, I don’t know where, but a pained grunt fills the room. I thrash and squirm, until a fist connects with my eye, sending my head spinning to the side. I scream out in pain, and more blood coats my vision. I’m weakening, and I’m so damned afraid of what’s going to happen next.

If I stop fighting, that’s it. It’s over.

A hand reaches for my pants, and jerks them down, until my panties are exposed.

No.

They’re too close.

My heart is racing.

I can’t breathe.

Someone help me.

I thrash and squirm, kick and bite, but the hands keep tugging at my clothes, pulling and jerking, tearing and ripping.

Then there are voices, out of nowhere. My blood-filled eyes open when all the hands suddenly leave my body, and I’m being launched upwards. Blondie has me, there is a gun to my temple, and I’m trying to blink past the blood to see what’s happening. There is yelling, gun shots, and then, a voice I know.

A voice I’ve dreamed of.

A voice I’ve wanted to hear for the last twenty-four hours, so desperately.

I focus, and I see him.

Mason.

Standing in the doorway with Malakai, Koda, and Yolanda.

But he’s all I can see.

Just him.

“Let her go, right fuckin’ now, or I put a bullet in your skull.”

Mason’s voice is terrifying, and brutal, and so very real.

Blondie laughs. “You even attempt to pull that trigger, and I blow her brains out.”

“Got your money, and got the girl you want. You give me her, you can have the real one.”

My eyes move to Yolanda, and she looks terrified.

Utterly terrified.

My heart races. He wouldn’t honestly give her over, would he?

I mean, she deserves hell for what she’s done, but nobody, not even her, deserves this kind of hell.

“So she wasn’t lying,” Blondie murmurs. “There are two of them.”

“Yeah,” Mason snarls. “This is the one you want. This is Yolanda. She’s got the cash, we made sure of it. Take her, do whatever the fuck you want to her, just give me Saskia.”

Blondie grabs my hair, jerking my head back, and I scream from the pain. Mason roars something, but I can’t do anything but stare at the man looking down at me. “So you didn’t lie to me. No wonder you put up a good fight. I wonder what I should do with you? You’ve been fun...”

He lets my hair go, and looks to Yolanda. “But she’ll deliver the same message. You want the broken one, you can have her. I’m not lettin’ this one go, however, until you pass me that one and the cash.”

No.

They can’t do that.

Koda releases Yolanda and she shakes her head, stepping back. Two men grab her by the arms, and drag her to the side, shuffling through her coat pockets until they come out with a massive bundle of cash. The man counts it, and then nods.

“Do we have a deal?” Mason asks. “You take her, and the cash, and give me my girl back.”

“We have a deal, but you can drop your guns first,” Blondie says.

No.

They’re not going to do this.

No way in hell.

Yolanda is a lot of things, but she’s my sister, and damned if I will sit back and be as cold and as heartless as her.

I’ll never allow it.

Never.

Not for a single second.

So I move without warning. Blondie is paying attention to Mason, and not to me. I slam my head backwards, smashing into his nose. He roars and the gun falls from his hands. I turn around, not sure how my body is still functioning, and I smash my bound fists into his nose again, sending him toppling to the ground.

He’s roaring in pain.

Hell breaks loose.

Blood spurts from his nose. Gunshots are fired. Someone is grabbing me.

There’s blood everywhere.

And yelling.

And I’m being dragged out.

I have no more fight left in me.

The moment I’m out of the house, with whoever is holding me, my legs give way.

I’m swung up into a set of arms, and a voice fills my ears, husky and warm, “Stupid, stubborn, strong girl.”

Mason.

He’s got me.

“I’m not the same monster she is, Mason. And I never will be. I’m sorry,” I croak, before my eyes start fluttering closed.

“No,” Mason murmurs, and I’m not sure if it’s a dream, or if it’s really happening. “You most certainly are not. Brave, beautiful girl.”

Then everything in my world goes black.

And my body finally stops fighting.

~*~*~*~