Chapter 9
Threats, so many threats.
Sassik had arrived with the truck. The blue headlights fluctuated in strength with the purr of the engine. He’d repeated his offer to carry her to the truck, after he’d helped Saw untie her from the tree. Left with the rope around her wrists but her pants still down, Ari considered his question.
Swaying and feeling dizzy, she decided she should do nothing to provoke these men.
Yet, she was angry. Angry, sad, ready to kick someone in the face if they presented themselves for her. Also scared.
Not wise to resist.
So she asked softly, “Pull my pants up first, please?”
Saw stood before her, looking smug, but favoring one leg from the way he leaned. “Well? Sassik asked you nicely.”
He was ignoring her request? She refused to be manhandled while partly naked.
Her belt dangled from his hand like a small snake. He’d put that in her mouth, and she still hurt from the stretch of her lips. She smelled of his blood. Her forehead and eyelids felt wet from where his fingers had smeared.
So many abominations.
“Answer him.” One eyebrow rose and he twitched the belt. “Now.”
Expecting her to do this...just because he wanted it. Her anger went from embers to sizzle. She raised her head, worked her jaw, wanting to stop herself. She didn’t have courage, just anger. Sometimes anger was enough.
She spat at them both.
Where the droplets went, she wasn’t sure.
Visceral purpose sparked in Saw’s eyes. She couldn’t look away – fascinated by how he scared her. She’d spat on him, and he was going to punish her and enjoy it. Sassik, who held the other end of the rope, would know this too.
As Saw began to circle her, hobbling, she backed away as far as she could, working her mouth for more spit. Why not? If he was going to –
From behind, a big arm wrapped tightly across her breasts and Sassik laughed. His other hand grabbed her face.
After trying to get loose, she gave up, panting. Saw moved in.
“What do you want me to do to her, Saw?”
“You?” His face creased in consternation. “Nothing. I’ll do whatever I do after I’m fixed by a doc. Letting her wait might get her to think.”
Sassik grunted. “You should do something now. It’s best to get them thinking the right way early. This one.” He squeezed, laughing some more as she coughed and struggled to get enough air. “She’s going to need a lot of training.”
“Now?” He sighed, and she thought he swayed. Good, he must be hurting. “You’re right. I’m not thinking straight. She wanted her pants pulled up? Strip her and tie her with her hands at her back. Tie her filthy mouth with her underwear.”
“That all?”
“You’re not beating her for me.”
“Not even her ass? Though she’s less appealing up close.”
Ari grimaced. His arms had relaxed. Least her on-and-off power was working on Sassik, and he’d let her breathe. Being exposed to others. Ugh. Whatever they were going to do she’d bear it. Saw thought she’d knife him? She’d knife him and twist it around and around until she drilled a hole clear through him.
When Sassik began to strip off her clothes with the aid of a knife to cut her shirt and bra, pulling her this way and that, though she seethed inwardly, she shut her mouth and tried not to glare.
Being stripped should not be such a big deal. Maybe it wasn’t. Being made to be naked, with strangers staring at her, and having her underwear jammed in her mouth – that was what she detested. They retied the rope on her wrists so her hands were at her back. Struggling accomplished exactly nothing except to get her hot, sweaty, and smeared with leaf mulch because Sassik pinned her to the ground to finalize the knots.
Once she was hauled to her feet, Saw smiled. “Look at that stare. I can see you’re angry, girl. It’s in your eyes, your mouth, and I know it’s in your head. Sassik, what have you got that I can shove in her cunt? Whatever it is, we should tie it in there.”
She felt herself pale.
“All I have is my knives?”
He guffawed then said, dryly. “Something else.”
“I don’t know. Food?”
“Find something or I’ll have to use a sharpened fucking branch.”
“Ahhahaha! You are funny, Saw. That is good. I will find something. Let’s go to the truck.”
He patted her on the head then picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. Her hair hung down, swishing against his leg when he swung around quickly. That her hair had leaves and twigs tangled in it was almost as appalling as his big hand splaying over her ass as if it belonged there.
None of her spluttered, panty-muffled curses seemed adequate.
As he walked, Sassik chatted. “We will find you a room in the dead city and you can recover there. Zarr said you were to have whatever you wanted. He doesn’t intend to journey too far inward for a day, maybe. Zarr likes you now he has that mech, but I wouldn’t trust him much. He can go back and forth like a yaya bird on a branch with his decisions – do not tell him I said that, Saw.”
Saw grunted a reply.
“We’ll get you a wonderful physician. And a slave girl to nurse you. And...you can sit on your ass and play with this one.”
Saw snorted. “No nurse.”
“Can I watch?”
“What? Me play with her? No! Though...”
Sassik halted.
She felt a hand in the back of her hair, and her head was forced upward. Saw was there staring at her face.” You’d hate him watching, wouldn’t you?”
This time her glare was hot enough to scorch.
He smiled back, of course. “Yeah. Maybe you can watch.”
Gods. She shut her eyes.
He’d learn. She wasn’t a girl he would want to play with, soon.