Rance locked me back in the boot of the car. He threw in six bottles of water and some Mars bars. It hurts to eat, my jaw aches so badly so I can only suck on small pieces of the sweet chocolate at a time. I use one bottle of water and let it soak through my jeans over my private parts in an effort to wash Rance’s filthy seed away. I didn’t even fight him when he wanted to lock me back in here. I’m grateful not being anywhere near him. It’s hot in here and I’ve already drunk four bottles of water. Now my bladder is protesting and I need to pee so badly but I’m not asking him for anything. I think about peeing here in the boot but I can’t do that to myself, I need to have some dignity.

Time seems to stand still, I don’t know if it’s day or night. All I know is that it feels like I’ve been in here a very long time. My jeans have long since dried. Rance threw in my underwear and I’ve kicked them down near my feet, away from me. Sometimes I think I can smell the sex on them. I know he’s been driving for a long time, well, it feels like a long time.

The car stops and I hear the latch for the boot open. I press myself toward the back of the car, as far away from the opening as I can. I can’t let him touch me again. Won’t let him hurt me again. The boot opens and it’s dark. Rance looks down at me and frowns.

“You do as you’re told and nothing will happen to you. Get out of the car, Cindy.”

I do as he says; fighting won’t do me any good and I’m too weak. I have no idea where we are, another rest stop it looks like, but this one is more isolated. I can hear the highway but it’s on the other side of the rest stop and there’s a green belt with trees between us and it, no one can see us. There aren’t any other cars or trucks here. As I scramble out, Rance grabs my arm. I flinch, expecting the worst.

Rance frog marches me to the toilet block, hands me a torch and points. “Leave the cubicle door open.”

I nod, he shoves me away and I stumble into the toilets. They are filthy. I think about covering the seat with toilet paper but decide I don’t care. If Rance is going to rape me again, there’s no point. I undo my jeans and pull them down, placing the torch on top of the toilet roll holder. I have bruises on the insides of both my legs and on one of them you can see Rance’s boot print. I sit down and wince at the pain as my bladder empties itself. The relief to my body is enormous. I feel like I’m sitting there for an eternity. There is no thought of escape. I know I’m not going to be rescued. Never going to be found. Rance will give me to Randall and he’ll get my money and then I’m pretty sure they are going to kill me. Unless Rance decides he wants to keep me.

I’d rather die.

I finish what I’m doing and out of habit I wash my hands. This feels so good that I wash my face as well. In the torch light I look like a ghoulish figure, my face is swollen and bruised. Delicately, I try and remove the blood and rinse out my mouth. When I’m done I use some of the toilet paper to pat dry my face. Gazing at my reflection in the mirror, I know I still look awful but I feel somewhat better, slightly cleaner.

“You done yet?” Rance bellows.

This causes me to jump and the torch hits the ground, going out. “Yes,” I reply nervously as I search for the torch in the dark.

I find it, shake it and it comes back to life. Quickly, I walk to the door and find Rance waiting for me. He says nothing, only nods toward the car. I do as I’m told and head for it. When I get to the boot I stand there, unsure of what to do next.

“Sit on the edge of the boot, Cindy. Do not try anything or I’ll make you wish you’d never been born.”

Is he kidding? I already wish that. What else could he do to me that he hasn’t already done? I’ve been kicked, beaten and raped. All because I fell in love with his brother all those horrible years ago. Why did I stay? Why? I should have left the first time he hit me. Back then Randall was young, good looking and attentive. He surprised me with flowers, bought me dinner and apologised and said he’d never do it again. It kept happening though, again and again and again.

Every time I believed him, I so desperately wanted to believe he’d change. Now, I don’t love him, I loathe him and his disgusting brother. I sit on the edge of the boot, clenching the torch, thinking about smashing it into his skull. As if he can read my mind, Rance reaches over and takes it off me. Neither of us speak as we sit there. Mentally, I go back over my life. The pain, the suffering, and I begin to think about Missy and the last couple of weeks, eventually my mind drifts to Kai. Even the thought of him causes me to smile. His effect on me at a time like this is surprising.

I realise then that I’m never going to see him again and the dam bursts open. Silent whimpers rack my tender body and the tears stream down my face, their saltiness stinging the open wounds. If I’d stayed in my new home I would have been safe, instead I’m here waiting for who knows what, I guess for Randall. Kai tried to keep me safe, but I felt like a prisoner, and now I am one.

I’m such a fucking fool.

Staring at the ground, I’m not paying much attention to my surroundings other than tracking Rance as he paces back and forth. With each step he gets closer to me and I try to withdraw a little bit. Right now, hiding in the boot with the lid down seems like a good idea. Rance keeps looking at his phone then at me.

He takes eight steps away, turns, pauses, looks at his phone then at me then walks eight paces back toward me. The last two times he’s taken an extra step in my direction. I don’t like the way he’s looking at me and the night feels like it’s closing in. No cars or trucks or anything have pulled into the rest stop. Even the sound of cars on the highway have diminished as the night has worn on.

“He should be here by now.”

“Randall?” I whisper.

“Who else do you think?” Rance says sarcastically.

Rance is right in front of me and he reaches up and touches my face, his thumb rubs over my swollen lips and he pushes it inside my mouth.

“Suck it.”

I can feel the tendrils of fear spread throughout my body.

“You bite me and I’ll hurt you worse. Now suck.”

I do as I’m told, avoiding his eyes as I do.

“Use your tongue.”

I close my eyes and try to pretend I’m somewhere else. I leave my body mentally as I do what he wants. Rance’s other hand slips inside my bra, massaging my breast. He starts to moan, pressing himself up against me.

No, no, no! This isn’t happening!

I could fight, but what’s the point? He won’t kill me before Randall arrives and he’s taken every last penny left to me by my parents. Fighting would only endure more brutality, more pain.

Rance leaves his thumb in my mouth but the other hand stops its assault. I hear his zipper coming down.

“Get on your knees.”

Oh my God, not again and not that. Please God, please, not that!

I shake my head. Rance removes his thumb and I look up at him. He has one hand around his cock stroking it, smiling at me.

“Randall says your mouth was made for fucking.”

He grabs me by the shoulders, forcing me to stand then he turns me around and bends me over. His hands are running over my arse and between my legs.

“You can suck my cock or I can fuck you up the arse, your choice.”

Internally, I scream neither! But I don’t want him fucking me so I drop to my knees facing the car, gravel bites into them through my jeans. All I can think of to do is to go somewhere else in my mind, anywhere but here.

“Turn around.” There’s excitement in his voice and I wonder if he’s ever done this to any of the women who’ve ended up in his jail cell.

With dread, I slowly turn around, feeling the gravel cut into me, and out of the darkness headlights light up the rest stop. Rance quickly pulls up his pants and turns around. At first, I hope I’ve been saved but as I stare at the approaching car, I realise it’s Randall’s and all hope flows out of me. All that is coming is more pain.