Among the Echoes(3)

"I'm going to let you go. Don't make this difficult. I will do whatever it takes to subdue you, even if that means hurting you." He looks down at my bruised and battered body, shaking his head with disgust.

I nod, acknowledging his words. But I’m confused and not completely certain I can follow his orders.

He unties my legs and drags a blanket from the chair to cover my nudity.

"Here." He pulls a protein bar from his pocket and places it in my shaking hands. "Eat. We don't have long." He grabs a water bottle off the nightstand next to the bed and drops it in my lap.

"Are you going to kill me?" I ask, but he doesn't respond as he begins to quietly pace around the bed. "Please just let me go. I won't tell anyone."

"Eat," he gently urges while sitting down on the edge of the bed.

I'm starving. And even as my stomach threatens to revolt, I know I need this. Who knows when I will see my next meal? If ever. I unwrap the bar and hastily devour it.

"Here." He pulls a small tube of lube from his pocket.

At the very sight of it, I jump away as if it were a weapon. Pain rips through my tattered body when my legs painfully close together.

"No. I won't touch you. I just need you to take this and rub it all over your ass. You need to make this look legit. Go ahead." He turns his back to me as I sit frozen, holding the lube. "Erica, please! I don't have time for you to figure this out. Do it!" he growls, never turning back to look at me.

Completely unsure why I'm following his directions, I open my legs and carefully apply the lube. "There."

"More," he says, still not looking. "Rub it all over your ass, cover as much as you can reach. If you were fighting me, that shit would be all over the place. Rub it on your hands and touch places on your body, including your breasts."

"What's going on?" I ask while squeezing the lube into my hand. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I'm going to help you. It may not seem like it now, but I'm here to help you," he whispers, facing the wall.

"I'm done." I cover myself again with the blanket.

"You tell anyone about this and I will kill you on the spot. No questions asked. No help. You understand?" He turns to face me, and suddenly, my savior disappears and the dark man who put me here returns.

Unsure what else to do, I nod.

"Lie back down. I need to retie you."

"No!" I shout as terror consumes me.

He grabs my arm, and even though I kick against him, he easily slips back on my restraints.

"There's just one more. I'm sorry," he breathes, pushing my hair out of my face.

"No, don't leave me. Please. I can't go through that again. Marcus!" I scream louder than I've been able to muster all day.

"Not one f*cking word."

"I can't take it again. You said you wouldn't kill me, but that is what you just sentenced me to. I can't take one more man. I don't have any pieces left to give." I barely squeak out the words over the dry heaves.

He moves back to the bed, leaning forward on his knuckles to speak directly into my face without so much as even a hit of an accent. "I want to tell you that you'll be fine, but I can't do that. I don't think anyone will be fine after something like this. However, I will not let them kill you. I give you my word on that." He holds my eyes, begging for me believe him.

The tears stream down my face as he unzips his pants, tugs them down his hips an inch, and walks away. He tosses the lube on the floor next to the bed and opens the door.

"Marcus, please!" I scream after him. He's not much, but he's the only hope I have.

"Looks like somebody likes my cock," he laughs, walking out the door.

"About f*cking time," I hear a man with an accent growl from outside. "We killing this one?"

"Yes, sir. But I'm doing it myself. Dom, gave her to me."

"Well, you don't mind if I have a little fun first? Right?" He walks into the room with Marcus hot on his heels.

"Sir, I promised Aidan he was next."

I look up to find Marcus standing behind the new man, his eyes nervously flying around the room. Tears once again make my vision swim as the realization hits me—he’s powerless against this new man.

The older man prowls over to the bed, settling between my spread legs. His hands roam up and down my body. I don't look at him. I can’t. Instead, my eyes stay focused on my evil lifeline silently watching in the doorway.