Hard Times by C. Hallman

15

Eyes wide open, I concentrate on breathing evenly in and out. With the room draped in darkness, keeping my lids pried open is the only thing stopping me from falling asleep.

I mull over the possibility of Ryker doing the same. Maybe he is fighting to stay awake just the same. Or he is really going to sleep and Hunter is going to wake him so they can kill me together. The thought pains me, and I briefly think about how odd this is, because somehow my feelings have twisted together. I’m still mad at them for taking me and planning my murder, but on top of that there lingers betrayal and sadness.

When I feel like an eternity has passed, and Ryker is asleep, I slowly start moving. With every inch I scoot, I expect Ryker to wake up, but he remains still and silent.

Reaching my hand down, I touch along the underside of the bed frame. My heart beats furiously against my ribcage, but when my fingers slide over the key, I swear my heart is coming out of my chest. It’s beating so furiously; I can’t believe the loud thump is not waking Ryker up.

I unhook the key and carefully bend down to unlock the cuff. Not breathing, I climb out of bed and away from the warmth of Ryker’s body. I instantly miss it. A chill runs down my spine, reminding me to keep going.

On shaky legs, I tiptoe to the door and feel for the handle. When my trembling fingers touch the cold metal, I sigh in relief. That tiny moment of reprieve vanishes as I hear movement behind me.

I spin around and peer into the darkness, moments before I’m slammed into the door behind me. Ryker shoves me against the hard surface, knocking all the air from my lungs.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he growls, making me shiver. This time, from the coldness in his voice. This is the part where Ryker is showing me his true self, where the man from the file is coming to play.

There was a chance I would not survive this night, but now I’m certain that I’m not only going to die, but it will also be painful.

My lungs fill with air one last time before Ryker’s hand is around my throat, squeezing hard enough to make me lightheaded almost immediately. My knees go weak and I’m on the verge of passing out when Ryker drags me to the bed.

He throws me on it and I yelp out in pain when I use my injured wrists to brace myself. I don’t have long to worry about that pain though, because Ryker is on me the next second. His hand finds my throat once more, but his grip is a little more controlled now, unlike my heartbeat.

“I’m so–” I apologize, even though I’m not sorry at all. Ryker shuts me up with a squeeze.

“Don’t you dare.” He holds onto my throat while brutally yanking down my pants with the other hand. “You don’t get to apologize. It’s time for you to find out what happens to people I can’t trust.”

I’m dry down there, but that doesn’t matter. Ryker spits on me, then on his palm before rubbing it over his shaft. When he shoves inside me, I moan in dismay and discomfort bordering on pain, but I can’t get enough air to make more than a squeak.

“Time for you to remember who’s in charge.” He batters me mercilessly, sawing savagely in and out. I try to take his hand from my throat, but that only makes him grip me tighter than before.

He pushes my shirt up, exposing me, before pinching my nipple hard enough to bring tears to my eyes. “Don’t like that?” He laughs before doing it again. “I don’t like when people betray my trust. And I fucking hate empty apologies like you tried to give.”

I don’t know which hand to claw at so I choose both, but I might as well try to fight smoke. It’s no use.

He leans down until our noses touch, moving in and out of me all the time. “You don’t make the rules. We do. You betray us and this is what you get.”

It’s a blessing when he releases my throat and lets me breathe again, and another blessing when he pulls out. I’m sore and shaking from head to toe.

Stupid me, thinking he finished.

All he did was pause to flip me onto my stomach. When pressure pushes against my virgin asshole, my body goes stiff. “Not there. Please, not there.”

“Innocent, huh?” Spit hits my crack and dribbles down. “You think I give a shit about what you want? About what you beg me not to do?”

“Please. Don’t hurt me.” It’s ridiculous I’m saying this because he’s already hurt me—and not only physically.

He settles for pressing what feels like his thumb against my rear entrance while filling my pussy with his cock again. By now my treacherous body has responded to him and I’m slick, ready for more in body if not in spirit.

“I’ll fuck this ass one day.” He grunts, fucking me hard enough to make me bite back a sob. It’s like he wants to tear me apart from the inside out. His thumb breaches my asshole and begins creeping inside. He laughs when I gasp in dismay.

“What? I’m being gentle, aren’t I?” He goes deeper, invading my ass in time with his thrusts. “I’m not taking this virgin asshole because you asked me not to. I’m being merciful. Thank me.”

“What?”

“Thank me.” He yanks my hair with his free hand, pulling my head back at a painful angle. “Say, thank you for not fucking my ass.”

“Th-thank you… for not… fucking my ass!” Only when I finish saying it does he let go of my hair, choosing to press down on the back of my neck and drive my face into the mattress.

I can’t breathe. I can’t move. He doesn’t care.

And neither does my body, since I’m close to coming. My muscles tighten around him and he laughs, slamming harder into me as my body convulses. “Don’t pretend you don’t like this, Sugar.”

I won’t. I can’t. What’s wrong with me for enjoying being treated this way? By someone who is going to kill me.

He thrusts with an animalistic grunt a few more times before his movement halts and he spills his cum inside of me. When he finally releases me, I roll onto my back, just in time to watch him stepping back from the bed. I’m boneless, sweating, tears are rolling down my cheeks and I can hardly breathe.

And damn it, I feel glorious. Aching and sore, but glorious.

It takes a while for me to work my way to my feet. Only when I’m up, and Ryker’s cum is running out of my pussy, do I realize he came inside of me. I guess we don’t have to worry about pregnancy when I’ll die anyway.

Ryker leans against the dresser. Our eyes meet and I ask silently for permission to go to the bathroom. He nods, and I shuffle past him to go pee. I close the door behind me but leave it cracked open. He had his tongue on my asshole yesterday, so who cares if he hears me pee.

I sit down on the toilet, wincing as I do since he was anything but gentle down there. But I’m in one piece. I’m alive.

I’m fucking glowing, too. Practically radiant in the mirror over the sink. How much more twisted is this going to get?

Once I’m cleaned up, I return to the bedroom. Ryker’s sitting on the edge but gets up when I join him, moving to the other side of the room. Something tells me it wasn’t enough to take me the way he just did. He’s scowling, staring at the floor, muttering to himself.

“I guess you taught me a lesson, huh?” I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself, “You showed me who’s boss.”

“Knock it off.”

I should, but who cares? I’ll be dead soon enough. Might as well throw caution out the window now. “No, really. I’m sure you feel much better now that you almost choked me, then almost smothered me. But you’re a good guy since you didn’t shove that cock of yours into my ass. Bravo.”

He raises his head and the look in his eyes makes me shudder. “I could call my friends in and have them take turns on you. You realize that, right? All because you keep trying to be tricky. You can’t just—”

“Why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t I want to save myself? What, you expect me to sit here and take being locked up without at least making an attempt? I had to try to run!”

“Why? Why are you running?” Ryker yells, pacing the room. “Haven’t we treated you well?”

“Cut the bullshit!” I scream in his face. “I heard you. I know you are going to kill me tonight.”

That shuts him up. He stops dead in his tracks and like air escaping a popped balloon, all his anger dissipates.

After a long stretch of silence, he walks over to me and sits on the bed.

“There is no other way,” he says apologetic without actually apologizing.

“I know…” Don’t I fucking know.