They all knew what Blade was capable of. They’d found so much stuff on him, his jail record from his younger years, some accusations of assault that were dropped and where Mickie was the lawyer. His history and the stories they were told by acquaintances as they searched the city. Anyone they questioned anyone who was associated with him or knew of him and his reputation repeated the same thing. He was evil. He was a monster. This monster had their woman in his possession. It made Bender and his brothers sick with worry. Then there was Caroline. She hadn’t eaten in days. She was losing it and C.J. was concerned that she would have to take tranquilizers to rest. Dr. Anders was trying to help along with others in the community. Eliza was a mess and wished she could have done more to help. It was an emotional roller coaster, and Bender knew that every hour they didn’t find Shelby, the worse off she would be. The longer Shelby was with Blade, the greater her chances of dying were. He felt the tears fill his eyes and he quickly sucked up his emotions and ran his hand along his jaw. Do your thing, Sam. Find our woman so we can go get her and bring her home.
* * * *
Shelby felt so weak. She was shivering, her body shutting down and giving up the hope that she would be found. Blade won. He was in charge. He was in complete control and there wasn’t anything she could do about it.
She didn’t even know what day it was. She didn’t care. Her stomach felt hollow, h
er heart broken, empty of the will to live and go on. She tried fighting him, resisting his control, and Blade punished her for it. He struck her several times, beating down her defenses and making her realize that he was the man, that he owned her now and this was her life. The same thing every day. He only fed her very little. Just enough to make sure her organs didn’t break down, but not enough to make her feel strong. Every night when he returned from wherever he went, he whispered in her ear, licked and kissed her skin, making promises of eternal possession of her mind, body, and soul. Then before he left, he stuck the needle in her arm and she felt the sensations of light-headedness, then like she was floating and she drifted off into a peaceful sleep. She savored that sensation now. To not hear his voice or feel his lips against hers and on her skin. To not feel his touch as he played with her body but had yet to rape her. She wondered why, but at this point, she didn’t even care. She didn’t even feel like she was in her body anymore. It was so weak, and she could feel her stomach shrinking, her ribs clearly showing against her skin. How long had she been here? Where was here?
Blade knew exactly what he was doing. He was breaking her down minute by minute, hour by hour. She laid tied to the bed in something he chose for her. Skimpy panties, thin lace bra, and today when she awoke, she was wearing a silk teddy in pale pink that barely covered her breasts.
She didn’t know what was real and what was a dream. She inhaled and smelled the soap. Had the bath been real? Had his hands caressing her, washing her been real or was she losing her mind? A tear rolled down her cheek. She thought she was all cried out by this point. She listened to her body. The way it felt and she knew she was so weak and couldn’t fight him off. She also knew he hadn’t forced himself on her, or tried to seek pleasure. Why? He had every opportunity to do it. Why not just do it already then kill her?
“There’s my girl.” His voice echoed around her and she didn’t jerk or feel shocked. She rolled her head to the side, noticing her hands weren’t tied, but she was just lying there. He came closer, and she could barely focus on his dark black beard, his dark hair, and almost black eyes that sparkled. He was happy, excited as he lifted her up and carried her from the room. Everything spun, and she felt how light she was and weak. When he sat her on his lap, she couldn’t keep her head up and she used his shoulder for support. He turned and kissed her cheek.
“That’s right, Shelby, I’ve got you. You can lean on me, and need me for everything now. You’re all mine,” he whispered and she nuzzled closer, trying to get the dizziness to go away. He massaged her arm, rubbed it up and down, and then cupped her breast. She didn’t even move. He moved her to the cushion next to him and helped her to lean back so her head wouldn’t fall. He stared at her and she closed her eyes, unable to keep them open. When his hand massaged her thigh and then fingers pressed over her panties, she opened her eyes to look at his smiling face.
“That’s right. You belong to me now and always. You’re almost ready, Shelby. Just a little longer I think and we can seal this deal.” He kissed her lips and caressed her body.
Her head spun and she leaned against him.
“That’s right. You’re learning really fast that you’re all mine.” He ran his hand along her jaw and tilted her head toward him. Her eyes blinked and she saw Bender. She blinked again and saw Blade.
It kept happening. More and more she would see Bender, Kenneth, and Sam as Blade talked to her and touched her. She was losing her mind, and she didn’t even care anymore.
“You need to eat a little something. Let’s get you to drink first,” he said. She felt the bottle press to her lips and she drunk from it. She looked at him. “What do you say?”
She saw Kenneth in front of her. She moaned. “Thank you, Kenneth.”
Her body jerked and he shook her hard. “Kenneth?” he screamed at her and threw her down to the rug. He was over her in a flash and she cried out and felt her bones ache and then her arm cracked as he threw them up above her head. She screamed out, and he clenched his teeth and threatened her. “Never say their names. You say thank you, Blade. Thank you, Blade!” he screamed to her and she shook with fear and pain.
He shook her hard. Her arm throbbed and her body felt like it could break from his weight.
“Say it, Shelby! Say it now,” he demanded.
“Thank you, Blade,” she cried, and he released her abruptly and stood up. She couldn’t move and as she looked to the left she saw her arm. It didn’t look right. It was all destroyed. She felt her belly wrench as she realized it was broken, yet she hardly felt any pain at all. But then he was kneeling on her, his knee in her sternum, and she gasped for air.
“When you wake up, I expect better behavior and for you to beg me to make you mine.” She didn’t even feel the prick to her skin. Instead she felt that instant feeling of floating again, and then Blade picked her up and carried her. She saw Bender, Kenneth, and Sam in her mind, their images flashing through her head. She saw them smiling at her, and then Sam reached out and touched her skin. She closed her eyes, felt his arms around her, and hugged him close. She squeezed him to her best she could with one bad arm that felt numb and unusable. She felt the large hands caressing over her bare ass and then the heavy body press her down to the bed. Lips kissed her neck and her chest then along her breasts. The strap to the teddy fell from her shoulder and his lips kissed along her skin.
She moaned softy. “Sam.” She said his name and then the roar filled her ears and her body jerked up and down. She opened her eyes and saw Blade. It was Blade the whole time, not Sam. Oh God no.
He struck her and then pulled on her arm and stuck her with another dose of the poison. She shivered and shook and wished to never awake again.
* * * *
Hunter slammed his hands down on the table. “I want every fucking name of every location and I want them now. If you keep dicking us around, I’m going to let Shelby’s boyfriend here have his way with you and show you how they get murdering pieces of shit to talk in the military,” Hunter yelled at Mickie. Sam held his ground and remained silent. He had to abide by the rules in order to ensure that this asshole Mickie didn’t get out of this. With the feds there as backup and a few of them knowing Hunter and his reputation as a Navy Seal, they were given more freedom with Mickie than normal.
“I gave you all the places I know. I’m not that psycho’s fucking babysitter.”
“Bullshit.”
“Hunter, we got intel working on that cell phone he had in the glove compartment. Looks like Mickie made a call to a cell phone that picked it up in a tower upstate a ways. It was near West Point,” the federal agent told him. Mickie’s eyes widened.
“Where is the fucking place? Tell us now,” Hunter said to him.
Mickie looked smug and like he didn’t think he had anything to worry about.
Sam stood up. He towered over Mickie and as soon as Mickie’s weasel eyes took in the sight of him and he saw the fear in them he made his move. One swift right jab to his stomach and the little dirtbag was gasping for air.