Page 85 of Exit Strategy
“I appreciate the fact that you’ve decided to not scream,” he says.
“Hadn’t considered it. Who would even hear me out here?”
“Fair point, I still appreciate it. Would you like some more water?” I nodded, and he held the bottle while I drank the better part of it. I would pay for that later, but it seemed to be a modest inconvenience, considering everything else that was going on.
He left me alone after that, and there was some soft conversation between the man and the woman. They very carefully omitted any names, just pet names for each other, generic, babe, for the most part.
Then there were different noises.
She moaned.
I bit my lip.
She hissed and made other noises. God, they were fucking.
She wasn’t very quiet, not a screamer, but there was no attempt at stealth.
He was more of the silent sort, but I could hear what he was doing, the sounds she made, and I could hear the wet slap of their skin. How turned on did she have to be for me to hear it? I stared up at the stars and tried to remember their names, the constellations. I couldn’t see leaves well enough to try playing at forest guide.
She came.
I felt myself clench, a hint of warmth tingling between my legs.
This was so not the fucking time for that.
He was a machine, and each time she let out those noises, each time she came, I felt myself getting more and more turned on. This was beyond humiliating, and stupid as fuck. Tied to a tree, job gone, home gone, mission completely failed, just nothing but a fucking washout, and my face was burning with shame. I was aroused enough that it was completely uncomfortable.
“Don’t make too much of a mess,” I heard her voice say. “We don’t have a shower out here.”
“The mess is up to you,” he said, and I heard amusement in his voice.
She didn’t say anything, in fact, she was completely silent. I could only hear him, and for once he was the one making noise and being loud, dropping f-bombs like confetti. Then she made a muffled, loud moan, then wet sucking sounds.
I knew what he had done.
He came in her mouth.
I shuddered, but I wasn’t sure if it was because the thought repelled me, or because I was jealous.
The only silver lining of the day was that my brain was still inside my skull. If I was alive, there was always a chance to make things right. I wish I had caught on to meditation better, that would have likely been a nice way to distract myself from my aching back, numb hands, and my crotch being all hot and fucking bothered.
If I got out of this alive, I was going to buy one of those vibrator things.
* * *
“I still don’t knowwhy we haven’t dealt with her,” the woman said, and I lifted my head. My neck creaked, and my entire body felt awful. Why shouldn’t it – spending the night tied to a tree, hands behind my back, after almost winning a fist fight?
“Because we are a lot of things, but we aren’t murderers,” he said.
“We still kill people,” she said.
“She’s awake, mind what you say,” he said. I looked up, the two of them standing over me. “And I don’t think we should do anything to harm her. She came with no ill intent.”
“She’s one of them,” she said.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “You came alone, unarmed, and you know Kurt personally, yes?”
“I had a team with me, but they refused to engage. I was left alone to try and complete the mission,” I said, my voice cracking and raw. He offered me more water, and it was a godsend. “I didn’t bring my sidearm because I wanted to talk to Kurt. I considered him my friend, and I wanted to understand what happened, and why he abducted Calanthe. I wanted to talk sense into him so that he would surrender her, and I could take her home.” I closed my eyes and turned my face away, braced to be struck. She had that look in her eyes.
