Live.
You would think that another cut on my body, another scar, wouldn’t hurt me since I’m used to it but it still brings tears to my eyes. I won’t give Payne my voice though, it’s the one thing I have left. Knowing he’s digging his dirty nails down my skin, drawing blood, fills me with disgust. It’s like he’s trying to mark me until he’s embedded in my soul so I’ll always feel dirty and be reminded of him.
“Dalton,” I choke out quietly, feeling my unblinking eyes fill with more tears as Payne cups the front of my underwear, groping me tightly through the thin material.
Just when he starts to slide my panties to the side, Poe rubbing his hands together like he’s in for a fine meal, and Whiskey groaning as he palms his hard-on, the sound of the garage door creaking on its hinges makes everyone freeze.
“Whiskey, door. Poe, on the other side.” Payne barks out orders in a rough voice but doesn’t move from behind me as he snaps the elastic of my panties back in place.
He doesn’t seem to have any fear, thinking he can get away with anything as if he’s God himself. I can’t wait for the day he realizes he can bleed too, so I can watch the light fade from his eyes. I’m counting down those days when I’m strong enough to be the one delivering his death.
I don’t dare to move an inch as the garage door to the mudroom opens and shuts. The sound of Diana’s high laugh and the clicking of her heels makes my eyes connect with Dalton’s again. Seeing his gaze already burning into mine helps remind me I’m not completely alone this time. Though I’d rather he not see what’s coming, I have to swallow the shame because no one really wants someone to know their deepest, darkest secrets. To have them exposed. I wanted to tell my life story in my own time but I guess plans don’t always go how we want them to. Dalton keeps slowly shaking his head from side to side, blinking rapidly as his chin keeps dropping to his chest. He’s going to pass out soon and maybe that’s a good thing, he won’t have to see my body being raped. He keeps grinding his teeth around the gag in his mouth, baring his white teeth and straining his body around the ropes as if trying to find the strength to break free. I know he’s in pain on the outside and inside by the haunted shadow in his violet eyes. If I could, I’d stab Payne in the exact same spot he stabbed Dalton, over and over and over again. Dalton is in pain because of me. This is all my fault. Had it not been for me, Dalton’s dad wouldn’t be dead. The guy I’m starting to really care about wouldn’t be bleeding out in front of me while strapped to a chair. Logan wouldn’t be knocked out upstairs. I’ve done nothing but bring them pain. I’m a disturbance they never needed.
All of it is my fucking fault.
Diana’s laughter cuts off to a sudden halt, her voice caught on a gasp as she stares at Payne like she’s seen a ghost.
“You dare enter my house! Do you know who the fuck I am? Fucking Demon Jokers scum!” Franco’s sudden angry, booming shout makes me jump and I turn my head to see him standing, frozen in place by the fridge with a gun pointed to the side of his head.
“Like we give a fuck who you are. I’m the guy holding a gun to your fucking head, seconds away from splattering your brain all over the place.” Whiskey smirks, his yellow teeth flashing, making me cringe as he digs the gun harder against Franco’s temple.
“Well, well. It’s been a long time hasn’t it, Diana? So this is where you’ve been hiding? In a life of expensive shit and a big house over your head. I thought you would be rotting in a gutter somewhere but I should have known you’d spread those legs for anything or anyone with money,” Payne sneers, his rotting breath filling my lungs as he leans over my shoulder to rest his chin there as he taunts Diana.
“Y–you can’t be here. It’s not possible. I’ve hidden and covered all my tracks,” Diana whispers in agony before flashing her eyes to me, taking in my naked state with a grimace and disgust outlined on her face.
“You're all dead men. I’m going to put a bullet in each of you,” Franco states calmly, but his clenched jaw gives away how pissed he really is.
You don’t take away control from a man like Franco who’s had a taste of power, he’ll do anything to keep it from being stolen from him. Anything.
“It’s almost laughable how you think I’m here for you, Diana, but the timing couldn’t be more perfect. You’ll get to watch while I have my way with your daughter, but I think I’ll let the man of the house have the first taste. What do you say, Franco? You want a taste of this sweet pussy?” Payne makes sure to face me fully towards Franco, causing me to flinch as his eyes can’t help but roam up and down my body before his expression hardens.
“No!” Diana shouts as Poe grabs her from behind and locks his arms around her with a laugh as she starts bucking wildly in his grip and something in my chest tightens as I think she’s trying to fight to save me but once again I’m fooled. “Let him go, Payne, Franco has nothing to do with this. He and I will walk out of here and not say anything,” she pleads desperately.
I look away from her gaze when it collides with mine, seeing her lips twisting with rage. Can’t say I blame her. I brought the devil to her doorstep when all I wanted was to find someplace safe to call my own. Poe tightens his grip on her and shoves her arms behind her back while roughly grabbing her chin so she can’t look away from me.
“Can’t pass up some sweet pussy and let me tell you… she’s tight as fuck.” Whiskey laughs as he cocks the gun and places it at the back of Franco’s head to make him move around the kitchen island until he’s a few feet away from me.
“Remember this moment, Tillie. Your actions caused deaths like Doris and a trail of blood of Hell’s Devils to find you here. You’ll take whatever I throw at you. Now be a good girl and spread your legs apart so your stepfather can shove his tongue inside your cunt. Maybe if you're really good, I’ll tell you who your real dad is,” Payne whispers in my ear, making me feel like cement is holding my feet down as I drown in my mind. I can somewhat hear over the buzzing in my ears as Dalton screams behind his gag, but all I can focus on is Franco being kicked behind his knees to fall in front of me.
I see his cold eyes staring at Payne for a split second, promising death but what has me sucking in a ragged breath is the desire he’s trying to hide behind a blank expression as he finally gazes up into my eyes.
A loud thump above our heads makes Franco’s lips curl at the edges in the beginning of a grin before it’s gone. It takes me a second to realize that not once has he asked about Logan’s whereabouts.
“Whiskey, I thought you said you took care of his son? Go get him and bring him down here so he can watch his father enjoy his girl's pussy,” Payne orders with a harsh laugh as Whiskey tosses the gun carelessly to him and winks at me before striding out of the kitchen and into the dark part of the house.
“Now, where were we? Oh yes. Chief.” Payne makes sure to point the gun under the left side of my jawline so I can still watch Franco even as he digs the cold metal into my skin. “Take her panties off.”
I must be going crazy because with the gun no longer pointing at Franco, he doesn’t try to fight or do anything really but keeps his gaze directed between my legs. Why do his hands lift and grasp my hips before slowly sliding down to clasp the edge of my lace underwear? Some crazy part of me thinks he’s enjoying this.
“Will you look at that? Doesn't matter if you're covered in paint and dirty, it seems your step daddy dearest wants some young pussy.” I can feel the sleazy grin that crosses Payne’s face as he lays his cheek against mine to watch Franco over my shoulder.
“You son of bitch! I left and never looked back! You can’t do this!” Diana sobs and I can’t look towards her but it doesn’t matter, not like I want to. As expected, I can feel the accusatory glare she’s directing at me and it’s slowly eating my flesh away like maggots.
I do feel dirty and gross. It’s nothing like when my four assholes touch me. Even if that gangster, Dom, touched me, I wouldn’t feel revolted by his touch like I do right now by Franco. All of this is wrong. So wrong on so many levels and there’s nothing I can do about it. My gaze tries to connect with Dalton so I don’t have to witness another tearing pain in my soul that will keep me up at night but Payne has other plans.
The pressure of the gun leaves my jaw and I see his arm raise to my right, pointing at Dalton who, thank God, by some miracle has passed out. He doesn’t need to see my shame, to fill the blank spaces in his head.
“None of that, Tillie. You're going to watch the most powerful man in L.A. destroy you. That innocence you try to hold onto died a long time ago when I had my men rip your pussy in two. Tonight… it’s time you lost all hope. This is your life now. Give up and give in to me.”
