Corey howls at first, so high-pitched that I wonder if he’s scared the bats out of the rafters when a spray of dust rains down. He bellows out in pain as Levi pulls the device away from him, leaving the band in place, and tosses it back into the kit. I watch as his face goes beet red and tears stream down his cheeks, fat ones that roll slowly and remind me of the kind he made me cry in the past. The ones he told me were obnoxious and beneath me, reminding him of a pathetic little child.
“And that right there lets you castrate a bull. Slowly but surely, if you leave it on like that, it starts to constrict the bloodvessels until they wither and the whole fucking thing sloughs off. Keeps the weak bulls from breeding.” Levi continues his explanation. “You’ll know when it starts to work its magic. The pain will ease up, and everything will start to go numb down there from the lack of blood. Then again, if you take it off soon enough, everything can still be in functioning—if not a little painful—order. So the clock’s on, Corey. You let me know when you’re ready.” Levi slaps the side of his leg hard enough that it jostles him and makes him whimper. “I’ve got better things to do while I wait.”
Levi crosses the room after he tosses his gloves to the table, his boots hitting the floor one slow step at a time in my direction. It feels like slow motion, like all of this is a dream I’ve invented in my imagination. The other side of the coin from the priest I met at the convent. I have no idea what he really intends to do. He told me to trust him, and so far, I have no reason to stop.
He leans down when he reaches me, his cowboy hat shielding my face from the view of Corey.
“You good?” he asks, raising a brow that tells me he wants an honest answer.
“I’m good.” I do my best to show him, without words, that I can handle this.
I might have spent the last handful of years sheltered away, but I can hold my own with men like him and Corey. I’m not a flower that’s about to wilt.
“Good,” he echoes.
His fingers trace down the back of my neck, following my spine. It sends shivers through my whole body, highlighting the contrast of the way he exacts the worst kind of violence on my husband and then treats me like I’m priceless vintage glass. His hand follows the curve of my ass, and he gives the other cheek a soft squeeze and a swift pat like he’s telling me I’ve done a goodjob so far. It’s another jolt of awareness, a reminder of exactly how long it’s been since a man has really touched me.
He lifts my dress again, pulling it up higher this time and running his palm in small circles. It’s like he can read my mind. I glance up at Corey. He’s writhing against the restraints, willing his toes to reach the ground to gain some sort of leverage and failing. His dick hangs limply, swinging left to right as he attempts to move.
He looks pathetic, but not enough for me to feel sorry for him. Not when I remember how hard I tried to make him happy despite everything, when I held out hope in the beginning. Wishing there was some way to make our marriage bearable and then crying myself to sleep night after night. I’m just hoping Levi doesn’t cut the band and give him a chance to make another woman as miserable as he made me.
“You’re doing good,” Levi whispers more words of reassurance to me as he comes around and crouches down in front of me. I use the back of my knuckle to touch his as he reaches out. He wraps his middle finger around mine, giving me a squeeze of reassurance, and his eyes say everything he can’t right now. That I’m strong and capable. That I’m brave. That he’s proud of me. It’s enough to steel my spine and remind me of my worth. I blink slowly in recognition, and he nods before he forges on with taunting Corey.
“Fucking hell.” He paces slowly back, his fingers trailing over my spine and down my ass as he walks. “You should see how much this is turning her on. Soaked her panties all the way through already,” Levi explains loudly for Corey’s benefit as his hand slides back down my thigh.
Corey’s eyes fall to me, the disgust at my disloyalty on his face apparent. It doesn’t feel like betrayal though. It feels like justice—just like Levi promised it would. “You want to start talkingabout the relics, or you want me to see how much wetter I can get her with my dick?”
“F-f-fuckkk…” Corey only manages that much as he grits through the pain. I’m sure there was supposed to be a "you" at the end of it. Maybe even a "both of you."
“You want me to fuck her?” Levi pretends to misunderstand his meaning. “I mean, I guess it’ll have to be me.” Levi smirks at the sight of his balls. “You obviously won’t be capable anymore.” Levi’s fingers trace over my panties, down over my ass, and to my upper thighs. He uses the toe of his boot to gently kick my legs wider, and his hand goes to his belt. “Maybe that’s what you need to help with those blue balls. The sight of me dripping out of her as encouragement.”
“Don’t… you fucking da—” Corey’s voice is back, it’s hoarse and strained though. Weak. It falters before he can even finish. His face is red, and his cheeks are stained with tears.
“Then start talking.”
“I fucking can’t,” he wails, gasping for another breath before he finishes. “He’ll kill me.”
“I think you need to see this for yourself.” I hear the snap of a shutter and the flash of light that tells me Levi’s used his camera. He’s taken a photo of how soaked I am, and now he’s marching it over to Corey. “You see that? She’s desperate for it. Do you know how many years it’s been since she’s had a man touch her? Oh. Right.” Levi clicks his tongue. “I guess you would. What with her running away from you and all.”
Corey grinds his teeth, working his lips together as the last round of his tears drips off his cheeks. There’s fury as much as pain in his eyes, and I hope that his restraints hold. If they don’t, he won’t stop until we’re dead.
“If you don’t want to watch me fuck that tight little cunt full, start talking. Tell me where he keeps the relics,” Levi demands.
Corey takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and grinding his teeth before he opens them again. He’s steadier when he speaks this time. It’s low, just above a whisper, but he has full sentences now.
“Fuck her if you need to. Just take this off. You can have her. As many times as you want, just please.” He spits as he bargains, and his eyes shift to me. I’m sure he’s imagining the ways he’ll hurt me if he ever gets free. I don’t want to think about him though. Just Levi. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the only one that matters.
Levi’s even angrier now. The muscle in his jaw practically vibrates with rage, and I can see his fist ball up, his knuckles stark white as his thumb runs over them. He stretches his hand again, a tell I’ve noticed when he’s trying to stem the tide of his anger and hold off his worst impulses. If I were Corey, I’d be terrified.
“You’re a fucking worthless piece of shit. You never fucking deserved her. You know that? Tell me where the relics are, and I’ll take it off. That’s the only way you keep your balls. You tell me, and you tell me now. The offer expires in the next sixty fucking seconds. She and I will walk out of here and leave you to rot.”
“Fucking hell,” Corey whines. “Fine. Fine. His compound in the mountains. The house. She knows where it is. He has a vault. You’ll never fucking get to it. It’s fortified. Armed. A whole system. They’ll mow you down before you even reach the gate.”
“Where’s the vault?” Levi presses.
“The basement of the house. Now take this fucking band off!” Corey bellows.
Levi nods and takes his time putting his gloves back on and then reaching into his kit again. He pulls out a bowie knife. He holds it over the small fire, heating the blade to snap the elastic band before approaching Corey again.
