Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Fiance

I have developed a nasty cough over the last few days. My lungs feel like they're drowning in my body's own fluid. When I cough, which is nearly every waking moment, it sounds wet and disgusting. My chest also aches, and I fear I might have developed something serious while spending time in a cold, damp, and moldy place.

"Get up now! Luuk once to see you!" Barks Mark.

I stand up, feeling tired from spending most of my nights up because of my cough.

Mark stands back as I cough, and he cringes. "I don't want to catch whatever....you're carrying. Let's just get out of here." He says.

I follow behind Mark. "S-so...Luuk wants to see me?" I ask nervously.

"Yes."

"Do you know why?" I ask.

"He's your fiance, he doesn't have to have a reason." Mark replies.

I scoff. "Well what kind of fiance is he? He locks his own lover in a cold cell and doesn't bat an eye. Besides, he's not my fiance. I refuse to marry such a man."

In a flash, Mark has me pinned up against a nearby wall. He grips tightly around my throat, but not too tight where he cuts off my oxygen.

"I suggest you do what he says. This entire Mafia depends on an heir, and if you don't give him what he wants, you, I, as well as many other lives will go down with you." Mark seethes.

A vein protrudes from his forehead, and his eyes search mine for submission.

When I don't give him what he wants, he sighs heavily and lets my throat go.

"We must not keep Luuk waiting." Mark says once his back is turned towards me.

I rub the spot on my neck where his hands had been tenderly. It didn't hurt too bad, it was just rather uncomfortable.

When we reach the steps that lead out of the prison, I can already see the bright light blasting through the little cracks under the door and the side of the door where its hinges meet.

And like every time the large doors are opened, I'm blinded by the light that scorches my sight. This time, though, it takes longer for my eyes to adjust to normal light exposure. I've been living in a dim cell for so long that my eyes have gotten used to not much light.

Mark leads me into part of the mansion that I haven't seen yet. A large, wooden spiral staircase connects to the second floor. The hallways are also made of old wood, and the carpeted floors are a blood red.

At the end of the hallway is a large, fancy door. It has intricate engravings and designs etched into it. Mark lightly knocks on the door, and for a moment, we wait there in silence.

Then Luuk answers the door, and smirks at me.

"You may leave now, Mark."

Mark bows his head in respect, and Luuk wastes no time in dragging me into his bedroom and locking the door behind him.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Just thought I'd finish what we had started a few days ago." Luuk replies huskily. He roughly pushes my back against the wall and I gasp upon impact. He cages me with his body, and lays his palms flat against the wall on either side of my neck.

He brings his head next to my ear, his nose tickling the skin around it as his hot breath fans my face.

"If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I like it rough." His voice is low, and rumbles through my ear. A shiver runs down my spine as I try to push him away.

"L-Luuk....g-get away from me." I plead.

"No can do, sugar. Tonight you are mine." He replies as he starts to sensually kiss my neck. His teeth grip my earlobe, and he bites down harshly. I yelp in protest, starting to panic as the situation becomes heated.

I try to wriggle away from his grasp, but he takes his hands and shoves me hard into wall. He grips my shoulders painfully and digs the pads of fingers into my skin as he holds me against the wall.

He groans as he rubs up on me, and a sickening feeling spreads through my stomach. When one hand makes its way down to my pants, I scream.

He groans in frustration, and covers my mouth with his other hand.

"Careful there, love. You're already screaming and I haven't even started yet." He says, chuckling.

My eyes water as he starts to fumble with the string of my pants.

"Let's get this off of you...we don't need this anymore." He grumbles lowly.

"No, please stop." I beg.

"Aww, I'm glad my girl at least knows her manners." He replies as his slimy tongue licks along my neck.

He then grabs me, and hauls me onto his large bed. He pounces on top of me like a lion ready to tear its prey apart. He rips my pants in two and tosses them carelessly onto the floor. I attempt to cry out, but his hand muffles stops me from doing so.

When he's done soaking my neck with his saliva, he forces his lips on mine. He groans into my mouth as he rubs himself on me. His kiss is sloppy and his tongue forces entrance. By now, tears are streaming down my face and I'm audibly sobbing.

This is all too familiar.

"Get o-off of me!" I beg as I try to push him off of me once more.

But it's no use. He's too heavy and strong.

He takes off his own shirt, and crushes me under him with his body as he makes advances. My arms flail about, desperately trying to grasp anything that I could use to defend myself.

When my hands wrap around the cold, narrow glass vase that sits in the bed-side table, I take my chances, and smash the lamp over his head as hard as I can.

Glass shatters everywhere, and it slices my hands and cuts up Luuk's head. Luuk pulls back, and slumps beside my groaning in pain. Blood runs down his face, and I know I did some damage, as I can tell he's on the verge of passing out.

As quickly as I can, I run over to the door and quickly unlock it. Blood runs down my arms as I run through the hallway, and it drips onto the carpets. I can tell that the cuts I sustained are pretty deep, and I would probably need medical attention.

Rounding the corner, I run straight into the hard chest of Mark. I land flat on my butt, and look up in shame.

I have no pants on.

Just a shirt and underwear.

"What have you done?" Mark questions sternly.

"I-I...h-h-he..." I can't even form a sentence. My voice shakes badly and my body freezes in fear.

"What's going on out here?" Roars an angry voice belonging to Lars.

Two angry men stand over me, and I feel exposed.

"T-t-that physco BITCH!" Luuk's scream seems to make the entire mansion, and I cower back in fear as he stomps angirly over to me. Blood runs down his face, and he looks livid.

"N-no please...." I beg quietly in a small puddle of my own blood.

Lars steps in front of me. "Luuk, stop. Whatever has happened between you two, needs to be taken care of later. Go cool off, you're not thinking straight."

"I'm the one not thinking straight?! This woman smashed a lamp over my head, and you're telling me I'm the one not thinking straight?" He seethes, spit flying everywhere.

"Luuk. Go cool down. Your yelling will certainly only make things worse." Lars commands once more.

Luuk growls in anger, and glares at me sitting on the floor, before turning on his heels and slamming the door to his bedroom loudly.

"And as for you." Lars says sternly as he grips my arm and yanks me up off the floor. "What exactly happened? And I want the truth."

I gulp and look at my feet, feeling ashamed.

"I-uh...h-he tried to rape me."

Lars growls lowly and Mark sighs in frustration.

"So...I-I hit him with a lamp." I add sheepishly.

"I see....Mark, escort this woman back to her cell, and please do bring her a new pair of pants." Lars says as he walks away into the direction of Luuk's room.

* * *

The cough.....it has gotten worse.

I wrap the thin blanket around me tightly as I rest on the stone cold floor. I shiver, and the cough has caused my stomach muscles to cramp up, leaving them feeling sore. My throat feels raw from constantly coughing and clearing my throat, and I feel ill.

I know I've lost weight, because for some reason, everything I eat finds its way back up my esophagus; I can't keep anything down.

When I finally do fall asleep, I'm awakened by a tall, dark man who is dressed in a black T-shirt and black slacks. He looks stern as he glares down at my shivering frame.

"Up. Now." He speaks.

I don't know who the hell he is, but he sure looks like someone not to be messed with.

When I get to my feet, I speak.

"Who are you?" My voice is small and scratchy from lack of water.

"Your worst nightmare." He replies coolly, adding a small smirk.

I don't even have time to react as his fist goes flying into my face. The force alone sends me flying into the bars of my cage behind me. I groan in pain, and the ground soon meets me. I spit blood as I cough.

He shows no mercy when he attacks, and so I'm not surprised when the next blow is landed on my temple, making me see stars.

Everything seems to spin around me, and soon I hear the last words before I pass out.

"Boss, I've got the girl, and I'm bringing her to The Room."

* * *

Ice cold water is dumped upon my face, causing me to choke and gasp for air. I sit up, panting loudly as I meet the eyes of Mark.

"Ah, I see that cough of yours hasn't gotten any better." Says Lars as he steps out of the shadows of the dimly lit room.

I notice that I'm surrounded by crumbling, dull brown walls of a rotting room. It smells of mold and rat urine, and as I look around me, I notice cameras are pointed at me, as well as other men including Luuk, who sends a creepy smile my way.

"Now, darling, I've got a....proposition for you." Says Lars as he steps over to me.

"I don't want to hear it."

"And what makes you think you have a choice?" Replies Lars.

I don't say anything as a chill runs down my spine and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end.

I do not have a good feeling about this.

"That's what I thought." Says Lars smugly, "Now, I want you to betray Ace."

"Is this some sort of sick joke? I refuse to play into your little games." I spit angrily. I mask my fear with anger.

Lars lands a cold finger on my face, tracing the line of my jawbone.

"Now now, you really don't want to this the hard way, do you? Because I can get really mean when people like you don't listen to me." Whispers Lars.

I flinch away from his touch, and spit in his face. It hits the tip of his nose, and Lars steps back in disgust. For a moment, I feel great.

I broke his ego a bit.

But then his look of shock quickly turns to anger, and I cower back.

But it't too late.

Lars strikes me across the face, and my face jerks to the side painfully.

This is all too familiar.

"Insolence, disobedience, I will not tolerate. Guard! You know what to do."

The guard grabs my wrist roughly, and drags me to the chains that are bolted to the wall. I thrash and kick, but I'm no match for his strength. Duct tape is slapped across my lips, and I groan into the tape in frustration.

"Now, I want you to betray Ace." Lars says, nearing me stealthily like a deadly predator.

I shake my head in refusal. Lars nods to the guard as if he's giving him permission, and not soon after, a fist flies into my face. I try to cough and spit the blood from my mouth, but the tape blocks me from doing so.

I am forced to swallow the blood and saliva.

This process repeats over and over, until I hang limply in my chains. My face is swollen and bruised, and my nose drips with blood.

I feel cold and miserable, but no amount of agony can make me go against him.

Or so I thought.

Because the moment they ripped my shirt off of my body and brought a heated blade up to my bare stomach, I groan out loud into the tape.

I feel my skin burning and sizzling as they cut deep into my skin, but not deep enough to pierce my internals.

I squeeze my eyes shut and sob in pain as they work their knife into my stomach. Blood runs down my thighs as the cuts become more severe. The open wounds seem to cry out in pain as the cold air touches them.

Withdrawing the blade, Lars speaks.

"Are you willing to cooperate now?"

I shake my head weakly.

Lars cracks a smirk.

"Very well. You will break eventually. For now, though, you're just providing us all with extra entertainment."

A steel metal table that is slightly slanted is wheeled out and placed in front of me. The guard unlatches me from the wall, and throws me onto the table. The table has straps, and I struggle with no avail as they strap my feet down and strap my arms above my head.

The restraints are tight, and there's no escape.

The duct tape is forcefully ripped from my mouth, taking skin with it. My lips start bleeding, and I glare at Lars and Luuk who stand over me.

"Here's the water, Boss." A guard says as he enters the room with four gallons of water.

"What are you doing?" I ask weakly.

"Just some original methods to get you to cooperate." Replies Lars simply as Luuk hands him a cloth.

"Seriously? You're going to get what you want out of me by using a little cloth and some water?" I ask, snickering.

Lars chuckles in response. "Oh, silly naive little girl. Have you ever heard of waterboarding?"

I blink confused.

Waterboarding?

Then it hits me.

I've seen waterboarding in some of those awful violent movies Ace likes to watch.

My face falls into horror.

"Ah, now that's a face of realization right there!" Exclaims Luuk. Now, enough with the chat. Newest victims are always the best."

The cloth is placed over my face, and I'm no longer able to see anything.

I could feel the hair on my arms stand on end as the cold chilliness of the room dances on my skin.

And then an icy, slow cascade of water is poured on my face. I exhale, only to inhale soon after. But when I attempt to inhale, the damp cloth presses tight against my nostrils. More water is poured over my face, and strangled noises escape my throat.

It feels as if I am drowning.

I can't determine whether I'm inhaling or exhaling, and panic takes a hold of my body.

When I try to breathe again, the cloth feels as if it clamps shut over my mouth and nose, sealing all forms of oxygen away from my body.

I kick and struggle against my restraints, but that only makes it worse, because now my heart races quickly and my body burns for oxygen.

More water is poured over my face, and I open my mouth to take a breath of air, only to suck in wet cloth.

I can't breathe.

I can't breathe.

I struggle, my heart pounds in my ears and my chest feels like it's on fire. I scream into the cloth, only to realize the precious oxygen I just wasted by doing so.

The cloth is suddenly ripped from my face, and I gasp loudly as I suck in sweet oxygen that fills my lungs. My hair sticks to my forehead from the water as my eyes dart around to the faces around me.

The room echoes with the sounds of my gasping and breathing, and Lars looks at me with a smug look.

"Had enough?" He asks slyly.

No answer.

"Are you willing to cooperate now?"

No answer.

"Very well then. Hand me the cloth, Luuk."

The cold cloth is layed on my face once more.

Water soon follows, and the familiar drowning feeling nears. Unable to handle the panic and the mental trauma it causes any longer, I cry out.

"P-Please! I-I...I'll do i-it!"

The cloth is pulled off of my face and I once again pant desperately for air.

Lars raises his eyebrows in interest. "I'm sorry, what was that? I didn't quite hear you."

I swallow nervously and tears pour down my ace as guilt eats me alive.

"F-fine....I'll do it. I'll cooperate." I reply weakly.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Lars asks as he soothes the wet hair from my face.

The guards work to unlatch my restraints, and soon I'm standing on my own once more. Luuk hands me a shirt, and I quickly pull it over my head. The cloth rubs uncomfortably on the slices made by the knife, but I don't complain.

"So, are you a good actor?" Lars asks as I tearfully step in front of the cameras located on the other end of the dim room.

"W-what?"

"We are sending a video to Ace to confess your allegiance to me."

My heart drops. "No...I-I can't do such a thing."

"I'd be happy to continue our waterboarding session all night long then." Replies Luuk. A guard steps forward to escort me back to the table.

"No, wait....I...I don't want to go through that ever again." I reply quietly. A shiver runs up my spine at the thought. Watching it happen in the movies was horrible enough, but to actually go through it is completely different.

"That's what I thought. Now, enough wasting time."

And so I started talking. I kept crying, so I had to do several retakes to finally get it right.

I tell the camera how much I hated Ace, and how much fun it was to use him and play with his emotions. My heart breaks with each untrue word that escapes my lips.

My knees shake as my bottom lip quivers as he ends the video.

What have I done?

I fall to my knees in a heap and hang my head low as guilt overwhelms me. My tears drip onto my knees and the shuffling of feet nears me.

There has been a lot of low moments in my life, but this one by far may just my lowest point yet.

My name is Dakota, and I just shattered the life I once had in my very hands.

My name is Dakota, and I am now a renegade.