There's a reason I don't want to sleep. I don't want to dream. I don't want to think about my mother, or Paulo, or my brothers and sisters. Or everything between Eric and me. I especially don't want to picture Nicole, beautiful, lost Nicole wandering around Mexico looking for me. If anything happens to her, I will never forgive myself. I was tossing and turning as anger, sadness, and worry swirled through my mind. The pain in my shoulder didn't help, and rolling over caused a dull ache as if it were part of my bones. And then the inevitable happened. Whispering voices. Memories of being crushed while they stripped me of my clothes. The way they ignored my screams while they sucked and held me. Once again, I felt it again - the crushing blow. Against the power of the potion, I forced myself to open my eyes and shouted. Trying to draw in air for my burning lungs, I tried to focus again. Eric's body jerked in his seat, then he turned on the light. Awareness comes. I'm safe. I'm her
"What's up?" he asked, his voice low. "Tell me." “I think I'm tired of trying to run away, but I'm also tired of not knowing what terrible thing will happen to me next. I'd rather know than Eric. Please, tell me and give me some time…” Sitting there, I didn't really know what I was talking about, but the wiser part of me did. Get ready… Eric's blond hair, usually neatly combed, was now falling into his eyes. I resisted the sudden urge to push them away from his face. As I sat still in the meaningful silence, I watched him stare into my lap. His jaw was tight, his lips pursed, but I wasn't afraid. I'm tired of being scared of Eric. If he wanted to hurt me, he would have done it already. He wants to tell me. I just need to wait. I continued to stay silent, waiting for the words I longed for from him, my heart almost choking in my throat when I asked him to continue. "If only I hadn't laid eyes on you, never met you..." His regretful words caused a sharp pain deep in my chest, even th
I want to cry. But crying didn't help before and certainly won't help now. "How much?" "What's that?" "Later. When I'm no longer your whore, how much will you pay me? Whores usually get paid, right?” Eric stared at me almost forever, then said, “What do you want?” “My freedom. But what about a million dollars instead?” The word came out as a question, not a firm request. In fact, he didn't have to give me anything. I have nothing to bargain for. He can take anything he wants. "A million dollars? That's a bit too much, don't you think?" "Fuck you." Eric smiled, the carefree brat. "Forgive me," he scoffed with a solemn bow, "I mean: there's no such thing as a 'little girl'. Even though my 'little girl' is pretty close.” Now he's trying to stun me again, and if I'm still the naive schoolgirl he met weeks ago, the trick might have worked. But now I'm not her anymore, what a pleasure. I am so strong. Perhaps the calculating, angry, fighting side of me has taken full control, and I
Slowly, I used my good arm to pull the blanket off of me and stood up. My head tilted and so did my body. For a brief second, my panic reflected on Eric's face, but then relief spread as he caught me. “Nana,” he said softly as he held my trembling shoulders in his hands, “let me help you.” My eyes continued to be glued to my lap while my face was pale and red at the same time. Eric stares too, and I can't help feeling like I've lost face in front of him. Did he just call me Nana? Considering everything that had happened between the two of us, I'm not sure what I felt from one second to the next, every moment was mixed with suspicion and disbelief, but underneath it all, was sadness. shallow desire. Eric isn't my prince charming, but that doesn't mean I have to choose anything less than that. He held out his hand to me and I took it. We walked into the bathroom together, and while it wasn't so extraordinary anymore, the fact that I was broken, inside and out, still made it different
The truth is now exposed. He would never forget the look in her eyes when he told her how he planned to sell her as a pleasure slave. What does he expect? That she would understand? Revenge is his goal. She couldn't understand it, not yet. He will be haunted forever. One more memory among the hundreds that always haunted him. Except he's always been the victim in it. Always a boy, never a man. Now, the kind of person he had become would haunt him as well. Eric collapsed in front of the bathroom door. He needed a minute, to breathe, to stop himself from vomiting, and to face the jumbled thoughts that were tearing him apart. For the first time in his most recent memory, Eric wanted something else for revenge. He wants the girl. He wants Nana. He knew her name now, but that was the least he knew about her right now. He knew a lot about her--perhaps too much. She wears baggy clothes to school because she wants her mother to love her. Her eyes were troubled because she knew she never was.
“There was a man and a woman there. They might have the answers I need. I don't know if anyone else knows about the girl or me, maybe there will be witnesses. I don't know if she's been in contact with anyone in America. I'm trying to erase our tracks, Raymond. And since when did you receive information from Jair instead of me?" Eric could barely stop himself from shouting. He didn't want to scare Kitten…Nana. “I get information from anyone useful and recently that person is not you.” Raymond spoke calmly, as if there was no trace of bitterness in his voice. “You made a mess, Eric. The girl was injured, there would likely be witnesses, no doubt the authorities there would want to know about his damned fire. And now, I assume you've taken the girl to the hospital, which has the potential to create even more stories. That's sloppy, Eric." Eric sighed heavily; exhausted fatigue. Yet his anger remained, “No matter what you and your new friend, Jair, think; I'm not an idiot. The region i
Eric found what he needed, Kitten clothes. On his way back to the borrowed bedroom, he passed two hostages in the kitchen. Once again, the conversation paused. The wife is crying, but her attitude is very stoic. She is a brave woman. “We will leave when it is morning. I promise you won't suffer any harm, but I must say that my benevolence has conditions. If you tell anyone we were here, or what happened to you-” “I promise you!” The doctor was very adamant. He had seen Eric covered in blood, knew it was blood spurting from an artery, probably knew what Eric had done. He never doubted the doctor's integrity. As he looked into his wife's teary eyes, Eric caught a glimpse of the deep love they had for each other. They will live or die together, but no matter what, they will do anything to protect each other. It was strange to see that. Even stranger, he felt jealous of his two hostages. No one had ever looked at him like that, as if life would be meaningless without him, for he had nev
"What did I do wrong?" she said, and the words pierced his heart. “God, no. I am so perfect. I just… I don't want to hurt you. And with my current feelings…” If he had ever blushed, he probably would have done so by then. "I know I'll hurt you." He almost groaned as she blushed, smiled and looked away. “So, what to do now?” "Come with me." He took her hand, careful to see which hand it was, and led her to the bed. Slowly, he made her sit on it. She was much more timid now than she had been a few minutes before, but she didn't hesitate. He kissed her lightly on the lips before lying down beside her and coaxing her to open her legs. It was an action he had practiced with her over and over again, kissing down her neck, breasts, breasts, and belly. "UMBRELLA!" She groaned as soon as his lips touched the soft, wet hair between her thighs. He hadn't even licked her, yet he could feel her swirling tension. He kissed the top of her "little girl" in hopes of alleviating her fear. This will