Authors: Jen Cousineau
“Oh
, my God! Joey! You did it! I told you that you could!” Eve shouts as she throws herself on me, hugging me so tight I can barely breathe. “You left us all speechless,” she says as she pulls away and smiles at me. “Why have you never played that for me before? It’s so beautiful and… raw.”
“It was a work in progress
. I just finished it a few days ago.” I shrug as I turn toward the table she was occupying. Two similar looking guys take up two of the four seats. My eyes rake over them, taking them in. They both have dark black hair. The one next to my seat has longer hair that barely reaches his brows with a slight curl at the ends. The one sitting next to Eve has his hair cut so short that you can’t even run your fingers through and he has a set of near black eyes. They’re brown but so dark that they appear almost black, whereas the other man has chocolate brown. Both have square face shapes with a wide set jaw and nose with a set of full lips. Their skin is bronzed as if they tan on a regular basis, yet they have an olive undertone to it. Besides the hair and eyes, they could pass for twins. There’s no mistaking that these hotties are brothers.
Eve’s voluptuous laughter pulls me from my thoughts, making me realize that I’ve been obvious in my attempts of checking them out.
“I’m sorry.” I laugh as I take the empty seat. “You two must be brothers. You look nearly identical.”
“That we are,” the man next to me offers with a panty-
dropping smile. “I’m Vinny, and this is my younger brother Tony,” he says, with a nod of his head toward the man sitting next to him.
“Aren’t they sexy?” Eve asks dreamily.
“God, Eve! Can you be any more obvious?” I laugh as I roll my eyes at her.
“It’s okay,” Tony beams, “happens quite a lot
, actually.”
“Great. Sexy and a big ego. Great combo,” I quip with a smile
, so he takes it as a joke. I’m dead serious when I say it, but I’d rather not deal with the tension or awkwardness.
Vinny laughs
. “I think we’re going to get along just fine. I love your spunkiness. By the way, I think congratulations are in order. You blew that competition out of the water.” He winks as he brings his elbows to rest on the high bar-top table. “Your song was very moving. You should be proud of the talent you possess.”
I could feel the blush creeping on my face. Looking down and clearing my throat, I manage to mumble, “
Thank you.”
“So,” Eve chirps in, “since the contest is over
, and it’s
our
birthday, can we please get the hell outta here and celebrate now?” Lights dance in her eyes at her obvious excitement at the shenanigans of what the night has in store.
“What are your plans for the remainder of
the evening, ladies?” Tony asks seductively as he eye fucks Eve. I can’t help but roll my eyes at him. I mean, really? Do classy guys even exist?
“We’re going to blow this joint and head to the nearest bar and party our legal asses off,” Eve announces as she stands from the table.
Guess that’s my cue.
“Well, it was nice to meet you both,” I tell them politely as I stand from my seat.
“Wait,” Eve turns toward me and perches her hand on her hip. “What? Can’t they join us?”
“Eve! We don’t even know them!” I chastise her as I flash her my narrowed ‘mom’ stare. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, come on, Joey! You won a huge competition. Your dream came true tonight!
And
it’s
our
birthday. Live a little!” she spits back.
“No. Na uh. It’s not a good idea,” I tell her as my hands find my hips to mock her stance.
“Joey,” she says sternly.
“Eve,” I say matching her tone.
“You said after the contest I got to call the shots tonight,” she reminds me as she angrily pokes my chest with her forefinger.
“
Ugh!” I throw my hands in the air at my obvious defeat. “Whatever,” I grumble. “You guys coming or what?” I snap toward their direction. As they both stand from their seats, my mouth grows dry.
Holy hell
. Vinny fills out his dark green button-up shirt nicely. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, revealing a portion of a tattoo shaded in red and drawn on some of the largest forearms I’ve ever seen.
Looks like a tail of some sort
. He’s paired his shirt with a pair of dark blue dress jeans that hug his muscular thighs perfectly. Tony is wearing a light blue polo, displaying a hot set of ripped biceps, matched with a pair of faded jeans. Unlike his brother, I don’t see any visible tattoos. God, did they get lucky with the hot and sexy stick when they were conceived, or what?
Life’s not fair
.
“You all right there, Joey? You look like you’re about to drool,” Eve announces as she softly bumps her shoulder against mine. I forcefully peel my eyes from them to look at her. A huge shit grin covers her face as she clucks her tongue and lifts her eyebrows up and down twice.
Embarrassment
fills me. I force myself to close my mouth and swallow. “Yeah, peachy. Let’s go,” I order as I grab my purse from the table and quickly make my way to the exit. Once I reach the doors, I pause as the fresh air kisses my heated face. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. Exhaling, I open my eyes and see Vinny standing directly in front of me staring back at me with a sexy grin tilting his lips.
“You okay?” he asks in a harmonious baritone voice.
My mouth grows dry. He seriously is drop-dead sexy. All I can manage to do is nod.
“Well
, then, shall we?” he asks as he offers me his arm. I can’t fight the smile that slowly spreads as I loop my arm through his. Who would’ve thought that Eve and I, two of the few virgins left in our senior class, would’ve caught the attention of these two hotties? I follow his lead and allow him to walk us down the empty sidewalk. Monsoon is a huge club. So large that only a few businesses surround it, and they close at dinner time. We have to walk a few blocks ahead to hit the night life.
“Where’s Eve?” I ask
. My body stiffens as I become alarmed once my steamy haze lifts from my brain.
“Relax,” he softly commands. I find his voice soothing for some strange reason. “
She and Tony walked ahead of us. They’re probably making out in an alley somewhere waiting for us to catch up.” He chuckles.
Yeah, that sounds like Eve. She’s my sister, my best friend, and I love her. She’s my other half. People believe that soul mates become
the love of your life. If that’s the case—then she’s my soul sister. I’d be lost without her being a part of my everyday life. Which I believe gives me the right to say that she’s a tease. She’s adventurous, loud, and she just wants to have fun. She pulls me from my comfort zone, whereas I tame her.
But
, she’s a tease nonetheless.
“I didn’t realize how long I zoned out back there
.” I sigh. “Sorry about that.”
He takes his free hand and rubs my arm gently with it as he smiles at me. This smile feels different
from the rest. Almost… teasing? A chill runs down my spine as his eyes rake down over my body and back up to my face—his smile grows wider. I force a smile back, turning my attention forward and continue to walk in silence.
Where the hell is Eve?
That’s when I hear it. A high-pitched scream that becomes muffled a few seconds after. My body freezes and my blood runs cold. “Eve!” I yell before pulling my arm from Vinny’s embrace and pushing him with all of my strength. He tumbles backwards and trips off the curb of the sidewalk before falling back on his ass. I run for it. I run
toward where I think I heard Eve scream. It sounded like it came from behind me. The adrenaline pumping through my veins is enough force to make me run toward the zone of danger to help save Eve without a second thought.
I’d die for her.
I’m greeted by the next alleyway that separates two old brick building
s. I hear a grunt and another scream before I lurch my body forward, running as fast as I can down the alley. Fear and adrenaline rage through me with every step I take. “Eve!”
“Joey!” I hear Eve scream. I take a few more steps
around a few dumpsters before my body halts in motion at the sight before me. Eve is pinned against a brick wall with a knife against her throat. Her dress is torn down the chest and is covered in filth. Tears streak her face and her lip is bloody as fear radiates from her eyes.
Immediately
, a hard body slams into me knocking me to the dirty pavement. My knees and palms skinned by the loose gravel as I fall, and my head slams into the pavement last. All I see are white dots floating before me. “Joey,” Eve cries.
“What the fuck?” I
groan as I try to force myself up. I suddenly feel a heavy weight on top of me, pressed against my back.
“You couldn’t just keep walking
, could you?” the deep baritone sound hisses in my ear.
“What? What are you doing?” I ask. Fear
takes over my body and tears prick my eyes. “Get off me!” I scream. Why is no one coming to help us? Oh, right, there’s no one around at this time of night. Everyone’s tucked into bed or safe inside at a bar.
Fuck!
“No! Please! No!” I hear Eve cry.
“What do you want?” I ask Vinny, who has me pinned to the ground. His hard chest feels like a boulder on top of me.
“Oh, come on
, Josephine,” he whispers into my ear as his hand runs up my thigh, moving my skirt as it progresses higher. “We just want to show you ladies a good time for your birthday. I guarantee this is a night
you’ll
never forget.”
I can feel him hardening against my ass with his mouth breathing heavily into my ear as he continues to caress my body. I hear Eve’s cries and whimpers behind me. I have no doubt what these assholes
are planning to do to us. The question is—how far will they take it? I have to fight.
We
have to fight. We may lose, but at least we won’t just lie there and take it. I bring my head down and throw it back and to the side just slightly as hard and as fast as I can, until our heads connect with a heavy thud. Pain radiates instantly on the back, right side of my head. Stunning Vinny, I hear him grunt in pain. I use this chance to buck my hips as I push up with my arms for leverage and knock him off me. As the soles of my feet touch pavement, I feel a hand clasp around my ankle.
“Fucking bitch!” Vinny snarls.
I crouch down into a runner’s stance and look behind me to see Vinny starting to pull his bearings to stand up. His grip tightens on my ankle as blood pours from his nose. I pull the leg he’s grasping forward just slightly and kick it back as hard and quick as I can, slamming my heel into his face. His grip instantly loosens giving me the upper hand as his natural reflexes make him cover his face with his hands. I spring up onto my feet and run toward Eve. Tony has her on the ground. Her dress is torn down to her waist with the hem pushed up resembling more of a belt than a dress. She’s crying, trying to buck him off her, but he has her pinned down while he continuously slams himself into her core.
I let out an unrecognizable angry roar as I throw my body at him, using my force to knock him
off her. Catching him by surprise, I hop onto his side and start swinging my arms wildly, my fists clenched and connecting to his face and upper body. Blood starts to seep from his nose and lips. His eyes turn colder than ice and suddenly, a sharp, excruciating pain in my abdomen leaves me breathless as an agonizing cry rips from my chest. Tears prickling my eyes. My body freezes as the menacing look clouding his eyes captivates me. I always thought my mother was evil. But the look in this man’s eyes—now I’ve seen true evil.
I feel him slide the object out of my stomach as his eyes narrow and a menacing grin twists his lips slightly. I can feel a warm liquid slowly start to trickle down my skin. I can hear my heartbeat pulse in my ears as the pain radiates through me. I suddenly hear Eve scream and all reality snaps back into focus.
I have to keep fighting. I can’t stop. Save Eve.
The adrenaline in my body starts to soar, and I feel like someone else has taken over my body. My fists start flying, unintelligible words spit from my mouth, and my body lifts up before my knee crashes down on this assholes dick. His eyes close and grunts pour from his chest. Every move I make, every breath I force myself to take, pain shoots throughout my stomach, but I have to keep moving.
I take this opportunity to grab his
knife and run the few steps to where Vinny has Eve pinned to the ground as he pumps himself in and out of her. I see tears mixed with mascara streaking from her cerulean blue eyes. Her legs and hips buck as she tries to break free and whimpers escape her lips.
All I see is red.
Fuck him. Fuck this
.
I let out a frustrating
, broken groan as I lift my arms above my head, both hands clenched tightly on the handle of the knife. I bring it down toward the middle of his upper back with all my might.
“I don’t fucking think so!” Tony spits as the front of his body slams into my back, his hands clasping around my wrists. His biceps squeezing my body like an anaconda would to
its prey.
“Fuck you!” I growl as I try to wiggle my way out of his arms. His grip tightening so hard on my wrists, it feels as if the bones are about to shatter. The pain is almost too much. As I cry out, Eve’s whimpers and defeated cries pierce my ears.
Tony’s grip tightens once more, causing my hands to open in reflex even though my mind is screaming to hang on tighter to the knife. Pain shoots from the tip of my fingers up through my forearms, the knife falling from my hands. Tony quickly grabs it and presses the sharp edge to the base of my throat. Hot tears form in the corners of my eyes before falling over the edge and cascading down my cheeks.
“Look at her!” he orders. “Look at him
as he rams her like the cock tease she is. Nobody likes a cock tease, Josephine,” he hisses.
“What do you want?” I cry
. My body stills like the eye of a storm.
“Oh,” he laughs menacingly. “I’ll be getting what I want,” he growls. His hand
roams down my body and the taste of bile burns its way up my throat.
“Joey,” Eve whimpers. Her legs no longer bucking, as if she’s given up.
“Fight, Eve! You have to fight!” I yell at her. Anger coursing through me. “Fight, dammit!”
“I can’t!” she shrieks.
I kick Tony hard in the shin with the heel of my boot before stomping down on his instep. His arm relaxes around me as he swears and grunts. I shove my elbow into his gut and start to charge for Vinny once again. I throw my body directly into him, both of us grunting as my body collides into his, and I knock him off Eve. The two of us roll together, landing in a heap not too far from Eve, and Vinny on top of me. My breathing falters as the pain from where the knife cut me begins to seethe.
“You stupid fucking bitch!” Vinny snarls as his fist connects with my left cheek. Fire
spreads through my face, the sting left by his hand reigniting my anger.
“Fuck you!” I spit. “Eve! Run!” I yell at Eve. If she can manage to get away, to get help, this could all be over. My
fists start flying trying to connect anywhere they can. I buck my hips in hope to knock Vinny off balance. I make a few good connects to his face and body before his fists meet my face repeatedly. A foreign cry rips from my throat as an unimaginable pain spreads through my face. It feels like my bones are shattering as he delivers each blow.
“Joey!” I hear
my name piercing through the air. Instantaneously, I start to throw my fists again and again as I try to kick my legs.
“You are a feisty one
, aren’t you, Josephine?” Vinny taunts as his large hand encases both of my wrists, holding them above my head. His body weighs down on top of me, forcing the air from my lungs.
I hawk the biggest
loogie I can muster and spit it directly into his face. “Go to hell,” I sneer. His free hand winds back before coming down and connecting with my lower cheek and the side of my mouth. I bite my tongue until a metallic taste fills my mouth. I refuse to let him hear how much pain he’s caused. My entire face feels broken. My body is exhausted. It is wearing me out to just take a breath.
I have to keep fighting
. I force my eyes to stay open, even though I can feel my left starting to swell, making it harder to see. I can feel my heartbeat throbbing in my ears and head. Blood is trickling from my nose and lips.
“No! Please… please stop,” I hear Eve beg before something lands right next to me. Moving my head to the right, I see Eve laying in the fetal position, crying. Her dress nonexistent, her panties trapping her wrists together. Blood
is saturating her nose and mouth and open wounds are shining red on her side and stomach.
Vinny’s free hand slips between my legs, seeking access to my core. I try to clench my knees together, but my body is so tired, and he is so strong.
“I bet no man has been allowed to touch you here, have they?” he whispers against my mouth as his hand slides my panties to the side before shoving a finger inside of me. “So fucking tight,” he groans. “Don’t worry, Josephine, we’ll be gentle.” He chuckles as he withdraws his finger and removes his hand from my wrists. I hear the sound of my panties being ripped off my body. I buck my hips before lifting both knees to my chest before slamming my feet directly into Vinny’s chest. He flies backward with a grunt as I force my body up on my legs, reaching for Eve in the process.
“Go Joey,” she mumbles, her eyes half-lidded.
“No,” I shake my head. “I’m not leav—” I groan out at the pain radiating through my shoulder and hip. I open my eyes to blurry vision realizing I’m back on the ground lying next to Eve. Blinking rapidly, Vinny’s face comes into view, his chocolate brown eyes growing darker by the second. Blood drips from his mouth and falls onto my neck and chest.
“Just cooperate, Josephine
, and we won’t hurt
you
.” Maybe it’s the fogginess clouding my brain, but the way he said ‘you’ as if he meant just that.
Only me
.
“No!” I cry out. “Please. I beg you… please…” I start to cry uncontrollably. Sobs start to rack my body.
“Shh.” Vinny hushes me, placing a finger against my lips. “It’s okay, Josephine. You’ll be okay. I won’t hurt you… too bad.” He smiles vindictively. I try to quiet my sobs, my chest growing heavy with me taking most of his weight, but the fear freezes through me like ice. Vinny takes my hands and ties them together with the panties he tore from my body. I struggle against his grip, but it only seems to make him grip my wrists tighter. I hear a bone snap in my right wrist causing me to cry out, giving him the perfect opportunity to finish tying me together. Every jerk of the panties against my skin causes a shooting pain to throb through my arm. Tears run freely down my face. I’m not naïve. I’ve read books, seen crime shows. This isn’t going to end well for neither Eve nor me.
We’re going to die. They’re going to kill us.
“I want the feisty bitch, first,” I hear Tony’s
tenor-silk voice wash over me.
“Fuck that,” Vinny snaps back to Tony. “You got her first,” he nods in Eve’s direction, “she’s mine,” he growls as his hand roams my body freely. Next thing I know, I hear Vinny ‘tsk, tsk’ before the sound of my clothes being shredded fill my ears. My left eye is completely swollen shut, and my lips hurt when I try to speak.
“Too many clothes. You’re too beautiful to be all covered up.” He smiles as he shreds the remains of my shirt. He then takes a knife to my chest, cutting my bra in the center until my breasts break free. “So fucking beautiful,” he groans as he palms me, using his hand to guide the tip of my nipple into his mouth. I can feel his teeth and tongue teasing me.
Dizziness, nausea, and fear of what’s to come
fills me.
Eve
. I force my head to turn toward her, the motion causing small dots to dance before my eyes before Eve comes into view. “Eve,” I whisper. Tony is pumping into her with the speed of a horny dog in heat. I focus into the sound of Eve’s whimpers. “Eve, look at me,” I nearly beg. Her bruised and bloodied face turns to me, tears streaking through the grime.
“Joey,” she breathes as she continues to cry.
“Shh, Eve, it’s going to be okay,” I try to console her. I hate that she’s scared right now. I hate that her first time is with these cold, heartless men. I hate that they hurt her.
I hate them
.
I feel a sharp pain inside of me, causing me to cry out as Vinny groans
, sinking into me balls deep. A burning sensation takes over between my legs, tears stinging the back of my eyes. He pulls almost all the way out before slamming back into me.
“Josephine,” he groans as his hips fluidly move against me, on
e hand securing my bound wrists above my head, as the other palms my breast. “I need you to remember something,” he groans in rhythm with his thrusts.
“Anything,” I barely manage to whisper, “just
, please… please, Vinny… stop.”
“Tell your brother we told him so. We warned him,” he grunts as his hips slam more forcefully into me, causing the area where Tony stabbed me earlier to throb.
“I… I… don’t understand,” I start to cry.
What the fuck does Aedan have to do with this?
“I know,” he says with a sneer before grunting out his release. My eyes close as I force myself to
breathe.
Please let this be over. Please.
I scream out in agony as a sharp pain in my stomach renders me breathless. I feel the coolness of the blade slide out of me before my skin is pierced again. My eyes open to peer directly into the emptiness of Vinny’s dark brown orbs. His eyes dance with mischief
as he pulls the blade out, just to slide it into me again, and again, and again.
“We warned him,” he snarls into my ear before sliding the knife from my belly,
standing, and pulling up his pants.
Tears relentlessly pour from my eyes, whimpers breaking from my swollen lips. The pain radiates through me, burning. My vision blurs, I blink quickly to refocus only for them to blur once again.
“Joey!” The horrendous sounds of Eve’s screams pierce my ears. I force my head in her direction. Tony pulls the knife from her chest before raising his arm above him, bringing it down harshly, stabbing her again in the center of her body. Eve’s screams echo throughout the air.
“Eve,” I whimper. She rolls her head to face me, tears clouding her beautiful cer
ulean blue eyes.
“Help me,” she chokes. “Joey…” she barely manages to whisper as Tony stabs her again, his dick still between her legs.
“Eve, stay with me,” I manage to mumble. Her cries reach me, her eyes never leave mine. “Hang on, Eve. We can do anything temporarily,” I remind her. It’s ‘our’ saying. Anytime we didn’t want to do a workout, or project, anything really, we would remind each other that nothing lasts forever. Similar to ‘this too shall pass’—well, we can do anything temporarily.
Eve cries out again, causing me to peel my eyes from hers to see Tony twist the knife in a circular motion before withdrawing it from the center of her chest, before doing it all over again in the pit of her stomach.
I’m not sure where it comes from, but numbness consumes my body. Unable to feel any of the pain that once tortured me, anger now filling me down to my bones. My good eye searches for Vinny. Unable to find him, I take my chance and force my body up, stumbling until my body falls onto Tony, my hands reaching for the handle of the knife that his hand currently possesses.
All I see is red. Anger fueling my body to keep fighting. If we die, one
of them is coming with us. We grunt as we roll on the ground. Each of us struggling for control of the knife. Lucky for me, his body is positioned perfectly over me.
“What the fuck?” Vinny yells. “Tony! Finish it,” he orders.
My knee slams into Tony’s dick with everything I have. He groans out in pain as his body’s natural reaction causes his grip to loosen on the knife. Ripping it from his grasp, I don’t hesitate. I feel the smile spread across my swollen, broken face as I quickly bring the knife to his throat, pressing the blade into his skin, sweeping it from one ear to the other. “Fuck you,” I growl as I take the knife and jam it into his back, twisting if for good measure.
His cold, near black eyes widen for a moment before
going lifeless. Tony’s body falls limply on top of me. Crushing me, the air whooshing from my chest.
“No!” Vinny screams. “You stupid! Stupid fucking cunt!”
He pulls the knife from Tony’s back, rolls him off me, and slams the blade into my body just below my left breast. My body is lifeless, pain seeping back into my nerves and tears springing to my eyes—and yet the smile still dances on my lips.
“You think this is funny?” he yells, spit flying free from his mouth. Eyes darkening, veins popping in his neck
, he stands up and begins to kick me in the chest, ribs, and stomach over and over. It feels like boulders are being dropped onto me. I can hear the crack of bones as his foot continues to connect with my body. He drops down to his knees with the knife held above his head and slams it into my stomach once again. An unbelievable pain steals my breath. Fire spreads across my skin. “It didn’t have to be this way,” he whispers against my face, tears escaping his cold, dark eyes. “You made it this way. You fucking bitch.” He spit into my face before standing up, scooping Tony into his arms, and disappearing into the night.