Chapter 32: Chapter 32

I didn’t sleep a wink. How could I when Dan snored next to me in the bed, oblivious to my silent crying and how my mind seemed to breaking apart at the seams every minute that he kept me trapped next to him. Not content with having three rogue wolves guarding downstairs, Dan had used a pair of obscene fluffy, black, handcuffs, that looked as though they came from Ann Summers, to cuff me to the headboard. I had pulled it so much that my wrist was bright red, sore and beginning to bleed but the cuff was that tight, I had no hope of ever pulling my hand free unless I chewed it off like a mountain lion caught in a trap.

I sat up against the headboard to give my wrist a break, it was almost agony to lie down and leave it up in the air so I resorted to closing my eyes every so often, flinching every time I heard a noise or Dan turned around in his sleep. Instead, I used the time to formulate a plan, each plan I made had some kind of drawback or mistake, but I was coming to grips with one that was risky, but I hoped would work.

Relying on the kindness of strange women. Men I couldn’t trust as far as I could throw them, but every woman I knew had been sexually assaulted in some way and I had to hold out hope that someone would come to my help. I mulled it over in my head, trying to map out possible scenarios and I knew that there was a strong possibility that Dan could drug me. I could feel myself begin to cry again so I took a deep breath and instead I channeled my sadness into anger. I stared at him for what felt like hours, my brain conjuring up all the ways that I would make him pay for what he did to me. Evil, intrusive thoughts filtered through that I would have never have thought of before. How I could make him feel the way that he made me feel, to have him quivering in pain beneath me.

The thought almost made me crack a smile.

Before I knew it the early morning sun was cracking through the curtains, a pale glow that that signaled the arrival of a new day. Once upon a time I would welcome the sun with open arms, but now I wished that the moon would stay forever and give me more time. With the sun rising came the stirring of Dan as he turned around to get away from the light that was streaming through the yellowed, stained curtains.

My bum ached from sitting for so long on the uncomfortable mattress and my wrist had stopped stinging, almost feeling numb. Looking at my wrist, I could see that the cuff was beginning to cut into my skin with dry, crusty blood beginning to flake off onto my hand. Whether I liked it or not, I was going to have to wake Dan, even if it was so I could just go the bathroom. I shifted my bodyweight towards him and sent a kick to his leg, albeit not as hard as I would have liked.

He groaned and turned over, opening his eyes to find me glaring daggers at him. He cracked a lazy smile and looked up to catch sight of my hand still trapped in the cuff.

“Oh dear, that doesn’t look too good does it?” He said, his voice still gruff from sleep. “Still, Germany day today, are you excited?” He asked with a grin.

“I would rather shit in my hands and clap,” I droned in response.

“Watch it,” He warned, placing a finger in front of my face. It took all of my strength to not use my free hand to slap it away.

“Can you take my hand out?” I pleaded, taking his attention away from my bad language. It was something he always punished us for when we lived with him.

“Those three are still downstairs,” He began, “Make one stupid move and I’ll make you regret it, understand?”

I nodded quickly, I would’ve agreed to Trent performing a smear if it meant I got my hand out of this cuff. He fished a key out of the chest of drawers and unlocked my hand. I immediately cradled it towards me, sighing with relief. Dan rolled his eyes and shrugged off the tattered, grey joggers he was wearing and I grimaced at his back, it had gotten hairier since I last seen it and I almost gagged at the sight of his butt crack before he pulled his boxers back up.

He turned to me, “I have something for you to wear as to not arise suspicion. It’s in the wardrobe.”

He gestured with one hand whilst pulling on a pair of smart, black trousers with the other. I noted he didn’t change his boxers.

Creature.

I stepped towards the wardrobe, still holding onto my injured wrist to support it. I found a pleated blouse and smart, black skirt hung up next to a black blazer. I narrowed my eyebrows and turned around to him.

“I don’t understand?”

“We’re business partners on a trip to Germany for a conference,” He explained with a shrug.

It was clever, I had to give him that, but I questioned more, I had to know how much he had considered when he decided to kidnap me halfway across Europe.

“-and ID?”

“Don’t even think about finding a flaw in my plan. I have fake documents, fake identifications. Everything I need to get into Germany with you and disappear.”

I gulped, my stomach dropping to my feet as I considered the actual possibility that I would end up in fucking Germany before the end of the day in a shack out in the middle of buttfuck nowhere with Dan and his cronies as my only company. It wasn’t an option, I had to escape and I knew I had only one opportunity once we got into the airport. He finished the knot on his tie and gestured absentmindedly with his hand towards the wardrobe. I looked back at the outfit but didn’t move from my spot, I was so curious as to why Dan put so much effort in, it wasn’t like he was capable of actually loving me, so why was he so desperate for this plan to work? Why Germany?

“Why?” I voiced quietly.

“Why what?” He snapped, twisting his head up to meet my eyes, his thick, bushy eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he finished shoving his meaty feet into a pair of shiny, black shoes that looked completely out of place on him.

I shrugged and gestured around the room, “Why? Why all this effort? I’m nothing special, why couldn’t you just let us go and live your life?”

Dan sighed as he checked his pockets, “Passports,” he muttered, walking to the chest of drawers and searching through the top one.

“Dan!” I cried, exasperated.

“What?” He yelled, “Heidi, I do not have time to sit and have a mothers’ meeting about my decisions. You’re mine to do what I want with, that’s the end of it. I don’t want to hear another word, understood?”

He stood in front of me, one hand on his hip and the other had reached out to grip my chin harshly, forcing me to look up at him like he was scolding a naughty child.

“I just want to-”

My cheek stung sharply as he took his free hand and slapped it across my face quickly, sending my face flying to the side and out of his grip. I shot my hands up to cup my cheek and sent a look of pain and shock in Dan’s direction.

“Look what you made me do!” He shouted, “Now you’ve got a great, big, fucking mark across half your bastard face.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, finding myself apologising before I could stop myself.

“Damn right you are, stupid girl. TRENT!”

The rogue, clearly Dan’s most trusted, was at the door in a moment’s notice. I watched how his nostrils flared and his eyes had a kind of wild abandon mixed with a hint of fear. His chest puffed in and out quickly and it was clear he had ran as quickly as he could up the stairs to aid his master.

Master. Was Dan nowmymaster?The thought made me feel nauseous and I cupped an arm around my midriff, leaving the other free to cradle my still stinging cheek.

“Go to the nearest shop and get some makeup for her,” He huffed. “Do it within fifteen minutes.”

Trent looked baffled and sent a bewildered expression my way. He didn’t want to displease his master, but at the same time I could tell he was clueless. Luckily, Dan caught onto his expression and frowned, turning to me.

“What will you need to cover that up?” He asked, pointing his finger at me and I leaned back slightly, catching sight of the dirt beneath his fingernails.

“Foundation and concealer,” I replied hesitantly.

Dan looked back at Trent with a expression that could only read, “Well, why aren’t you going?” Trent took one look back at Dan before he was off trotting back down the stairs as quickly as his feet could take him. I cocked my head to the side as I pondered why on earth someone so large and beefy as Trent was afraid of someone like Dan. Dan wasn’t particularly muscular, he wasn’t overly tall. Dan, to me, had always just been an average joe with a sick and twisted mind.

“Get dressed,” He said to me, his tone implying finality. He was on his last tether and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to find out what would happen if I snapped it.

I dressed in the garments, grimacing when I noted how the skirt came just above mid-thigh and the shirt did nothing to hide the curvature of my breasts. I tucked it into the skirt and unattractively adjusted the gusset of the thin, nude, tights that were a little small and rather uncomfortable. Still, I hadn’t shaved since being shoved down in the tiny, pitch-black basement, so I was grateful for them. I placed my feet into the plain, black kitten heels and assessed myself in the grimy, cracked mirror hanging on the inner door of the wardrobe.

My face was a bright red on one side; there was no denying what had happened to me. If I didn’t cover this up, there would be no way Dan would get me to Germany without arising some suspicion. My short hair hung limp and lifeless in the messy and tatty look that Dan had so cruelly given me. My sunken cheeks, dejected eyes and cracked lips concluded my look.

Ilookedlike a kidnap victim.

I wasn’t sure if foundation or concealer could completely cover that fact. It wouldn’t hide the fact that my shoulders slumped in defeat, or how my eyes darted around in fear. It wouldn’t hide the fact that I flinched every time Dan raised his hand or how my heart would fly out of my chest every time he came near me.

All I needed was a woman to see these signs. I just needed my lady in shining armour to raise the red flag. Dan was smart, but in this day and age women knew to look out for each other. I was going to give someone a look, a hand gesture...anything.

I was desperate.