Page 28 of Defending Mateo
Taking her hand, he wanted to force her to curl her fingers around his like she always used to, but of course, he couldn’t. Her feelings weren't just valid they were correct. He had become the monster in her story, and while he’d make sure he killed as many of the men here as he could when they finally had what they needed to bring the ring down, that was going to be cold comfort to Ally.
At the door, he paused, took her shoulders in his hands, bent his legs so they were eye to eye, and tried to show her everything he was feeling. “I love you, little mouse. I know you don’t believe me, I know you hate me, but I will make sure you get out. I don’t care if you hate me for the rest of your life, I will make sure you’re free to live that life.”
“This would be so much easier if I hated you,” Ally said softly.
And he wondered if she knew how deeply those words stabbed into his heart. His girl didn't hate him, but she wished that she did, and somehow, that was worse.
Chapter
Ten
August 19th
8:44 A.M.
“Photo time,” Henry announced, grinning at her excitedly as he unlocked her cell.
Ally blinked at him. Not only was she exhausted with a bone weariness that made simply breathing a more arduous task than it should be, but she also had a pounding headache. The supply of food and water had been sporadic. Although she’d been upgraded to slightly better meals, they were frequently skipped if she was in the middle of a “lesson”. She’d definitely lost weight over the last week, and the lack of hydration had given her a headache that she couldn’t seem to shake.
But she knew she had to.
If they were taking photos of her, did that mean she was ready to be put up for sale?
Surely not this quickly. Yet … she’d never fought them on anything they asked her to do. She was too scared of the punishment to be disobedient, so hadn't she been carried in here pretty much already the obedient little slave they were after?
Of course, they were ready to sell her this quickly.
And if Mateo hadn't been lying to her about everything, then maybe this was a good thing. He’d promised her that once she was sold, he would give the address to his boss and Prey Security would come to rescue her. So maybe within a day or so she’d be going back home.
Home. It had always been a word she had a love-hate relationship with. On the one hand, she’d never had a home that actually felt like a home. Maybe she had with her parents, but she’d only been a toddler when they died and didn’t remember any part of that time in her life. On the other hand, she’d longed for a real home for as long as she could remember. When things seemed to be getting serious with Mateo, she’d wondered if she’d finally find it with him.
Now she knew that wasn't going to happen, but perhaps he could at least get her back to her lonely, quiet little apartment. It was the least he owed her since she’d apparently been targeted because of him.
“Let’s go, one four zero,” Henry called cheerfully, and Ally pushed wearily to her feet.
That stupid toy was still attached to her, buzzing softly against her swollen bud. She’d lost count of how many times the men had strolled past her cell, pausing to play with the remote, watching with leering grins as she came, sometimes slow and strong, sometimes hard and fast. Some of them liked to stroke themselves, get themselves off to the sound of her moans and cries, but all of them enjoyed tormenting her. Despite what Mateo had told her, it hadn't been removed at the end of the day, but no one had come for a while, instead leaving her with that slight hum between her legs.
For someone who had never really been a sexual person, it was weird to have her entire life revolve around arousal and orgasms, or lack of them, as the case may be. Not weird in agood way either. It was one thing to experiment with Mateo, who before winding up here, had always made her feel safe and seen, but another to have these things forced on her against her will.
Just as she stepped out into the hall, she felt before she saw Mateo striding toward them. Much as she hated it, Ally couldn’t help but feel safer when he was near. Maybe she didn't understand why he wasn't trying to get her out immediately if he really did love her, but she couldn’t deny that he’d been telling the truth when he said he’d been protecting her as best he could.
“I'm handling the photos,” Mateo told Henry with that same air of confidence that she’d always found so attractive.
“Nah-uh,” Henry shot back, “she's finished training, been approved for sale, that means she's fair game.”
Shivering, Ally found her body drifting toward Mateo’s without any conscious thought. She was so angry at him, angrier than she’d ever been in her life, but she still knew that Mateo was the closest thing to safety she had here.
“Then I'm coming too,” Mateo said firmly, in a tone that brokered no argument.
“Obsessed with the redhead, huh? How long were you guys together?” Henry asked, watching them both with interest.
So at least Ally knew that part of what Mateo had told her was true. She had been targeted because somehow Azure found out about the two of them. If that was true, then it meant he’d also been telling the truth when he said he had to be careful about how he acted with her because he was being carefully watched.
Now she felt him tense, maybe Henry didn't notice it, but she did. Just because she was socially awkward didn't mean that she didn't know how to read body language. In fact, she’d had to learn pretty quickly how to read it if she wanted to avoid her school bullies and stay out of the way at home.
“Weren't together,” Mateo said lazily, eyeing her like she was a piece of meat. If it wasn't for the tight way his lips were pressedtogether, she’d think he meant it. “Just enjoyed her company in the bedroom.”
Even though she knew Mateo was just saying what he had to say to protect them both, Ally flinched at the cold tone. Mateo said he loved her, but she was struggling to believe that when he wasn't doing anything to rescue her.
