Page 98 of Corruption
It was all unfolding far more rapidly than I had ever anticipated. Our connection remained unbroken, regardless of the pain we had inflicted upon each other. We seemed inexplicably bound together, a tangled mess of emotions and experiences. Rationality dictated that cutting all ties between us was the healthiest course of action, an end to our manipulative games, but Vince was right. My mind didn’t operate as it should.
Growing up, we were taught that love equaled pain. An alternative perspective eluded us. I reached into my pocket, retrieving the small box that contained Alison’s key, the metaphorical chain that bound her to me. I examined it closely, pondering my next move.
Our recent encounter had taught me something invaluable. Despite my ability to wield hope, manipulation, humiliation, threats, and even physical harm against Alison, she still possessed an undeniable power over me. It wasn’t because she could physically overpower me or incite fear as before, but rather, she had subjected me to an act that I loathed due to my lifelong sense of restraint. Astonishingly, she had transformed this fear of being tied down into a source of pleasure for me, something I had found myself yearning for.
I wasn’t suggesting that I was ready to return to being her slave, but there was an intriguing allure in the way she could make me revel in submitting to her. I had always believed that I despised it, but her intent hadn’t been to scar or harm me. While humiliation was part of the equation, even that had been overpowered because she had interwoven pleasure into the experience. She had turned my own tactics against me, and, God, had I savored it.
Nonetheless, these feelings were dangerous and troubling. If Alison held even a small hold over me, there could be no balance between us. Vince’s suggestion gnawed at my conscience. Perhaps the only way to truly free myself and regain power was to sever all ties with her. To annihilate her presence from my life and never look back.
Yet, as I mulled over this thought, I could sense the depth of my involvement in this dark game between us. Vince was right. I was no longer certain if I desired to release Alison when I could potentially keep her as my personal plaything forever. I knew that this was an unattainable fantasy, but it was a temptation I couldn’t easily dismiss.
I cast a wary glance behind me, observing Astrid’s cousins and the men who worked for them engaged in conversation as they smoked beside the parked cars. There were more individuals scattered around the harbor, awaiting our impending delivery. However, only a select few of us were required to manage this operation, as additional assistance would be available on the arriving boat.
While scrutinizing the group, one of Astrid’s cousins, Finn, shot me a disdainful glare, clearly harboring as much animosity toward me as I held for him. However, there was no denying that we were soon to become family. Therefore, I couldn’t keep Alison. Astrid may have suggested otherwise, even willing to accept Alison’s presence as a side piece in our marriage, but Alison’s existence posed a potential threat to me. It would render me susceptible to Astrid’s manipulations, subjecting me to her dominance repeatedly. It seemed wiser to eliminate any leverage against me. How had Alison transformed into a pawn to be wielded against me?
Shaking my head, I stashed away the black box containing Alison’s key before my attention was drawn to approaching lights. The boat was steadily drawing nearer to the harbor, causing a smile to form on my face. I took a few steps back as the vessel maneuvered itself into position, lowering a substantial drawbridge onto the harbor.
Finn and I boarded the boat, but something immediately struck me as peculiar. Instead of the multiple containers filled with the drugs we were scheduled to receive, there was only a single container, and there were no additional hands coming to assist us. Something was profoundly amiss. My apprehension grew, and I approached the container, gripping its iron handle before forcefully wrenching the door open. The sight that greeted me sent shivers down my spine.
Inside the container, a group of women huddled together, their forms dirtied and their wrists bound. I stared at the scene in utter disbelief, grappling with the horrifying reality of the situation. Finn approached my side, and I seized him by the collar, pressing him against the container door.
“What the hell is this?” I demanded.
“This isn’t ours!” he vehemently protested.
“Then who the fuck does it belong to?” I retorted.
Finn turned to the other men who had operated the drawbridge, urgently seeking answers from them. Their replies were uttered in Spanish, further deepening my sense of foreboding. Something was undeniably and horrifically wrong.
“What the fuck is going on?” I yelled at the men, but they shouted back in Spanish just before the first gunshot echoed, the bullets recoiling against the container’s iron. Finn and I quickly sought cover, and I retrieved my firearm, struggling to pinpoint the attackers amidst the darkness that hid them. Only distant parked cars and a barrage of bullets heading our way were visible.
I moved toward the ship’s edge, returning fire at the distant vehicles. However, the ship unexpectedly started moving, with its crew opting to flee with the shipment rather than get caught up in the violence.
“Fuck!”
I lost my balance, but was able to peer over the side, seeing Finn had made it back to the harbor and was engaged in a firefight with the attackers. Meanwhile, I found myself carried away from safety, the harbor shrinking in the distance.
Panic surged as I scanned the surroundings, realizing I had no other option. I glanced at the dark, forbidding waters below. It was a dangerous choice, one that might end in death or worse, but I had no alternative if I hoped to evade capture or execution.
I’d never learned to swim, but tonight was the time to try. Suppressing my fear, I took a deep breath and maneuvered over the ship’s side, narrowly avoiding bullets. Plunging into the icy water, I was immediately pulled under.
Struggling to surface met resistance, and crashing waves stopped my ascent. My lungs ached for oxygen as I fought to break free, but my strength waned. Panic set in as I battled the water’s relentless pull, but as the world blurred, my last air was expelled, and I involuntarily inhaled water.
Sinking deeper into the ocean’s abyss, the world above grew distant, and shadows closed in.
Chapter 48
-Alison-
While I couldn’t see the clock or the outside light, I could sense that a considerable amount of time had passed. My aching arms, legs, and back were testament to that. The relentless teasing from the toys within me had lost its power over me, giving way to a growing discomfort. Sweat coated my body, and I longed to escape the unrelenting position I was trapped in.
Where was Jared? Why hadn’t he returned yet? He had assured me he wouldn’t be gone for long. An unsettling feeling gripped my heart, persistently nagging at me. I couldn’t quite pinpoint its source, but it gnawed at me, conveying that something was amiss. But what was wrong? Why wasn’t it right?
Jared inhabited a world I could barely fathom, one I couldn’t comprehend fully. Perhaps it wasn’t unusual for him to be delayed. He had even given me permission to adjust my position if discomfort set in. Yet, I felt almost paralyzed with fear at the thought of moving. A part of me believed that shifting would only confirm the unsettling feeling’s validity. It would reinforce that something was genuinely wrong…
Despite my earlier fears regarding his return, because he had promised to use me all night, I yearned for him to come back. The uncertainty was far worse than any fear of what he had in store for me. Not knowing his whereabouts intensified my anxiety, causing my heart to thunder so loudly that I could hear it reverberating in my ears.
“Where are you?” I whispered, hoping my words could magically summon him. However, the room remained eerily silent. My own breathing sounded deafening in my ears, almost disorienting me as it seemed to echo inside my head. I couldn’t endure this any longer. My body had even started to tremble, and I began to shift, ready to stand up. But then I heard it—a faint creak as a door opened. A smile graced my lips. He was back.
