Screaming in the Silence (6 page)

I sat down and picked it up; the first thing I looked for was the date. October 10
^th
. I had been here five weeks. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine a different time, tried to imagine what I would be doing at this very moment had we never been hit by Ray and his car. But my imagination let me down for I could not even envision myself outside of this house. I shook my head and moved past the thought. Counting the hours and the days would only make my imprisonment seem longer. My eyes scanned the page and the picture at the bottom caught my attention. A woman with light hair and large eyes stared up at me. She wore baggy jeans and a Rolling Stones t-shirt. It was Julie.

But before I could read the article, Kaden snatched the paper from my hand and crumpled into a ball. He glared at me.

"Give that back."

"Nice try." Kaden laughed in my face but I knew better. Behind the smile, his eyes were scared.

"Time really is running out, isn't it?"

"You don't know what you saw," he replied and walked away from me, no longer laughing.

"They found her, didn't they?" But he wouldn't turn around. "Let's see, they must have found her body and assumed she had drowned, but upon further investigation, realized she had been thrown in the water post mortem. I guess it's only a matter of time before someone sees that paper and is able to identify the last person with whom she was seen alive. That would be me, in case you hadn't figured it out."

He balled his fists and his muscles flexed.

"Shut the fuck up, Raleigh! You don't know anything!"

"Fine. But I'm guessing my twenty five thousand dollars is looking pretty nice right about now. Or were you hoping my father could speak to the President and work out something a little more substantial?"

He took three or four large steps toward me, pointing his finger in my face and clenching his jaw. "You haven't said a word in over three weeks and now you think you can come downstairs and frighten me with your pathetic assumptions? You need to remember that you have no say in any of this and I can kill you or let Ray have his way with you, whenever I please."

"So do it," I spat back at him. "Kill me. Or better yet, let Ray do it. Show him how wrong you really were in taking me that night. Show him that you can't go through with whatever lame plan you two have hatched. It really doesn't matter to me because I will be happy knowing that no matter if I live or if I die, you will get caught."

"Shut your fucking mouth!"

"Or what? You'll threaten me some more?" I scoffed and looked away. If I had known just how badly I had set him off, I would never have dreamed of pushing him that far. But it was too late. Kaden's fingers were around my jaw, jerking my face toward his.

"I will teach you to keep that mouth shut, Raleigh. I won't let you forget who has the upper hand in this relationship."

He grabbed my arm and heaved his shoulder into my side, hoisting me up and throwing me over his back. I wiggled and flailed my arms and legs but his grasp was too strong. He carried me up the stairs, easily subduing me.

My screams and demands to be released were pointless. I used my fists to beat Kaden's back but it was no use. We reached the landing of the stairs and, instead of carrying me down the hallway to the bathroom, he turned and went in the direction of a closed door. I had often wondered where the three men slept, noting the different hallways and doors that could lead to possible bedrooms or closets. But, even if I had let my curiosity get the better of me, one of them was usually watching and would never have allowed me to open the wrong door.

Kaden carried me into a room, my hands gripped the doorframe. I held on with all my strength but he was too powerful and I screamed in terror at the force he used to pull me inside. My arms flailed in vain for something else to grab. He threw me into the air and I landed on a soft mattress, my head hitting the wall behind the bed.

Kaden tugged his shirt over his head, his chest and stomach heaving from anger and exertion. I pushed away as far as I could, my back pressed against the wall, but his hands were quick and around my ankle before I could kick them away. With one strong tug, my body went flying toward his. He descended on me like an eagle would its prey, his hands spread wide while his body quickly but gracefully bent down toward mine.

I struggled to turn onto my stomach, attempting to crawl away from the beast of a man, but the smooth satin finish of the comforter provided little traction and all I managed to do was pull the top layer back from the pillows. Kaden's hard torso pressed against my back and he yanked my hips from the bed. One strong arm came under my stomach to hold me up and the free hand nimbly freed the button of my jeans and released the zipper.

I clawed at the mattress, having already pulled all of the sheets and fittings away.

"Please, don't do this," I begged, still too terrified to cry. But Kaden's large hands quickly had my jeans below my hips and around my knees. He ripped my underwear off in one strong swoop of his hand and I screamed again for him to stop. "No!"

I pushed my body flat against the bed in a last attempt at self preservation but once again, Kaden's hands pulled at my waist, bringing my hips off the mattress and into his naked stomach. He felt warm against my bare skin but didn't stay that way for long. His fingers tangled in my hair, gripping hard enough to pull my head back, his elbow in the crook of my vaulted back. I waited, my craned neck and arched spine making it hard to breathe and impossible to move, but soon I felt the mattress shake as he climbed onto the bed behind me. His knees spread my thighs as wide as my jeans would allow and then I felt his fingers, wet with his own saliva no doubt, stroking between my legs.

"Please stop," I whimpered between my feeble cries, closing my eyes and fighting to forget the pain in my back and neck.

His fingers rolled between my clenched lips and pushed deep inside of me only once before being replaced by something much larger. I could feel his impatience and I screamed, rolling my hips under to postpone the inevitable. With one hand, he lifted me from the bed completely, as he forced himself into me with one powerful movement. The pain and the humiliation silenced my cries as the air caught in my throat.

I tried not to feel anything as Kaden pulled my hips against his, deeper this time and with more conviction. But that was impossible. He filled me completely. "Please don't do this," I begged again, although I knew it was past the point of mattering.

He pulled my hair back and pounded into me for a third time.

"Kaden, please?" I croaked from my strained throat.

Without warning he pulled out entirely and released my hair, flipping me onto my back and pinning me down by my shoulders.

"What did you say?"

I blinked, unable to react to his question. His face was so close and so incredibly difficult to read that I couldn't tell if I had offended him or appeased to him.

"What did you say?" he repeated, his eyes closing as he screamed.

"I said, 'please,'" I repeated, my mouth still dry.

But Kaden shook his head. "No, you said my name."

I turned my head away, trying to remember if that was true. I had said it to myself so many times before but had never spoken it aloud.

"Say it again," he commanded as his fingers turned my face back toward his. His green eyes bore into mine so deeply that I couldn't refuse.

"Kaden," I said, using as little of my voice as possible. But that was all he needed. His lips were on mine before I could take a breath and his hands worked to free my knees from my pants.

His kiss wasn't how I remembered it; this one was forceful and demanding. But he tasted the same: the sweetness of his tongue and the fullness of his lips. His tongue danced with mine while he pushed my t-shirt up my chest. He pulled away, sitting up and tugging the shirt over my head, throwing it on the ground next to the bed. My pants were next as he guided each knee up and out of the denim.

"Again," he repeated.

"Kaden." I took a deep breath. He was kneeling in between my legs, which he had spread wide with his knees, and staring down at me with a crooked smile on his perfect face. I stared back at him, waiting for him to do something. His piercing eyes never wavered as he hooked his arms under my knees and brought my hips off the bed.

I wanted to look away, but I was terrified I would miss something, some chance at escape, some glimpse of sympathy from him. Kaden started again slowly and deliberately. I felt everything. My arms were useless and sprawled to my sides, my hands lightly gripping the comforter as he held my gaze. His face was full of emotion and concentration. Clearly enjoying himself, his mouth stayed curled in a slight smile and his eyes sparkled with anticipation.

I wish I could have felt the same. But I only wanted it to be over. I didn't want to like it, I wanted to hate it, but as he started to move, my senses became sharper, my body reacting against the better judgment of my mind. Kaden must have known that I was fighting this, but he also knew that part of me couldn't deny him even if I wanted to.

All too soon, my eyelids became heavy and my unwanted pleasure began to peak. I so badly wanted to squeeze them shut and scream out his name, but I fought it with every ounce of energy that I had, and continued staring into Kaden's green eyes. My legs started to tingle as heat spread from my womb, my toes curled, and my fingers clenched the bedding beneath me.

"Don't fight it," Kaden smirked. He showed no signs of stopping, not even a sign of fatigue.

"I…I can't…" But I couldn't finish my sentence. I didn't even know what I had wanted to say.

I felt one of his hands move from my hip to my inner thigh. "I told you I would make you scream," Kaden said pressing his thumb between my legs. He didn't move his finger, just let the motion of his body pounding into mine create the friction he desired.

It was more than I could endure. The heat spread throughout my body, my eyes closed involuntarily, and I finally cried out in pleasure. My reaction was so intense that through my convulsions, I didn't even feel Kaden pull out only to finish on my stomach. The hot, sticky substance was a tangible reminder of the fight he had won. He had taken whatever confidence and innocence I still possessed from me.

I opened my eyes watched him bend over and pull up his boxers, the sight of his naked body terrifying but impressive. He caught me staring and bent over to pick up his shirt from the floor.

"Clean yourself off," he commanded, throwing his shirt at me.

I sat up and looked away from him, picking up the shirt and wiping off my stomach. My hands were still shaking slightly, a shameful side effect of the climax. Kaden handed me my clothes, a hint of concern in his eyes, as he finally looked at my nearly naked body on his bed.

I dressed quickly, conscious of his eyes on me the entire time. He was still standing in his boxers when I finished, his body gleaming with a thin layer of sweat, his hair pushed from his face. He opened the door to his bedroom and nodded for me to leave. I practically ran from the room, down the stairs and into the basement. I knew Kaden was behind me. I knew he would be locking the door as I descended the stairs into the dim light of my room.

I threw myself onto my bed, crying in heavy, painful sobs that shook the mattress. Kaden had known me completely, touched nearly every inch of my body, but I had never felt so alone. I felt that if I didn't have someone to comfort me, someone to hold me and cradle away my fears, I would melt away into the cement floor of the basement, never to be seen again. I wasn't thinking about what had just happened, how I had been taken without my consent, how the pleasure I experienced was more humiliating than the act itself. No, I was only feeling abandoned.

Tears still fell from my eyes as I stared at the ceiling that night. No one had bothered to bring me dinner and my stomach ached. I could tell they were all upstairs. The dust falling from above was heavier than normal and I wondered what they could be doing. Had Kaden told them about Julie? Perhaps he was trying to convince them to take the twenty five thousand dollars.

The sense of abandonment I had felt earlier in the day only increased with time. Kaden had promised to keep me safe from Ray but I had no one to keep me safe from Kaden. Being raped wasn't something I liked to think about, but being raped by Ray was almost an unbearable thought. What made Kaden a more agreeable rapist was what confused me.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't notice Kaden walking down the stairs. His shadow passed over my eyes and I looked up, startled.

"Ray wants to ask you a few questions," he said, standing above me, his arms crossed at his chest.

I stared at him.
What kind of questions?
I signed.

"About the other girl. About who saw you two together."

Does he know about my father?

"No, he thinks both of your parents are dead."

I stood up and shrugged my shoulders. If Kaden wanted to keep things from Ray, he must have some sort of plan. Since this plan no longer benefited me, I was going to do anything I could to sabotage it.

"Let's go upstairs, then," I said.

Kaden's hand was over my mouth in a flash, his eyes full of surprise and anger. "You keep your mouth shut, you understand me?"

I answered him with a glare. Of course I understood him, but I no longer cared.

"Look," he took a deep breath and released my face. "I can't change what happened this morning. You got everything you deserved, but Ray won't stop where I did. He'll kill you."

Maybe he will and maybe he won't. Daddy's money may appeal to him, too.

"It will, trust me. But then he'll realize the trouble that comes with it and get scared."

Why don't you just take the twenty five thousand and be done with me? You and I both know you won't get any more without an added bonus of a prison cell.

Kaden's eyes squinted with what looked like pain and perhaps a little anxiety. "I'm not ready to give up yet. I want more time."