Promises Prevail (The Promise Series) (62 page)

The man came forward, his eyes never leaving Brianna. His hands were cut and dirty, his eyes were haunted, yet kind as he took Bri from Jenna’s arms.

“No,” she whispered.

His gaze flickered to hers. She didn’t see any meanness in his eyes, only a soul-deep sadness that had no end.

“I’ll be careful with her, Ma’am.”

“Give her to me,” Shirley demanded immediately.

Jenna held the man’s gaze as she begged, “Take her to my husband, Clint McKinnely.” She thought she saw a flare of recognition in his eyes at her husband’s name. “Don’t give her to anyone else. Please, just him.”

The man tucked Brianna into his arm with that same reluctant sadness with which he’d reached for her.

“I’ll keep her safe ma’am. Don’t you worry.”

“Let’s go you two,” Mark ordered, turning them toward the jail. “We’ve provided enough entertainment for the evening.”

Jenna twisted to see what was happening with Bri. Shirley intercepted her glance and the cruelty in the other woman’s gaze terrified her.

“Remember,” she screamed, straining to make eye contact with the stranger who had her baby, “don’t give her to anyone but Clint.”

Shirley gave her a nod and smiled, stepping toward the stranger as Mark dragged her along, away from her baby. He shoved her into the alley and she could no longer see anything, but she could hear Shirley’s satisfied, “I’ll take her now,” and it struck terror into her soul.

Her baby was alone and unprotected with a woman who saw her as an obstacle to what she wanted.

Oh God, this was her worst nightmare come to life.

* * * * *

“Just like old times, isn’t it pretty girl?”

Jenna struggled to block out the reality of being locked in a jail, her arms tied together and then tied with a separate rope to the bars. Tied with enough give that she could turn but not escape. Mark’s bloated body pressed into her back as he whispered her nightmare into reality.

“Remember the fun we had? Remember how you learned to obey under my hand?”

She remembered the pain. The futility of resistance. The agony of being helpless before his torture.

“Go to hell.”

“Let her go you bastard!” Mara hollered from inside the gloomy jail’s only cell.

Jenna forced her eyes open, forced herself to connect with the here and now long enough to warn Mara. She had to stay quiet, to stop challenging Mark before she drew his attention.

“It’s all right, Mara.”

Mara jerked at her own bound hands.

“You keep telling me that like you expect me to believe it.”

Mark rubbed his crotch along Jenna’s buttocks, rapping her skirt with the quirt he held in his hand, a reminder of what to expect.

“But it is all right, isn’t it, Jenna?” he asked loud enough to carry. He nuzzled her hair aside and kissed her ear in a gross parody of tenderness. “We’ve played this game before. Remember that night, Jenna? Remember how your husband gave you to me? How you spread your legs to pay his debts. How you danced for my lash.”

Mara’s eyes widened with shock and for a heartbeat, she stopped struggling. Jenna met her gaze, saw the understanding sink in, and felt the shame to the bottom of her soul.

“I told you there were reasons,” she whispered.

The quirt came down hard on her hip. Hard enough to bite through the layers of cloth. Hard enough to bring a strangled scream from her throat as Mark laughed and pushed his erection against her. She’d forgotten how much it hurt, how much he enjoyed hurting.

“I didn’t tell you to speak,” he grunted, lashing her again.

Tears leaked from her eyes as she shuddered under the blow, the stays of her corset absorbing most of the force.

“McKinnely must be soft. You’ve forgotten all the rules I taught you.”

Oh God, Clint. This was going to kill him. Kill them.

“He’s going to kill you for this, you know,” Mara said, echoing Jenna’s thoughts, her voice unnaturally calm. “He’ll hunt you down, stake you out, and skin you alive. And while you’re screaming for relief, he’ll cut off your balls, shove them down your throat, and leave you for the buzzards to eat.”

Mark laughed as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Clint’s never going to know about this, though is he?”

He ran the quirt over Jenna’s cheek. She had to either accept the caress or lean into Mark’s face. She held perfectly still.

“Jenna won’t want her precious husband to know she’s just a filthy little whore who likes it rough.”

“I’ll tell him.”

Mark tilted his head back. From the corner of her eye, Jenna could see Mark’s smile. It’s cold, sinister edge sent a shudder down her spine.

“No you won’t, because you care too much about my little slut here to risk her marriage.”

Mara tossed her head back. “You don’t know me too well.”

“I know you well enough to know that if you were willing to prove Jenna to the world as the slut she is, you would have screamed blue murder by now.”

“You said you’d kill her if I did.”

“So I did, but you should have risked it to save yourself.”

“I don’t need to.” Again that unnaturally calm voice.

“Why?”

“Cougar is coming,” she said it as if it were a given.

“McKinnely is miles from here.”

Mara shifted on the wood bench that served as bed and seat.

“Somebody has gone for him, and when he gets here, he’ll tear you to pieces.”

“I’ll be gone long before he gets here.”

“Running won’t save a pathetic worm like you.”

Mark tensed in that way Jenna recognized. He was turning his focus on Mara. She’d never survive five minutes of his attention.

“Mara,” she croaked, “shut up.”

Mark stepped away from Jenna. The coolness of the air on her sweaty back was not a comfort. Not when it meant Mara was becoming a target.

Mark stepped to the left. The quirt slapped against his boot.

“Awful brave talk for a woman who’ll be greeting her husband with my seed dripping from her cunt.”

Unbelievably, Mara smiled.

“Is that the best you’ve got? Rape?” She tossed her head again in that way that had Mark’s nostrils flaring. “Cougar will want me no matter what. Long after your corpse has rotted, he’ll still be loving me.”

Mara was serious. She had every faith that her husband was coming for her and that he’d want her no matter what. Jenna could only envy her that confidence.

“That only holds if there’s anything left of you to love,” Mark returned just as calmly.

“I’ll hold on until he gets here.” The promise drifted on the stale air, unfazed by Mark’s threats.

In a blur of motion, Mark brought the quirt down in a vicious slice that caught Jenna across the shoulders. She fell to her knees and a scream tore from her throat as waves of agony clawed at her back. The ropes on her wrist halted her descent, jerking her forward against the bars, smashing her cheek into the metal as lights exploded behind her eyes.

With the tip of the quirt, Mark traced the first tear as it escaped Jenna’s control.

“What makes you think I’ll let you,” he asked Mara conversationally.

Jenna opened her eyes. There were tears in Mara’s eyes, but her expression didn’t change.

“Because I promised Cougar I would.” She moved back in the seat, and her smile rivaled Cougar’s for feral coldness. “And because I want to watch Clint tear you apart, inch by inch.”

“I’m going to enjoy our time together, Mara McKinnely,” Mark said as he hauled Jenna to her feet. He grabbed her by the bun at the base of her neck and twisted her face to his, “And you’ll get to watch. Every beautiful second.”

Like hell. Mark let her go. Jenna waited until he took one step away, grabbed the bars for support, and then with every ounce of muscle she could muster, kicked him between the legs, driving the hard pointed toe of her brand new boots into the softness of his groin. Grinding it deeper as he dropped, kicking out again as he retched and doubled over. She got two more kicks in before his hand struck with the speed of a rattler, grabbing her ankle, yanking her off balance.

“Jenna!” Mara cried, the bench rocking as she lurched forward. Jenna shook her head at her as she fell, knowing the landing was going to be hard, mentally trying to prepare herself, but nothing could have prepared her for the wrenching agony of her bound wrists taking the sudden force of her drop.

Mark didn’t relax his grip even though she was down, partially suspended on the bars. Instead he climbed her body, and held on as she moaned, not relaxing his grip as her bound wrists took her full weight and part of his, dragging his way up her body one inch at a time.

“So you went and got some spirit since I last saw you,” he grunted as he pulled even with her face, his foul breath striking her like another blow. “I like it.”

He pinned her legs with his and braced his arms on the bars beside her head.

“It’s going to make our next little game lots of fun.”

If she’d had the spit to do it, she would have spit in his face, but her mouth was bone dry with the fear shaking her from head to toe. Mark had been horrible before, but this close, she couldn’t miss the insanity in his light grey eyes. She could only offer up a prayer of thanksgiving that he’d forgotten about Mara.

With a grunt he lurched to his feet, grabbing her by the front of her dress and dragging her up. Buttons popped and seams tore as he wrestled her around until she was once again bent over at the waist, facing the bars, her buttocks sticking out.

His hands on her skirts were efficient as he gathered them up, dropping the heavy weight to the middle of her back as he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “If you scream once, I’ll snap the little bitch’s neck.”

He looked at Mara as he placed the quirt against Jenna’s neck. The leather was as cold and as flat as his voice as he sad, “If you make a sound, I’ll strangle her.”

Mara met Jenna’s gaze, bit her lip, and nodded.

“Glad we understand each other.”

The quirt left her throat. She felt Mark’s hands on her hips. The soft rip of cotton being torn rent the silence and her pantalets fell to the floor. And then there was only her panting breath and the slight grind of her teeth before the quirt whistled though the air. The force of the blow sent her forward into the bars. Her mind registered the sharpness of the snap before her thigh exploded in agony. She caught the scream in her throat, fighting it back, biting her cheek until blood flowed to keep the agony contained.

The pain swelled and built, expanding through her body. Before it could ebb, Mark leaned over her, his breath hot in her ear, “Oh, that was very good. Got me hard. Let’s see if we can up the ante. You last until I come and I’ll let the little bitch go.” He kissed her cheek. “Understand?”

Jenna gritted her teeth so hard she thought they’d crack. She didn’t know if Mark could still come after the way she’d kicked him. Didn’t know if he’d really let Mara go if he could. He was insane. Anything was possible, but it was worth a try. And their best bet was still to buy time, so she nodded.