Chapter 74: #SEVENTY-FOUR

NICHOLAS’S POV

Jayden grabbed my face and forced my mouth open before pouring the contents of the vial into it.

I swallowed quickly, desperate for the pain to stop, and for several seconds nothing changed. Then, slowly, the burning sensation that had been spreading through my body began to fade.

My breathing became steadier, the weakness eased slightly, and I realized the antidote was actually working. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the chair, trying to hold on to that small amount of relief. "Oh fuck."

The sound of a zipper being lowered made my eyes snap open to see Jayden pulling down his trousers, a dark look in his eyes as he wrapped his hand around his hard length, bringing it to my face. "It’s time for your compensation. Come on. Suck."

My stomach churned and I looked away, my lips tight. "Fuck no."

His expression twisted into annoyance. "Do you need me to remind me that we had a deal? Do you know how easy it would be to kill you right now? Take your pick."

Oh fuck.

He was right.

Tears stung my eyes and I squeezed them shut, slowly opening my mouth, even as tears wracked my body.

"Good boy..." He drawled. Then I felt it. The salty taste of his pre-cum painting my tongue as the tip of his cock pushed into my mouth.

Oh shit.

He didn’t waste any time, his hands slid into my hair, forcing his dick deeper down my throat. "Fuck... You take dick so well—" He grunted, snapping his hips harder into my mouth.

I gagged, drool spilling down my chin as I tried to take him deeper.

He was not caring about my wellbeing. No, this was about him. His pleasure. He was simply taking what he wanted.

Suddenly, Jayden let out a deep grunt and I felt warmth spill into my mouth, the taste almost making me gag as he pulled out. "Well— fuck."

I immediately spat his cum out, my chest heaving as tears streaming down my eyes.

The smile on his face was downright vicious. "You’ll learn to love it soon, Nicholas."

I squeezed my eyes shut and when I opened my eyes again, Jayden was zipping up his pants as though what had just happened meant nothing.

I looked away immediately, but my vision blurred before I could stop it. Tears slipped down my cheeks, and I clenched my jaw, angry at myself for crying in front of him. I didn’t want him to see how frightened I was, but there was no way to pretend I wasn’t terrified anymore.

All I could think about was getting out of that place. I kept imagining someone opening the door and finding me there. I imagined my mother running toward me. I imagined the brothers searching the warehouse and finally realizing where I was. I didn’t care who came anymore. I just wanted someone to come.

Jayden eventually left me alone, and the warehouse became quiet again. I remained tied to the chair, unable to get comfortable enough to sleep properly.

Exhaustion eventually took over, though even then I didn’t rest peacefully. I woke several times during the night, confused for a moment before remembering where I was. Each time, I looked toward the door and hoped it would open for someone other than Jayden.

When morning came, I was already exhausted.

Jayden was standing in front of me when I opened my eyes. He looked completely rested, which only made me angrier. He acted as though the previous night had been nothing, speaking to me casually while I struggled to stay alert.

"You ready for more this morning?" He asked with a cruel grin.

No. No.

"Please—" I begged, my body already trembling as he came forward.

He wasted no time, dragging my pants down before untying me.

I should have fought harder to escape, but my bones felt feeble and I couldn’t move. Not when he stripped off all my clothes and pinned me to the bed. Not when he took me over and over again until I was begging and sobbing.

Jayden tried to make what he had done seem insignificant by comparing it to what he claimed the brothers usually did to me.

But I immediately rejected that. "Don’t talk about them."

He looked amused. "Why? You know I’m right."

"You don’t know anything about my life."

"I’ve watched you for months." He laughed. "I think I know pretty well."

"Watching something doesn’t mean you understand it."

He continued trying to convince me that he knew more about my life than I did, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of believing his words had worked.

Whatever had happened between me and the brothers was complicated, but Jayden had no right to use it to excuse his own actions. He was the one who had followed me, manipulated me, poisoned the medication and taken me away from everyone who could help me.

By afternoon, I was barely holding myself together. My entire body felt exhausted, and my mind was becoming just as tired. I had spent hours sitting there thinking about how I had willingly agreed to remain his captive because I had been afraid of dying. Now I regretted that decision. I had thought accepting his condition would give me time to find a way out, but being trapped there had made me realize how little control I actually had.

"Just kill me." I found myself saying.

Jayden looked at me.

I looked up at him with a serious expression. "I’m serious. I can’t do this anymore. Whatever you think you’re accomplishing, just stop."

He stared at me for a long moment before coming closer. "You don’t mean that."

"I do." I nodded.

"You’ve been fighting this whole time." He seemed confused.

"Because I wanted to see if I could get out. I thought I could do it." I croaked.

"And now?" He tilted his head.

I lowered my head. "Now I don’t know what else to do."

He didn’t give me the answer I wanted. Instead, he told me he’d return later and walked toward the door.

Before leaving, he leaned down and briefly kissed me, then straightened and looked at me. "I’ll be back."

The door closed behind him and I waited until his footsteps disappeared before lifting my head.

The room was quiet again and I looked around.

This time, I forced myself to stop thinking about what had happened and focus entirely on the warehouse. If I spent the rest of my time waiting for somebody to rescue me, I might never get out. I had to assume nobody knew exactly where I was. I had to assume Jayden had planned everything carefully. If I wanted to survive, I needed to find something he had overlooked.

I studied the chair first, testing the restraints carefully without wasting all my strength. They didn’t give. I looked toward the table where Jayden had left several things earlier, then toward the shelves along the wall. I studied the door, the windows and every object within my line of sight, trying to remember where everything had been placed.

There had to be something. Even if it was something small. Even if it only gave me a few seconds.

I wasn’t going to sit there and wait for him to return.

I looked around the warehouse again and quietly prayed for help. I didn’t know whether anyone could hear me, but I didn’t care. I prayed that my family would find me. I prayed that Jayden would make a mistake. I prayed that I would notice something useful before he returned.

Most importantly, I prayed that I wouldn’t give up.

Because if nobody was coming yet, then I had to find a way to help myself.