Hope Read Free

lay, he looked into her scared blue
eyes. Her hair was matted over her face. He moved the strands out of the way.
She whimpered, trying to pull away from his hold. “Don’t be afraid,” he said.
    She tensed, waiting for him to do whatever he was going to
do. He pulled a knife out of his pocket. The woman cried out and tried to pull
away. The men had put a gag over her mouth to keep her silent.
    He reached over her cutting the bonds holding her in place
and then her bound hands. Putting the knife in his pocket, he helped her to her
feet. Her hair was the lightest blonde he’d ever seen. He knew she didn’t dye
it because hair care products were no longer available.
    Going to his knees in front of her, he pulled up her
knickers. Her legs were shaking, and he couldn’t help but admire her shape.
Damon loved beautiful women, and the woman in front of him was a beauty. The
woman had curves that would make any man melt with pleasure.
    Pulling her pants back up around her waist, he buttoned them
up and stood. She rubbed her wrists. He saw the red welts surrounding her
delicate flesh. He cursed watching her flinch away.
    He removed her gag and tucked her hair behind her ear. She
was so tiny compared to him. She looked fragile as if she was going to break at
a moment’s notice.
    “Thank you,” she said. Her voice sounded scratchy. He stared
at her a few seconds before nodding his head.
    “You know it’s not safe for a woman to be alone in a place
like this.” Damon pulled out the pipe he kept on him at all times. He sparked the
tobacco up inside and inhaled. Tobacco was one of the few pleasures available.  
    The mystery girl wrinkled her nose. “I don’t have a choice.”
    “Those men are just the beginning, sweetheart. The moment
they know an unprotected female is around you’ll be on everyone’s list to get
to.”
    She shuddered and sat down on the hard surface she’d been
bound to only moments earlier.
    “I’d rather be alone than put myself at another’s mercy.”
She rubbed her hands together. He saw she was shivering from the cold. Sighing
in frustration, he pulled his jacket off and placed it around her shoulders.
    Damon noticed she was trying to hide her feminine body away
from him. Nothing could detract from her gorgeous tits and ass, and he loved
looking at naked women. The woman had a body to die for. There were too many
women who had lost their shape and beauty to years of hardship.
    He knew this woman before him hadn’t suffered much yet. Her
eyes still wore a glint of innocence. She’d not been alone for long.
    “How old are you?” he asked.
    “Twenty.”
    Ah, she was a runaway. Most of the women from families were
kept until they were twenty-one or sold to a man who paid for them. The
families were the term they used for the few remaining groups of people who
were literally families. Most of the families were the ones working on the
farms that were instantly set up when the survivors of the wars moved from
below ground. Farms had become a necessity as most people wanted rid of the M3
control. Some, like him had no family left because of the flu. There were not
that many people within the city. Being around Don and his club was similar to
being in a family.
    “Who did you run away from?”
    She shook her head, rubbing her arms.
    “What’s your name?” he asked, going for an easier topic.
    “Penny.”
    “Let me guess, no last name.”
    Penny didn’t say anything else. He took a long pull on his pipe
and stared around him at the room. She’d been moved in only a week, and he
could already see a feminine touch. He moved toward the door intending to leave
her to whatever she needed to do. Pausing at the door, he took one last look
back at the woman who’d nearly been raped only moments ago.
    Cursing, he moved around her small space and gathered all of
her belongings. She clearly was a family runaway.
    “What are you doing? Put that down.” She tried to pull the
bag from his fingers. Damon