Matronly Duties Read Free Page B

fun, and we can either do it the easy way or the hard way.”
    “No! Please!” I kick my legs, trying to break free, but he holds tight.
    “Hard way it is.” The gleeful expression on his face as he pulls me towards him sends a shiver down my spine. He rolls on top of me, his weight pinning me and making it almost impossible to keep kicking.
    “No! Stop it!”
    Unfazed, he grabs at my clothes and spreads my legs with his knees.
    “Stop, you’re hurting me!”
    He growls and uses more force. Tears fill my eyes, blurring my vision, but I fight against him, unwilling to give in. Terror washes through me at the thought of being unable to stop him. I scream in horror and frustration. Not one ounce of the training I’ve been through at MITI has prepared me for this.
    “Help! Please someone help me!”
    His hand collides with my face, and the force of his attack makes my head radiate with pain. “Shut your mouth. No one is coming to your rescue.”
    I’m stunned, feeling as though my skull might split in two. My attacker uses my stillness to crawl between my legs. His hands claw at the clothing covering my private areas.
    Oh no, please don’t let this happen.
    With every ounce of energy I possess, I buck and kick. If I can get one good blow in it might slow him down, but it’s no use. He grips the waistband of my pants with his rough hands and yanks them down. My mind screams in protest, but my body freezes. Fear clenches like a fist around my heart. I scrunch my eyes shut and sob, tears streaming down my face.
    “Please. Please, stop. I don’t want this.” My voice is a pathetic whimper.
    He slides my pants and underwear to my knees and then proceeds to undo his fly. I make one final effort to pull my legs closed and get away, but he’s kneeling on my clothes and using his legs to keep mine spread.
    I send a prayer to whatever deity may be listening, but within moments, his hand is between my legs and roughly pawing at the flesh there.
    “Stop, please don’t.”
    All of a sudden, another voice echoes in the room. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
    My attacker’s weight disappears, and when I open my eyes, a tall man with dark hair and broad shoulders has flung him across the room.
    The man turns to me, a horrified expression on his face. “Are you okay?”
    I pull my legs together and curl myself into a ball as much as possible. I’m not okay, not in the least. But I’m better than I was a moment ago, so I nod.
    A yell echoes from the other side of the room. My attacker is on his feet and moving to tackle my helper from behind.
    “Watch out!”
    My rescuer turns just in time to duck away from the incoming fist. They wrestle and punch, and for a second it looks as though my attacker has gotten the upper hand. Then my rescuer lands a fist square on the jaw, snapping the other guy’s head back and knocking him out. His body collapses to the floor, limbs sprawled.
    My rescuer stands, hovering over the unconscious kidnapper. He slaps him firmly across the cheek. “Out cold. Good.”
    He rifles through the man’s pockets and pulls out a set of keys, then moves to my bunk and leans over to unlock my cuffs.
    “There you go, you’re free. I’ll give you a minute to get yourself sorted.”
    He turns away and moves closer to the door.
    I am thankful for the small amount of discretion and quickly right as much of my clothing as possible. I can’t stop the whimper that slips from my lips when I pull my underwear into place. Pain radiates up my legs.
    “You sure you’re all right?”
    “Yes,” I try to say, but the word barely comes out. My throat is sore like I’ve been gargling razor blades. I try to gather as much saliva as I can and swallow a few times before I try speaking again. “Yes.” This time the word is at least understandable.
    “That’s good. Are you done?”
    “I think so.” I move to the edge of the bunk and try to stand, but my legs give way. I catch myself before I fall to