The Condemned Read Free Page A

didn't notice the shadows shifting towards her until burly hands grabbed her from behind, hauling her into the darkness. Another set pawed at her, removing her weapons; the pistol at her belt and the knives concealed inside both of her boots , heavily patting her down as she was thoroughly checked for more . A clammy hand pressed against her mouth, forcing her head to bang painfully against the wall behind her as her yell of surprise turned to one of pain and was stifled. Strong hands held her arms and legs, preventing her from defending herself. The hand at her mouth was pulled back and as she drew in breath to cry out a fist smashed into the side of her face, dazing her. She was released and without the support of the hands that had been holding her in position she slumped to the floor.
       Unable to sort her jumbled thoughts through the pain in her jaw she could not stop them, because there was certainly more than one, she believed three, maybe four… Unable to stop them as her clothes were torn from her. She attempted to resist the indignity when her legs were pried apart but all it earned her was another hard punch to the face, this one blackening her world for a few minutes.
    When she came to she wished she hadn't, she prayed for the ignorant bliss of darkness to wash over her again, to spare her the shame of being awake while they used her for their own enjoyment.
       When her ordeal was over and they had finished with her she was, confusingly, left alive. The sound of laughter rang in her ears as the men headed back to the tavern and left her, brutally beaten and raped, to come to her senses.
       Upon returning to Xavian she couldn't hide from him what had happened, didn’t bother trying.
       Her brother said nothing, but his eyes flashed darkly and while he tended to her wounds he brooded, she could sense a simmering rage in him, like none she had ever known.
       When he was s atisfied she could walk and was in no danger of succumbing to h er injuries he took her, gently but forcefully, by the hand and urged her to sh ow him who had done this to her and in the childish way she always had, she relied on Xavian to make things right for her. She led him to the men who had hurt her. Led him to the men who would kill him.
       Xavian was rendered practically senseless, enraged at what had been done to the one living person who shared his blood , his only kin, the one he was supposed to protect. F eeling empowered, strengthened because the notion of ‘right’ was on his side , blinded to logical reasoning.. .
       Or maybe just stupid.
       Who knew?
       Her brother had taken on more than he would ever have been able to handle and there was never more than one outcome to the brief fight that ensued when he confronted the men who had done wrong to his sister.
       His righteous fury had robbed him of the ability to correctly assess and appreciate the danger of the situation. Alecia’s desire for revenge, her need to see retribution car ried out for her by her brother and her vanity were too powerful a combination to resist, she was powerless to prevent herself from losing him.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 2
     
     
    Waking up to darkness she blinked a few times until her vision cleared and she was able to see the dull, grey crack of light pushing through the holes in the boxes under which she'd taken refuge for the night.
       With a groan and heavy pro testation from her aching limbs Leci pulled herself to her feet and left her makeshift shelter only to discover that she'd rolled over into something nasty , and stick y, while she'd been sleeping.
       She made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat and wiped her hand on her pants. Wasn't as if they were clean to begin with, a little more wouldn't exactly hurt them.
       She had been on her own for just over a year and she figured she probably should have become better at