done to you while we made him watch.”
What an appalling idea. She wasn’t going to respond. He wanted that. Wanted to twist the knife again, throw something else in her face. But he seemed to read her thoughts anyway.
“You think he’s still out there, don’t you? Fighting the good fight, helping your grand cause? Face it, Gerard. He’s only looking out for himself. Always had, always will.”
Lies. Dirty fucking lies. Meant to play on insecurities, to wound, to stab, to kill her more than once. Caroline gritted her teeth. She wasn’t going to think about Jack. She wasn’t going to think about how much she missed him. How much she needed him. She wasn’t going to think about how much pain she was in or how much it might continue to hurt. And she definitely wasn’t going to think about what Murdock was going to do to her as he slowly undid his belt and removed it from his pants.
She closed her eyes and prayed for strength.
* * * * *
It could have been minutes. It could have been hours. He’d taken a couple of breaks, he’d gotten so tired. She didn’t cry out, didn’t say a word. Defiance was her last remaining weapon. Perhaps a tear or two slipped down her cheek, she didn’t know. Her stoicism made him angrier, and Murdock didn’t cease his actions until he accidentally hit the wall and the belt and buckle broke apart.
“I think that worked quite well,” he said. “Don’t you? I bet you loved every minute of it. Such divine marks.”
Caroline tried not to retch as the pain radiated through her body. Her back was shredded. She didn’t know much anymore, but she knew that. The blood was pouring down her shoulders, over her spine, pooling near her waistline. She wanted to pass out, to die, anything. Anything to let her escape from this. She blinked rapidly. She didn’t want Murdock to get the sick satisfaction he’d derive from watching her break into a full-blown ugly cry. She would retain some self-respect, no matter how little she had left.
“You put up a good fight. I tip my hat to you.” He circled her like a hawk eyeing its prey. “But still you lose.”
It was a struggle to speak but words were the only power she had over him, even if they came out in a croak. “All this trouble just for me. You must really hate women. Or have a tiny dick.”
Murdock reared back and backhanded her. “You’ve got a smart mouth,” he hissed. “If you were my woman, I’d have any number of ways to keep it occupied.”
“Fuck you.”
“Don’t say that.” He trailed a finger down her torso, stopping at her stomach. “We could have had so much fun together.”
Was this his version of foreplay? She didn’t want to find out. “If you try to take my pants off, I’ll puke on you.” Or piss. Or bite.
He laughed. “You think I want a piece of you now? You’re a disaster.” He grabbed one of her breasts. “Although these are still nice. I’m glad the boys finally got to see them. Look but don’t touch. Had to throw them something, you know? It’s a shame you wasted them on McIntyre.”
Murdock leaned in closer, his hand still clenching her breast. His voice was a low whisper. “He’s dead. All of them are dead. Your family. Your friends. That kike Goldman, that dyke you hung around with, and that whiny bitch who took your seat. All because of you. Was it worth it?”
Caroline struggled in the ropes, trying to get away from him, but it was no use. She cried out from the pain. Her shoulders were about to come out of their sockets.
Murdock laughed again, withdrawing his hand. “You poor thing. And your night isn’t even over yet.” He pulled a small item out of his pocket. “Know what this is?”
He held it up. Caroline tried not to panic as he flicked it open. It had an ornate carved handle, and the silver glistened in the low light in the room.
“This is one of my personal favorites. I have an extensive assortment of weapons in my collection,” Murdock said. “In case you thought I limited myself to – how did you put it? Oh, my pretty princess tool set.”
Fuck. He’d latched onto that one. It was obvious from his demeanor. It didn’t matter now. She could have been as sweet as syrup and he would have found a way to turn it