Chapter 1297
Audrey, caught off guard by this unexpected turn, had no idea who this man truly was. She quickly yanked up her jeans, clutching her torn t-shirt to her chest, and hurried after him, casting nervous glances back at Quentin.
"Let's go," Jerome said with a faint smile, leading her out of the room. Audrey stayed close, half-expecting him to change his mind. But strangely, she sensed no malice from him.
Quentin watched Audrey's retreating figure, his fists clenched in frustration. It was obvious Jerome was taking her, but Jerome was a powerful figure, not someone he could afford to antagonize. He'd have to bide his time, hoping Jerome would tire of her and send her back.
Fuming, Quentin stormed into an adjacent room where a half-naked woman lay on the bed. It was Vanessa, her hair disheveled, her eyes vacant. Her wrists were cuffed to the bedposts, her clothes ripped and torn, her full, white breasts exposed, metal clamps pinching her reddened nipples. Bruises mottled her pale skin. A buzzing vibrator protruded from between her legs. Sticky fluids oozed from her swollen sex, her bruised thighs splayed wide. The air was thick with the smell of sex.
When Quentin entered, a flicker of fear and revulsion crossed Vanessa's pretty face. Her thighs twitched involuntarily. "Quentin, please… I can't take anymore. I'm begging you…"
The sight of Vanessa, broken and degraded, brought a cruel smile to Quentin's face. He yanked the vibrator out, then shoved it back in, cranking up the power.
Vanessa screamed, tears streaming down her face. "You monster…"
"Vanessa, my dear, I need to see you suffer. It's… satisfying." Quentin gripped her chin, his voice laced with malice. "You could have been my queen, but you chose to defy me. When I'm done with you, I'll offer you to the Southern Gang. Consider it a gift. A woman like you will appreciate their… enthusiasm."
Quentin had wanted her back, but she had scorned him, planned to leave Harmony County for Starfall Town. Her rejection had fueled his rage, and he'd taken her, tortured her for days.
"You'll never be happy, Quentin. No woman will ever love you. They'll all cheat on you," Vanessa sobbed, her beautiful face contorted with terror. She regretted her taunts, regretted the choices that had led to this nightmare.
"Shut up," Quentin snapped, his thoughts drifting back to Audrey, to Jerome taking her away. He picked up a whip and began to lash Vanessa's tender flesh, each blow a release for his simmering resentment.
Meanwhile, Audrey followed Jerome down a hallway and into another room. While still cluttered, it was far better than the damp, dark cell she'd just escaped.
Jerome turned to her, a curious smile playing on his lips. "Audrey, we meet again. Remember me?"
"Wait… you…?" Audrey stared at him, a flicker of recognition teasing the edge of her memory.
Jerome hunched his shoulders, his voice becoming raspy and old. "Audrey, come… come and take a bath…"
Jerome often used disguises, altering his appearance and identity. It was no wonder Audrey didn't recognize him.
"Ronald! It's you!" Suddenly, it clicked.
Last semester, she and Vanessa had attended a teacher training course in Starfall Town. This was Ronald, the bathhouse attendant who had tried to assault her. He'd collapsed, become ill, and failed. She'd never expected to see him again, let alone here. A wave of tension washed over her, the sense of escaping one predator only to fall into the clutches of another.
"Audrey, relax." Jerome saw the fear in her eyes and sighed. "If you hadn't called the ambulance that day, I might be dead. I owe you my life. I wouldn't hurt you."
Though Jerome had been unconscious at the time, his hearing had remained sharp, and he'd heard every word exchanged between Audrey and Vanessa. After being rushed to the hospital, it had taken two days for him to recover. The doctors had diagnosed him with a severe heart condition, warning him to avoid strenuous activity and strong emotions, lest he risk another, potentially fatal attack. The news had been a wake-up call. He'd abandoned his reckless lifestyle, even taking up prayer, his heart filled with gratitude towards Audrey for saving him.
Despite his explanation, Audrey remained wary. He had tried to assault her once. And his connection to Quentin was unsettling. Were they working together? Was this some elaborate trap?
Seeing her distrust, Jerome gave a wry smile. "Audrey, relax. Even if I wanted to do something, I couldn't. Look…"
He began to unbuckle his belt. Audrey's eyes widened in alarm, and she instinctively backed away. Then, he dropped his pants and underwear, revealing a flaccid, shrunken penis and withered testicles. It was nothing like the menacing sight she remembered from the bathhouse, more like a piece of dried, salted fish.
"Ronald, what… what happened to you?" Audrey blurted out, shocked.
"Karma," Jerome sighed, pulling his pants back up, a hint of sadness in his voice. "I lived a… reckless life. Now… I'm impotent. Seeing a naked woman does nothing for me. Tell me, Audrey, is that karma?"
A strange sense of irony washed over Audrey. To think she'd run into him again, in this of all places, the man who had once tried to assault her, now reduced to this… Seeing his dejected demeanor, she almost felt sorry for him. "Ronald," she asked softly, "where are we? Do you know Quentin?"
"Enough questions, Audrey. The less you know, the better. Just stay here. Don't wander around. I can't guarantee your safety otherwise."
"Ronald, please… just let me go." Audrey bit her lip and, in a desperate plea, dropped to her knees. "I saved your life once. Please… save mine. You can do this for me, can't you?"
As she knelt, the torn fabric of her t-shirt gaped open, revealing her full, heavy breasts, which swayed gently with her movements. She felt no shame, only desperation. If showing him her body was what it took to escape, she'd do it. He'd seen her naked before anyway.
"Get up, Audrey." Jerome pulled her to her feet. He glanced at her rounded breasts, then handed her a white shirt from a nearby chair. "Put this on."
Blushing, Audrey quickly donned the shirt. In that moment, she believed him. He meant her no harm. "Ronald," she stammered, her voice trembling, "Quentin… he's dangerous. Please… just let me go. I'll be eternally grateful."
"It's not that simple, Audrey." Jerome shook his head. "Things are… complicated in Harmony County right now. It's not safe out there. You're safer here. I'll let you go in a few days. If I let you go now, Quentin will just take you again. I might not be able to help you a second time."
Audrey hesitated, uncertain of his true motives, sensing something bigger at play. Remembering how close she'd come to being raped by Quentin, she decided to stay put for now, a growing unease settling in her heart.
"Ronald… there's another teacher… a colleague of mine. Quentin… he took her too. Can you… can you help her?" Audrey suddenly remembered Quentin mentioning Vanessa.
Jerome's face hardened. "Vanessa, right?"
"Yes, Vanessa. He might be keeping her somewhere else." Audrey nodded.
"I know where she is. But I'm not rescuing her," Jerome scoffed, his voice cold. He held little sympathy for Vanessa. He remembered her callous indifference when he'd collapsed in the bathhouse, her reluctance to help, in stark contrast to Audrey's insistence on calling for an ambulance.
"Ronald, please… you have to help her," Audrey pleaded, her voice thick with desperation. After her own ordeal, she couldn't bear the thought of Vanessa suffering the same fate. It would haunt her.
"She made her bed. Let her lie in it." Jerome's voice was flat. "You're too kind, Audrey. Let's be honest, Quentin didn't take you and Vanessa just for his own amusement. There's a big gang war brewing. Women… they're… stress relievers. If it wasn't her, it would have been you. Saving you is already pushing it."
A chill ran down Audrey's spine as she imagined Vanessa's fate. She desperately searched for a way out, a way to escape and alert the authorities, to save Vanessa from whatever horrors awaited her.
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