VORTEX

Shit...

That smell... That sickening French perfume reminiscent of forests and heavy, spicy notes filled my nose, nearly breaking the bridge of it. In that moment, the cool breeze of the Brooklyn Bridge suddenly vanished, replaced by the freezing darkness of France’s stuffy, lightless, locked rooms.

My body began to shake violently, independent of my will. My mind was hurled right back into the holes I had been locked in while living through hell under the name "Noah" on an undercover mission. The cold sweat trickling down my spine with every step Valentin took, that sense of helplessness born from rape and the systematic violence repeated every single night, took captive my entire being in a single second. Valentin's memory had sunk its wildest teeth into my soul. I couldn't breathe. My ribcage was caving in, and my heart was thrashing in my throat like a wild animal.

"Look at him, mon petit," Valentin said. His voice hovered behind my ears in a mocking, vile, and possessive tone. "Look how he's shaking. As if he never forgot those days... As if you're still that obedient little Noah in that room."

Bastard. Every word drove into my brain like a red-hot iron. My stomach clenched with nausea; I ground my teeth together so hard to keep from vomiting that my jaw ached. I had no chance of escape; I didn't have my gun with me because I had thought I was meeting the girl I loved, and my soul had shattered just hearing this man's name before I could even touch them.

I turned my eyes to the silhouette beside me, Emi. In that moment, she became the greatest pain piled on top of the trauma and betrayal I was experiencing. The girl who had just been smiling at me, the one I had told, "I love you just the way you are"... Now she was looking into Valentin's eyes like one of his dogs.

Emi had her head tilted slightly to the side, scanning Valentin with a pitiful, sick admiration that burned for a single word of praise from that giant man. She was dying to draw Valentin's attention to herself, to win the approval in those toxic eyes.

Valentin reached out and gently gripped Emi's chin. Even while looking at me, he didn't neglect to eye me out of the corner of his eye, making me feel that terrifying sense of possession, yet he still knew how to give the girl her deserved "reward."

"Well done, ma belle," Valentin said, his voice flowing almost like poisoned honey. "You did a wonderful job. Just like I wanted... You brought him right here, into my arms."

When Emi heard that praise, her eyes lit up as if the world had become hers. The foolish pride on her face morphed into a state of blind worship.

Valentin slowly moved away from Emi and stepped behind me again. I felt his breath on the back of my neck, in that terrifying proximity that resurrected the nightmare of those rape-filled days.

"Now..." Valentin said, with that disgusting, rough voice whispering into my ear. "The game is over, Noah. You'd better prepare yourself for that special room where I'll lock you away so you never come out of that hole again. Because this time... there won't be a single second you can run away from me."

“How did I escape the prison, you asshole?”

A deep laugh escaped Valentin’s throat. “It wasn't very hard. But don't trouble your head with these things, mon cher. I've come to take you home.”

The gun was no longer pointed at my face, but it was still in Emi's hand. This meant Valentin's revenge would be even more painful.

Even though Valentin was only four centimeters taller than me, he still managed to cover me with his shadow cast by the street lamp.

“I'm not going anywhere with you,” I said through clenched teeth. Valentin laughed again. He fixed his amber eyes on me with his bright, bewitching grin. He moved a little closer to my face. He grabbed the back of my neck with one hand and pressed my body against his.

My heart was pounding against my ribcage, but by now it was both from fear and from the realization that the number one suppliers of the crew doing orgasm control in my body had returned.

“Do you have any other choice?”

He was right. I couldn't run. The only move I could make would be to jump off the bridge, but since I wasn't in an action movie, I wouldn't survive.

One of Valentin's bony hands wandered through my brown hair. His fingers touching my hair roots made me shudder. While I thought I would never even hear his name again, here he was, right in front of me, touching me.

It was all because of the girl I loved.

I averted my eyes from Valentin's amber stones and threw a brief glance at Emi. With every step Valentin took closer to me, I saw an even deeper hatred in her eyes. She was watching Valentin and me with anger. The situation was even worse than I had thought.

When Emi noticed that I was looking at her, her expression softened, but it never warmed. Her cheeks fell, the fire in her eyes went out. Was she... sad?

Valentin traced his thumb across my lower lip, and a moan broke from his throat. “The sounds you made when I bit your lip have never left my mind, Noah. Or... should I call you Jackson?”

He gripped the back of my neck harder and pulled me even closer to himself. No, I couldn't let him kiss me. I shoved him by the shoulders.

“Stay away from me!” I said, unable to prevent my voice from shaking.

Valentin didn't step back even an inch. I shouldn't have eaten that last pizza…

Valentin grabbed both my wrists and pinned them to my sides. I was writhing under the hard grip of his hands.

“Let me go!”

Valentin laughed arrogantly. “Unfortunately not, mon cher. You'd better get used to not being able to move slowly.” He leaned into my ear. His voice was low and rough. “Because I missed my favorite toy so much. I need to make up for lost time.”

Feeling his breath raise the hairs on the back of my neck, I felt like my knees were about to give out. And when he pressed those sickeningly perfect lips against my neck, my heart felt like it would shatter my ribcage.

“NO!” my brain screamed. “THAT MAN IS ABOUT TO DEPRIVE YOU OF YOUR FREEDOM! PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER RIGHT NOW, JACKSON!”

I needed to pull myself together as soon as possible. I had to look for a way to escape. The moment I fell under Valentin's spell, I would be as good as dead. I could never leave that dark mansion again. The familiar sound of his belt echoed in my ears once more. The aches in my hips that lingered for days. The momentary wave of pleasure my body experienced, followed by the broken pieces of my dignity stabbing into my heart…

I had to open my eyes. I shouldn't have felt the burning touch of Valentin's lips on my neck, or his harsh grip on my wrists.

Good thing I opened my eyes, or I never would have seen the familiar motorcycle coming from ahead.

Pulling myself back with all my might, I landed a solid punch right across Valentin's face.

“Merde…” Valentin groaned in pain. The motorcycle sped right up to me. The rider was wearing a helmet with a mirrored visor. Their voice sounded muffled from behind the helmet.

“GET ON!”

Without making them repeat it, I hopped onto the back of the motorcycle. As we sped away from the Brooklyn Bridge at full throttle, the only thing on my mind—as I locked eyes with Emi through the motorcycle mirror, watching me with a mix of hatred and sorrow—was that even though she had tried to hand me over to my rapist, I could never truly bring myself to hate her.