Velvet Roses Ch. 11

She had little time, however, to dwell on the involuntarily contractions of her stomach, because sounds of a violent struggle emitted from the living room. Raised voices were followed by the sound of shattering glass, then there was the unmistakable thud of a heavy object hitting the floor.

Soon after, Jeneda heard the sound of heavy footsteps traveling down the hallway, and directing her attention towards the approaching steps, she anxiously waited.

As Adrian's brother entered the bedroom, Jeneda saw that he was dragging a chair behind him, to which Dane was bound by rope. His arms were tied behind him and his ankles were secured to the legs of the chair, and a strip of duct tape had been placed over his mouth.

As Dane's eyes met Jeneda's, she saw they were clouded with sadness, and although he was incapable of speaking, she knew exactly what he was communicating to her.

I failed you.

Jeneda wished she could tell him that he hadn't, that they were just the victims of fucked up circumstances, but of course she was unable. Directing her gaze at Adrian's brother, she saw that his eyes were trained intently on her, and as he slowly approached the bed, she unconsciously shrank back.

Wearing dark jeans, a fitted white t-shirt, and a black bomber jacket, Daniel stood around five foot ten. Just like his brother, he had olive toned skin and a muscular build, but that was where the similarities ended.

While Adrian wore his hair in a military buzz cut, Daniel had his fashioned into a pomade style that was clearly modeled after Elvis. His eyes, which were brown, had dark circles beneath them, and as he came to a stop next to the bed where Jeneda was seated, she slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"Hello, Jeneda. It's nice to see you again."

He smiled but his eyes remained shadowed, and as he stood there looming over her smaller form, she couldn't help noticing that he was more powerfully built than the last time she'd seen him. Clearly his repeat visits to prison had hardened him in more ways than one, and as his mouth set in a grim, straight line, a murderous iciness came into his eyes.

All Jeneda saw was the blur of his hand as it sailed through the air, and as he delivered a fierce backhand to her face, she yelped out in pain. The sting that resulted was indescribable, and as a stabbing sensation radiated from her left eye to the back of her head, she gave a muffled whimper.

From behind the duct tape, Dane loudly protested, fiercely struggling against the ropes that bound him to the chair he was sitting in. The sound of his anguished grunts caused Daniel to look over at him, and with a devious smile on his lips, he spoke a few words.

"Oh don't worry. You'll get your turn, too."

Daniel then directed his attention back to Jeneda, and brutally fisting a handful of her hair, her craned her head upward so that she was forced to look into his eyes.

"You may as well have just spit on my father's grave," he sneered. "It would have hurt him a whole lot less."

Still recovering from the blow that he'd dealt her, she blinked back the tears that had welled up, struggling to focus out of her injured eye. It seemed to her that Daniel was possessed by madness because his body was trembling with rage, and for a moment she became certain he was going to hit her again.

Yet instead of assaulting her with his fists, he leaned in closer to her, his beer scented breath falling hotly against her cheek as he whispered.

"Just remember, you *chose* this."

The words were harsh but true and as she gave an anxious swallow, forcing back the bitter saliva that had collected in the base of her throat. Daniel released her from his grip, then turned to face Dane who was glowering intensely at him. His chest rose and fell with each heavy breath that he took, and his eyes were narrowed to slits. Daniel returned his withering look, then shrugged out of his jacket and threw it on the floor.

Turning his attention to his brother, Daniel asked, "So what's the plan? We beat the shit out of him first, then knife him, right?

"Knife, shoot, throw him off the fire escape- I don't care how we do it, I just want the fucker dead."

"Unless you have a silencer on that gun, shooting will attract attention. Fire escape's a bad idea, too. By the time we make it down there, somebody will have spotted him. They see us walking out of the building, where do you think fingers will point?"

"Alright, so we stab him. Can we just get on with this?" Adrian took off his sweatshirt to reveal a racerback tank that clung to his muscled upper body, then began to crack his knuckles.

Dane's eyes shifted between the two brothers who stood in front of him, and as Daniel stepped forward, Dane straightened his shoulders, as if to brace himself.

Daniel reared his fist back and aiming it straight for Dane's nose, he landed a solid punch. Dane's head snapped back sharply, the force of it visibly stunning him, and as Adrian followed up with a powerful blow to his jaw, a meaty smack resounded, turning Jeneda's stomach.

Another punch was thrown, but this time by Daniel, who slammed his fist into Dane's left eye. Adrian's knuckles slammed into Dane's right one, resulting in a pained grunt from Dane's obstructed mouth.

The next punch collided squarely with Dane's jaw and his face snapped to the right, but as Daniel hammered his fist against the opposite side of Dane's face, his head whipped back in the other direction.

Blow after blow, the brothers continued taking turns, brutally pummeling, punching, and smashing their fists into Dane's face.

Helpless to do anything except watch on in horror, Jeneda struggled desperately against her restraints. The ropes bit into her wrists as she did it, but the pain was inconsequential.

Grunts from punches thrown and landed, dull thuds of flesh pounding flesh, and the cruel words that Daniel and Adrian hurled at Dane were far more afflictive to her than any physical discomfort. Yet despite her best efforts to get free, the ropes only seemed to tighten.

Unable to stand the sight of her lover being used as a human punching bag, Jeneda turned her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Yet instead of relieving her emotional torment, it only increased it. With loss of sight came heightened hearing, and with every blow that Dane received, she flinched.

An endless expanse of time seemed to pass before the violent noises abated, and as she peeked her eyes open to take a cautious glance, she saw both Adrian and Daniel gazing her way.

While Daniel had a smirk on his lips, Adrian's mouth was set in a straight, thin line, and as her attention drifted downward, she saw that his fists were still clenched.

Her eyes then drifted to Dane, who was sitting slumped in the chair with his chin tilted to the ground. His hair obscured his features, so she wasn't able to get a good look at his face, but she could tell from his labored breathing that he was in agony.

Wanting to show off the damage his fists had created, Daniel grabbed a handful of Dane's hair, then harshly yanked his head up. A shriek tore from Jeneda's throat, audible even behind the gag, and as she gaped at her lover's pummeled face, Daniel's lips twisted into a wicked smile.

Blood trickled from Dane's nostrils down to his duck taped mouth, and his eyes, which were so swollen they had narrowed to slits, seemed to barely focus on her. His jaw and cheekbones were mottled with angry red marks, and his chest rose and fell harshly, as if he was struggling to breathe.

An anguished cry broke through the dirty rag that was stuffed in Jeneda's mouth, and utterly horrified by the sight of Dane's bloody and battered face, she turned her head away and gave into tears. Clearly pleased with Jeneda's reaction, Daniel emitted a light chuckle.

Although Jeneda's eyes were trained elsewhere, her peripheral vision allowed her to notice that Daniel had turned his attention back on Dane. He was thoughtfully eyeing Dane's torso, as if struggling to decide where to hit first, then lashing out with unrestrained fury, he landed a powerful punch to his gut.

Dane doubled over, winded and gasping violently behind his gag. The sound made Jeneda's stomach twist into knots, and as Adrian and Daniel began to viciously pummel her lover's head and body, she shut her eyes tightly.

As the beating continued, she cried out behind her gag, begging for Adrian and Daniel to stop. But of course her wish went unheeded and she silently wept, shoulders shaking as hot tears squeezed their way past her closed lids.

It seemed that the brothers were channeling every shred of energy into their punches, because the sickening sound of flesh pounding flesh grew louder by the second.

As Dane's muffled groans rose in volume, Jeneda's urge to vomit became nearly overwhelming. She gave a hard swallow to force back the bile that threatened to rise, but this only seemed to encourage it.

Blow after blow, the brothers tirelessly continued on, and she found herself wondering if she'd somehow crossed over into another plane of existence, because if purgatory existed on earth, then her bedroom was the current location.

The sounds of fists pounding skin eventually lessened, and as they finally tapered off, Jeneda came to the realization that she was whimpering uncontrollably.

Her body was curled into a tight ball, and her cheek was pressed flat against a slat on the headboard. She opened one eye tentatively, then another, before slowly turning her head.

Adrian and Daniel were breathing heavily, shoulders heaving from their exertions as they stared silently at their captive's bruised and bloodied form.

Dane, who sat slouched in the chair before them, was making disgruntled noises behind his gag. His head lolled to one side, and his left cheek and jaw was smeared with the blood that trickled from his broken nose, but his eyes were still open.

Thoroughly distressed, yet unable to tear her gaze away, Jeneda stared at Dane with wide, distraught eyes. He stared right back with a curiously blank look on his face, then blinked his eyes several times, as if struggling to focus.

His attention was promptly averted as Adrian ripped off the duct tape that was covering his mouth, then jerking him forward by the collar of his sweater, Adrian questioned him in a threatening voice.

"Where did you dump his body?"

Although he was looking straight at Adrian, Dane seemed to not really see him, and he elicited a pained groaned. Then, in a tone that was unmistakably hostile, he uttered a few words.

"What did he say?" Asked Daniel.

"I don't know," Adrian said. "Sounds like Japanese."

As if to confirm, Dane spoke again. But this time he spat out the words, baring his teeth as he did it. "Kusu o taberu na."

"Speak English, you fucker." Adrian said. "Or we'll knock your teeth in." As if to reinforce his statement, he lifted his fist and aimed it towards Dane's mouth.

"Break his fingers instead," said Daniel. "That'll get him talking."

"*You* break his fingers."

"Alright, I will," said Daniel, and he bent down behind the chair that Dane was sitting in.

A sickening snap resounded through the air, followed by another, and Dane howled in anguish, then gagged before he bowed over and vomited up a thin stream of bile.

The horrifying display caused Jeneda's stomach to clench, and her stomach roiled violently. Her fingers throbbed painfully, as if she were somehow sharing her lover's physical suffering, and her vision blurred with tears.

She'd never felt so disgusted in her life, and although she knew she didn't have a chance in hell of stopping Dane's torture, she still fought viciously against the ropes that held her captive.

"Come on you little pussy, don't pass out now," Daniel cruelly taunted as Dane's body grew limp. "Take it like a man!"

Still slumped over in the chair, Dane's head was hung low, nearly touching his knees. His hair obscured his face, so his expression was hidden, but the shuddering of his body told Jeneda that he was in unimaginable pain.

Adrian watched on with an unreadable expression, then turned away and walked towards the end of the bed, where he picked up the bowie knife that was sitting on the bedspread. "That's enough, you can stop now."

"What do you mean I can stop? I only broke two of his fingers." Disappointment spread across Daniel's face.

"I want him kept conscious." Adrian unsheathed the blade of the knife in his hand, then ran his finger along the sharp edge of it.

"Why? We're just gonna stab him anyways."

"Exactly. So let's just get this done and get outta here."

Daniel sighed with irritation, glanced at Dane, and then finally acquiesced. "Alright, let's finish him."

A spike of sheer panic shot through Jeneda at the sound of Daniel's words, but before the brothers could execute their plan, a ringtone sounded, commanding the attention of Adrian, who was reaching into the pocket of his jeans.

He glanced at the display screen of his cell phone, and upon noting the caller, he said, "I need to take this."

"You gotta be kidding me."

"It's an important call. I'll only be a minute."

Daniel blew out a deep breath, then said, "Fine, but make it quick."

Adrian closed the bedroom door behind him as he exited, and as Daniel was left to stand there alone, he gazed in silence at Dane's battered, raggedly breathing form. He directed his attention to a roll of duct tape on the edge of the bed, and after tearing off a piece, he sealed Dane's mouth closed.

Daniel turned to face Jeneda, and the moment his eyes met hers, she instantly knew what he was thinking. He slowly approached her with a leering gaze and she shrank back, curling her legs beneath her as she pressed herself against the headboard. It seemed that Dane also sensed what Daniel was planning, because he lifted his head and stared intently at his captor.

Upon reaching the side of the bed, Daniel allowed his eyes to wander over her robe-clad form. Jeneda's stomach curdled under his lecherous stare, and as the bed dipped beneath his weight, she recoiled even further, pressing her body so tightly against the headboard that the metal rungs dug into her back.

Daniel's close proximity to Jeneda elicited muffled bellows from Dane's duct taped mouth, and he struggled fiercely against the ropes that immobilized his arms and legs.

Clearly gratified by the sound of Dane's protests, Daniel looked over his shoulder to give him a devious smile. "Struggle all you want, but you won't get free. So why don't you just sit back and enjoy the show?"

Spatters of Dane's blood marred Daniel's fitted white T-shirt, and as she realized it was from the brutal beating he'd given Dane, a wave of nausea assaulted her.

With both their mouths restrained, Dane and Jeneda only had their eyes to communicate, but that was more than enough for them to wordlessly convey their thoughts.

Brimming with anguish, Dane's eyes conveyed shame, self loathing, and most of all, failure. Hers were just as sorrowful as his, but there was also a spark of defiance in them, and as Daniel pulled her legs out from beneath her, she decided then and there that she wasn't going down without a fight.

Gripping a knee in each hand, he roughly spread her legs apart, then quickly undid his button and zipper. He grinned at her the entire time, as if internally laughing at some joke that only he was aware of, then slid his jeans off his hips.

Dane shouted behind the gag, nostrils flaring as his body shook with anger. The tendons in his arms bulged as he struggled against his restraints, and the chair he was sitting in nearly tipped over from his violent exertions.

This brought a chuckle to Daniel's lips and he turned his head to look at Dane. "Simmer down there, boy. You aren't getting free of those ropes, so you may as well just give up." He then gazed back at Jeneda, and sliding his boxers down to expose himself, he said, "Now try not to make too much too much noise. We don't want him getting jealous, do we?"

Her stomach turned at the sight of his erection, and allowing anger to fuel her, she aimed a vicious kick straight for his crotch.

The ball of her foot connected solidly and he cried out in pain, grasping his balls as he sputtered and gasped for air. Taking advantage of his weakened form, she followed up with a kick to the gut.

The solid wall of muscle that was his stomach proved a formidable shield against her strike, and rather than deter, it only made him all the more angry. Still clutching his crotch, he cursed beneath his breath, and as a feral growl escaped his lips, she saw his eyes flash with rage.

"Filthy bitch!" he spat.

His face was red with anger, and before she had time to process what was happening, he'd wrapped his fingers around her neck and bashed her head against the headboard.

Rendered dizzy from the blow, she was helpless to do anything except lay defenseless beneath him. Dane's muffled objections grew louder, and as Daniel pinned her legs against the mattress, she screamed behind the gag, struggling wildly against the ropes that held her captive.

Then suddenly, a booming voice called out.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The sound of Adrian's voice caused Daniel to halt his ministrations, and he glanced over his shoulder to give his brother an annoyed look.

"What the fuck does it look like?"

"Get off of her. *Right now*."

"Why?"

"Because I said so." Adrian's tone demanded obedience.

"What's your problem? I thought you wanted to punish her?"

"Not like this. Raping was never part of the plan."

"It is now."

"I'm not fucking around with you, Daniel." He stepped closer to the bed. "I said get off her."

"Fuck you," he sneered.

Adrian made a quick lunge for his brother, and upon grasping the collar of his T-shirt, he yanked him off the bed. Daniel landed on the floor with a hard thud, and before he could recover, Adrian straddled him, pinning him down by the shoulders.

"I will *not* allow you to do this, understand me?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"Have you forgotten what this cunt did? She betrayed us, Adrian. She fucked over our entire family."

"That still doesn't make it right for us to rape her."

"Oh, but it makes it right for us to kill *him*, huh?" Daniel pointed at Dane, who was watching them with an intent gaze.

"It's different with him, and you know it."

"The only thing I know is that you're going soft. What the hell is it with you and this broad? Why are you protecting her all of a sudden?" His eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Offering no response, Adrian released Daniel from his hold, got to his feet, then turned away from his brother.

"Answer the question, Adrian," Daniel said as he lifted himself up, then pulled up his pants and zipped them.

"I don't have to explain a damn thing, so shut your trap."

"No, tell me."

With a quick turn on his heel, Adrian charged at Daniel, and with a strong push against his chest, slammed him against the wall. "I said shut your fucking trap!"

"You little punk. Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"

"A piece of shit ex-con who gets his rocks off raping women."

With an animalistic growl, Daniel forcefully pushed Adrian away, then brought his hands up to chin level and got into a boxing stance. "You wanna go up against me? Come on."

"You're challenging me to a fight? Here?" He looked around incredulously. "You gotta be fucking kidding me."

Forgoing words in favor of fists, Daniel swung a punch at Adrian, landing it square on his jaw. Adrian countered his brother's strike with a fist to the nose, then quickly followed up with one to the gut. This only spurred Daniel on, and he delivered a hard left hook squarely on Adrian's chin, knocking him off his feet.