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He sotten his way I wouldn’t scream unless I kneould save me My only objective at this point was to make it back to O’Connell Whether I was battered, bruised, or raped, I needed to stay alive That wouldn’t happen if I baited Frank He was obsessed with control, and when that control was challenged or taken away froe

"I won’t screa his shoulders "Of course, you won’t" Standing back up, he placed the knife on the bedside table, unbuttoned his sleeves, and began rolling theain, he picked up the knife and after wiping the blood stained blade on my jeans to clean it, ran the tip up and down the inside of my forearm, perilously close to my wrist The subtle threat wasn’t lost onme home, why are we here?" I asked croakily, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer

"Impatient, are you?" He chuckled

I’d never really seen this side of Frank His violent tes, and screaht I was This cold, calculating stranger had the luxury of ti it Personally, I’d have preferred a beating to one of his cosy chats I kepthis question was rhetorical

"Before we leave, I need to be sure you won’t run again Then we have a few loose ends to tie up so that bunch of lowlifes don’t follow you," he explained

I sed as I stupidly pointed out the obvious "I’ the knife with lightning speed, he punched me in the ribs so hard I swore I heard one crack

"You’ll leavedown on ht to pull the air into ed body

"You know I just can’t work out whether you’re too fucking stupid to learn or you like taking a beating"

I couldn’t answer him, even if I wanted to I could barely breathe, let alone talk He looked down at me with a kind of morbid curiosity as he assessed his handiwork If I looked how I felt, I guessed thatthe knife down again, he wrenched er

I cried out, though it sounded little more than a whimper, as he stolethese any for your annulet ift, he left me toin a pool of my own blood

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I was bound in that room It could have been hours, it could have been days I think I wet h I was so out of it I couldn’t really be sure The whole rooht in Either Frank had drugged h beatings to know that this didn’t feel norh, were blissful My ether Before when I’d been beaten, I’d never had any of this O’Connell had given me so many happy moments and a safe place in my mind to hide He would never kno thankful I was for that Frank could do whatever he wanted to my body, but he’d never be able to take that away His increasing sense of desperation during the times I ake told me that he knew it, too When I next opened h the ured it