when we were BROKEN

Thirty-Five

Darche moved closer, digging a hand into Ji's hair, and pulling his head up. The bright light was blindly painful, but Ji did nothing to resist as their eyes met.

"I would have been easier on you if you had not dared to touch my little Geneviève. Now, I will watch you scream."

Henri moved to stand on the opposite side of him, ready to mangle the other side of his ribs, and then Ji saw her. To Ginny's amazement, his full, bloodied lips quirked up in a dark grin as he slowly lifted his chin, gazing directly at Gabriel.

"This is boring." Despite the pain he was in, the rasp managed to come out even and cold. "Haven't you got anything more interesting to do?"

As Gabriel lifted his fingers to indicate for Louis to increase the voltage going to the wand, Ginny moved into the doorway. The gun rose, fitting smoothly into her hand as she pointed it at Gabriel's back. All the times he'd hurt her flooded into her mind as she squeezed the trigger.

Ji flinched and then wrenched his face aside as blood, brain matter, and gore spattered everywhere. Darche folded forward like a scarecrow, most of his head missing. A second shot went off as Henri spun around, lunging at her as Louis hit the wall with a crimson pool spreading across his chest. In a brief grapple, Henri twisted her arm behind her back, ripping the gun from her hand. The other was fisted in her hair, pulling her head all the way back as she screeched.

"Well, well, it looks like the little whore has some spunk left after all," dragging her from the doorway, he spun her around and shoved her to the floor, lifting the gun to whip her with it.

"Don't." The ugly sound was a snarl, Ji's features twisted in such hate he was nearly unrecognizable. "Don't you dare."

Henri paused, half-smiling as he realized a golden opportunity.

"I'll let you watch as I hurt her, American mongrel. I'll make her scream. She'll beg me to stop, but I won't. Not until you beg me to kill you instead."

"Please," she was cut off by the harsh grip tightening on her scalp, threatening to rip her hair out by the roots. Her teeth bared in agony, she was shaking in terror and shame. This couldn't be happening! Not again! Henri turned her around and kicked her legs apart.

"Hands and knees, whore, just like before."

"...please..."

"Should I hurt him instead?" The threat had the desired effect, and Ginny submissively knelt on her hands and knees, trembling badly. Henri's smile was smug as he unbuckled his pants, staring at Ji. "That's a good girl."

Straining against the ties binding him did no good. He was too weak, the cords too snug, his broken ribs stopping him from any real movement. Forced to watch, Ji felt something crack inside of him as Ginny bit her bottom lip hard enough to break the skin, tears tracking silently down her face. She wouldn't look at him, keeping her eyes far to one side as Henri kept a fierce grip on her hair.

Endure it, she chanted to herself. No noise, not a sound. Don't move. Don't fight. Endure ... but panic was clawing at her throat, twisting her gut into writhing coils. She couldn't just let this happen, not again! Abruptly, a scream escaped the barrier of her teeth her eyes flaring wide as something inside her tore with vicious heat. Shuddering, her elbows gave, crumpling her shoulders to the floor as hot blood ran down her thighs.

Ji twisted hard, almost frantic to get loose ignoring the hot burn of his broken ribs grating out of place. Henri's expression was carved in sick triumph, getting exactly what he wanted. Geneviève was shivering, whimpers escaping her lips and he knew it wouldn't be long. Then the real torture would begin.