Fashioned For Sin

Chapter 17

Blair

I woke up with a pounding headache, my mind groggy and disoriented. Everything felt heavy—my limbs, my eyelids. I blinked a few times, trying to clear the haze from my vision. Slowly, the room came into focus. I was lying on a bed, my arms stretched above me and tied to the headboard. My legs were bound at the ankles, spread just enough to make me uncomfortable. Panic set in as I tugged at the ropes, the coarse material biting into my wrists. I was still in my dress from last night, but it was twisted around me, the fabric clinging to my skin in the worst way.

Where the hell am I?!!!

I forced myself to take slow, deep breaths, trying to remember what happened. The club. The guy with the tattoos—Carlo. I’d been dancing, then he offered me a drink... I squeezed my eyes shut, cursing myself for being so stupid. I should have known better. I do know better. But now I was here, wherever "here" was, tied up like some kind of hostage.

Footsteps echoed on the concrete floor, snapping me back to the present. I looked up to see three men standing around the bed. Carlo, the man from the club, was front and center, a smug grin on his face. Behind him were two others—one with a buzz cut and a cold, calculating stare, the other lankier with a bored expression. They were all looking at me like I was some kind of prey.

“Well, look who’s finally awake,” Carlo drawled, stepping closer. His eyes roamed over me, lingering on the way my dress clung to my body. I felt a wave of nausea at the way he looked at me, like I was nothing more than a piece of meat.

“Go to hell,” I spat, yanking on the ropes again. They didn’t budge.

Carlo chuckled, a low, sinister sound that made my skin crawl. “Feisty. I like that,” he said. “But you’re not in any position to be making demands, sweetheart.”

“You’re Leo’s girl, aren’t you? Or something close to it, anyway.” the one with the buzzcut said.

I clenched my jaw, refusing to give them the satisfaction of a response.

Carlo grinned wider, his eyes glinting with something dark. “Leo’s girl, huh? I wonder what he’d think if he saw you like this,” he said, leaning in closer. His fingers brushed against my cheek, and I flinched away, but there was nowhere to go. “All tied up, looking so…helpless.”

I spat at him, my anger boiling over. “Get your hands off me, you sick bastard.”

Carlo’s grin faded, replaced by a cold, dangerous look. He wiped the spit from his face with a slow, deliberate motion, then reached out and roughly grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. “You’ve got quite a mouth on you,” he said softly. “Maybe we’ll find a better use for it.”

Tears pricked at my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

Carlo’s expression softened into a mockery of tenderness. He reached out with his free hand and wiped a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb. “Oh, don’t cry, sweetheart,” he cooed. “We’re going to have lots of fun together. All of us.”

He moved his thumb down to my lips, brushing them lightly. I saw the flash of arrogance in his eyes, the twisted enjoyment he was getting from this, and I did the only thing I could—I bit down hard on his thumb.

Carlo yelped and pulled back, his eyes narrowing with fury. “Bitch!” he hissed, shaking his hand. Brian and the other man, Erik, laughed, but I could see the anger simmering beneath Carlo’s surface.

“You’re going to regret that,” he muttered, leaning in close again. His breath was hot against my ear. “When Brian and I are done with you, you’ll be begging us to stop.”

I felt a wave of panic at his words, my stomach twisting into knots.

Erik, who had been quiet up until now, finally spoke up. “Enough, Carlo,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “We’ve got business to take care of. This can wait.”

"Fine, we'll be back soon enough. Take care of her Erik, don't get any ideas." He responded.

"I never do." He replied carelessly as he took a seat next to my bed while the other guy and Carlo left the room.

I glanced at Erik, who was watching me with an unreadable expression. He didn’t look like the others. There was something in his eyes—something almost…human.

“Are you going to untie me?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Erik shook his head. “Can’t do that,” he said simply. “But I promise, I’m not going to touch you.”

I stared at him, trying to gauge if he was telling the truth. “Why are you even here?” I asked. “You don’t seem like…them.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I ask myself that every day,” he said. “Look, I’m not like Carlo or Brian, okay? I don’t want to hurt you. I just…I got caught up in some bad shit, and now I’m stuck.”

I watched him carefully, trying to see if there was any way I could use this. “Then let me go,” I urged. “We can both get out of here. You don’t have to do this.”

Erik sighed again, his shoulders slumping. “I’m not going to touch you,” he repeated, more to himself than to me. “But I can’t help you. I’m sorry. They'll kill us both."

Erik came and sat beside me on the bed, watching me with that same conflicted look. I could see it in his eyes—he didn’t want to be here any more than I did. But that didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting out of this alive. And if I had to use Erik to do it, then that’s exactly what I was going to do.

I just hoped Leo would find me before it was too late.