[Author note - this chapter is rough and contains violence, probably the worst of the story. Usual disclaimer: I don't condone any of this fictional behaviour in real life. I've made this one shorter (and with enough in-story hints as to what happened in the next chapter that you won't miss any plot points) so it's easy to skip if it's problematic for you.]
***
For the second day in a row, Virginia stumbled home past dawn. She'd given Annie and Clara's dresses an extra bit of attention, but she still felt she'd be paying them back for the rest of her life for what they did for her.
Two large quad bikes were parked outside her and Eli's shack. Adrenaline surged through Virginia, instantly lifting the tiredness from her bones. They didn't normally have visitors - hell, very few people even knew she lived here, and even fewer knew of Eli's existence. She hurried to the front door and threw it open, early morning light spilling into the room.
"Hello, Virginia," Jesse 'the Demon' Morton grinned at her.
Virginia's eyes scanned the room, taking in the scene at once. Jesse was sitting in the room's only chair, legs spread and feet planted solidly on the floor. One of his men was perched on the corner of the kitchen table and held Eli in front of him, one arm wrapped around his throat and the other casually pointing a knife at his ribs.
The second of Jesse's cronies pushed Virginia into the room with a sharp shove between her shoulder blades, then kicked the door closed behind her and took up residence in front, barring her escape route.
"Let him go," Virginia said, thrusting her chin towards Eli. Jesse ignored her and leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees and steepling his fingers. "How did you find me?"
Jesse chuckled. "There's not many people who can get away with defying me on this planet, you know," he said. "Lucky for you, the Simmons brat seems to have a thing for you - what he offered earlier tickled my fancy. Unlucky for you... you tickle me even more."
Virginia's heart threatened to beat out of her chest. "What do you want?"
Jesse raised an eyebrow. "Pretty fuckin' obvious. Now, strip."
"Let him go," Virginia repeated, "and then we can talk."
Jesse sighed and leaned back in the chair again. "You don't give the orders here. I always get what I want - and I'm tired of being nice. The next time I have to repeat myself..." He nodded towards the man holding Eli.
Without skipping a beat, he scored a line across Eli's chest with the tip of his knife - the sharp blade easily slicing through cloth and drawing a line of blood. Eli gasped and twitched, but the man tightened his grip around his throat.
"No!" Virginia screamed taking a step forwards. The knifepoint once again came to rest against Eli's chest and she froze, glaring at Jesse. He shrugged casually. "Listen, I don't give a toss about the shrimpy brat, so just get this over with and I'll leave."
Holding back a tear, Virginia unlaced her dress with shaking hands, and let it drop to the floor. She removed her underwear and stood naked, holding her hands in front of her to hide as much of her body as she could.
"Good. See, just listen and it's easy. Stop thinking. Now, get on your knees."
Virginia sank to her knees, sitting back on her heels and hunching over, relieved for her hair, falling either side of her face to provide her with brief shelter.
