“You’re gonna pay for that, peanut,” Hank growled in her ear, as he yanked her up the three front steps to the corner property. “Oh yes, in just a minute you’re gonna be reeeeeal sorry you pulled that little stunt.”
Mia was still having trouble breathing—let alone talking—so she didn’t answer. But she didn’t give up, either. The minute Hank took his attention away from her and started fumbling with the keys to the house, she did her best to get away from him again.
She still had on the high heeled shoes that went with her Yonnie Six Mistress outfit. Now she made use of them to stab one stiletto heel down hard, right on the toe of Hank’s shoe.
He gave a hoarse scream and loosened his grip in surprise. Mia had never fought him before—clearly he had expected her to be calm and submissive, as she had been in the past.
Well, no more, Mia thought. I’m not going down without a fight, you asshole!
She yanked her arm out of his hand and turned to run. For a split second, she was free, but then he stamped down hard on the long back of her dress, pinning the green fabric to the wooden porch and causing Mia to stumble and fall on her face.
“You little cunt!” he snarled as he leaned down and grabbed her by the arm, hauling her upright. “Feels like you broke my damn foot! You’re gonna pay for that too. Oh, how you’re gonna pay!”
He got the door open and shoved her inside the empty house. Mia had gotten her breath back by then but when she tried to scream, only a faint, hoarse sound came out.
Hank slammed the door shut and flipped on the lights. A moment later, he shoved Mia into a room on the left, which turned out to be a formal dining room. He grabbed a chair from the end of the table, turned it around, and shoved Mia into it. She went down with a gasp and when she tried to get up again, Hank backhanded her as hard as he could.
Mia gasped as his hand connected with her cheek, rocking her head against the back of the chair and making her see stars.
“You stay right there, you little bitch,” he snarled, glaring down at her and breathing hard. “You stay put or things are gonna get a whole hell of a lot worse for you pretty damn quick.”
Mia stayed put—for the moment. She looked around the room, trying to take stock of her surroundings and see if there was anywhere she could run and hide.
The room had been staged for viewing and the dining room table had a long cloth runner on it with a big ceramic vase of fake flowers sitting right in the center. To her left, was a wide bay window which looked out into the street. Unfortunately, there were curtains covering most of the window. Through the thin gap between them, Mia could catch just a glimpse of the outside.
There were a few kids gathered on the corner now, wearing backpacks and carrying lunchboxes. Clearly they were waiting for the school bus to come.
With a sinking heart, Mia recognized the little girl from the house next door. She was casting uneasy glances at the corner house, but she didn’t seem inclined to do anything other than look. Either she had told her parents and they hadn’t believed her, or she hadn’t said anything in the first place. Whichever way it was, Mia didn’t think she could expect any help from that direction.
“Now, you little whore,” Hank said, interrupting her dismal thoughts. “Let’s just get you squared away before you try anything else.”
Before Mia could respond, he was tearing off a long strip of duct tape and wrapping it around her middle to tape her to the high wooden back of the chair.
“Hank,” she gasped, her voice still coming out hoarse and whispery. “Hank, no—please don’t do this!”
“Shut up, you cunt,” he snarled. “You lost the right to say a damn thing to me when you ran off to the fucking Mother Ship and started banging an alien!”
Mia wanted to try again but he tore off a shorter piece of duct tape and slapped it over her mouth. The fact that she could only breathe through her nose now freaked Mia out. She gasped and writhed against her bonds, throwing her body against the tape around her waist in a frenzy—trying to get out of the chair.
Hank slapped her again, harder this time, and for a moment the ringing in her ears was so loud she could barely hear what he was saying.
“…be still, I said!” he was snarling, when her hearing came back. “And pay attention because I’ve got something to say to you.”
Dazed, Mia looked up at him as he loomed over her. His face was red with fury and there were white dents around his flared nostrils, making him look like a bull about to charge, she thought.