Page 51 of Commit
“Hudson, why are we here?”
“You want to ride the train? Fine, show me how safe it is, and I might consider it.”
“Consider it? You are not my—” She cuts herself off and takes a deep breath, blowing it out before continuing, reining in her anger. “Fine. But this was the worst train to pick. It’s always full and stops at every stop.”
I shrug, looking and waiting for the train to arrive as the crowd of people swells around us.
A gust of wind blows, catching Starling’s hair and skirt. She holds her skirt down as her hair whips around her face. “Ugh,” she huffs, and I reach up to smooth it away. She looks at me warily as the train pulls in.
“Don’t let go of my hand,” I tell her as I lead her closer to the open doors near the end of the platform.
“I couldn’t if I tried,” she complains.
I tighten my grip, not wanting to lose her as people push and shove against us. When the doors open, we follow the flow of people, and once we’re on board, I maneuver us to the back of the train. There are no free seats, so people squeeze in like sardines.
I turn so we’re facing the front of the train, positioning Starling so her back is to my front, and reach up to grab one of the handles. “Yeah, this seems real safe,” I mutter in her ear.
She looks back at me and scowls. “I can’t get much safer than this. Seriously, there are hundreds of people here. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”
“You think these people, these strangers that are so wrapped up in their own lives that they haven’t even noticed you, are going to help you if you need it?”
“Of course.”
“Well, let’s test that theory, shall we?” I whisper in her ear before I slide my hand underneath the hem of her skirt.
Chapter Sixteen
Starling
Ifreeze. No, he wouldn’t.
But he would, and he is.
I grab his hand and try to shove it away, but there isn’t much space for me to move, and he’s so much stronger than me. “Hudson, stop,” I hiss.
But he doesn’t. Instead, he reaches down, grabs both my hands, and raises them to the handle above us. I have to stand on tiptoes to reach, which leaves me off balance.
His lips press against my ear. “Don’t let go.”
His hands move, and for a second, no part of him is touching me. I tell myself to scream, but what will it achieve? How can I expect someone to rescue me from this monster when I’ll end up home with him later?
A soft snick sounds behind me before I feel something cool and sharp against my inner thigh. “If you scream, I’ll hurt you. If you fight me, I’ll hurt you.” He bites my ear as my breathing stutters. “If you signal anyone for help, I’ll cut their tongues out before you can even say my name.”
I whimper as fear makes my blood run cold.
He glides the knife up to the edge of my panties and cuts through them like they were made of butter. He moves to do the other side, all the while hidden from view by my skirt.
Once he’s cut the material from my body, he pulls it free. With his face next to my ear, he holds my ruined panties to his nose and inhales. I feel my legs shake as I tense, ready to throw myself against people to get them to move if that’s what it takes. He must expect that because his arm bands around my waist.
“No, I don’t think so, Birdie. You wanted to ride the train, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
My breathing comes in short, sharp pants, as riding the train takes on a whole new meaning.
“Stop,” I whisper, knowing he can hear me.
“No, I don’t think I will.”
He slips his free hand under my skirt and drags his rough fingertips up my thigh to my pussy. He strokes it gently for a moment, making me shiver, before he sinks a thick finger inside me. I gasp, making him chuckle.