A side blog to collect and post some original whumpy things. 18+ only. I tend towards female protagonists, BBU, and nsfw content.
[Intro / about me] || [Masterlist of my writing] || open for prompts, asks and requests
She/her || Europe || adult || Ao3: yet_another_sara
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... so, Frankie wasn't on the list, but I do actually daydream of her being supposed to publicly exonerate him, and I think between all the lies, that's actually something she can't do, and that's interesting by itself.
Thinking about whump and media, and whumpees and their stories involuntarily becoming news.
It's always something that hits so hard.
With Dany, I imagine she tries to play everything down. And still, there's the "well she didn't look sad!" narrative. And the "she just wants to profit of his fame". And the "come on we all know if it really had been that bad she could've done something, she was a public figure after all"
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Your writing always makes me kick my feet in excitement 💕
AAAH THANK YOU! <3
Have a Play Pretend snippet!!!! It's from a WIP in quite a few chapters' time, and it's quite a chunky one because I couldn't for the life of me decide where to start/cut it for context!
"I have spent three days coddling you, Joshua. I have cleaned you, I have fed you, and I have listened to you cry until my ears bled," Felix snarled, his fingers digging into the back of Josh's neck, right over the leather of the collar. "And the very first time I ask for my reward... the very first time I want what is mine... you turn your back on me?"
"S-Sorry, Felix - p-please... I d-didn't mean - " Josh stammered, his heart beating its way out of his ribcage.
"After all this time? Have you still not learnt your lesson?" Felix interrupted, his voice terrifyingly calm now. "Do you need to go back? Is that what this is? You miss Elijah so much that you want to provoke me into sending you back to him?"
"NO! No, please!" Josh wailed, his eyes instantly flooding with tears. He desperately reached for Felix’s hand to soothe him - to placate him - but Felix caught his cuffed wrists in a one-handed grip.
"Then don't you ever roll away from me again," Felix commanded, pinning Josh’s arms above his head and crushing his body down into the mattress. "I don't care how tired you are. I don't even care whether you're conscious or not. You are a 'yes', Josh. Do you understand, Josh? From now until the day you die, you will always be a 'yes'."
Dany has to be horrible to her friend (and to herself).
Shorter piece. As always, Ridley is borrowed from @hackles-up. Lou is dedicated to @wildfaewhump.
Content / warning: psychological whump, gaslighting, betrayal, forced to lie, forced denial of identity (or idk how to call it, but dany betrays a lot about herself).
[< prev] [masterlist] [next >]
There's been 'mingling' scheduled after the press conference, fifteen minutes of handshakes and pleasantries, with Ridley and the governor filing through the crowd, taking compliments and good wishes.
I'm not needed any longer. Security is guiding me towards the exit, two men and one woman, acting if their main concern is to protect my privacy from intrusive questions. It's not. They are Leo's guys. A hidden gun is pointed at me at all times.
At least they're not rushing. It's a struggle to keep myself walking straight. My body hasn't recovered. Every other step sends jolts of pain up into my hip.
"You'll make national news tonight," Jonah says. He's walking by my side, unfazed by the guards, constantly checking his phone. His casual tone makes my skin crawl. "Plus, reels of that speech are already doing numbers on socials. Right now, 60-40 between favorable posts and comments calling you an 'attention whore'." He clicks his tongue. "Now, that's just mean."
"Yeah," I huff. "Meanest thing that happened to me in weeks."
He looks over his shoulder at the ballroom full of journalists, then shoots me a warning glance. "Careful."
I keep my voice a low hiss. "Careful? Oh, I'm entirely in character. We've done such hard work to establish that I'm a sexy sad traumatized girl, haven't we?"
His eyes narrow. "You're-"
"Stop." One of the guards raises an arm. "No more questions for Ms Hammond!"
"Dany", someone behind us says, firmly. Lou.
I squeeze my eyes shut. I should've known they wouldn't let go.
I like how vulnerable they look.
"I'm fine," I say, as I turn around. "Lou. Please."
The guard pushes herself between us, hand wandering towards her hip. "Mx. Step back."
"It's fine." I'm talking to the guard now. My heart is thrumming in my chest. "They're a friend, not a journalist."
She scoffs. "Mr Lucia-"
A glare from Jonah makes her mouth fall shut, before she can bring up Leo's name. "If Danielle wants to talk to their friend," Jonah says slowly, "Of course we'll give them privacy. Danielle, it's your call." He nods at Lou apologetically. "Sorry for their harsh tone, Mx. They're private security. After what Ms Hammond experienced, understandably everyone around her is very on edge."
My gaze catches Jonah's. He gives a tiny half shrug, almost like he's sorry. We both know what the situation demands. We both know the stakes. We both know he won't allow me another choice.
I clear my throat. "Yes," I rasp. "Yes, thank you, please, give us a moment."
In another situation, the reluctance with which the guards step away at my order would have been comical. It's not now. I fight the urge to ball my hands into fist and pummel them until they go.
Lou has to trust me. Lou has to believe me. They have to believe this.
Jonah walks off, too, deliberately out of earshot, deliberately gesturing at the guards to leave us even more space. We're cornered, still. Of course we are. All exits are covered.
"You've done great before." Jonah's voice is a whisper in my earpiece. "You know what to do."
"Dany," Lou says again, softer, and steps in closer, extending their arms.
Tears well up in my eyes. I lift a hand between us and shake my head. "Sorry, I… I can't."
Deep worry flickers over their face. "You can't… hug me? Dany, what… what have they done to you? Was it Frankie? Lordin? Who's in on this?"
What do you think, how long will delicate little Lou last down here?
"I'm fine." I force the words out. "I know I should have talked to you guys sooner."
"Yeah." They fold their arms, carefully looking me down. "That's quite the understatement, to be honest, but yeah, you should have."
"I was with Ridley. It was safest not to let anyone know. I'm a target. I need to be careful about whom to trust."
It's the first strike. The pained irritation in Lou's face feels like a gut punch. "Me, Dany? You can always trust me."
"I had to priorize."
Their head spins back to the main floor, where Ridley is doing his rounds. "And you chose… that clown? Dany, how long have you even known him?"
The question makes it sound, like they struggle to understand. Not like they struggle to believe.
I am the one lying to them. Why is it, that them believing my lies feels like a betrayal?
"A while," I say.
"Be precise," Jonah says over the comm. "Around a year. Dating for five months."
Fucking Jonah. I know the numbers. They've made me learn them by heart. "We've met about a year ago. Took us a while to understand what it was. We've been dating for five months now."
Lou shakes their head. "You don't date. That's what you always say. You don't do romance."
I grimace. The words feel like cutting into my own flesh. "I know I said that. But - it seems I was wrong. I just… I hadn't found the right one. I have now. Ridley is."
"That's BS, Dany. Bullshit."
Tears threaten to well up in my eyes. I know the script. I know what I need to say.
I look to the side and shake my head, slowly, softly. "I knew you wouldn't understand."
There it is. It's out. The line to break them. And it lands, just as intended. Lou seems to shrink into themself. "Dany, what-?"
"This world, here, the rich and famous, politics, Ridley - that's my place, Lou. I've been made for it. I've tried myself out for a while, yeah. But with all the stuff that happened lately? My Dad, and all? It just made me see more clearly that I'm done. I needed to start a new chapter."
"A new chapter?"
I nod, my throat constricted. How can I do this? How can it be so simple, to do something so unforgivable? To destroy my best friend?
The earpiece crackles. "Don't stop talking. Drive it in."
"We..." Lou is looking up at me from teary eyes. "Dany, we... we thought you were dead!"
"I know," I whisper. "I know, and I'm sorry. But there's a part of me, that had to die."
They bite their lip. "Dany, you-"
"Princess?" Ridley is strolling towards us, face flushed with success and excitement. "Come. We're leaving"
"Princess?", Lou echoes tonelessly. "That's not you, Dany. It's not."
Jonah stops Ridley's steps just out of earshot and whispers something in his ear. Both are watching us intently.
"I know this is going to be hard to hear. I'm exactly where I need to be. It is me. And on that note," I tilt my head. Tears are heavy in my eyelashes. It doesn't matter. These lies work well with tears. "It's not Dany any longer. I go by Danielle."
Ridley extends his arm.
With measured, painful steps, I walk over to him and let him wrap his arm around me, shield me against the reporters, against Lou, against everything.
By the time we reach the limo, his crisp white shirt is stained with my tears.
He doesn't seem to mind.
On our way home, in the back of the limo, it is me who wordlessly takes initiative, who works open his pants, who pushes up my dress, who slowly settles down on his lap.
Whumpee A stared at the spot where the two bullets had dug themselves into not A's head but the floor beside them.
"Dealing with a dead body is quite the hassle, you know," Whumper whispered, crouching in front of A. "And you might prove useful to me yet. Besides, I don't need to kill you as long as Whumpee B thinks I've killed you."
A screamed into their gag, pulled on the ropes that had replaced the previous rattling chains - wishing that either would produce any sound that would allow B to know they're still alive.
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Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Dany has to horrible to her friend (and to herself).
Shorter piece. As always, Ridley is borrowed from @hackles-up. Lou is dedicated to @wildfaewhump.
Content / warning: psychological whump, gaslighting, betrayal, forced to lie, forced denial of identity (or idk how to call it, but dany betrays a lot about herself).
[< prev] [masterlist] [next >]
There's been 'mingling' scheduled after the press conference, fifteen minutes of handshakes and pleasantries, with Ridley and the governor filing through the crowd, taking compliments and good wishes.
I'm not needed any longer. Security is guiding me towards the exit, two men and one woman, acting if their main concern is to protect my privacy from intrusive questions. It's not. They are Leo's guys. A hidden gun is pointed at me at all times.
At least they're not rushing. It's a struggle to keep myself walking straight. My body hasn't recovered. Every other step sends jolts of pain up into my hip.
"You'll make national news tonight," Jonah says. He's walking by my side, unfazed by the guards, constantly checking his phone. His casual tone makes my skin crawl. "Plus, reels of that speech are already doing numbers on socials. Right now, 60-40 between favorable posts and comments calling you an 'attention whore'." He clicks his tongue. "Now, that's just mean."
"Yeah," I huff. "Meanest thing that happened to me in weeks."
He looks over his shoulder at the ballroom full of journalists, then shoots me a warning glance. "Careful."
I keep my voice a low hiss. "Careful? Oh, I'm entirely in character. We've done such hard work to establish that I'm a sexy sad traumatized girl, haven't we?"
His eyes narrow. "You're-"
"Stop." One of the guards raises an arm. "No more questions for Ms Hammond!"
"Dany", someone behind us says, firmly. Lou.
I squeeze my eyes shut. I should've known they wouldn't let go.
I like how vulnerable they look.
"I'm fine," I say, as I turn around. "Lou. Please."
The guard pushes herself between us, hand wandering towards her hip. "Mx. Step back."
"It's fine." I'm talking to the guard now. My heart is thrumming in my chest. "They're a friend, not a journalist."
She scoffs. "Mr Lucia-"
A glare from Jonah makes her mouth fall shut, before she can bring up Leo's name. "If Danielle wants to talk to their friend," Jonah says slowly, "Of course we'll give them privacy. Danielle, it's your call." He nods at Lou apologetically. "Sorry for their harsh tone, Mx. They're private security. After what Ms Hammond experienced, understandably everyone around her is very on edge."
My gaze catches Jonah's. He gives a tiny half shrug, almost like he's sorry. We both know what the situation demands. We both know the stakes. We both know he won't allow me another choice.
I clear my throat. "Yes," I rasp. "Yes, thank you, please, give us a moment."
In another situation, the reluctance with which the guards step away at my order would have been comical. It's not now. I fight the urge to ball my hands into fist and pummel them until they go.
Lou has to trust me. Lou has to believe me. They have to believe this.
Jonah walks off, too, deliberately out of earshot, deliberately gesturing at the guards to leave us even more space. We're cornered, still. Of course we are. All exits are covered.
"You've done great before." Jonah's voice is a whisper in my earpiece. "You know what to do."
"Dany," Lou says again, softer, and steps in closer, extending their arms.
Tears well up in my eyes. I lift a hand between us and shake my head. "Sorry, I… I can't."
Deep worry flickers over their face. "You can't… hug me? Dany, what… what have they done to you? Was it Frankie? Lordin? Who's in on this?"
What do you think, how long will delicate little Lou last down here?
"I'm fine." I force the words out. "I know I should have talked to you guys sooner."
"Yeah." They fold their arms, carefully looking me down. "That's quite the understatement, to be honest, but yeah, you should have."
"I was with Ridley. It was safest not to let anyone know. I'm a target. I need to be careful about whom to trust."
It's the first strike. The pained irritation in Lou's face feels like a gut punch. "Me, Dany? You can always trust me."
"I had to priorize."
Their head spins back to the main floor, where Ridley is doing his rounds. "And you chose… that clown? Dany, how long have you even known him?"
The question makes it sound, like they struggle to understand. Not like they struggle to believe.
I am the one lying to them. Why is it, that them believing my lies feels like a betrayal?
"A while," I say.
"Be precise," Jonah says over the comm. "Around a year. Dating for five months."
Fucking Jonah. I know the numbers. They've made me learn them by heart. "We've met about a year ago. Took us a while to understand what it was. We've been dating for five months now."
Lou shakes their head. "You don't date. That's what you always say. You don't do romance."
I grimace. The words feel like cutting into my own flesh. "I know I said that. But - it seems I was wrong. I just… I hadn't found the right one. I have now. Ridley is."
"That's BS, Dany. Bullshit."
Tears threaten to well up in my eyes. I know the script. I know what I need to say.
I look to the side and shake my head, slowly, softly. "I knew you wouldn't understand."
There it is. It's out. The line to break them. And it lands, just as intended. Lou seems to shrink into themself. "Dany, what-?"
"This world, here, the rich and famous, politics, Ridley - that's my place, Lou. I've been made for it. I've tried myself out for a while, yeah. But with all the stuff that happened lately? My Dad, and all? It just made me see more clearly that I'm done. I needed to start a new chapter."
"A new chapter?"
I nod, my throat constricted. How can I do this? How can it be so simple, to do something so unforgivable? To destroy my best friend?
The earpiece crackles. "Don't stop talking. Drive it in."
"We..." Lou is looking up at me from teary eyes. "Dany, we... we thought you were dead!"
"I know," I whisper. "I know, and I'm sorry. But there's a part of me, that had to die."
They bite their lip. "Dany, you-"
"Princess?" Ridley is strolling towards us, face flushed with success and excitement. "Come. We're leaving"
"Princess?", Lou echoes tonelessly. "That's not you, Dany. It's not."
Jonah stops Ridley's steps just out of earshot and whispers something in his ear. Both are watching us intently.
"I know this is going to be hard to hear. I'm exactly where I need to be. It is me. And on that note," I tilt my head. Tears are heavy in my eyelashes. It doesn't matter. These lies work well with tears. "It's not Dany any longer. I go by Danielle."
Ridley extends his arm.
With measured, painful steps, I walk over to him and let him wrap his arm around me, shield me against the reporters, against Lou, against everything.
By the time we reach the limo, his crisp white shirt is stained with my tears.
He doesn't seem to mind.
On our way home, in the back of the limo, it is me who wordlessly takes initiative, who works open his pants, who pushes up my dress, who slowly settles down on his lap.
Dany has to be horrible to her friend (and to herself).
Shorter piece. As always, Ridley is borrowed from @hackles-up. Lou is dedicated to @wildfaewhump.
Content / warning: psychological whump, gaslighting, betrayal, forced to lie, forced denial of identity (or idk how to call it, but dany betrays a lot about herself).
[< prev] [masterlist] [next >]
There's been 'mingling' scheduled after the press conference, fifteen minutes of handshakes and pleasantries, with Ridley and the governor filing through the crowd, taking compliments and good wishes.
I'm not needed any longer. Security is guiding me towards the exit, two men and one woman, acting if their main concern is to protect my privacy from intrusive questions. It's not. They are Leo's guys. A hidden gun is pointed at me at all times.
At least they're not rushing. It's a struggle to keep myself walking straight. My body hasn't recovered. Every other step sends jolts of pain up into my hip.
"You'll make national news tonight," Jonah says. He's walking by my side, unfazed by the guards, constantly checking his phone. His casual tone makes my skin crawl. "Plus, reels of that speech are already doing numbers on socials. Right now, 60-40 between favorable posts and comments calling you an 'attention whore'." He clicks his tongue. "Now, that's just mean."
"Yeah," I huff. "Meanest thing that happened to me in weeks."
He looks over his shoulder at the ballroom full of journalists, then shoots me a warning glance. "Careful."
I keep my voice a low hiss. "Careful? Oh, I'm entirely in character. We've done such hard work to establish that I'm a sexy sad traumatized girl, haven't we?"
His eyes narrow. "You're-"
"Stop." One of the guards raises an arm. "No more questions for Ms Hammond!"
"Dany", someone behind us says, firmly. Lou.
I squeeze my eyes shut. I should've known they wouldn't let go.
I like how vulnerable they look.
"I'm fine," I say, as I turn around. "Lou. Please."
The guard pushes herself between us, hand wandering towards her hip. "Mx. Step back."
"It's fine." I'm talking to the guard now. My heart is thrumming in my chest. "They're a friend, not a journalist."
She scoffs. "Mr Lucia-"
A glare from Jonah makes her mouth fall shut, before she can bring up Leo's name. "If Danielle wants to talk to their friend," Jonah says slowly, "Of course we'll give them privacy. Danielle, it's your call." He nods at Lou apologetically. "Sorry for their harsh tone, Mx. They're private security. After what Ms Hammond experienced, understandably everyone around her is very on edge."
My gaze catches Jonah's. He gives a tiny half shrug, almost like he's sorry. We both know what the situation demands. We both know the stakes. We both know he won't allow me another choice.
I clear my throat. "Yes," I rasp. "Yes, thank you, please, give us a moment."
In another situation, the reluctance with which the guards step away at my order would have been comical. It's not now. I fight the urge to ball my hands into fist and pummel them until they go.
Lou has to trust me. Lou has to believe me. They have to believe this.
Jonah walks off, too, deliberately out of earshot, deliberately gesturing at the guards to leave us even more space. We're cornered, still. Of course we are. All exits are covered.
"You've done great before." Jonah's voice is a whisper in my earpiece. "You know what to do."
"Dany," Lou says again, softer, and steps in closer, extending their arms.
Tears well up in my eyes. I lift a hand between us and shake my head. "Sorry, I… I can't."
Deep worry flickers over their face. "You can't… hug me? Dany, what… what have they done to you? Was it Frankie? Lordin? Who's in on this?"
What do you think, how long will delicate little Lou last down here?
"I'm fine." I force the words out. "I know I should have talked to you guys sooner."
"Yeah." They fold their arms, carefully looking me down. "That's quite the understatement, to be honest, but yeah, you should have."
"I was with Ridley. It was safest not to let anyone know. I'm a target. I need to be careful about whom to trust."
It's the first strike. The pained irritation in Lou's face feels like a gut punch. "Me, Dany? You can always trust me."
"I had to priorize."
Their head spins back to the main floor, where Ridley is doing his rounds. "And you chose… that clown? Dany, how long have you even known him?"
The question makes it sound, like they struggle to understand. Not like they struggle to believe.
I am the one lying to them. Why is it, that them believing my lies feels like a betrayal?
"A while," I say.
"Be precise," Jonah says over the comm. "Around a year. Dating for five months."
Fucking Jonah. I know the numbers. They've made me learn them by heart. "We've met about a year ago. Took us a while to understand what it was. We've been dating for five months now."
Lou shakes their head. "You don't date. That's what you always say. You don't do romance."
I grimace. The words feel like cutting into my own flesh. "I know I said that. But - it seems I was wrong. I just… I hadn't found the right one. I have now. Ridley is."
"That's BS, Dany. Bullshit."
Tears threaten to well up in my eyes. I know the script. I know what I need to say.
I look to the side and shake my head, slowly, softly. "I knew you wouldn't understand."
There it is. It's out. The line to break them. And it lands, just as intended. Lou seems to shrink into themself. "Dany, what-?"
"This world, here, the rich and famous, politics, Ridley - that's my place, Lou. I've been made for it. I've tried myself out for a while, yeah. But with all the stuff that happened lately? My Dad, and all? It just made me see more clearly that I'm done. I needed to start a new chapter."
"A new chapter?"
I nod, my throat constricted. How can I do this? How can it be so simple, to do something so unforgivable? To destroy my best friend?
The earpiece crackles. "Don't stop talking. Drive it in."
"We..." Lou is looking up at me from teary eyes. "Dany, we... we thought you were dead!"
"I know," I whisper. "I know, and I'm sorry. But there's a part of me, that had to die."
They bite their lip. "Dany, you-"
"Princess?" Ridley is strolling towards us, face flushed with success and excitement. "Come. We're leaving"
"Princess?", Lou echoes tonelessly. "That's not you, Dany. It's not."
Jonah stops Ridley's steps just out of earshot and whispers something in his ear. Both are watching us intently.
"I know this is going to be hard to hear. I'm exactly where I need to be. It is me. And on that note," I tilt my head. Tears are heavy in my eyelashes. It doesn't matter. These lies work well with tears. "It's not Dany any longer. I go by Danielle."
Ridley extends his arm.
With measured, painful steps, I walk over to him and let him wrap his arm around me, shield me against the reporters, against Lou, against everything.
By the time we reach the limo, his crisp white shirt is stained with my tears.
He doesn't seem to mind.
On our way home, in the back of the limo, it is me who wordlessly takes initiative, who works open his pants, who pushes up my dress, who slowly settles down on his lap.
Developed (and often written) in collaboration with @hackles-up . Leo, Ridley and B are her characters.
After her father is betrayed by those closest to him, Dany Hammond is sold out to a brutal enemy mob boss. Gifted to Leo's boyfriend Ridley Lordin, she is held captive in his apartment alongside his conditioned bodyguard B.
Against Leo's advice, Ridley makes it his pet project to break her, while Dany struggles to keep a sense of self.
Things escalate, when the press finds out her whereabouts, Ridley decides to run for mayor and Dany and B start to bond.
Tropes: nsfwhump (and lots of it); noncon; dubcon; captivity; female (aromantic) protagonist; intimate whumper; sadistic whumper; multiple whumpers; whumper x whumper; humiliation; degradation; mob whump; forced fake relationship; BBU pet whump (not main character). Each post is tagged individually as well.
[Dany Masterpost] [Moose's writing]
WRITING (cont'd after the cut)
The series is currently added to in order to fill in the blanks; later pieces may be slightly edited for consistency.
Part 1: Prize
1 - [Run, Dany] | Dany’s father is imprisoned. She is betrayed by a man she trusts.
2- [Hands of the Enemy] | Dany faces the man determined to destroy her. He leaves a mark.
3 - [Face it.] | Dany fights. And gets a little murder, as a treat.
4 - [Clean Up] | After her failed escape, Dany is made presentable again. Leo deals with his budding love for Ridley. (Also, Ridley and Dany's first meeting)
5 - [Prize] (noncon) | Dany is set up as the main prize in a cruel poker night.
6 - [Dinner] (aka "the soup scene") | After winning her at poker, Ridley treats Dany to dinner - with his own rules.
7 - [Limo] (noncon) | Ridley is horny, as he is driven home with his very new prize Dany and his very well trained B.
8 - [Beginnings] (explicit noncon) | Dany arrives at Ridley’s penthouse apartment and gets a first taste of what he wants her to be.
9 - [Bath] | Ridley comforts Dany. B gives her a bath. She’s angry. He’s sorry.
10 - [Sleep Well] (explicit noncon) | Dany sleeps in Ridley’s bed. It comes with a price.
11 - [Housekeeping] | After her first night at Ridley’s place, Dany begins to understand her situation.
12 - [Oysters] | Leo and Ridley are flirting. A sleep-deprived B fails Ridley.
Part 2: Kept
13 - [Unleashed] (noncon) | Dany explores her surroundings. Ridley comes home early. B takes his punishment, and Dany learns a lesson.
14 - [Pizza] | Calmed down, Ridley orders pizza and nudges Dany into “smalltalk”. A lie about Dany made it to the news.
15 - [Company] | Ridley leaves a devastated B behind, locked up with Dany.
(many more chapters in progress here, as I sort through the series; ask to be added to the tag list, and you will be informed whenever a new or reworked chapter drops! )
the next pieces will be changed, reworked or aren't canon compliant any longer. You should only read the pieces in 'snippets' and do not go on, if you have the patience to wait for the plot to be sorted!
Set indented and in italics means that a piece belongs there chronologically, but does not bind into the main plot. Marked with * means recent update.
Bonding
To Ridley's dismay, Dany grows closer to her co-captive B.
[Almost]
[What would you do]
[Lights Out] written by moose
[Gift]
[Slap]
[Alone together]
[Game of Trust]
[Hold] by moose
[Not Fair] by moose
[Clinic]
[Plushie]
Wife
To fasten his grip on her father's business empire, Dany is forced to become Ridley's wife. It only serves to make his torture less physical - and take it out on B.
[Dressing Room]
[Smile.]
[Break Room]
[Celebration]
[Treat] *
[The Christmas Party arc] - noncon; can be read stand alone
[Boring]
Escalation
Against Leo's advice (and maybe her own will?), Ridley wants to keep Dany alive. Her despair growing, her and Ridley are set to collide.
[Lost]
[Hold On]
[Rebellion]
[Turning Point]
Escape
After Ridley's death, Dany has to run - and deal with an injured and grieving B.
[Not without B]
[Amends]
[Passports]
[Ben]
(not rooted in the timeline:)
* [You're Mine] - noncon
The Fighting Ring
During their escape Dany and B fall into the hands of a band of ruthless criminals.
-> [Dany's Story II | The Fighting Ring Arc (full new masterpost)]
As always, Ridley is @hackles-up s, Lou is dedicated to @wildfaewhump.
Content warning: forced fake relationship, (first) public appearance of whumpee, threats, implied extortion, big time dubcon vibes, dubcon kiss, referenced noncon. Dany gives up a lot of integrity, but it's okay.
[< prev] [masterlist] [next]
I smile.
I can barely see against the flashlights, barely hear over the cacophony camera shutters and excited calls, the spontaneous burst of applause, barely stand upright against the painful strain in my muscles.
But I can smile. It's just a small one, a bit sad, a bit shy. Practiced, but that's the part no one will see.
The excitement about my entrance on stage is much more exaggerated than that about Ridley's.
The muscles in my jaw strain, as I carefully keep my face even.
I raise a hand to wave a greeting.
The excited murmurs just raise in volume.
What I could've done with such an audience.
The thought hurts.
"Friends, please," Governor Jackson calls with raised hands. "Take your seats. I am aware that Mr Lordin's partner is stunning - but. She is asking for this room to respect her privacy in a challenging time, and today she's here exclusively to support my dear friend."
Behind his podium, Ridley looks at me over his shoulder with a toothy smile. He reaches out for me.
I freeze.
We've been 'practicing' a lot of things.
We haven't practiced chastely holding hands.
Stepping in sickens me to the stomach. It's not an act, that I need to force up all the composure I have, to lift my own hand and rest it into his.
My neck is burning, where the dress is hiding the abrasions his collar left on me. Every inch of my skin is crawling, remembering each of his unwanted touches, his intrusions, all places his hands have hurt me, humiliated me, violated me. And now I'm cradling this hand. My skin on his. His muscles against mine. Too soft, too warm, too firm, too close. The smile on my face threatens to falter.
Ridley's own smile only widens.
Under the reinvigorated storm of flashes and shutter clacks, he is holding my gaze for long seconds. The only thing steadying me is the same thing that is about to destroy me.
Ridley winks.
Then, with a firm press of my palm, he lets go and turns back to face the audience.
Good girl. Jonah Kauffmann, Leo's PR guy, has equipped me with a hidden earpiece. He's with me, at all times. "Now stand behind his left shoulder. Just mirror Mrs Jackson. And keep up that sweet smile. They're eating it up."
As if she heard him, Mrs Jackson - Sheila, I'm supposed to call her - gives me an encouraging nod. "It's hard to be the woman behind an aspiring politician, honey, but you'll grow into it," she has said to me behind the stage, just minutes ago, her soft voice hardening with each coming word. "Just. Remember your place. All that sex and crime stuff? Keep that to yourself, will you. My husband is betting his career on your sugar daddy's candidacy. If your whoring around endangers that, if you tie Barry into your escapades, then, sweetheart, I'll personally shred you to pieces. Hm. Alright?"
Jaw strained, smile perfectly pleasant, I tilt my head and nod back.
Barry's speech rushes by, while I let my gaze wander over the audience.
Reporters, some scribbling on notepads, some adjusting their camera angles, some frowning, some nodding. Campaigners, clapping excitedly at every word Barry says. City officials, curiously awaiting information. Businessmen, of the more and less legal sort, some to show their support, some simply to find out more about my father. Or about me. Civilian police, to keep an eye on the latter. Or on me.
Slowly, Barry's speech redirects from his own gubernatorial campaigs towards state of our city. Ridley's great accomplishments. A proven executive who can "bring business discipline to city government."
Mob discipline, would've been the right term. I wonder how little it would take, to tear this entire act down. How many sentences I'd need with an audience like this. Leo Luciano isn't attending. He's too controversial. Too notorious. His ties with Ridley may never come out.
I could make that happen. The public would believe me, if I incriminated them. I have plausible familiarity with that world. My body bears plausible witness to what they've done. If I get up right here, right now, and manage to tie Ridley to Leo, and both of them to my abduction and torture, maybe I could in fact be faster than him. Maybe I could win. Outrun his threats. If the authorities move quickly enough, if I could get out a warning to Lou and the others, maybe Leo's threat wouldn't hold up. Maybe-
Lou.
For a second, I lose my composure. I freeze. I blink. Blink again. It's still them. Their shoulder-long black hair, their bronze skin, their worried frown, their dark, huge, horrified eyes. Lou is here. In this room. Full of journalists, but also, full of ruthless criminals, ready to kill them. Because of me.
All because of me.
"Countenance."
Slowly, not daring to look away from them, not daring to twitch a single muscle in my face, I lift a hand in front of my mouth as if to cover up a cough. "What did you do?", I breathe. "Why are they here?"
Over the comm, Jonah sighs. "No idea. They got in on a fake press badge, but we approved them. Probably came here with some stupid agenda." I hear him smile. "But don't worry. They're not a threat. We'll keep you safe."
I hope the professional make up on my cheeks is good enough to cover my sudden pallor. "Keep them safe," I whisper.
"Ah. That's not our job. That's your job, Danielle. And, as the boss briefed me, you have been given very clear instructions on how to handle that."
I exhale, slowly and controlled, hide the shiver in my breath as a cough. "Fuck you."
Something cold touches my hand. A glass of water, given to me from the side. Jonah has popped up from the side, keeping himself in the shadows, his face away from the audience. "Enough coughing. Put that hand down, Dany. Radio silence."
I only have eyes for my friend. There are a thousand questions in Lou's gaze, a thousand pledges, a thousand horrors. I can't bear seeing them like that. I can't bear smiling through it.
For a moment, Lou's face vanishes behind an army of raised hands, as a round of applause marks the end of Barry's speech.
In front of me, Ridley laughs jovially and leans in to his own microphone to take over the stage.
I'm sorry, I think at Lou, my face unmoving. I know they wand to see something in me. They need to. They won't be able to read me. They won't get anything. I'm so deeply, deeply sorry. I tear my gaze of them, of the wonderful, beautiful, amazing friend I cared for the most in the world, to look at the man who is the center of my world now.
Ridley.
At least I don't need to smile. I keep my face even, pretend to intensely listen to his long speech about economic growth, stability, security, while somewhere in my stomach a hard, dark painful lump keeps growing and growing.
"Now," Ridley ends with a flourish. "Before Barry and I take your questions, I know there's one more announcement you've been waiting for. Over the coming months, I'll be asking for your trust. I believe trust begins with transparency. No hidden agendas. No back-room deals. And no secrets about the life of the man asking you to lead our city. Over the past few days, you've all seen headlines, rumors, and endless speculation. This ends now." He takes a half step back and looks at me. "I'm not a bachelor any longer. In a time that has been very tough on her, where many wondered about her whereabouts, beautiful and courageous Danielle Hammond has been living with me. At great personal risk, she walked away from a life she did not choose, a life of darkness and crime. Danielle chose integrity over loyalty to wrongdoing - and over her personal safety." His hand wanders to the small of my back, as if to steady me. And to my utmost shame, he does. Involuntarily, I lean into his hold. "Danielle has been through a lot. You understand that I will not go into detail. What matters is, she is here today, she is safe as she can be, and she is the woman by my side." I can feel the pause, as if he's deliberating the audacity of the formulation, before his smile widened and he adds, "She's mine."
He pulls me in for a kiss.
The dizzying rush of blood through my ears almost cancels out the exasperated sigh of Jonah, the appreciative claps of the audience.
Governor Jackson chuckles into the microphone. "Thank you, my friend for this personal update that surely comes as a relief to many! But now let us open the room for questions about our campaigns."
Ridley pulls back, and without a clear thought, I use the opening to step into his spot behind the podium and clear my throat. "I would like to make a statement myself, if I may."
Fabric rustles as security beside the stage shift their stances.
You may the fuck not. Step back right now.
The audience falls into an expectant silence.
Ridley grabs my wrist and lets go the very same moment. Anger shines through his smile for the first time today.
Barry Jackson makes an inviting gesture.
From their seat in the middle of the crowd, unmoving in the rush of excitement around them, Lou firmly holds my gaze.
"Thank you." My broken shoulder hurts, as I clutch the corners of the podium. I force my fingers to relax, while I wait for the turmoil to settle. From the corner of my eyes, I can see Leo's security guys move along the walls of the room. Would they shoot me? Would they hurt my friends? In the middle of the press conference? "That is, what I want to say to you all. Thank you alk for your compassion and support. I am grateful and humbled to know, how many of you worried about me so much for the past 34 days, and that you did not give up searching for me. Especially-" Lou's eyes widen, all faces turning, when I gesture at them. I swallow. It's all I can do. Anonymous, they're in danger. Like this, at the center of attention, they're safe. Safe from Leo's grasp. And, just as important, safe from whatever reckless risks they might have wanted to expose themself to for my sake. "Especially, I thank my friends, and I need to ask for their forgiveness at the same time. Some of them are here today. Lou. Liv. Forgive me. Circumstances I have never chosen, far beyond my control, forced me to leave my life behind and have made it necessary for me to stay out of the public eye, for my own protection. But today, finally, I can say that it's over. You don't need to worry any longer. You can rest. I am safe." This time, it's me, turning at the podium, softly smiling at Ridley. From up close, I can see the tendons in his jaw working. My time is running out. I've kept Lou safe for this moment. Now, I must do what I takes to keep myself alive. "It was this man, Ridley Lordin, who saved me. He saw me fight, saw me struggle with a darkness that wasn't of my own. And he stepped in, held me, and guided me. I'm here now. I'm good. I've found my place. Ridley Lordin helped me find who I really am. Ridley Lordin made me the best version of myself." Delicately, I rest my good hand on Ridley's upper arm. He lets me. "And I am convinced, what he did for me is only a fraction of what he can do for this city." I allow a frenetic bout of applause to ebb off. Ridley's shoulders have relaxed. So have mine. It worked. I know it. We're safe, for now.
"Ridley for Mayor," I say, before I step back from the podium. "Thank you."
As we switch places, Ridley's hand brushes over my back, a gesture that could be read as affectionate.
It's not.
It traces Leo's mark, burned into my body.
It's a reminder.
Nice job. Jonah's voice is even, not giving away the panic I've heard in his breathing just seconds ago. I still advise you stick to the script. Boss doesn't like surprises.
Questions have started. The reporters do stick to the script. No questions about me. All about the campaign, most phrased very favorable. It's a home game. Ridley and Barry are obviously relaxed.
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As always, Ridley is @hackles-up s, Lou is dedicated to @wildfaewhump.
Content warning: forced fake relationship, (first) public appearance of whumpee, threats, implied extortion, big time dubcon vibes, dubcon kiss, referenced noncon. Dany gives up a lot of integrity, but it's okay.
[< prev] [masterlist] [next]
I smile.
I can barely see against the flashlights, barely hear over the cacophony camera shutters and excited calls, the spontaneous burst of applause, barely stand upright against the painful strain in my muscles.
But I can smile. It's just a small one, a bit sad, a bit shy. Practiced, but that's the part no one will see.
The excitement about my entrance on stage is much more exaggerated than that about Ridley's.
The muscles in my jaw strain, as I carefully keep my face even.
I raise a hand to wave a greeting.
The excited murmurs just raise in volume.
What I could've done with such an audience.
The thought hurts.
"Friends, please," Governor Jackson calls with raised hands. "Take your seats. I am aware that Mr Lordin's partner is stunning - but. She is asking for this room to respect her privacy in a challenging time, and today she's here exclusively to support my dear friend."
Behind his podium, Ridley looks at me over his shoulder with a toothy smile. He reaches out with his hand.
I freeze.
We've been 'practicing' a lot of things.
We haven't practiced chastely holding hands.
Stepping in sickens me to the stomach. It's not an act, that I need to force up all the composure I have, to lift my own hand and rest it into his.
My neck is burning, where the dress is hiding the abrasions his collar left on me. Every inch of my skin is crawling, remembering each of his unwanted touches, his intrusions, all places his hands have hurt me, humiliated me, violated me. And now I'm cradling this hand. My skin on his. His muscles against mine. Too soft, too warm, too firm, too close. The smile on my face threatens to falter.
Ridley's own smile only widens.
Under the reinvigorated storm of flashes and shutter clacks, he is holding my gaze for long seconds. The only thing steadying me is the same thing that is about to destroy me.
Ridley winks.
Then, with a firm press of my palm, he lets go and turns back to face the audience.
Good girl. Jonah Kauffmann, Leo's PR guy, has equipped me with a hidden earpiece. He's with me, at all times. "Now stand behind his left shoulder. Just mirror Mrs Jackson. And keep up that sweet smile. They're eating it up."
As if she heard him, Mrs Jackson - Sheila, I'm supposed to call her - gives me an encouraging nod. "It's hard to be the woman behind an aspiring politician, honey, but you'll grow into it," she has said to me behind the stage, just minutes ago, her soft voice hardening with each coming word. "Just. Remember your place. All that sex and crime stuff? Keep that to yourself, will you. My husband is betting his career on your sugar daddy's candidacy. If your whoring around endangers that, if you tie Barry into your escapades, then, sweetheart, I'll personally shred you to pieces. Hm. Alright?"
Jaw strained, smile perfectly pleasant, I tilt my head and nod back.
Barry's speech rushes by, while I let my gaze wander over the audience.
Reporters, some scribbling on notepads, some adjusting their camera angles, some frowning, some nodding. Campaigners, clapping excitedly at every word Barry says. City officials, curiously awaiting information. Businessmen, of the more and less legal sort, some to show their support, some simply to find out more about my father. Or about me. Civilian police, to keep an eye on the latter. Or on me.
Slowly, Barry's speech redirects from his own gubernatorial campaigs towards state of our city. Ridley's great accomplishments. A proven executive who can "bring business discipline to city government."
Mob discipline, would've been the right term. I wonder how little it would take, to tear this entire act down. How many sentences I'd need with an audience like this. Leo Luciano isn't attending. He's too controversial. Too notorious. His ties with Ridley may never come out.
I could make that happen. The public would believe me, if I incriminated them. I have plausible familiarity with that world. My body bears plausible witness to what they've done. If I get up right here, right now, and manage to tie Ridley to Leo, and both of them to my abduction and torture, maybe I could in fact be faster than him. Maybe I could win. Outrun his threats. If the authorities move quickly enough, if I could get out a warning to Lou and the others, maybe Leo's threat wouldn't hold up. Maybe-
Lou.
For a second, I lose my composure. I freeze. I blink. Blink again. It's still them. Their shoulder-long black hair, their bronze skin, their worried frown, their dark, huge, horrified eyes. Lou is here. In this room. Full of journalists, but also, full of ruthless criminals, ready to kill them. Because of me.
All because of me.
"Countenance."
Slowly, not daring to look away from them, not daring to twitch a single muscle in my face, I lift a hand in front of my mouth as if to cover up a cough. "What did you do?", I breathe. "Why are they here?"
Over the comm, Jonah sighs. "No idea. They got in on a fake press badge, but we approved them. Probably came here with some stupid agenda." I hear him smile. "But don't worry. They're not a threat. We'll keep you safe."
I hope the professional make up on my cheeks is good enough to cover my sudden pallor. "Keep them safe," I whisper.
"Ah. That's not our job. That's your job, Danielle. And, as the boss briefed me, you have been given very clear instructions on how to handle that."
I exhale, slowly and controlled, hide the shiver in my breath as a cough. "Fuck you."
Something cold touches my hand. A glass of water, given to me from the side. Jonah has popped up from the side, keeping himself in the shadows, his face away from the audience. "Enough coughing. Put that hand down, Dany. Radio silence."
I only have eyes for my friend. There are a thousand questions in Lou's gaze, a thousand pledges, a thousand horrors. I can't bear seeing them like that. I can't bear smiling through it.
For a moment, Lou's face vanishes behind an army of raised hands, as a round of applause marks the end of Barry's speech.
In front of me, Ridley laughs jovially and leans in to his own microphone to take over the stage.
I'm sorry, I think at Lou, my face unmoving. I know they wand to see something in me. They need to. They won't be able to read me. They won't get anything. I'm so deeply, deeply sorry. I tear my gaze of them, of the wonderful, beautiful, amazing friend I cared for the most in the world, to look at the man who is the center of my world now.
Ridley.
At least I don't need to smile. I keep my face even, pretend to intensely listen to his long speech about economic growth, stability, security, while somewhere in my stomach a hard, dark painful lump keeps growing and growing.
"Now," Ridley ends with a flourish. "Before Barry and I take your questions, I know there's one more announcement you've been waiting for. Over the coming months, I'll be asking for your trust. I believe trust begins with transparency. No hidden agendas. No back-room deals. And no secrets about the life of the man asking you to lead our city. Over the past few days, you've all seen headlines, rumors, and endless speculation. This ends now." He takes a half step back and looks at me. "I'm not a bachelor any longer. In a time that has been very tough on her, where many wondered about her whereabouts, beautiful and courageous Danielle Hammond has been living with me. At great personal risk, she walked away from a life she did not choose, a life of darkness and crime. Danielle chose integrity over loyalty to wrongdoing - and over her personal safety." His hand wanders to the small of my back, as if to steady me. And to my utmost shame, he does. Involuntarily, I lean into his hold. "Danielle has been through a lot. You understand that I will not go into detail. What matters is, she is here today, she is safe as she can be, and she is the woman by my side." I can feel the pause, as if he's deliberating the audacity of the formulation, before his smile widened and he adds, "She's mine."
He pulls me in for a kiss.
The dizzying rush of blood through my ears almost cancels out the exasperated sigh of Jonah, the appreciative claps of the audience.
Governor Jackson chuckles into the microphone. "Thank you, my friend for this personal update that surely comes as a relief to many! But now let us open the room for questions about our campaigns."
Ridley pulls back, and without a clear thought, I use the opening to step into his spot behind the podium and clear my throat. "I would like to make a statement myself, if I may."
Fabric rustles as security beside the stage shift their stances.
You may the fuck not. Step back right now.
The audience falls into an expectant silence.
Ridley grabs my wrist and lets go the very same moment. Anger shines through his smile for the first time today.
Barry Jackson makes an inviting gesture.
From their seat in the middle of the crowd, unmoving in the rush of excitement around them, Lou firmly holds my gaze.
"Thank you." My broken shoulder hurts, as I clutch the corners of the podium. I force my fingers to relax, while I wait for the turmoil to settle. From the corner of my eyes, I can see Leo's security guys move along the walls of the room. Would they shoot me? Would they hurt my friends? In the middle of the press conference? "That is, what I want to say to you all. Thank you alk for your compassion and support. I am grateful and humbled to know, how many of you worried about me so much for the past 34 days, and that you did not give up searching for me. Especially-" Lou's eyes widen, all faces turning, when I gesture at them. I swallow. It's all I can do. Anonymous, they're in danger. Like this, at the center of attention, they're safe. Safe from Leo's grasp. And, just as important, safe from whatever reckless risks they might have wanted to expose themself to for my sake. "Especially, I thank my friends, and I need to ask for their forgiveness at the same time. Some of them are here today. Lou. Liv. Forgive me. Circumstances I have never chosen, far beyond my control, forced me to leave my life behind and have made it necessary for me to stay out of the public eye, for my own protection. But today, finally, I can say that it's over. You don't need to worry any longer. You can rest. I am safe." This time, it's me, turning at the podium, softly smiling at Ridley. From up close, I can see the tendons in his jaw working. My time is running out. I've kept Lou safe for this moment. Now, I must do what I takes to keep myself alive. "It was this man, Ridley Lordin, who saved me. He saw me fight, saw me struggle with a darkness that wasn't of my own. And he stepped in, held me, and guided me. I'm here now. I'm good. I've found my place. Ridley Lordin helped me find who I really am. Ridley Lordin made me the best version of myself." Delicately, I rest my good hand on Ridley's upper arm. He lets me. "And I am convinced, what he did for me is only a fraction of what he can do for this city." I allow a frenetic bout of applause to ebb off. Ridley's shoulders have relaxed. So have mine. It worked. I know it. We're safe, for now.
"Ridley for Mayor," I say, before I step back from the podium. "Thank you."
As we switch places, Ridley's hand brushes over my back, a gesture that could be read as affectionate.
It's not.
It traces Leo's mark, burned into my body.
It's a reminder.
Nice job. Jonah's voice is even, not giving away the panic I've heard in his breathing just seconds ago. I still advise you stick to the script. Boss doesn't like surprises.
Questions have started. The reporters do stick to the script. No questions about me. All about the campaign, most phrased very favorable. It's a home game. Ridley and Barry are obviously relaxed.
At Ridley's big press conference, Dany breaks protocol.
As always, Ridley is @hackles-up s, Lou is dedicated to @wildfaewhump.
Content warning: forced fake relationship, (first) public appearance of whumpee, threats, implied extortion, big time dubcon vibes, dubcon kiss, referenced noncon. Dany gives up a lot of integrity, but it's okay.
[< prev] [masterlist] [next]
I smile.
I can barely see against the flashlights, barely hear over the cacophony camera shutters and excited calls, the spontaneous burst of applause, barely stand upright against the painful strain in my muscles.
But I can smile. It's just a small one, a bit sad, a bit shy. Practiced, but that's the part no one will see.
The excitement about my entrance on stage is much more exaggerated than that about Ridley's.
The muscles in my jaw strain, as I carefully keep my face even.
I raise a hand to wave a greeting.
The excited murmurs just raise in volume.
What I could've done with such an audience.
The thought hurts.
"Friends, please," Governor Jackson calls with raised hands. "Take your seats. I am aware that Mr Lordin's partner is stunning - but. She is asking for this room to respect her privacy in a challenging time, and today she's here exclusively to support my dear friend."
Behind his podium, Ridley looks at me over his shoulder with a toothy smile. He reaches out for me.
I freeze.
We've been 'practicing' a lot of things.
We haven't practiced chastely holding hands.
Stepping in sickens me to the stomach. It's not an act, that I need to force up all the composure I have, to lift my own hand and rest it into his.
My neck is burning, where the dress is hiding the abrasions his collar left on me. Every inch of my skin is crawling, remembering each of his unwanted touches, his intrusions, all places his hands have hurt me, humiliated me, violated me. And now I'm cradling this hand. My skin on his. His muscles against mine. Too soft, too warm, too firm, too close. The smile on my face threatens to falter.
Ridley's own smile only widens.
Under the reinvigorated storm of flashes and shutter clacks, he is holding my gaze for long seconds. The only thing steadying me is the same thing that is about to destroy me.
Ridley winks.
Then, with a firm press of my palm, he lets go and turns back to face the audience.
Good girl. Jonah Kauffmann, Leo's PR guy, has equipped me with a hidden earpiece. He's with me, at all times. "Now stand behind his left shoulder. Just mirror Mrs Jackson. And keep up that sweet smile. They're eating it up."
As if she heard him, Mrs Jackson - Sheila, I'm supposed to call her - gives me an encouraging nod. "It's hard to be the woman behind an aspiring politician, honey, but you'll grow into it," she has said to me behind the stage, just minutes ago, her soft voice hardening with each coming word. "Just. Remember your place. All that sex and crime stuff? Keep that to yourself, will you. My husband is betting his career on your sugar daddy's candidacy. If your whoring around endangers that, if you tie Barry into your escapades, then, sweetheart, I'll personally shred you to pieces. Hm. Alright?"
Jaw strained, smile perfectly pleasant, I tilt my head and nod back.
Barry's speech rushes by, while I let my gaze wander over the audience.
Reporters, some scribbling on notepads, some adjusting their camera angles, some frowning, some nodding. Campaigners, clapping excitedly at every word Barry says. City officials, curiously awaiting information. Businessmen, of the more and less legal sort, some to show their support, some simply to find out more about my father. Or about me. Civilian police, to keep an eye on the latter. Or on me.
Slowly, Barry's speech redirects from his own gubernatorial campaigs towards state of our city. Ridley's great accomplishments. A proven executive who can "bring business discipline to city government."
Mob discipline, would've been the right term. I wonder how little it would take, to tear this entire act down. How many sentences I'd need with an audience like this. Leo Luciano isn't attending. He's too controversial. Too notorious. His ties with Ridley may never come out.
I could make that happen. The public would believe me, if I incriminated them. I have plausible familiarity with that world. My body bears plausible witness to what they've done. If I get up right here, right now, and manage to tie Ridley to Leo, and both of them to my abduction and torture, maybe I could in fact be faster than him. Maybe I could win. Outrun his threats. If the authorities move quickly enough, if I could get out a warning to Lou and the others, maybe Leo's threat wouldn't hold up. Maybe-
Lou.
For a second, I lose my composure. I freeze. I blink. Blink again. It's still them. Their shoulder-long black hair, their bronze skin, their worried frown, their dark, huge, horrified eyes. Lou is here. In this room. Full of journalists, but also, full of ruthless criminals, ready to kill them. Because of me.
All because of me.
"Countenance."
Slowly, not daring to look away from them, not daring to twitch a single muscle in my face, I lift a hand in front of my mouth as if to cover up a cough. "What did you do?", I breathe. "Why are they here?"
Over the comm, Jonah sighs. "No idea. They got in on a fake press badge, but we approved them. Probably came here with some stupid agenda." I hear him smile. "But don't worry. They're not a threat. We'll keep you safe."
I hope the professional make up on my cheeks is good enough to cover my sudden pallor. "Keep them safe," I whisper.
"Ah. That's not our job. That's your job, Danielle. And, as the boss briefed me, you have been given very clear instructions on how to handle that."
I exhale, slowly and controlled, hide the shiver in my breath as a cough. "Fuck you."
Something cold touches my hand. A glass of water, given to me from the side. Jonah has popped up from the side, keeping himself in the shadows, his face away from the audience. "Enough coughing. Put that hand down, Dany. Radio silence."
I only have eyes for my friend. There are a thousand questions in Lou's gaze, a thousand pledges, a thousand horrors. I can't bear seeing them like that. I can't bear smiling through it.
For a moment, Lou's face vanishes behind an army of raised hands, as a round of applause marks the end of Barry's speech.
In front of me, Ridley laughs jovially and leans in to his own microphone to take over the stage.
I'm sorry, I think at Lou, my face unmoving. I know they wand to see something in me. They need to. They won't be able to read me. They won't get anything. I'm so deeply, deeply sorry. I tear my gaze of them, of the wonderful, beautiful, amazing friend I cared for the most in the world, to look at the man who is the center of my world now.
Ridley.
At least I don't need to smile. I keep my face even, pretend to intensely listen to his long speech about economic growth, stability, security, while somewhere in my stomach a hard, dark painful lump keeps growing and growing.
"Now," Ridley ends with a flourish. "Before Barry and I take your questions, I know there's one more announcement you've been waiting for. Over the coming months, I'll be asking for your trust. I believe trust begins with transparency. No hidden agendas. No back-room deals. And no secrets about the life of the man asking you to lead our city. These past few days, you've all seen headlines, rumors, and endless speculation. This ends now." He takes a half step back and looks at me. "I'm not a bachelor any longer. In a time that has been very tough on her, where many wondered about her whereabouts, beautiful and courageous Danielle Hammond has been living with me. At great personal risk, she walked away from a life she did not choose, a life of darkness and crime. Danielle chose integrity over loyalty to wrongdoing - and over her personal safety." His hand wanders to the small of my back, as if to steady me. And to my utmost shame, he does. Involuntarily, I lean into his hold. "Danielle has been through a lot. You understand that I will not go into detail. What matters is, she is here today, she is safe as she can be, and she is the woman by my side." I can feel the pause, as if he's deliberating the audacity of the formulation, before his smile widened and he adds, "She's mine."
He pulls me in for a kiss.
The dizzying rush of blood through my ears almost cancels out the exasperated sigh of Jonah, the appreciative claps of the audience.
Governor Jackson chuckles into the microphone. "Thank you, my friend for this personal update that surely comes as a relief to many! But now let us open the room for questions about our campaigns."
Ridley pulls back, and without a clear thought, I use the opening to step into his spot behind the podium and clear my throat. "I would like to make a statement myself, if I may."
Fabric rustles as security beside the stage shift their stances.
You may the fuck not. Step back right now.
The audience falls into an expectant silence.
Ridley grabs my wrist and lets go the very same moment. Rage seeps into his smile for the first time today.
Barry Jackson makes an inviting gesture.
From their seat in the middle of the crowd, unmoving in the rush of excitement around them, Lou firmly holds my gaze.
"Thank you." My broken shoulder hurts, as I clutch the corners of the podium. I force my fingers to relax, while I wait for the turmoil to settle. From the corner of my eyes, I can see Leo's security guys move along the walls of the room. Would they shoot me? Would they hurt my friends? In the middle of the press conference? "That is, what I want to say to you all. Thank you alk for your compassion and support. I am grateful and humbled to know, how many of you worried about me so much for the past 34 days, and that you did not give up searching for me. Especially-" Lou's eyes widen, all faces turning, when I gesture at them. I swallow. It's all I can do. Anonymous, they're in danger. Like this, at the center of attention, they're safe. Safe from Leo's grasp. And, just as important, safe from whatever reckless risks they might have wanted to expose themself to for my sake. "Especially, I thank my friends, and I need to ask for their forgiveness at the same time. Some of them are here today. Lou. Liv. Forgive me. Circumstances I have never chosen, far beyond my control, forced me to leave my life behind and have made it necessary for me to stay out of the public eye, for my own protection. But today, finally, I can say that it's over. You don't need to worry any longer. You can rest. I am safe." This time, it's me, turning at the podium, softly smiling at Ridley. From up close, I can see the tendons in his jaw working. My time is running out. I've kept Lou safe for this moment. Now, I must do what I takes to keep myself alive. "It was this man, Ridley Lordin, who saved me. He saw me fight, saw me struggle with a darkness that wasn't of my own. And he stepped in, held me, and guided me. I'm here now. I'm good. I've found my place. Ridley Lordin helped me find who I really am. Ridley Lordin made me the best version of myself." Delicately, I rest my good hand on Ridley's upper arm. He lets me. "And I am convinced, what he did for me is only a fraction of what he can do for this city." I allow a frenetic bout of applause to ebb off. Ridley's shoulders have relaxed. So have mine. It worked. I know it. We're safe, for now.
"Ridley for Mayor," I say, before I step back from the podium. "Thank you."
As we switch places, Ridley's hand brushes over my back, a gesture that could be read as affectionate.
It's not.
It traces Leo's mark, burned into my body.
It's a reminder.
Nice job. Jonah's voice is even, not giving away the panic I've heard in his breathing just seconds ago. I still advise you stick to the script. Boss doesn't like surprises.
Questions have started. The reporters do stick to the script. No questions about me. All about the campaign, most phrased very favorable. It's a home game. Ridley and Barry are obviously relaxed.
