CHAPTER 16

Warning: This chapter contains some graphic scenes of male sexual abuse and rape. Do not read if this topic offends you.

David Starsky opened his eyes to his own personal version of hell. He had lost count of the number of beatings he had received, combined with slashes of the knife and cigarette burns to his chest and arms. The violence was escalating and from his present condition, Starsky knew it was entering a new, even more disturbing, phase. He was lying on his back on a wooden platform with his hands tired above his head and his legs spread eagled with his ankles secured to either side of the platform. The rest of his clothes had been removed, leaving him nude and vulnerable. He trembled but he wasn't sure if it was from the chill in the air or a barely repressed fear of what lay ahead in the next few hours.

"Hutch…" he said plaintively "Now would be a really good time to show up, pal…" He closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath to calm his ragged nerves. Starsky knew that his body couldn't take much more abuse. He had a high pain threshold but even he had his limits. The sound of the trap door opening overhead sent a chill down his spine as his body tensed involuntarily.

The man who held him captive approached Starsky's bound body with a sneer on his face.

"You've been a challenge compared to the others. Too bad our time together is almost over." He said

"At least tell me why. You owe me that much."

"I owe you nothing but I suppose it can't hurt to tell you. After all, you won't be alive to tell anyone about me." The man stepped closer, his eyes sweeping over Starsky's nude body with a lustful glare that made Starsky apprehensive. "Men like you…pretty boys who can get any woman they want. Men who sell themselves to the highest bidder. Or in your case…nosy cops who don't know when to mind their own business…cops who pretend to be something they aren't so they can go to places that they don't belong…"

"Murder is still murder," Starsky said "It's my job to stop you from killing again."

"Such noble sentiments. Too bad it has to end this way." The man stepped closer and reached down to fondle Starsky's flaccid genitals. Starsky immediately stiffened, a flush coloring his neck and face at the unwanted touch. He hissed as the touch turned more seductive, stroking his limp cock until his body automatically began to respond to the stimulation. Although Starsky knew that his response was purely a physical reaction and beyond his control, he still felt ashamed at his body's betrayal.

"Nice…very nice…" the man murmured as he watched Starsky's cock thicken and lengthen to an impressive size. His fingers tightened as he stroked from base to crown, letting his thumb brush over the sensitive head. Starsky whimpered as unwanted pleasure began to build inside of him. He yelled in shock as the man suddenly took Starsky's cock in his mouth. He pulled against his restraints, chafing the skin around his wrists, but the knots held.

"You fucker!" Starsky yelled "Leave me the fuck alone!" Although he knew that his objections wouldn't stop what the man was doing, it was not in Starsky's nature to stay silent and endure being sexually abused by another man.

In retaliation, the man grabbed Starsky's hips with his hands, his fingers digging in hard enough to leave bruises, as he began to suck harder, deliberately scrapping the sensitive shaft with his teeth. Starsky tried in vain to stop the pleasure that was surging through his body at the unwelcome contact. He tried to withdraw deep inside himself where the pain could no longer reach him but he was only partially successful.

A ragged scream was ripped from Starsky's throat as a sudden searing pain tore through his body making him feel as if he were being ripped in two. From the thrusting he could feel against his groin, he knew that he was being raped. He welcomed the darkness that reached out and pulled him into its embrace.

Captain Dobey could hear Hutch's voice raised in anger as he walked down the hallway.

He had received the call at home about Hutch's accident and immediately left for the hospital. It sounded like he had arrived just in time. He hurried into room 412 and halted surveying the scene in front of him in amusement. Two burly orderlies and a petite nurse were trying in vain to keep Hutch in the bed.

In spite of the cast on his left arm and the heavy bandage around his left knee, Hutch was trying to crawl out of the bed and insisting that he wasn't staying in the hospital.

"Sergeant Hutchinson!" Dobey growled "Stand down!"

Hutch immediately settled back against the pillows with an angry glare at the orderlies and then one at his superior officer. In a fiercely determined voice, he said, "I'm not staying here, Captain. Starsky's still out there somewhere and I have to find him!"

"What you need to do is stay in that bed just like the doctor ordered. You're damn lucky that you weren't hurt any worse than you were in that accident."

"What about the other driver?"

"He's fine, not a scratch." Dobey said gruffly. "He tested at a .05 so he's being booked for DUI. You're lucky you weren't killed."

"I don't care about me," Hutch insisted firmly, trying to climb out of bed again. "I have to find Starsky."

Dobey stepped forward and put both hands on Hutch's shoulders pushing him back down on the bed, "You're staying right here. At least for the night. You have a concussion on top of everything else."

Hutch fell silent and complied with Dobey's orders at least for now. As if he had read the bond's mind, Dobey added solemnly, "And no sneaking out of here first chance you get. Is that understood?"

"Understood." Hutch grumbled irritably. In spite of his apparent compliance, he had no intention of heeding that order. He didn't care about his own welfare not when Starsky's life was in danger. He locked eyes with Dobey and from the expression in the burly black man's eyes, he was fully aware of Hutch's intentions.

Hutch settled down and let the nurse check his vital signs. Truth be told, he was hurting more than he cared to admit even to himself. Broken ribs on his left side caused his chest to hurt when he took a deep breath, and his head was pounding fiercely. But true to his nature, Hutch had refused any pain medication stronger than Tylenol 3.

Finally, everyone left and he was alone. Hutch waited patiently until almost midnight before quietly slipping out of bed. A hiss of pain escaped as he put his weight on his sprained knee. He crossed the room with a heavy limp and pulled open the closet where he found his jeans hanging neatly. He vaguely remembered his shirt being cut off in the emergency room. No matter. It wouldn't be the first time he'd snuck out of the hospital wearing one of their gowns. With some difficulty, he managed to get into his jeans and his shoes. He found his wallet and ID in the stand beside his bed. Stuffing them into his hip pocket, he crept to the door and cautiously peeked out. The hallway appeared to be deserted. Thankfully his room was next to the exit to the stairwell.

Hutch silently slipped out of his room and into the stairway. Pausing momentarily to catch his breath and calm him pounding heart, he started to climb down the steps ignoring the throbbing pain in his knee and in his head. It took him almost half an hour to make it down four sets of steps to the ground floor. Taking care not to be seen, he slipped out of the stairwell and hurried to the service exit.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped out into the darkness. So far so good. But, without a car, he was going to need some help and who better to help him than Huggy Bear. Moving slowly and cautiously, he made his way down the street towards The Pits which was only a few blocks away.