Trapped by Lies (Truth or Lies 3)

Shit.

I can’t use any of that on Zeke. And even if I wanted to, he’s stronger, more powerful than I am.

“You can bring in any person you need to help subdue him, but you are the one who has to do all the torturing. And you can torture him, even to death, so as long as you get the information.”

I can’t bring myself to look at Zeke as I feel the tears in my eyes. There is no way I will be able to hurt him.

“Who does Enzo have to torture?” I ask, my voice stronger than I feel.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to tell you that information. That is part of the game. Enzo doesn’t know who you are torturing, and you don’t know who he is torturing.”

But I already know who he’s torturing, the only person he would give his life for—Liesel. His everything. I saw how her contact was written on his phone when he was scrolling absentmindedly through his phone last night, trying to distract himself from what is to come. It broke my heart at the time, now it destroys me.

“Any other questions?”

“So the winner is whoever extracts the information first?”

“Yes.”

I can’t let Enzo hurt Liesel.

But I can’t hurt Zeke.

There has to be another way.

“I have monitors in both rooms I will be watching. I know the information each prisoner contains, and I’ll know when that information is extracted. Otherwise, there are no rules.”

“I don’t get to know what information I’m looking for?”

“No.”

Archard walks to the door, “When the fog horn sounds, you may begin.”

And then he’s gone, locking the door behind him.

And I’m left alone with Zeke. But I still can’t bring myself to look at him. I need a second to breathe, to think, to find a way out of this mess before I lose my soul by torturing a man who doesn’t deserve it.

The fog horn sounds, giving me no time. Not enough time to figure out how to save us all.

And then I hear a scream so loud it sends vibrations through the entire boat. A cry that will live inside me forever. A cry of a heart breaking.

Enzo’s cry, scream, growl all rolled into one. It’s a cry of a warrior about to face a battle. The cry of a man so destroyed by what he has to do. And I know I have limited time to save Enzo. Because there is no way he’s going to back down from this challenge, even if it destroys him in the process.

THE FIRST THING I do is walk to the door, testing to see if I’m locked in.

I am.

I’m trapped in this nightmare.

And the only way to get out is to torture one of the few people in the world who loves me.

Slowly, I turn to face Zeke, who is still standing there with his hands in his pockets. He’s still weak from getting attacked before because of me. And scars etch into his tan skin. I can’t cause more.

I bite my lip as I try to figure a way out of this. It’s just a puzzle I need to solve, that’s all. I don’t have to torture anyone.

“What is your secret, Zeke?” I ask, maybe it will be that simple. Zeke cares about me, loves me even, not in a romantic way, but in an—I’m your big protective brother who will beat the shit out of anyone who touches you, sort of way.

“I can’t,” he says.