“Is he still there?”
“Yeah. I left Dub watching the place.”
“They better not see him,” I mutter, still wrapping my mind around the fact that I finally know who in my club has been trying to get me.
“They won’t, Dodger. You know how Dub is. If he doesn’t want you to see him, you won’t.”
“Now we need to plan our next move.”
“We already know it,” I tell Wolf and our eyes lock.
“Dodger, now that we know who the mole is—”
“It changes only one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m killing that motherfucker before I die,” I vow. My options are limited, but if I have to wrestle the Grim Reaper himself to stay alive long enough to end Crash, I will.
“Damn it, Dodger—”
“Torrent is all that matters, Wolf. You know that. That’s why I brought you into this. I can’t do it alone.”
“Damn it,” he mutters again.
“You love her. I couldn’t trust her life in anyone else’s hands,” I tell him. I see the exact second he accepts what I’ve already figured out is inevitable. I don’t have a death wish. I hope a miracle happens and I survive.
I’m just pretty sure it’s not going to.Torrent“Why are you doing this?” I ask again.
I don’t expect an answer. I never get an answer. The response isn’t verbal this time either. Instead, I’m blasted with the cold spray of the water hose. Water surges against my face. It’s ice cold and a combination of the temperature and the way it’s sprayed directly at my face work together to take my breath away.
I sputter and gasp, turning my head to the side and holding my hands up—all in some weak attempt to protect myself. That’s a joke. There’s no protecting myself. I couldn’t even manage to beat them away from me so I could keep my clothes on.
I’m not sure which is actually worse. Being hosed down, or standing naked in front of a man I don’t know and unable to see anything but the outline of him. I feel so powerless, like I have no control and I have to wonder if I will ever have control again. Over the last few days, I’ve been thinking and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to come out of this alive. I’ve thought about the people in my life, and wished I could at least say goodbye to a few of them.
This is going to hurt my father so much. Losing my brother destroyed pieces of him, but if he loses me too… I swallow down the misery that threatens to drown me.
I feel the water slow and then—thankfully—it is taken away. I take in a deep breath. That is just as painful. My body is so sore from the beatings. I know my ribs are cracked—if not broken. He hasn’t beaten me today and I’m thankful at least for that small mercy.
I hear steps walking toward me and try not to be scared, but I can’t stop that emotion. I’ve been scared since I stepped outside of the convent. I’ve felt it for so long, it suffocates me now. I feel his hand wrapping around my hair, gathering it, holding it tight at the scalp.
“You’re a hot little piece even looking like you do. I ought to break you in a little more for my boss, don’t you think?”
I don’t respond, but inside I’m shaking like crazy. I hope he thinks it is from the cold. I don’t want to show that I’m scared—not to these monsters.
“What do you think? I bet you know how to suck a man dry, don’t you? How about you show me what you can do with that mouth of yours?” he growls and then he uses his hold to force me to my knees.
I start screaming, I can’t stop myself. I already feel lost and completely at my kidnapper’s mercy. The thought of being forced… of them forcing themselves on me terrifies me beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. I know that if something like this happens, if this man is allowed to do that to me there will be pieces of me that I will never get back—parts of me that will not survive.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
I recognize the voice. He’s the man from yesterday—the one whose voice sounds vaguely familiar. It does today… even more so, but I still can’t place it. It’s on the tip of my tongue but, I can’t fight my fear enough to concentrate.
“Having a little fun,” the man laughs, yanking my head harder and pulling me to him.
“I told you to not fucking—”
“I’m going to let her show me what she can do with her mouth. Hell, I’m only warming her up for—”
He doesn’t finish his sentence. A gunshot rings out through the room and it causes my ears to ring. I scream, sure I’ll feel blinding pain at any time. That never comes. Instead, the man lets go of my hair. I feel his body jerking against me and then I hear a large crash as he falls back and his body hits the floor.