I whimpered against the black rag he’d shoved in my mouth. “That’s how I knew what to do when I cut you at the shed. Then Kai refused to let me do it again. But I knew I was better at it. I knew how to help you, Georgie.” He reached out and I flinched away, but he managed to stroke the side of my face. “We’re connected, you know. We share the same pain. We’re the same.”
My eyes widened. I had no idea what the hell he was talking about. My knees ached from kneeling on the hard, plank floor and he had my arms behind my back and tied with a belt—just like Robbie had done.
“Have you seen Kai’s scars? They’re bad. He must have fought them a long time. Me … I was only ten, so I didn’t fight them for very long, kind of like you didn’t with Robbie.”
That’s because I was already broken, you bastard. Connor dying, Deck leaving, had destroyed me already.
“They won’t like it that Kai failed to keep you and Deck apart. You know it was why he couldn’t leave JTF2 for those two years? They pulled some strings, made sure he was kept in the military until Kai had you completely immersed with us.” I moaned against my gag. He tilted his head to the side. “Kai … he’ll be brought in, too. They won’t kill him for it, but he’ll be tortured. Or maybe they’ll just torture the girl while he watches. He should’ve done what they asked and brought the girl to them when he was supposed to. They will make him suffer. He probably already knows it.” He chuckled as he ran a finger down my back. “Vault will be pleased with me for bringing you to them as soon as I found out you were with Deck. And if they’re not … ” he shrugged. “At least Deck will never have you.”
Vault?
He crouched down in front of me, holding out a carving knife. He tilted it back and forth, sliding his finger down the edge of it. “We’ll be here a while. My message won’t reach France until it goes through the channels here.” He ran his hand over my head like I was his puppy dog. “But I can help you. I’ll take away your pain like you want, Georgie.”
“You fucking bastard,” I shouted against the gag, but all that came out was a roar of moans. I rolled to the side, but I couldn’t get up with my hands tied behind my back. He yanked me back up to my knees and came up behind me, pressing down hard on my back until my cheek pressed into the floor.
The knife punctured my lower back on my side and started to drag up. I felt my skin separating, the blood leaking down my side and I tried to move, but his weight wouldn’t allow it. It didn’t feel deep, just enough to make me bleed. What I didn’t know was how much worse it was going to get.
“Oh, it’s not that bad. Wait until Vault have you. Then you will know pain.” He ran his finger down my spine like a soft caress and I felt his lips brush against the small of my back. “I’ll erase him from you. Make you forget him, Georgie.”
Like hell, he could ever do that. No matter what was done to me, I’d never stop loving Deck.
“When we go—”
There was a loud bang as the door flung open at the same time as the small window shattered and glass flew everywhere. The door ripped off the rusted hinges and swayed twice before it fell to the floor, just missing Tanner and me.
My eyes widened when I saw Kai and Deck standing in the doorway and Vic and Tyler climbing through the window, all with guns pointed at Tanner. Except Kai, he had a knife but it was as good as a bullet. He could throw it quick and accurately and Tanner knew it.
Tanner looped his arm through mine and dragged me backward two steps until we hit the wall, a shovel and spade wobbling on their hooks. He held the jagged knife to my throat and his other arm locked around my chest.
I was drooling from the gag in my mouth and trying to inhale large breaths through my nose. My gaze hit Deck, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was locked on Tanner.
Kai lowered his knife, slipped it back in his holster and took a step forward. Tanner’s grip tightened and I felt the slight puncture of the tip of his knife.
“What are you doing, Tanner?”
“More like what are you doing, Kai? Did you tell them about Vault? Looks like you did or they wouldn’t be here right now. No matter, they will deal with you as soon as they get my message.”