Chapter Twelve

I don't knowwhat's real anymore. Stale air wafts over my cheeks. I can't feel my hands. A concrete floor swims in and out of focus. Along with my bare feet.

Water sloshes between my toes. Where are my shoes? Fuck. I'm tied to a chair with a plastic tub under my feet. My t-shirt is ripped down the middle, exposing my torso. That can only mean one thing.

"Fuck. You!" Dax shouts from my left. His long, low scream is followed quickly by the smell of burnt flesh. My stomach roils, and I barely manage to turn my head before I lose the little I ate this morning.

The battery cables sizzle as a tall, dark-haired man snaps the leads against one another. Dax is bound much like I am. Blood drips from his split lip. His white dress shirt is spattered with it. He's still twitching from the shock, and a burned patch of skin darkens his side.

"We have two hours," the man growls and advances on him again. "Ramin says we can make you suffer."

"Stop," I groan. "We didn't set off that bomb."

"Rip…shut up." Dax spits at the guy as he heads for me. "That's a goddamn order."

Another man with a short length of pipe steps out of the shadows. The hit to my gut doesn't surprise me. I've taken enough of them. But the pain flares bright hot, and tears spring to my eyes.

"Tell us why you targeted our families," the first guy growls.

"Are you deaf, asswipe?" I glare up at the guy holding the cables. "We didn't."

The leads crackle, and I steel myself for the shock. But you can't prepare yourself for electrocution. Fists. Knives. Even fire. Those, I can survive. But this…

Every muscle seizes. The zip ties dig into my wrists and ankles as my body flails helplessly.

"Leave him alone," Dax grunts. "He doesn't know a damn thing about the mission. That was my job."

Whatever they gave me—us—is still making my head spin. I can't focus worth shit. Can't catch my breath either.

Dax continues to taunt them, drawing their focus away from me.

I can't let myself fall apart. When they took us, I shut down. All I could think about was Faruk. Losing myself to the drugs. The scorpions. The beatings.

But I'm not back there. I'm still in the United States. No more than a couple of hours from Seattle. Cara and Evianna…they're not here. I hope to all that's holy these assholes weren't lying when they said the women would be okay.

"Tickles," Dax says with a lopsided smile after another round with the cables. "You can do…better."

A punch catches him in the temple. His eyes roll back, and his head lolls onto his chest. Fuck. He's out. Too many hits. Traumatic brain injuries. All three of us. Dax has migraines. I get dizzy for no reason. Ry…he doesn't admit to anything, but I know he's in pain. Every day.

"If you want to save your friend another round, you will tell us why you set off that bomb," the guy with the pipe says.

"If you want to save yourself from dying with your balls shoved down your throat, you'll let us go. Because when Ryker McCabe gets his hands on you, he'll carve a new pretty picture into your flesh every hour on the hour until there isn't a single square inch of skin left. Starting with your dick."

The pipe lands across my shoulders this time. I can live with that. I've had worse. Hell, anything they do to me, I've had worse.

"You are not that smart, are you Sergeant Richards?"

"Actually, I'm a goddamn genius."

The next hit is aimed directly at my collarbone. One of the most painful bones to break. Hardest to heal too. But I twist my body at the right time, and he clips my upper arm instead.

"I can do this all day. Look. I'm not even breaking a sweat. You took Wren. If you think he's going to let you live, you're fucking idiots."

I shouldn't keep baiting these assholes. It won't end well for me. But if they're busy with us, they're not hurting Wren. Or going after Ry before he's ready. He needs time for West to figure out a plan.

Electricity shoots through me again, so much worse than the last time. Fuck. The leads are only a couple of inches from my dick. I flop helplessly until my vision goes white and there's only a dull roar in my ears. Will I come back from this? Or is it finally the end?

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