“Offer declined,” Atticus said drolly. “You’re not getting out of this, so you can do away with the hysterics. They’re not going to sway us. We don’t care how much you cry. Hell, my brothers actually kind of like it.”
Ever’s jaw dropped as Cherry’s whole demeanor changed. She immediately stopped crying, her face going from terrified to sullen fast enough to give him whiplash. “You people are fucking insane,” she snapped.
“Tell us something we don’t know,” Asa said, waving a hand.
“How about that you guys are already dead. My crew will fuck you up when they hear about this,” Cherry promised.
“Sure, Jan,” Lake said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ever didn’t know who Jan was, either. It was like he was in a play where nobody had given him the script.
“I want to play, too,” Felix said. Ever’s eyes went wide as Felix hopped up on the table in one graceful move, straddling Cherry’s hips. “Hey, girl.”
Avi handed him a small box.
She sneered at him. “What are you going to do? Give me a makeover?”
Goosebumps erupted along Ever’s skin as Felix’s smile widened. He opened the box. Ever’s mouth went dry as he watched him pluck small objects from the box, placing each one over his fingers. They looked like…claws. Metal claws.
Felix locked eyes with her. “Funny you should say that…” He swiped two fingers across her face, quick as a snake, laughing when blood flowed down her cheeks. “Oh, look at that… You look better already.”
Real fear crept into Cherry’s eyes then. Not the fake hysterics from moments before, but real actual terror. “I-Is this because of the fire?” she stuttered. “We knew it wouldn’t kill you. We knew there was an alarm. It was just to get your attention.”
Felix leaned over her, squeezing her bloody face, the claws digging into her skin. “Mission accomplished, bitch.”
“Yeah, I think it’s safe to say you have our unwavering focus,” Seven said from his spot beside Atticus.
Ever made a sound of frustration. When were they going to ask their questions? He’d just do it himself. When Ever stepped into her line of sight, she blinked rapidly, like she was unable to process how he was a part of this. “Are there others?” he asked point-blank.
“Other what?” she snapped, giving him that dismissive once-over she had the day they’d first met.
Except, this time, Ever had the upper hand. He ignored her nasty look, his voice calm and quiet. “Other victims. Like me. Where are they?”
She rolled her eyes but said nothing.
“Roll your eyes at him again and I’ll pluck them from your skull and give them to him as a Christmas present,” Felix promised.
“You… You’re not really going to hurt me,” she said, her voice wavering. “If you do, my crew will kill you. All of you.”
Jericho laughed, speaking for the first time. “When we’re done, there won’t be enough left of your crew to even realize you’re missing.”
“And we’re most definitely going to hurt you,” Avi said coldly. “How much and for how long depends entirely on you.”
Asa nodded. “You have a lot of sins to atone for, Cherry.” He turned, grabbing something that looked like a saw. “Don’t make me start sawing off body parts. That paralytic only keeps you still. You’ll still feel every agonizing cut. And I won’t make it quick.”
Ever’s stomach lurched. If Asa cut off any part of her, he was definitely going to throw up. Probably a lot. And that would be really embarrassing after begging them to let him come. He prayed she had some sense of self-preservation.
Cherry looked like she was going to throw up, too. “Why should I talk? You’re just going to kill me, anyway.”
“You got us there,” Atticus said, stepping forward. He pulled something from his pocket. A syringe. “But if you tell us what we want to know, I give you this injection and you just drift off to sleep and never wake up.”
“Conversely,” Lake said, his tone frigid, “you could die screaming. Option A sounds better to me.”
Ever tried again. “Are there other victims out there? Waiting to be…sold?”
Cherry’s gaze drifted away from him to stare at the high ceiling overhead.
Asa shrugged. “Okay, we gave you a chance…” He picked up her arm, running a finger along her wrist. “I’m going to start here. Then my brother is going to use that torch over there to cauterize the wound. The pain might knock you out. But my other brother—the doctor—has this handy, dandy little med box that will allow us to wake you right back up. So, we can do this over and over and over…”
