“Can I come?”
We all stare at him in shock. Ace recovers first. “That’s fine. I’m trusting you both to pick someone pretty, though. A redhead would be a bonus.”
“Being female is a bonus at this point,” Gabe mutters in exasperation. Ace flinches at his words, and I frown, staring between them for a moment. They pointedly look away from me with matching expressions of false nonchalance. I thought things between them might have been getting better.
Making a note to pull them both aside and find out what’s going on, I head back to the solitude of my office. I work late into the night, reading the same lines repeatedly as my thoughts drift to tomorrow.
I pull up information on the Omega Creed on my laptop and flick through it. My back straightens, unease and distaste trickling into me with every word. It’s a lot stricter than I realised. I mean, they’re not even allowed abed. What’s the point of that?
Molly’s face fills my mind, Gabrielle begging us to take them somewhere else. My hand clenches, the plastic protesting with a large crack. I shove away my broken mouse and lean back with a sigh.
I’m not responsible for them, I tell myself.This is the law.
But something isn’t sitting right with me.
ChapterSix
Harper
Idon’t feel like me anymore.
The water is freezing, but I stopped feeling it a while back. I just feel numb. My body is completely submerged, and the shaking has stopped. I don’t think that’s good, but I can’t bring myself to care.
Maybe this is it. Maybe I’ll just drift away.
I’m so tired. I think I’m ready.
My thoughts wander, taking me away from the feeling of ice sloshing against my skin. For the first time in years, I let myself think of my mom and dad. We were happy, once. Childhood memories of family gatherings and the sweet scent of baked goods wash over me, and I surround myself with better times, picking through memories like pages from a book until my mind grows fuzzy as my face slips below the surface.
Let this be it, I think. There’s a haziness to my thoughts.
Let me be free.
A hand grasps my hair and yanks me out of the water. My legs can’t hold me up and I cry out as my full weight dangles. Jason rips me from the comforting numbness, dragging me across the floor towards a second tub. My legs scrape over the rough concrete, new bruises springing up amongst the field of purple and green. My body shakes violently, teeth chattering with the aftereffects of the ice bath.
He forces my legs into the warm water and agony sears up my limbs as steam rises. I scream, my legs feeling like they’re on fire.
It lasts for a handful of seconds at most, but tears are falling when Jason pulls me out again. I land heavily on the floor and don’t move, my legs twitching as the pins and needles hit them.
Jason leans over me, stroking my hair back from my face. I flinch before I can control it, and his hand whips out, slapping me across the face. A stab of pain flares as my lip splits again, blood trickling down my chin.
“Kneel.” It’s a growl, not a bark, but I still comply.
Every inch of me hurts, but I drag myself onto my knees, keening in pain at the pins and needles and burning in my legs. I’m not quick enough for Jason and a bamboo cane slaps the bottom of my feet, making me cry out.
“I’m sorry, Sir!”
He only hits me twice, so maybe I wasn’t so slow this time. My feet sting with the feeling of the thin cuts.
Kneeling obediently with my legs pressed together, I face the floor. I stare forwards, my gaze unfocused as I rest my palms on my thighs.
I don’t know how long I’ve been in this room. It feels like months. And every waking moment has been filled withhim.
Even my sleep doesn’t bring peace. When I’m allowed to sleep at all, Jason is either next to me, his hands roaming my body, or I’m in the cage, shivering on the plastic matting. There’s no sheet. Nowhere to hide in this room.
I think I’ve only slept a handful of times since I’ve been here. My reality is hazy around the edges, exhaustion pulling at me.
In the back of my mind, I know that it can’t have been longer than two weeks. The Director said that he’d want to see Jason’s progress, and I haven’t seen anyone apart from him since I’ve been here. Jason is my whole life now, and he’s loving every second of it.
