"All I know about the man is that he stalked her, then kidnapped her." Hector's hand shot up, abruptly stopping her.
"The man kidnapped her?"
Becca nodded, looking tiny and vulnerable.
His gaze cut into me. "Is this true, green eyes?"
My throat felt like sandpaper. I could barely swallow.
I struggled to nod. "Yes, it's true."
He tilted his head, his dark eyes narrowing.
"My brothers tell me you were packing your truck the day they ambushed you at your home. Where were you going?"
Shit! He knew. He just wanted to hear it from me. I told him Atlas was dead. I had to stick to the partial lie.
"Becca offered me a place to stay," I said quickly. I'd been through too much with him. I didn't feel safe being alone. It was only meant to be temporary."
God, I hope she doesn't fold and just goes along with it.
His eyes slid to Becca, black and glinting with malice.
"Is she telling me the truth? Don't you dare lie, or I'll cut out your tongue."
He pulled a knife from the sheath strapped beside his gun holster and pressed the cold edge against her cheek.
Becca swallowed nervously, her throat bobbing.
"She isn't lying." She stammered. I invited her to stay with me. She was terrified after everything that had happened with her kidnapper."
"Stick out your tongue, now!" he ordered, his voice dripping with venom.
Becca broke down, covering her face with her hands as the tears spilled. "Please! I'm telling you the truth! I swear."
Hector sneered, pressing the knife harder against her skin. "I don't believe you, so I'll take that tongue anyway."
Terror slashed at my chest. My body shook uncontrollably as I cried out, "No! Please leave her alone! I'll tell you everything. She doesn't know the full story. Just don't hurt her."
Becca and John froze, holding their breath, uncertain how far Hector's madness would spiral.
The lunatic turned toward me with an evil smile on his face, the kind that made my blood turn ice cold.
"Finally, we're making progress."
His voice was silky smooth, but stern.
"I want everything. His name. What he does. The truth. All of it!" He released Becca and stalked toward me, gripping my chin between his fingers, forcing my eyes to meet his.
"If I feel you aren't being honest, after you suck my cock and I fuck both holes raw, I'll carve your tongue out and make you choke on it. Now spill it."
I glanced at John and Beck. They were nervous as hell. In my opinion, John wasn't made for this kind of work, and as much as Hector wanted him to take over the family business, he would fail him like his brothers did.
My hands trembled so violently I had to clench them into fists to hide it. My heart slammed against my ribs. I thought of Atlas. His hands, his eyes and his voice making me promise to keep quiet about our ordeal together, and now here I was, standing on the edge of betraying him.
I felt the old familiar lump in my throat before I started speaking. "About seven months ago, a man started stalking me. He said he saw me in a supermarket and bumpedinto me in a couple of other places before he broke into my house and kidnapped me."
Hector circled me like a hungry tiger. "Go on."
