“Well, that’s a shame. I guess we will have to get the information from Cade himself.”
My heart stops in my chest and everything screams inside of me. I struggle to keep my face blank. “What do you mean?”
He holds out the knife, using the tip of the blade to lift my chin. “I mean, we’re expecting your little boyfriend in about an hour.”
No.Cade can’t come here. All of this will have been for nothing. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Really?” Vex slides the dagger back and forth, not piercing the skin, but reminding me how close death is hovering. “Then why has he been moping around like a heartbroken puppy for the past few days?”
I’m not sure what upsets me more—knowing they’re still watching the Buckinghams, or that Cade’s hurting.
No, I do. It’s the latter.
I don’t want to leave this earth knowing I hurt him.
“I don’t know,” I say, hating how my voice trembles. “But if you’re thinking Cade will walk in here and hand over whatever you want, you’re gonna be shit outta luck.”
Please, Cade, don’t come here. Please don’t come.
Vex grins, and there’s nothing friendly about it. “But look at what a bargaining chip I have. Cade Buckingham’s butterfly.”
My stomach flips. Hearing Cade’s name for me on this asshole’s lips has me wanting to burn down this whole warehouse.
With him still inside.
“Like I said, we have time to kill,” Vex drawls. “I think we’ll see how much of you we can break before Cade arrives. We have to show him we’re serious. You know how it goes.”
I just stare at him mutinously. My pleas didn’t work, so I’m going to stay silent.
His lips quirk up, and he chuckles. “You are a strong boy right now, defiant, but I’ll have you crying soon enough.” He cranes his neck and shouts, “Orin! Get in here.”
I hear the door open and the squeak of wheels moving across the cement. My breathing ticks up with every squeak.
“Orin is one of the best. We stole him from another syndicate. He’sthatgood.”
The man has a large scar down his face, and half of his hair is missing from the side of his head. It’s almost as if it was ripped from his skull.
What has this man been through? Has it made him a monster?
He stops in front of me, and my eyes flick from him to the cart he’s wheeling. What the fuck is that?
Vex taps the trolley. “He specializes in several torture techniques. He’s spent a lot of time learning. Some of his brilliance comes from experience, some from the masters.”
I swallow again, my body starting to tremble in fear.
“If you tell us what we want to know, we’ll make it less painful. Or at least, I’ll put in a request. I’m not sure Orin will listen. He likes this even more than I do.”
I let out a small whimper when I see something that I can’t quite comprehend. A squat block of iron with two narrow slots in it and a screw in the middle. He has several of them.
Orin reaches out and roughly grabs my hand and attaches one to my thumb. Then the other. I stare down at them and hold my breath for what’s about to come.
“Orin enjoys some of the more old-fashioned torture techniques. I think you’re really going to enjoy this.”
I struggle as much as I can, but with my hands tied down, I can’t move. I’m forced to accept my fate. Orin screws the plates down, farther and farther, until they’re pressed against my nails, and then he twists once more, and my eyes screw shut as pain shoots through my hands.
Oh my god.
He twists again, and I let out a pained scream. The air leaves me but doesn’t return.
