Bo chuckled. “Knew you’d catch on eventually. He heard everything we said.”
Then he now knew about my involvement in those videos, and how I’d killed Nathan to regain my freedom. I rubbed my flushed face, the air barely reaching my lungs.
“See that little button over there? Press it.”
I never wanted—yet dreaded—anything more in my life. I spotted the small button next to the mirror’s frame, still partly convinced that Bo was lying. I maneuvered myself back into the wheelchair, absently aware of the blood trickling down my leg. My ghostly face stared back at me, growing larger as I wheeled myself forward. I raised my hand, hovering over the button.
“Prey… don’t keep him waiting.”
I pressed the button.
The mirror’s glass slid aside, revealing another glass layer—a transparent one. I grabbed the edges of the wheelchair, sitting still yet feeling as though I was falling.
“It’s almost one hundred degrees in there,” Bo said through the ringing in my ears, “that’s why he’s so sweaty. I made it freezing yesterday—you should’ve seen how tight his balls got.”
I put my palm on the glass, overwhelmed by rage and guilt.
Hayden’s gaze was hazy, unable to focus despite the recognition in his eyes. He sat naked on a chair in the middle of a closet-sized space, his arms shackled to the ceiling. An infusionbag was attached with a needle to his vein. He didn’t have a lot of bruises, but he’d lost so much weight, his ribs were poking out, and his beard couldn’t hide his sunken cheeks.
“How…” I cleared my throat, but it felt filled with ash. “How long have you been keeping him like that?”
“I have him put there whenever I’m in the office, so I’d say around six hours a day—sometimes more if I forget he’s there.” He came to stand next to me, his hand on my shoulder. “I love watching him. I tell him all about the fun times you and I had. He gets a real kick out of those stories.”
“Bo—”
“Hold on; check this out.” He took a small remote from his pocket. At the sight of the device, Hayden’s eyes grew wide with fear. He shook his head frantically, mouthing “no.” Bo laughed. “See how excited he gets? He loves it!” He turned the dial on the remote. Behind the glass, Hayden began to squirm, his face clenched as he gripped the chain that kept his hands raised.
“It’s up his ass,” Bo whispered. “So high, it must be tickling his stomach. In two minutes, he’ll get hard. Wait another few minutes, and he’ll shoot all over himself. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve milked him like that.” He turned the dial again, and Hayden squirmed harder. The shame in his eyes was louder than sound.
“Stop. Bo,stop!”
He did, and Hayden’s head slumped, his chest heaving. Beads of sweat slipped down his body.
“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you’re getting soft, Prey. You’ve seen worse.”
I wheeled myself back, needing to think without letting my emotions pilot my mouth. “What do you want?” I met his smug gaze. “What will make you leave him alone?”
“I don’t negotiate when I don’t have to.”
“Bo.” I closed my palm over his crotch. He flinched but didn’t shove me away. “I want you to let him rest.” I massaged his cock through his pants. “You’ve got your kick out of him, and now you’re getting bored.”
He snorted, hardening against my palm. “You think I’mbored?”
“You get bored easily, and now you have me.” I leaned my face and sniffed his crotch, aware of Hayden seeing and hearing everything.
“I don’t need to let him out to get what I want from you.”
“You don’tneedto,” I said, raising my face, “but it will make it more fun to make me work for it.”
He grabbed my jaw, pressing until the pain caused my eyes to water. “Fuck you, Prey. You know me too well. We’re gonna give the world’s shittiest detective here one hell of a show, or I’ll make him melt in there.” He let go of my face and gave me the remote. “Make him dance.”
I glanced at Hayden, who nodded his approval, though he seemed close to passing out. I took a breath and turned the dial up, watching Hayden's face contort, his body twitching and quivering on the chair.
I’m sorry.
“Prey…”
I tore away my gaze and lowered Bo’s zipper, knowing how to dance this dance.
