“Find out who gave her the extra dose and chain him downstairs,” he says, then leans against the desk, cocking his head to the right. Observing me. “Welcome to my town, Miss Finnegan.”
Histown.
“We don’t have many females here, so you must excuse my men for being a little too… enthusiastic.”
I fist my hands in my lap to keep from shaking. “Yourmenare animals.”
He chuckles lowly. “They are, when they need to be.”
I swallow hard. “I already told them everything I know. You’re wasting your time with me.”
He ignores me, gesturing toward someone in the back. Mybrotherapproaches, pouring water into a tall glass. Following his commands like a loyal dog. I wince, hyper-aware of his presence around me, and this man—his boss—sees it, as if he wanted to get this reaction from me. Or to see if Cole is going to display any, but of course he doesn’t.
“We didn’t bring you here for information. I made the mistake of underestimating Rowan once, and I won’t make it again. It’s pretty clear he kept you in the dark intentionally.”
Salister. His name is Salister, my mind screams at me, conjuring up information I heard in passing between the men who came to my cell. And those eyes…
He’s… Cam’s father.
“Why am I here, then? Why are you forcing my brother—”
“Oh?” he asks, amusement sounding in his tone. “You think I’m forcing him? I’m afraid we’re well past that point now. Aren’t we, Cole?”
I fight back tears as I hear him say, “Yes, sir.”
The way he says it—coldly and with precision—hits me like another slap. There's no hesitation, no flicker of doubt. He’s learned to play their game, wearing Salister’s collar with pride. My heart tightens, struggling to understand what they could’ve possibly done to him to make him this way.
Salister’s eyes flicker with satisfaction. “I’m sure you two will have time to talk at some point.Ifhe wants to talk to you,that is.” Pushing himself away from the desk, he casually walks over to the window, looking out at his town. “Tell me now, Miss Finnegan, have you ever been touched?”
“W-What?”
The question—so perverse, so invasive—takes me aback. My cheeks burn from shame and when I hear laughter behind me, they also flush with rage.
“I imagine Rowan fucked all your holes by now. Allow me to rephrase: have you ever been touched while beinghere?”
I hold my breath tightly in my chest, not knowing what to answer. So he answers for me, staring out at the town with his hands behind his back. “It will happen again. And again. And again. Until you’re a shell of a human and you can’t make out where you belong in this world anymore.”
Knots twist my stomach and I whimper, leaning forward so I can get up and leave. Where, I don’t know, but I can’t stay here and listen to this. A sturdy hand pushes me back down from behind.
“The men who work for our cause are all under a celibacy oath. They can’t fuck you with their cocks. And they can’t make you suck them. But who doesn’t enjoy touching a warm, wet cunt from time to time? Hmm?”
Oh my God.
“Why are you doing this?” I push out the words between shallow breaths. “What do you want from us?!”
His fingers twitch as if itching to move, but he keeps his hands clasped behind his back, never wasting a breath or a motion without a good enough reason behind it. The calmness with which he explains things only makes his words that much more chilling.
“When people are allowed to govern themselves, they destroy things—destroy each other. We’ve seen it time and time again throughout history. Contrary to what you might think of us, allwe want…” He saunters over to his desk. “Is peace. Order. And this system we have now has always,alwaysled to chaos, Miss Finnegan.”
I tense. “If history has proved anything, is that democracy is the only way to—”
“Democracyis a lie.” He snorts. “It’s inefficient. Corrupt. It gives you the illusion of choice, then slaps you in the face with the same system. It was built for the masses to comply—but that’s exactly the issue. They’re now going against it.” His eyes darken. “We have a plan for this country. A plan that might start with you and me—but one that will last for centuries. And if giving my men your cunt is what it takes to keep them motivated, I won’t hesitate to do it.”
I shudder at his words, finally understanding just how deep this nightmare goes. Rounding the chair I’m on, Salister disappears behind me. When he comes back, the knife I used in my cell this morning rests in his hands. My eyes bulge in shock.
“Every man must earn his keep here. And since you’ll be staying with us for a while, you’re expected to pay your dues. The question is, howwillyou be paying them?”
I grind my teeth, panic quickly growing inside me.
