Isaak gave me the same look my mother always gave me when I disappointed her. He straightened and gave the man another nod.
My eyes lifted to the man, widening. “No, no, I sw—”
~~~
I jerked, inhaling sharply, sobs cracking through me, the world blaring and ringing. Too much of everything. Toomuch!
“Olivia,” Isaak said as I grabbed my chest, ripping the pads off.
“Stop it, please,” I begged, trying to crawl away from him only for pain to flare through me before I collapsed back into the bed. I couldn’t keep doing this. I didn’t want to keep dying. I didn’t want to keep going back to that place, that…thatplace. I couldn’t go back, please, please don’t make me go back.
One of the men appeared at my side, grabbing my arms, pinning me down.
“Just tell me what you know,” Isaak requested.
I thrashed, trying to pull myself out of his grips, the pain from my arms and legs excruciating. “I don’t know anything!” I screamed, tears pouring down my cheeks as they clipped chains around my wrists and pinned me down. “I promise, I swear, I don’t know anything. Please, please, I don’t know anything.”
“We can’t do this too many more times, Olivia, you may not wake back up.”
I found his eyes, my own wide as I shook my head. “I swear on my life, I don’t know anything.”
He gave a nod.
“No—”
~~~
I gasped, jerking against the restraints, my heartbeat painful. I screamed, pulling on the chains. “PLEASE!” I begged, gasping for air as Isaak shouted at me for more information. “Please, stop! Stop it, please,” I begged.
There were so many voices in my head, yelling and shouting and struggling before one finally came through. “Olivia, what are they doing?” Everett demanded, his voice raw and filled with dark rage.
“HELP!” I screamed, my throat raw. “Please,” I sobbed. “You have to come and get me, Everett, ple—”
~~~
My body convulsed, the ringing drowning out my own thoughts, my own memories.
Everything.
I wasn’t me anymore. I wasother. Everything was tingling and painful, heavy. Too heavy.
A hand wrapped around my jaw, forcing my eyes up, but I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t even breathe right.
“Tell me. Give me anything.”
“I…don’t…” But my words were slurred and incoherent. I couldn’t even think straight, how was I supposed to speak? How could I convince them that Everett didn’t tell me anything? I had only known the guy a few months, he didn’t tell meanything.
“Fuck!” I heard in my ear. “Tell him—”
“Everett,” Malachi warned, Rae, Evelyn, and Emily shouting in the background, Jack’s voice cutting through, ordering someone to stop.
“Tell him,” Everett snarled, his voice desperate. “Tell him about The Club. Tell him, Olivia, right now. Tell him about The Club!”
I swallowed, my mouth dry. “No, no, I don’t know anything, I don’t know anything.”
“Olivia, you listen to me right fucking now,” he snarled, his voice wavering. “Tell him about thegoddamnclub.Tell him!”
I grunted, tears sliding down my face. I didn’t have a choice. “Uh…The…um…” I closed my eyes, finding it hard to focus. “The Club,” I mumbled, my words heavy. “Down…downtown. Ver—Vermont Ave.” My heart was thudding, electricity buzzing through my veins as if I had been attached to a powerline. I felt like I was going to throw up.
