“I just want to know why you decided to work for them?” He places the baseball bat against his shoulder.
I make no attempt to reply.
“Answer me!” he yells.
I still don’t speak. It was the only available job I thought I wouldn’t have to talk in. Without warning, pain erupts across my thigh. I shriek at the unexpected pain.
“I told you to talk to me, and you decided not to. You pay the consequences when you don’t follow the rules.” He softly hits the bat against his palm.
I whimper as my thigh throbs in time with my pulse. It hurts so bad, like he keeps hitting me in the same spot over and over.
“Now, are you going to tell me why you decided to work with them?” he asks sweetly.
I shake my head slightly and brace for impact. This time, he punches me in the face. My whole body swings from the impact, and I let out a groan.
“Okay, we’ll move on to another question and come back to this one later,” he says.
He grabs my body and steadies me. My toes barely touch the ground. All this pressure on my wrists is killing me. Bruises are forming from the chains holding me up.
“How can I take them down? What are their weak spots?” he asks, squeezing my face.
I don’t even know the club that well. I stayed to myself and wanted no part of the club. They had tried to get me into some things and understand part of their way, but I would just ignore them.
“I want information on them, now!” Jared yells, punching me in the face.
I groan in pain as I swing back and forth. My eyes are almost swollen shut. I am caked in blood and grime from being in this dirty room. I don’t know how long I have been here, but evenwhen I am unconscious, I know he still beats me. He did that while we were dating, and I felt it when I woke up, my body aching all over with more cuts than I had before. He loses his temper very quickly. He can be caring one second and, without warning, it’s like a switch is flipped, and he can become abusive.
He has let me down a couple of times to get some blood back in my arms, so I don’t lose them. I honestly think it’s worse when he lets the blood come back to my hands. I go through the process of losing that feeling all over again.
“Pay attention!” Jared says.
He runs the blade of the knife against my stomach, leaving a trail of blood. He drags the blade down my stomach and to my leg.
I shake my head and bite the inside of my cheeks, trying not to let a scream out. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of getting a scream out of me.
“I love it when you fight and scream.” He touches my thigh with his hand.
I try to move my leg out of his reach, but he holds on tighter.
“Ah. Ah. Ah. You don’t want to do that. Remember the last time you did that. It didn’t end well for you.” He taps the blade against my stomach.
I shiver and close my eyes. The last time I tried to get away from him, he cut my leg really deep, letting me bleed for a while before stitching me up. I try to think of my happy place, trying to forget that I am here with him.
“Oh, Brooke. This could be all over if you just tell me the information I want about them,” he taunts me.
I let out a dissatisfying grunt and roll my eyes the best I can. I know that he won’t stop hurting me, even if I know the information and tell him.
“I just want to know their plans for their little town. I want to know how to take them down. I want to kill every last one of them!” he yells, stabbing the blade into my thigh.
I bite my cheeks really hard as my head hangs forward. Pain engulfs my body, and I choke out a sob. I just want all this to end, but I don’t know anything about the club. They never discussed anything around me, and I am glad. I didn’t want to get involved in the club more than I had to.
“Now, I know you can talk and are just playing dumb. So, tell me how I can take down the Hell’s Reapers Club, and I’ll stop,” he says calmly, tapping the handle of the knife that is still in my leg.
I wince every time he touches the knife. It’s constant pain and pressure in my thigh. Tears are streaming down my face at this point, and I can’t even stop them.
“Speak to me,” he demands.
I shake my head. I know I spoke to Bear, but I don’t think I will be able to again. My throat is dry, and I am so scared right now. Scared that I will die here, no one to mourn me, no one to come after me, all my lifelong dreams unfulfilled.
