Her heart raced dangerously fast, her breaths changing to rapid pants.
She tried to remain calm. To not show her fear. But the black, leather whip now in Cetro’s hand made it impossible.
To keep from screaming, Olivia bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. While he’d held her captive, she’d witnessed first-hand the kind of horror this monster was about to bestow upon her.
As much as she wanted to be, Olivia didn’t know if she was strong enough to take it.
Walking behind her, Cetro began talking as though he were addressing an audience. He spoke of the injustice his brother had suffered. Ranted on and on about the pain his young sibling had felt, and the slow, agonizing death he’d been forced to endure.
All—according to him—because of her.
Olivia’s entire body tensed when she felt a tug on the back of her scrub top, followed by more pulling, and then a ripping sound.
Cool air hit the newly-exposed skin on her back. He continued to cut until her top was nothing more than a pile of shredded material on the ground near her feet.
Wearing nothing on top now but her bra, Olivia wondered if she would pass out from fear before the true torture began.Oh, God. Please don’t let him do this.
Nearly hyperventilating now, her heart slammed against the inner walls of her chest as if it, too, were trying to escape the heinous actions of a madman.
“Are you ready to admit what you did?” he asked from behind her.
She could lie. Probablyshouldlie. Even knowing the consequences, however, Olivia couldn’t bring herself to deny the truth.
Refusing to let her last act on this earth be to tell a lie, she lifted her bruised chin, and stared straight into the camera.
With as strong a voice as she could muster Olivia said, “The only thing I did was try to save your brother’s life.”
The first strike of the whip was sudden, stealing her breath away. The searing pain was so fierce, her entire body felt the lick of its flames.
“Admit what you did!”Cetro yelled, but Olivia remained silent.
When the strips of leather slapped her skin for the second time, she couldn’t hide the small cry that escaped from her tightly pierced lips.
She drew upon every ounce of strength she had, but by the third strike, the pain became nearly intolerable. Soon, Olivia’s screams began filling the afternoon air.
****
Jake pulled his truckto the side of the gravel road and killed the engine. He and Derek got out and waited as Grant and Trevor did the same with theirs.
Everyone took care not to let their doors slam shut, unsure if Cetro had other men nearby. The team quickly assembled in small circle to discuss their plan of entry.
“According to this”—Derek addressed them all—“the vehicle is parked on the property just over that hill. It’s abandoned farmland the bank took over when the owner died, a few years ago. There haven’t been any recent offers or showings. And unless something’s changed in the last month or so, which I seriously doubt it has, there’s only one structure. An old barn.”
Sometimes it scared Jake when he thought of all the things D could find out about a place or a person. He was just grateful as hell that Derek was part of their team. Especially now.
Though he was itching to quit talking and get to his girl, Jake knew it would be crazy to go barreling into the unknown. Not only would it risk his and the lives of his team, if they alerted Cetro and whoever else he had here, it would most certainly mean Olivia’s death.
Like hell he’d risk her because he couldn’t keep his shit together.
To the others, Jake said, “I called Ryker on the way here. From what he told me, I don’t expect there to be a lot of men with Cetro. My guess is, when we get in there, we’ll find him and Marcus Anthony, the other prisoner who escaped with Cetro during the storm. He’s an African American male, age twenty-eight. Word is the two got pretty tight while they shared a cell these past couple months. But I don’t want to take any chances and assume those are the only two.”
Studying the map on the screen once more, Jake pointed and said, “Mac and Coop, I want you positioned here and here. Hill, you watch this side, and Trevor, you and I will approach from this area here. You go in through the barn’s front doors, and I’ll take the rear.”
Then, speaking to the group as a whole, Jake added, “Olivia is the priority. Do nothing to risk her, got it?”
They all nodded in agreement and went to their prospective vehicles to gear up. They didn’t have everything they usually did on a job, but it would have to be enough.
Not succeeding wasn’t an option.
