Right in front of me, tied up the same way, except with regular rope instead of a metal cable, is Blue…
Fuck. I struggle to draw in air, I feel like I’m trapped in some kind of nightmare.
We’ve been kidnapped, there’s no way around it.
Blue’s head is down too, resting against his chest. He’s wearing the same kind of black armor over his chest and stomach. I feel a curse rising, frustration and something worse.
?????! ??? ???????????[19]
Not this.
Just not this. Worst-case scenario… or close to it.
I don’t see Simon or Gerard anywhere.
There are two other men in the room with us. They’re standing with their backs to us, looking out a window in silence.
Both dressed in black, both wearing masks, both betas.
The place looks like some kind of old warehouse, maybe an attic storage space.
Metal walls with rusted beams, pipes everywhere, sheets of metal leaning against the wall. There’s a heavy work table, the kind used for cutting tiles, and a spread of tools. On their own they look harmless enough, if you think about construction work. In the context of torture, they take on a very different meaning.
Because of the lingering haze, I can’t fully feel the danger yet, but with every drifting second it sinks in. I can’t break these restraints, which means Blue and I are basically dead.
The only question is how long. Whether they’ll take their time or just put bullets in our heads. Well, if that was the plan, they’d have done it already. Instead, they’re keeping us alive.
Fuck.
So itisthe worst scenario. I realize the last thing I want to see in this world is Blue being tortured.
The thought twists my gut so hard I let out an involuntary sound, and that makes the betas turn around.
"He’s awake," one of them says.
The other leaves the room immediately.
Like the sound pulls him up, Blue stirs slightly and slowly lifts his head.
Someone took his glasses. He looks at me with those sapphire eyes.
There’s a strange calm in them. Acceptance, almost. I guess he meant it when he said he lived prepared for this moment.
I can’t say the same. I feel nerves, anger, despair. It’s all hitting me at once.
Why, why wasn’t my talent enough?
Sometimes I wish I were like Snow, able to see danger months or years ahead.
Why am I even surprised? Snow told me there would be more attempts waiting for us. Is this it? The one where Ishould break the rule and come back stronger?
I don’t get time to dig into it.
The door slams open and three people walk in. One I don’t recognize, his lower face covered by a mask. The other two… I know them all too well.
Swearing under my breath, I realize I’m looking at Marcel’s deceptively beautiful face.
And right behind him, like a loyal dog… Edgar.
