Page 51 of The Villain

“Fuck,” he breathed.

My phone rang, and I cursed. Probably Hack again. He didn’t like being ignored. But he could wait a few damn minutes.

My hands itched to feel Devlin’s skin. I couldn’t wait to hear his pleas for mercy. I’d clamp his nipples and hang a weightedchain between them. I’d choke him with my dick while he sobbed. I’d stuff him with the biggest plug I had, then put a cock ring on him so he couldn’t come. I’d tie him to the bed and let his neglected dick weep all over the sheets while I played with his body. He’d tell me the truth. Then he’d tell me more. And we’d do it over and over until he never dreamed of lying to me again.

My cock was hard. So was Devlin’s, despite his fear. He had to know what was coming. He knew exactly what I liked to do to him to get him to confess his secrets. I reached down and tugged on my cock through my jeans, and he watched with a whimper.

When we reached the door, he finally seemed to realize he wasn’t getting out of this. His shoulders slumped, and I grinned behind his back as I reached around him to swing it open.

And came face-to-face with the muzzle of a gun.

I reacted on instinct, shoving Devlin out of the bullet’s path. A shot cracked through the silence of the night, and searing pain ripped through my neck and shoulder. I kicked out, and my boot connected with the solid body of a hulking figure. They let out anoomphas they stumbled backward out of the doorway. I slammed the door shut as another gunshot pinged against the outside.

Devlin scrambled up from where he’d fallen on his hip. “Cian!”

Dizziness swamped me as I tried to take a step, nearly toppling me. I shook my head. Why was I so unstable? Why the fuck couldn’t I think straight? I had to get my shit together. Whoever shot at me would try to get inside and finish the job, and I needed to protect Devlin. But with what? I only had a pocketknife. My gun was in the glovebox of my car.

Something hot and wet ran down my chest. I swiped at it, and my hand came away red.

“Shit!Don’t move.” Devlin’s fingers dug into my shirt. His tone was frantic. He seemed panicked, but not for himself—forme. I swayed on my feet and squinted. What was happening? My brain registered a fiery pain somewhere above my left shoulder.

Devlin’s voice shook now. “They shot you in the fucking neck.” He tugged off his hoodie and wrapped it around my neck, pulling it tight against the wound until I could barely breathe.

I pulled at it. “Too… tight…” Wait. It hurt to talk. To move my jaw at all.

Another gunshot sounded outside, followed by a metallic bang. Voices rose. “Windows!” someone shouted.

“Is that glass bulletproof?” Devlin asked. He clutched both my arms like he was steadying me, and I tried to push him off, resenting his help. The movement sent me tipping sideways into the wall.

Bulletproof glass? Fuck no. I tried to shake my head, but pain sliced through me like a hot poker. I gasped as more warm liquid soaked the neck of my T-shirt. I blinked at Devlin. The edges of him blurred. Then there were two of him.What the hell?

Hands tugged at my body, moving me back toward the center of the warehouse. My phone was in Devlin’s hands, the screen illuminating his face as his thumbs moved rapidly. I could hear him speaking, but I couldn’t focus on the words. Something about Rhys?

The pain was intense. And I was suddenly so cold. I shivered, and Devlin let out a choked gasp.

Office. We were in the office now. The rug was pulled back, and Devlin was struggling with the wooden floor planks. I fell to my knees and tried to help, but my fingers wouldn’t bend. Why were we getting into the safe? I didn’t think whoever was coming would take the cash and leave us alive.

My fingers went numb. I tried to grab a plank, but my hands refused to listen, and I collapsed onto my side.

Devlin cursed. “Look. I have to get you in here, but it’s not gonna be pretty. You’re the size of a fucking rhino. So just… brace yourself.”

Brace myself? Brace forwhat?

I found out a second later when he planted his foot against my side and shoved. I dropped into the crawlspace like a corpse, hitting the floor on my back hard enough to drive the breath from my lungs. I gasped, trying to suck in oxygen, as Devlin hopped in after me. He pulled the rug over us and started replacing the wooden planks. He tugged the last one into place just as glass shattered somewhere in the warehouse, and we plunged into darkness.

Cold. So cold. Anddark. I hated the dark. Hated it so much. The blackness was an oppressive weight on my chest, stealing my breath and my sight and my freedom. It smothered me with memories I couldn’t hold back. Locked doors. Sobbing pleas. My back, sliced and bleeding. My father’s sneers.

“C-cold.D-dark.”

Maybe I’d said the words out loud. Or maybe only in my head. Pain was clouding my reality. I was back in my father’s apartment, locked in a small space, my stomach cramping from hunger while the wounds on my bony back burned like acid.

My breaths whistled in and out as I panted. “H-hate it. He… he used to lock…” I licked my lips. “Closet. D-don’t like th-the dark.”

Something soft slid across my knuckles, and fingers tangled in mine. A warm body blanketed me, and the pressure around my neck tightened. “Shh, I’ve got you,” Devlin whispered in my ear. “You’re not alone. I’m right here.”

The closet slowly faded. I couldn’t see Devlin’s face in the dark, but I could picture it in my mind. I clung to the image like a life preserver.

“Please hold on, Cian. Please.” Devlin’s voice was a naked plea. “You just have to hold out for Rhys.”