Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 42863 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42863 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
21
Tank
My eyelids slowly slid open. My head was throbbing, the pain radiating from the back of my skull. Dried blood rested on the back of my neck, pulling at my skin when I slowly turned my head to take in the room I was in. My arms were shackled above my head, held up by chains hanging from the ceiling. Chains I knew they could tighten to make me dangle from the floor, my toes just barely skimming.
The place hadn’t changed. They were operating right under our noses, hiding in plain fucking sight. We’d been so goddamn stupid. I had been stupid. Completely fucking blind.
It was my old room in the same fucking basement. The floor was concrete, digging into my bare ass and thighs. My boxers had been removed, and the freezing cold air of the room had goosebumps raising on my flesh and my cock basically trying to hide inside my body.
Carter Bradley was playing a fucked up game, and I had no good cards in my hands right now.
Shit.
I was completely at his mercy, and it made my gut churn.
I sighed and leaned my head back against the wall behind me, a shiver wracking through my body. How long had I been missing now? Were Beck and Clarke safe? Had anything happened to them? Was the club aware that I was MIA?
“You look like you’re thinking hard,” a woman mused as she stepped into the room, her blood-red heels clicking on the floor. She was only wearing black, lacy lingerie with an open crotch. I gritted my teeth when Carter trailed in behind her, looking highly amused, his dick already hard in his slacks. “I can help take your mind off whatever’s bothering you, Ash.”
The sound of my real name falling from her lips made me want to vomit. I gritted my teeth, refusing to say a word. She sighed and crouched in front of me, her legs spread open so she could bare her cunt to my eyes. I curled my lip in disgust. Fucking trashy.
“Oh, there’s a little bit of that fight I heard you might have,” she cooed, sliding her palm across my abs. My stomach roiled, but I didn’t have anything to throw up. I hadn’t had anything to eat since dinner… however long ago that had fucking been. “Do you miss Beck and Clarke, Ash?”
I glared at her then. “Keep their fucking names out of your goddamn mouth,” I snarled.
Her nails cut the skin of my cheek when she slapped me, blood slowly trickling down my skin. I worked my jaw around before spitting out blood from where my teeth had cut into the inside of my cheek. She then gripped my chin, forcing me to look at her again. “You hid my precious hardware well, Tank. They’ve gone MIA. Been three days since we snatched you, and we still can’t find little ol’ Clarke and her pain-in-the-ass stepbrother.”
Every muscle in my body relaxed, and then, I laughed. Just fucking laughed. The booming sound filled the room, my shoulders shaking. Relief flooded every ounce of my being.
I could face anything so long as they were still safe. And they were. If they couldn’t be found, then that meant everyone was doing what I’d asked—protecting them, no matter what happened to me.
“Why the fuck are you laughing?” Carter growled, growing irritated.
I grinned at him. “You’ll never get your hands on them.” I laughed again before letting a smirk tilt my lips. “You lost.”
A low growl sounded from his throat, and he took a threatening step toward me. But he halted the moment the woman began speaking again.
“Do you remember me?” the woman asked, circling her hand around my flaccid cock. I just arched a brow at her, easily shutting off the part of my brain that panicked at her unwanted touch. “You used to call me Auntie Sara.”
I barely fought back my grimace. Fuck, how many had escaped the feds? How many had somehow negotiated their release from prison? Money could buy just about anything, and it was clear they’d used their money to their advantage. If they’d been arrested, there was no way they should be out right now.
“Mmm,” I hummed noncommittally, finally somewhat recognizing the woman in front of me. She’d aged, and time had hardened her features. Guess going too long without botox would do that to a woman. “Time has been hard on you. I didn’t even recognize you.”
I should have been expecting the slap, but I hadn’t. I spit more blood out, feeling the cuts on my cheek trickle blood down my skin slowly. Just as slowly as I knew time was about to begin passing now that I was awake and the torture could begin.
She held her hand up to Carter, and Carter placed a familiar, blue pill in her hand. She waved it in front of my face. “You have to know where they might be hiding, Ash, and we intend to find out. When you begin cooperating, we’ll make it hurt a little less.”