Page 30 of Obsession

“Go ahead and try.” I refused to give them the satisfaction of breaking me, even if every fiber of my being screamed for me to run as far as I could and hide from these two.

“Have it your way.” Kane cracked his knuckles. “But don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

“Riot won’t let you get away with this.”

“Believe what you want, sweetheart,” Crash mocked, leaning in close so his breath washed over me. “But Riot’s not going to save you. Nobody is. You can scream, and no one will come running. Beg and plead all you like. We don’t care.”

“Riot will kill you both,” I whispered. “And I’ll be there to watch you bleed.”

Although, I had to wonder if he really would. He considered Crash and Kane his family. What if his loyalty to them ran deeper than what we had together? He might have done his best to keep me safe from them so far, but it didn’t mean he’d slaughter them for hurting me.

“Now, let’s get down to business, shall we?” Crash asked.

The glint of a knife caught my eye, its cold steel reflecting the light that flickered in the room. Crash drew it from his belt, twirling it between his fingers with unnerving ease.

“I personally prefer guns,” he said. “I’m not into messy and bloody like Riot is, but for you, I’ll make an exception. Shall we see how tough you really are?”

“You can both go to hell,” I said.

“Wrong answer.” I felt the first searing pain as Crash sliced into the flesh of my arm. I bit my lip to suppress a scream, unwilling to give them any satisfaction. The blood began to flow, warm and sticky against my skin. I could hear the sound of it dripping onto the floor, even over the roaring in my ears.

“Ready to talk now?” Crash asked, his eyes gleaming with sadistic delight.

I gritted my teeth against the agony and shook my head. No matter what they did, I couldn’t give in. If Riot came and saw that I’d relented, he’d be disappointed in me. I needed to be strong.

“Suit yourself,” he replied, tracing the knife across my other arm in a slow, agonizing cut. I couldn’t hold back the cry of pain this time, and both Crash and Kane laughed cruelly at my suffering.

“Still think Riot’s coming for you?” Kane taunted, leaning in close to whisper in my ear. “Trust me, he’s long gone by now. Off on a kill most likely. I’ve been watching, and he seemed a bit antsy.”

I fought against my restraints, the ropes biting into my wrists as I struggled to free myself. Every movement sent fresh waves of pain shooting through my body, but I refused to give up. I would not let them break me.

“Is that all you’ve got?” I glared defiantly at Crash. “You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to make me talk.”

“But don’t worry -- we’ve got plenty more in store for you.” Crash kneeled in front of me, twirling the knife again. What the hell did they have planned?

He sank the blade into my thigh, and I nearly blacked out. The sound of it being pulled out nearly made me sick.

“Riot will find you,” I said, clenching my teeth, my vision swimming as the pain became almost unbearable. “And when he does, you’ll wish you’d never laid a hand on me.”

“Keep dreaming, sweetheart.”

Kane came closer again, slapping my face with his open palm. My head whipped to the side and pain bloomed across my face. A tear slid down my cheek, and I heard him snicker. Asshole!

But even as my body racked with agony, my mind clung to one unwavering thought -- that Riot would come, and he would save me from this nightmare. Blood dripped from my split lip. Kane’s fist slammed into my stomach, and I coughed and sputtered, gasping for breath. I could feel the sting of each bruise and cut that marred my skin.

“Still not talking?” Crash asked, his fist connecting with my cheek. The impact sent a jolt of pain through my skull, and I tasted blood as I bit down on my tongue to keep from crying out. Even if Riot did come for me, I wasn’t going to look very pretty. Who knew how long it would take to heal from everything they’d done to me already, much less whatever else they were going to do.

They wanted answers, but I wouldn’t break. I couldn’t. My loyalty to Riot was unwavering, even in the face of this torture. It didn’t matter if he was able to love me back. I’d fallen for him, and I wouldn’t betray him.

“Feisty bitch,” Kane muttered, yanking my head back by my hair. “But she won’t last much longer. We still have a few aces up our sleeves.”

“Riot’s going to tear you apart for this. You’ve said it yourself. I clearly mean something to him.” My words were slurring, and my vision blurred. I hoped I could stay awake.

Crash chuckled darkly, his sadistic glee evident in every syllable. “We’ll see about that. As long as you’re alive, it means we have leverage. If he really does think you’re something special, then he’ll do what we want if it means keeping you alive.”

“What you want?” I asked. “I thought you just wanted me dead.”

Crash shrugged. “Yes and no. We’ve left Riot in charge for a handful of reasons.”

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