Page 20 of The Wrecked One

“If I put a knife in your hand,” he began, “will you really be able to take this man’s life?”

“No, Oliver.” Mya tried to stand from the desk, but he shoved her against the wall. Her knees parted, garnering his attention.

Terrified this bastard would change his mind, I quickly worked to divert his focus back to me. “Give me the knife. I’ll do it. Whatever you want.”

“He’s a father. Three kids. You sure about this?” He angled his head toward Anurak, lowering his hand back to his side.

Tightening her knees together, she cried, “No, Oliver. This is just flesh and bone. My body. But if you kill an innocent man, that’s your soul on the line.”

I closed my eyes, unable to look at her or Anurak, as I convinced myself if I didn’t take his life, this asshole would. He’d never let him walk away regardless. He was dead no matter which of our hands dealt the fatal blow.

I had to do whatever it took to save Mya, no matter the consequences. Damn my soul. If anything happened to her, I’d be in hell for all of eternity anyway.

Opening my eyes, I answered, “Yes, I’m sure.”

And in that one moment, with that one decision . . . everything changed.

5

MYA

I’d dealt with an asshole boss sexually harassing me before. I’d had to physically fight off a man when I was younger who didn’t understand the word no, too. And I’d gone after the worst of the worst in the world when hunting sex traffickers.

I’d been face-to-face with evil. Felt its breath on my face and survived. And I could survive again if I had to.

But I didn’t know how to make Oliver understand that.

I’d never let evil win before . . . but today was different.

Evil was prevailing, and evil was going to take Oliver from me.

Whether we escaped or not, this would destroy him. If he killed this man, there’d be no coming back from that. I’d lose him forever, and that terrified me.

And there I was, helpless and standing there in disbelief, waiting for my world to stop. For Oliver to plunge a knife into an innocent man to save me.

Even leaning against the wall for support, my legs could barely hold me up.

Thankfully, my panties and jeans were back in place, but since the bastard had popped the few remaining buttons off with his knife, my shirt was still open.

Tears continued to fall down my cheeks, my heart rate flying, chills racking my skin despite the hot room. Lost to shock and too many emotions.

On each side of me were masked men. One held a gun to my temple, the other pressed one into my side. They weren’t taking risks with Oliver free with a knife.

Sniffling, I found my voice and whispered, “This was always your plan, wasn’t it?”

The man who’d offered me the most fucked-up Sophie’s Choice ever, sex or death, was in the process of shoving Anurak to the center of the small room. The bastard casually glanced my way. “I guess you won’t ever know, will you?”

What would happen next? What would he demand of us after this? Was this only the beginning?

My attention shifted to Oliver as the masked man forced Anurak before him.

Oliver was only in his jeans. They’d probably removed his T-shirt so I could see the purple welts all over his body, the result of his beating from the day before. Then there was the wound at his side. Blood dripped from the soaked gauze down to the waistband of his jeans.

I now knew how Oliver had felt tethered to that bed, unable to help me. I lifted my cuffed wrists, covering my mouth with my hand as Oliver faced the sobbing man.

If I’d only listened yesterday and run the first time, then maybe . . . Guilt swelled in my chest, laying a foundation of bricks that’d become permanently cemented inside me if Oliver took this man’s life.

“Don’t do this.” My words were as wasted as Oliver’s had been when he’d tried to convince me not to let the son of a bitch touch me. “Please,” I whispered, in one more futile attempt to save Oliver from doing this. “There has to be another way. You’ve already broken us. We’ll tell you what you want to know.”

---