Page 133 of The Masks She Wore

?Created a new identity.

?She snarled under her breath, her fists shaking. “I stayed longer than I was supposed to, something came up.” She released a breath, her shoulders falling. “I don’t know what happened.”

?I studied her carefully before setting her notebook aside to reveal mine. “Your family burned the Bennett’s. They were supposed to be in Ireland,” I explained, handing it to her. “Your parents didn’t expect you to reclaim the name.”

?“Parents?” she asked, something in her eyes flickering. “You found him.”

?I nodded towards the notebook.

?She fell into the couch beside me, quickly skimming over my notes. “Beth Dorsey?” she asked, which surprised me. I assumed she would have asked about her mother first, but perhaps a part of her had always known Marla wasn’t dead. Maybe just the information I got from her dad was enough to jog a bit of her memory.

?“Dorsey,” she said again, her eyes finding Zo’s. “I know that name.” She tensed beside me, grabbing my thigh, her nails digging into my pants. “Fuck,” she snarled, her breathing picking up. “How do I fix this?” she asked, looking between us. “How do I remember my life? You guys must know, right? Malachi? How do I deprogram myself?”

?I felt a shiver run through me as I lifted my finger and tapped her head. “We break you,” I explained, seeing the rage fill her eyes at the small gesture. “Every time I exhausted you, the walls they built around your mind grew weaker.”

?She laughed. “I know you have such confidence in your cock, but you can’t fuck me into deprogramming four months of torture.”

?I saw the fear there, flashing in her eyes. The knowledge that she had been tortured was enough to terrify her. If we ever found that tape, I didn’t think I would let her watch it even if she begged.

?“No, Princess, but I can fuck you into a coma and then keep you awake. Mimicking some of the things they might have done is the best way to break the walls they put in your mind. So that’s what we’re going to do.”

?“You’re going to torture me?” she breathed out. “What the fuck, Jack?”

?“If you want to remember, you have to take the risk.”

?“My mind isn’t strong enough for that.”

?“Your mind was strong enough to last four months,” Zo reminded her. “If you would have cracked sooner, they would have released you sooner. You lasted four months. I don’t think Jack could do that.”

?I frowned. “A year.”

?“Willingly,” she bit back. “You did that program willingly. Rae,” Zo went on, walking up to her, “if you want to remember, this is the only way. You have to let Jack do this. I’ll keep searching for Blanchard,” she told me. “You work on her.”

?She turned to me, that flash of fear back.

?“Do you trust me?”

?“Yes,” she said without hesitation.

?I nodded and took her chin, grazing my thumb over her bottom lip. “Then we should get started.” I shoved myself to a stand and held out a hand. “The cathedral is clean, that’s where I’ll take you.” I had to admit, I wasn’t looking forward to this. With Rae, the pain always led to pleasure. It always ended in mind-numbing orgasms, but this time the only benefit would be remembering a life she might not want to remember. But the answers were important. We needed them.

?She slid her hand in mine, the trust in her eyes nearly bringing me to my knees.

?I pulled her into me and leaned in, pressing my lips to her ear. “Don’t worry, Princess, I won’t let you stay dead.” My eyes lifted to Zo’s and I nodded.

?She came up behind Rae as I grabbed her chin and found her eyes. “I love you,” I told her just before Zo slammed the butt of her gun on her head, knocking her out.

?I caught her with ease. Love. It wasn’t something I thought I was capable of feeling, but Rae? She wasn’t someone I thought could exist. She needed to know how I felt before I did this because what I was about to do to her would hold no love, no lust, no anything. Just pain.

?She needed to know how I felt about her before she felt nothing but hatred for me.

?This was for her own good.

?It had to be.

29

Rae

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