Page 185 of I Will Mend You

There’s no sign of Xero.

The door slams open, letting in ruby-red stilettos attached to legs identical to mine. My stomach lurches and churns with a debilitating mix of nausea and dread. I don’t need to look this woman full in the face to know it’s Dolly.

Her footsteps draw closer, clicking against the marble floor, and ringing in my ears to the thunderous beat of my heart.

“Wake up, you lazy bitch.” She punctuates the order with a sharp kick to the ribs.

I can’t even flinch, even though I want to grab her ankle, pull her down to my level, and demand to know what she did to Camila and Xero. No matter how much I try, my body won’t move.

Dolly reaches down, twists her fingers into my curls, and hauls me up by the hair. Before I even process the pain ripping across my scalp, she delivers a hard slap with a sting that snaps me fully awake. Flinching, I draw back under a wave of dizziness.

The shock fades, giving way to an overwhelming despair. Once again, I’ve fallen back into Dolly’s clutches. At best, Xero is in another room, being tortured by Delta. At worst, he’s dead.

“You cowardly cunt. What the hell did you do to our investors?” she screeches.

I grind my teeth, refusing to give her the satisfaction of an answer.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” she screams, her voice echoing across the tiled walls.

Not while I’m helpless. Not while I’m still drugged. Not while she holds all the power. Whatever they put in that poisoned dart has left me unable to fight back, and I’ll be damned if I give her the satisfaction of a response.

“Get in here!”

She drags me across the cold, hard tiles to the shower cubicle, each step aggravating my aches. With a sharp twist, she turns on the taps, releasing a cascade of icy water. I gasp at the shock, my teeth chattering. My limbs tremble and convulse from the cold. I force every ounce of determination into my extremities, but they can’t escape the punishing chill.

The door creaks open again, letting in a set of male footsteps. My insides lurch, hoping to everything it’s Xero, but knowing in the pit of my stomach I’ll be disappointed.

“You called?” asks a male voice that turns my blood to ice. It’s Locke. The golden-haired pretty boy they put in charge of the drugs. He chuckles. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to give this bitch a bath, but it won’t cooperate,” Dolly says.

“Did you administer the antidote?” he asks.

Dolly releases a flirtatious giggle. “I forgot.”

“Understandable. There’s a hundred and one things to do before the auction.”

My breath stills.

Auction?

As they move further into the bathroom, their voices become muffled. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to focus on their conversation through the roar of running water.

From the snippets I manage to catch, it sounds like Delta is staging another drinks reception where he’s brought together a new group of investors to watch a private showing. I listen out for any mention of Xero, but all I hear is about a hot new superstar who will tear me apart for the audience, then the highest bidder will desecrate my corpse.

Dolly steps into the shower. “Give her half.”

“Are you sure?” Locke asks.

“She’ll be weak, but not so much of a dead weight,” she replies. “I’ll inject her with the rest before the bidding.”

The cold water stops, leaving me gasping. Panic roils in my gut as a needle pierces my biceps. Warmth spreads from the injection site and trickles down my forearm, infusing my limbs with the sensation of pins and needles.

Locke steps out of the shower, pausing to kiss Dolly.

“Give it a few seconds,” he murmurs against her lips.

When I try to move my fingers, they twitch. I send a similar message to my toes, which curl. As the pair continue kissing, I ball my hands into fists and try to shift my arms.

---