Page 45 of Hot Chocolate & Hitmen

“I swear! I-I didn’t mean to-”

“Shut up.” Teddy’s voice cuts through me like a knife. My mouth snaps shut, but my whole body’s trembling. He stands, brushing invisible dust off his pants, and then looks at Atlas. “Key’s taking too long. Go get him.”

Atlas smirks, pushing off the wall. “Sure. Don’t start the fun without me.” He saunters off, leaving me alone with Teddy, who’s now pacing in front of me, like a lion circling a wounded antelope.

My breathing gets faster, and I can’t stop shaking. “P-please. Grace wouldn’t want this. She’d–she’d stop you!”

Teddy stops, looking at me like I’m the dumbest person he’s ever met. “Grace isn’t here,” he says, his tone flat and final. “And it’s not like we’re going to kill you.”

Relief tries to trickle in, but the barely there stream is instantly shut off as two sets of footsteps bound down the stairs and Atlas and Key enter my line of sight.

Okay, so maybe Teddy and Atlas aren’t the scariest of the three, the unhinged glee in Key’s eyes instantly has sweat pouring down my back. There’s just something about a man that can gain so much joy from hurting others that is simply terrifying.

“Alright, time for your potty break,” Key says with a wicked grin, untangling me just enough to haul me to my feet. My knees wobble as blood rushes back to them, and I stumble forward.

“I-I don’t need-” I start, but Atlas gives me a look, cold and sharp, that shuts me up mid-sentence.

“Oh, you need it,” Teddy says, stepping forward to grab the tinsel-wrapped bow around my chest and steer me toward the bathroom. “Trust me, you don’t want to have an accident while we’re working. It makes everything messier.”

“W-working?!” My voice comes out high and panicked, and Key snickers behind me.

Teddy pushes open the bathroom door, then gives me a shove inside. “Five minutes. No funny business, or we’re skipping the courtesy.”

I swallow hard and nod, my palms sweating as I catch sight of Atlas standing just outside the door, arms crossed and glaringoff into the distance. They don’t even close the door all the way, leaving it cracked just enough to make it clear I’ve got no shot at slipping away.

I shuffle to the toilet and do my business, the Christmas lights dragging behind me with a faint jingle. I barely even have time to finish when the door swings open fully, and Atlas steps in, grabbing me by the shoulder. “Time’s up.”

Dragging me back into the living room, the twinkling Christmas lights trail behind me like some kind of pathetic parade float.

“Did you wash your hands?” Key asks, fake concern dripping from his voice as he plops onto the couch.

“I-what?” I stammer, my brain too scrambled to process anything.

Key laughs. “Relax, no one cares. Not like you’ll have any use for your hands.”

Atlas shoves me down onto the floor, my legs wobbling uselessly under me as I land hard. The stupid decorations swing with the jostling, jingling like I’m some kind of idiot holiday decoration. The heat of the fire warms one side of me, but the rest of my body is ice-cold, especially now that the terror is clawing its way back up my spine.

Key grins, lounging on the couch like he’s settling in for a show. He picks up a candy cane from the coffee table and bites off the end with a sharp crack, all while staring at me like I’m the entertainment. “Ready, Jason?”

I shake my head furiously. “No, no, no–whatever you’re thinking, I’m sure it’s illegal! Grace wouldn’t-”

“Don’t you dare say her fucking name again.” Teddy crouches down in front of me, his face calm and steady, but his voice sharp as a blade. “Grace has nothing to do with what happens next. This is about you, Jason. Your actions. Your mistakes.”

Atlas walks over to the coffee table, shuffling through the supplies he brought into the room. A few fear-filled minutes later the buzzing sound of a tattoo machine fills the room, and my heart drops into my stomach.

“No,” I whisper. “No, no, you can’t-”

“We can,” Atlas says simply, plugging the machine in and testing it on a scrap of what looks like pigskin. The needle hums, and he tilts his head toward me before handing the contraption off to Key. “And we will.”

Key chuckles. “Oh, Jason, you’re gonna love this. It’s the perfect little addition to your...holiday makeover.”

I twist, desperate, my hands straining against the lights still tangled around me. “Please, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for any of it to happen! I was stupid. I was selfish. But you can’t do this!”

Teddy leans closer, his face inches from mine. His voice drops to a deadly calm whisper. “You didn’t mean to cheat on Grace? You didn’t mean to try and kidnap her and let our hostage go? Or you didn’t mean to get caught?”

“I-” My throat closes up, and no words come out. Teddy’s eyes burn into mine, waiting, daring me to lie.

“Exactly what I thought,” he says, straightening up. “Atlas, get him ready.”

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