Page 20 of Brutal Empire

“Leave, Bailey. You’re too good for me. You deserve better than someone like me. You deserve the world, and I’ll never be able to give it to you.”

My lips trembled at his words. He didn’t see what I did, and I knew I couldn’t just leave. I had to help him. He had no one, and if I walked out, he would never leave the path he was currently on. He was good, and I could save him. Maybe it was foolish, but I had to try.

I took a step toward him, and I cupped his cheeks.

What a way to spend my birthday, right? He leaned into my touch. I ran my hands through his hair. After a few beats, I felt something wet coat my skin. By the way his shoulders shook, I knew he was crying.

I had been privileged not to know the meaning of carrying demons.

Once he stopped and it looked like the high was starting to go down, I knew I had to leave. It was late, and I really wanted to be back in my room and process. I hadn’t felt guilty sneaking out earlier, but now it weighed on me because I saw Jason with new eyes.

It wasn’t fair to either of us.

Sighing, I took a step back as the door to the apartment burst open, and two men walked in.

My throat bobbed, and I tried to be composed. I stepped back and tried to make my way down the balcony as fast as possible.

Just as I began to move, one of the men spoke.

“Grab her.”

I froze. Fear spread through me, immobilizing me. Just like those nightmares where you couldn’t speak, you could hardly breathe—but this wasn’t a nightmare. This was real life.

The man grabbed me. His fingers dug into my hips. Jason looked at them with glossy eyes. He didn’t even get up or try to fight. He was just absent from this moment. All the emotions I hadn’t proceeded crashed into me.

I should have left the moment I found him.

“Make her stop.” One of the other men grunted.

I hadn’t realized my mouth was covered, and I had been screaming all along.

“You owe us, kid, and now we are taking payment.”

My life flashed before my eyes. I swear to God, I fought with everything at that moment, my survival mode kicking in…but it wasn’t enough.

EIGHT

Oh fuck…Iwas in a world of pain.

My body was sore, my limbs bruised, and my throat felt like I had tried to swallow shards of glass.

My eyes were still closed, and that was all thanks to my fucking training. It didn’t make sense to me to do it, not until Daphne explained to me that if I woke up in enemy territory, it was because they needed something from me, and springing my eyes open before I had a hold of the situation wasn’t a good idea.

I tried to keep my breathing relaxed. That was the first thing that changed once you woke up. Your breathing pattern became erratic for a second. While I did this, I was trying to remember what had happened.

Damian sent me to a crooked politician who turned on us—or on me. Then there was the whole fact that I was taken as a prisoner —and then it clicked.

“I know you’re awake, fucker.”

At the hoarse rasp of Roman’s voice, my body instantly relaxed. I felt myself sagging into the bed.

The light strained my eyes when I opened them. It was blurry, and it took a few blinks for him to come into focus.

“Twinssssssss,” I managed to choke out.

Roman glared at me, but I saw the way his lips tipped. He knew I wasn’t being malicious or insensitive. I actually admired the fucker. His voice had never recovered from the torture he received, but he never let on. He not only worked on his demons but on other people’s too. He was the only one who could keep Alexis at bay.

“I should have let you die,” he said as he got up.

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