Page 66 of Demo

Arms full of the requested toppings, Paige paused partway up the stairs to her bedroom. Demo had never indicated he had a foot fetish. After these past months and the number of requests she’d done, Paige was pretty sure she had theoppositeof a foot fetish. If Demo ever tried to touch her feet, she might just vomit.

God, she hoped she would never find out if that was true.

Knowing time was running out, Paige hurried to her bedroom. She quickly stripped out of her pants, leaving her panties on. The request had saidnakedbut there was no way in hell she was abiding by that.

Realizing just how much of a mess she was going to be making, Paige hurried to the boys’ bathroom. She removed the clear shower curtain as quickly as she could while also trying not to make noise that would wake Mikey or Nelly Bean.

Once back in her room, she laid out the curtain to protect her carpet. If she ever did get a chance to sell this ridiculous house, she did not want to have to spend money on replacing the carpeting because of jelly stains.

Sitting back, Paige checked the angle of the camera to ensure nothing personal was in the shot. Then she placed a donut over her big toe like the world’s largest toe ring. The cooked dough was too big and squished between her toes.

Paige hoped to God she was able to fake the necessary eating and moaning sounds. If she didn’t do a good enough job convincing the payer, he could refuse that he was satisfied. The moment she’d hit Accept, the money went into an escrow account. If he—and Paige was using ‘he’ as a generic gender—refused to pay, she could appeal. Then someone from the fetish site would review the video and choose if the money would go to her or back to the payer. The result from the appeal could mean either she or he would have their account suspended or removed from the site.

Not that Paige would care about her account being removed as this was her last video, but she did want to get paid.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Paige pressed the button to start the live video. She picked up the squeeze bottle of grape jelly and poured it all over the donut, her toes, and her midfoot.

The stench of stale,acrid air wafted up from the cellar upon Bulldog pulling the hidden latch. Demo stared down the rickety, wood stairs, but not with trepidation as he thought he would. In the past, when other officers had gone below, he’d stayed above. One reason had been Jumper, so he would not be the only officer not going below with the others. He could even argue the lack of space and his presence not being required. But the truth of the matter was that the cellar always wigged Demo out.

Bulldog clasp Demo on the shoulder. “Ready to pop your cherry?”

Demo snorted. “Other than the smell, it’s not as daunting as I thought it would be.”

“Yeah, it can get pretty rank down here. We send the prospects down to wash it, but I think the smell of fear has seeped into the walls. Kinda leaves a permanent pungent stench, you know.” Bulldog reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jar. “Menthol rub, if it gets too bad. Just dab some under your nose.”

Demo accepted the jar. “Is it usually this quiet?”

Bulldog started down the stairs first. Demo followed, pulling the hatch closed behind them. Even though it was late, they couldn’t risk someone walking into the clubhouse that should not know the cellar existed. “Nah. Cowards are just hoping if we can’t hear them then we can’t see them either.”

The dim lighting below only added to the eerie atmosphere. Demo knew that four sets of chains had been drilled into the ceiling by Cage when he’d added the soundproofing. A single drain in the middle of the concrete floor allowed for easy cleanup. Since the cellar was below ground and not part of the above HVAC system, it could get extremely hot or cold depending on the time of year. A small space heater was in the room, but it didn’t really break the brisk chill of the room.

Chains rattled from the two hanging on the far right. Neither clothed, Billy Merrick and Clifton Barrington hung by their wrists. Even in the low lighting, Demo could make out the bluish tint to the men’s lips and fingertips. Demo was sure Bear was monitoring the room to ensure the occupants didn’t die of hypothermia. But being cold only added to their torment.

Nathan Moore was not hanging from the ceiling. The child rapist was currently nailed to a wooden chair, slumped over. If it wasn’t for the puffs of visible air coming from him, Demo would have thought the man was dead. He recalled seeing Moore the day Ivy had dropped him off at the clubhouse as a ‘gift’ from Scar. Nearly seven months of constant, daily torture had turned the man into a skeleton. Flesh hung off of his emaciated form. He had no fingernails, toenails, or teeth from when Angel had removed them. His long hair was matted, greasy, and falling out in clumps. Demo couldn’t see from where he stood, but he was pretty sure Angel had removed the man’s eyelashes too. Either that or was planning on it soon.

All three men faced the wall where torture devices had been hung up neatly. Demo thought that was a nice touch. To always remind them of what was coming.

Demo walked over to where Barrington hung. The man was barely tall enough to be able to stand with his toes touching the floor. Blood coated his arms from where the manacles were digging into his wrists from trying to relieve his legs and letting his body weight hang from his wrists. Under his nose and mouth were still splattered with blood from when Demo had socked him at Paige’s house.

“What the fuck did you think you were going to accomplish by going to Paige’s house?” Demo asked him, getting up in the man’s face. “Do you think she has millions just hidden away in her house?”

The man’s teeth rattled as he answered, “Wanted to make her pay…”

“Your failures are not her fault,” Demo snapped. “You made a deadly mistake by going to her house. If you’d gone there only to talk to her, I may have just broken some fingers and let you on your way. But you brought aguninto her home. Youscaredher little boy—your nephew! That I cannot and will not let go.”

Demo gripped Barrington’s chin and forced him to look over in the corner of the room where Moore sat, naked and nailed to a wooden chair. “Youronlysaving grace is that you did not harm Paige or her boys—or you would be nailed to a chair right next to him. I won’t make your death last quite so long.”

Tears started streaming down the man’s face. A new stench rose up as Paige’s stepbrother lost control of his bladder and bowels. Demo stepped away to not get anything on his boots. He might need that menthol after all.

Bulldog’s expression was a mixture of disgust and amusement. “Made a man shit and piss himself. Not bad for your first time.”

Demo chuckled. “Man’s too much of a coward. A butterfly would probably have had the same effect on him. Not sure it really counts.”

“Take the win,” Bulldog offered. He went over to the wall of devices. “Besides, it’ll take a day or two for the prospects to get the bathtub down here. He can enjoy the scenery while he waits.” Bulldog picked up a pair of brass knuckles. “Merrick, here, is a different story. His time has come to an end. Whether he tells me what I want to know or not.” Turning over his shoulder so he was speaking directly at Merrick, Bulldog added, “Telling me what I want to know only makes the end more painless.”

Merrick, dirty and cold, tried to hock a loogie at Bulldog but was too dehydrated. Demo was pretty sure he said something along the lines of “fucking moron”.

Demo leaned up against the table that was against the wall of torture devices. There were no chairs in the cellar—except for the one Moore occupied. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Got anything to take off fingers?”

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