Page 107 of Psyop Kings

“Tell me his big secret,” Gareth demands. “Tell me and this will all be over. I won’t hurt you.”

No, but Caius will.

There’s no winning this war.

“No,” I whimper. “There is no secret. I swear.”

He applies pressure to my throat and the edges of my vision turn black. His face dips close to mine until his breath—that I realize stinks of alcohol—cloys what little breathable air I have left.

“Tell me. Now.”

I can’t. I don’t want to die.

But Gareth won’t kill me, right? Caius wouldn’t like that.

He starts muttering more angry demands, but I’m losing consciousness. We’re moving and at first, I think it’s becausehe’s picked me up. His hand releases my throat, allowing air inside my lungs, and I realize it’s the yacht, not us.

“You can’t kill me,” I rasp out. “Caius will really kick you out of the family then.”

This knocks some sense into him because he scowls at me. Then, as if a wonderful thought comes to him, his lips curl into a maniacal grin.

“Who said kill?” He forces my mouth open with his fingers and then spits on me. “There are far more enjoyable ways to make you talk.”

The demonic gleam in his eyes sends full-bodied shudders through me. I shake my head in vehemence.

“Don’t,” I plead.

“Spill and all this will stop.”

I like Mr. Bunny the best because his fur is silky and cool. When I’m buried under my stuffed animals and baby dolls, hiding from the monster, I can press my nose against Mr. Bunny and breathe cool air. In my head, I tell Mr. Bunny funny stories to pass the time. Sometimes, I make myself giggle but then have to quiet down quickly so I’m not found.

“Isn’t this pretty?” Gareth sneers, tugging at my necklace. He yanks heard, snapping the chain. “Oops. It’s broken now. Your lover will be disappointed.”

I blink away my hazy memories and focus on the beast in front of me. Running away mentally won’t save me from the man trying to harm me.

“Please,” I beg, voice raspy from being choked. “Let me go.”

“I could never get to Caius,” Gareth says, ignoring me. “He never cared about anything. But you? He cares about you.”

Is he insane?

Caius uses me. He doesn’t care about me.

“He confides in you. He loves you.”

“No,” I argue. “You’ve got it all wrong.”

His hand clamps down on my throat again but instead of squeezing, he drags it down over my tank top. I cry out in pain when he squeezes my breast.

“Shh, Mr. Bunny. I hear the tap, tap, tap of shoes coming closer.”

Mr. Bunny is quiet. All the bears and frogs and tigers and American Dolls around me and on me and beneath me are quiet.

The tap, tap, tap of shoes disappears.

That means the monster is gone.

I count to one hundred because that’s a long time and then finally crawl out from under the pile in my closet. I’m sleepy. If I’m not in my bed by morning, my family gets upset. They once called the police because I was missing. Dad found me fast asleep in the cabinet under the bathroom sink.

---