Page 33 of Ruthless

“About what?” My head is still in the clouds, and I’m not sure I can even focus on words.

“Shit’s gone down, and things will be a little crazy.”

“What kind of shit are we talking about exactly?” I play with his nipple piercing as he talks, his deep voice rumbling underneath me.

“The serious kind.”

“I’m afraid I will need more than that to go on.” I roll my eyes at him. He should know better if he thinks I’ll be satisfied with vague orders.

“Do you trust me?”

“I’m learning to.” There are still things I don’t know about him, like what happened the night I left or where he went minutes ago for me to do that.

“That’s fair. But, given who your dad is, I know that you’re smart enough to know that when I tell you that shit is going down and you are not to leave my side, you know it’s for your own good.” I open my mouth to ask what, but he presses a finger to my lips, shutting me up. “Not done, Ken. I will do whatever I have to do to protect the both of you.” “You understand. Everything I do, I do for a reason. You need to remember that.”

“What if I think your reasons are shit?” I sigh against his chest.

He rolls me over onto my back and slips his fingers inside of me, then smears his cum over my clit.

“You’ll learn.”

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Zane

The stench of dirt and blood surrounds me, but it’s her soft cries that fill the room and set my rage on fire. Tears stream down her face as she begs and pleads with them to stop hurting her. Her dirty blond hair is matted, and pieces are stuck to the side of her bruised face as a mixture of sweat and blood drip down her temple. She attempts to beg once more, but it falls on deaf ears. The bastard violating her groans as he continues to use her for his own pleasure.

My teeth grind together as the flame churns deeper in my gut. “Get the fuck away from her!” I shout, but it’s no use.

They aren’t stopping. Each of them takes a turn violating her repeatedly. I jerk and pull on my chains with everything I have, feeling them give a little more each time. The skin on my wrists are raw and bloody, but I don’t stop trying. The moment I do, we’re dead. Her cries burn in my ears, fueling my need to break free.

When I glance over at her, a smear of blood coats the inside of her thigh. That’s the final snap on my thread of sanity. The chains come down with one last pull, and everything fades into a red haze.

Toothless is the first fucker I reach, and I snap his neck before he can take his next breath. The machete, still coated in Nelson’s blood, drops from his grasp toward the floor, but I swipe it up midair before it can hit the ground and move closer to the back of the room where the other two still have her pinned down.

The short fucker rushes toward me, but I arc my hand, slicing him across the jugular with the blade. Blood coats my face and neck, but it doesn’t deter me. I have a mission. One I will see through. I toss his lifeless body aside and head for the bald bastard huddling in the corner like a fucking pussy and using her for a shield.

He pulls out his whip and cracks it, taunting me, but I’m not chained up and defenseless. I’m free and ready for him. I grab the end of the whip and jerk him in closer to me. I take the chain that’s still dangling from my wrists and coil it around his neck. My hands squeeze with every last bit of strength I have until his face turns a deep shade of purple. His eyes widen, but I never let up, not until he stops breathing.

I throw him off to the side and make my way over to the girl. Her tear-stained face stares up at me as her naked body shakes. My eyes dart around the room and find a stained blanket that I toss to her. She’s shivering and going into shock, which makes me feel like an ass for rushing her, but time isn’t on our side. I’m not sure how many more there are or who might come.

“We’re getting out of here.” It’s a promise. One I will keep.

She grabs the thin blanket and wraps it around herself. Once she’s steady enough, I help her to her feet and take her hand. I keep her hidden behind me. Her hands hang onto the waistband of my cargo pants with a vise-like grip as I pull her along to the door. The machete stays stretched out in front of me while I lead the way out of this hellhole.

My heart pounds in my throat as we creep out into the darkened hall and head off to the left. I have no idea where the fuck I’m going, but I act purely on gut instinct and follow the moonlight. Judging by the damp coldness of the cement touching my bare feet, we’re on the first floor.

Silence echoes around us as I strain to hear any little sound I can, but all I’m met with is silence. So far, so good. At the end of the hall, we come up to a door, but her hand is jerked away from my waistband before I can open it.

When I turn around, machete out and ready to strike, my jaw drops. The young boy from earlier—the one that knocked me out—stands with her pulled against his side and a gun pressed against her temple.

I try to talk him down, but he screams something back at me in Pashto, digging the barrel deeper into her skin the louder his words get. I can’t understand what he’s saying, but I can read body language, and his is threatening. She whimpers, but I tune her out and focus on the one thing I’m trained for—neutralizing the threat. I just never thought it would be a fucking kid.

“All right. I’m putting it down.” I hinge at the waist and set the machete down on the ground next to my feet. I stand upright and raise my hands up in surrender. I’m doing my best to appear nonthreatening. “See.” I take a hesitant step forward, trying to distract him with my words. All I need is an opening, and I can get her free. “I can help you.” I keep my voice calm like I’m talking to a wounded animal. The last thing I want to do is spook him by making any sudden moves.

He shouts back more words that I can’t understand, pointing the gun at me and then crushing it against her temple. He’s jumpy and armed, which is never a good combination.

“I promise I won’t hurt you.” I’m trying to negotiate with him however I can to get us all out of this in one piece. But it’s too late.

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