Page 61 of Reign of Psychos

“Let me see.” He grabbed Milo’s tablet and peered at the map. “That road is a dead end. It goes to an old farm. Nobody’s lived there for decades.”

“That sounds like a place Torrance would use as a base. He loves creepy old buildings. Says they add the fear factor.”

“What a fucking psycho,” Lan muttered.

“Don’t suppose you have a sniper rifle in the trunk?” I asked Kyril.

“Sadly, no, but I’d rather get up close and personal before I end this fucker.”

I didn’t always agree with the Russian bastard, but this time we were both on the same page.

29

Thea

The muzzle of Torrance’s gun pressed against my lower back as he shoved me inside the rain-sodden barn. My breath steamed in the chilly air, but I barely noticed the cold. I was too busy trying to think of a way to get us both out of this mess without dying.

“Love what you’ve done with the place,” I quipped as I observed the wet straw on the floor, cobwebs hanging from rotten beams, and piles of empty snack wrappers. Rain dripped down from various holes in the roof. The building was even more derelict than the last time Torrance dragged me here.

Eden looked up and yelled incoherently around the dirty rag in her mouth. She seemed unhurt, physically, at least, dressed for a date in tights and a cute pink skater dress now stained with mud and worse.

“Mmmphhm,” she grunted while glaring at Torrance.

“Let her go,” I pleaded. “She’s of no use to you.”

Torrance seemed unmoved. “Not happening,troia.” How dare he call me a whore!

The misogynist bullshit spewing from his lips stoked my anger. “A whore is a woman who accepts payment for sex,” I pointed out as he shoved me down on the floor. “You’ve paid enough whores in your time. You should be more than aware of this.”

If he didn’t have Eden trussed up like a Thanksgiving Turkey, I’d have fought back, but the risk of her getting hurt was too great. And he knew it.

“Shut the fuck up,” he snarled, smashing the butt of the gun into my cheek. Pain exploded as blood pooled in my mouth, but much to his annoyance, I showed no reaction other than to spit red saliva out over his boots.

At least my teeth were still intact.

“Be careful,” I taunted. “Damage the merchandise and Marku won’t want me.”

“He doesn’t care about your face,troia, only your well-used cunt.”

His foot lashed out and I only just shielded my belly in time. Eden struggled like crazy, but Torrance had tied her to a wooden post.

As I breathed through the pain, he yanked me up and forced my hands behind my back. I tried to free myself, but my head spun, and I could barely focus on him, let alone figure out how to escape this shithole without risking Eden’s life.

Torrance snapped my wrists together with a zip tie and then pulled out his phone. As I watched, he tapped the screen before placing the handset to his ear.

“I have her…yes…” He looked over at me and grinned. “She’s a little damaged, but nothing too bad.” I hawked out another globule of bloody saliva in his direction, but he ignored me.

When I turned to face Eden, she shook her head.

“Mhhmmpppmmm!”

“I’ll get us out of here,” I whispered while Torrance made another phone call. I shuffled closer to her and leaned back so our hands were touching. He’d used a length of rope to tie her to the post, probably because he didn’t have a zip tie long enough.

I picked at the knot, and after a few moments, it loosened. Torrance wasn’t watching either of us, the arrogant fuck. Zip-tying me and giving me a concussion would not keep me down for long.

When he glanced back, I pretended to close my eyes, letting my head fall forward as blood dripped down my face. In truth, I really was close to passing out, but I knew that if I did, we were both fucked.

Satisfied I wasn’t a threat for now, he pulled out a cigarette. “Marku says he’s looking forward to seeing his bride again,” he announced in a conversational tone.

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