Page 114 of Sinning for Santa

“Jaxcen, Jaxcen, Jaxcen,” he sighs. “For this treatment to work, I need you paralysed.”

I flinch as he lurches forward, taking the drink and moving to my side.

“You’re more experienced now, Jaxcen, so we have to increase the intensity of the treatment. Make sure it sticks this time so you don’t step out of line again.”

Fisting my hair, he tugs my head back, and a whimper escapes me as his hard hazel eyes bore into mine.

“Open this pretty mouth,” he demands, releasing my hair to grip my jaw, the action opening my mouth. “Drink it.”

He pours the juice into my mouth, and I start choking, juice flowing over the sides of my mouth and down each side of my neck as he holds my mouth open, and although I fight it, my need to breathe has me gulping down mouthfuls of juice, and I’m almost certain I’m about to drown.

Chapter twenty-four

Devon

With guns raised we enter right through the front doors, while some of Riggs’ men go through the back. The reception counter is unattended with a sign to press the buzzer for assistance, but we bypass that, Lenny leaping over the counter and breaking through the staff door to release the security doors that let us in.

“We’re in,” Finn says beside me and we scan the space, the men checking in every room we pass.

“We’re in too.” Riggs confirms through the small earpiece in my ear, letting us know they have entered the back part of the building.

The facility, Holly River Estate, was mentioned in the voice message left by Dr Xavier, so I knew where to go, since the place borders the Holly River.

The building looks like an aged care facility from the road. The grounds lush. Lots of open air. Manicured gardens. A look of luxury.

Inside is a different fucking matter.

“Hey! What are you d—” the male nurse’s voice cuts off a second after I squeeze the trigger, the silencer doing its thing to keep our presence covert.

“One gopher down,” I say into my wrist mic, informing Riggs and his men of my kill.

Eyeing the now dead man and the red oozing blood from the bullet hole in his forehead, I pass by an open door and halt.

Unlike theother rooms that have beds with no sheets, this room has a made bed with strewn sheets, but nothing else.

Locking eyes with Finn, I gesture my head into the room, letting him know that I’m taking a look, and enter quickly, checking the bathroom to find it empty.

Approaching the bed, I stare at it and wonder if Jaxcen had been sleeping there. If this is the room they locked her in.

Leaning down, I press my head to the pillow and breathe in the familiar sweet scent of honey and oat milk. It’s the shampoo I left for her in my shower.

Fuck. She’s been here.

“Anything?” Finn asks quietly from the doorway, and I turn my menacing glare to him.

“She slept here. I can fucking smell her.”

“Fuck.” Finn steps aside so I can pass.

We now know this is definitely where my girl is, and that knowledge has me moving faster, my urgency to have her back in my arms fucking impalpable.

“We got a lamb.” Miles mutters from a door up further, so I hurry forward to the closed door.

There, inside the room, only backlit by the light coming through the grate on the window, is a silhouette of a female, sitting, staring right back at us, which we can only make out because Finn shines his flashlight through the viewing window in the door.

Eyes, dark and sinister stare back, and I have to say, nothing much unsettles me, but this… This woman, or girl or whoever she is, gives me slasher vibes. Or something like that.

“Collateral or rescue?” Miles asks, and I open my mouth to respond, but Finn beats me to it.

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