Page 46 of Revenant

Rue hesitates a moment longer, a hint of doubt lingering in her teal eyes, then she nods and works on releasing the buckle holding the strap across his chest. A little snarl of disgust curls her lips as it loosens, and she throws it across the table like it personally offended her.

As she works on his wrist, Jaceson and Hicks each work on freeing his legs. They’re careful about keeping their distance, not lingering within striking distance. Because although Jameson might have agreed to Rue’s demand, he’s not happy about it and won’t hesitate to take out his annoyance on us.

Not on purpose, but he’s not a guy who can keep his emotions tucked away for more than a few seconds at a time. If he’s feeling something, everyone knows it. The only exception is when we’re out in public. Sure, he’s still Jameson, but he’s more calculating, his charm in full effect as he manipulates people around him to do what he wants.

Just as the straps are released, the door behind us clicks open with a buzz of the locks. We all whirl, and I stand protectively infront of Rue as her first line of defense. The rest of the guys fall into formation around her, the movements instinctual.

Protect the most vulnerable.

Protect our heart.

It doesn’t matter that she can take care of herself, probably better than us in this place, where our contacts, connections, and reputations are useless.

Five armed men step into the room. They are dressed as orderlies, but their military bearing is impossible to miss. While I recognize a few of them from the employee dorms, I haven’t had a chance to befriend any of them.

Which leaves us with no allies.

They don’t move away from the entrance, the door remaining open, but none of us makes a break for it. Both sides study each other, looking for weaknesses to exploit. The stalemate isn’t broken until the doctor steps into the room.

The guys behind me shuffle closer to Rue, and I clench my hands into fists to keep from lunging for the prick and snapping his scrawny little neck. He can’t be more than a hundred and fifty pounds. I doubt he has ever thrown a punch in his life.

He’s weak.

Pathetic.

Unfortunately, he’s also smart and cunning.

Killing him won’t solve our problems.

That doesn’t mean I can’t do it for the pure pleasure of it. I just have to bide my time before I strike, silently vowing to do it before we leave. He can’t be allowed to live. His interest in Rue is too sharp. Now that he knows she exists, he will never let her go.

Rage thuds through my system at the thought, the desire to kill him a lure that is almost impossible to ignore. I’ve always been prone to violence. I thought Rue would soften my savage tendencies, but the opposite is true—she just carries my leash.

If anything happens to her, my beast will snap the chains I have wrapped around it.

My rage is usually white-hot, but it’s different today.

Today, it’s bitterly cold, with the promise of vengeance.

“Great! You’re all here,” the doctor says in a chipper voice, his smile almost giddy as he studies us. When he doesn’t see Rue, a moue of displeasure puckers his face. “The guards will escort you to your rooms. I placed you all next to each other, as per our bargain. You will eat, then rest, and we will begin fresh in the morning.”

When his attention lands on me, annoyance darkens his eyes. “If you cause trouble, I will be forced to punish Miss Rue. I would like to avoid that as much as you.”

Revulsion twists through my insides so strongly that my knuckles creak under the strain of trying not to knit a scarf using his intestines. Sure, he wants her protected, but while we are worried about her safety, he’s worried about her viability as a test subject.

When none of us move or speak, his cold smile widens in real pleasure. “Good. We understand each other.”

Without another word, we’re dismissed from his mind, as though we performed as expected. He flicks open his tablet, almost mumbling to himself as he walks out of the room. While he may be a doctor, the fucker has completely lost his marbles.

Any humanity he might’ve possessed has long ago been stripped away. The Hippocratic Oath means nothing to him.

All that matters to him are results.

If we don’t do as ordered, he will do exactly as he says—he will take his frustration out on Rue.

I don’t know what he wants from her, but it’s not anything good.

I might not be the brightest of the group, but it doesn’t take a genius to understand that he has no intention of letting us go.We will eventually end up as his test subjects, no matter what we do.

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