Page 56 of Perilous

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I come backalive to the sound of water dripping. A semi-steady drip, almost therapeutic. I try to move my hands and quickly realize my wrists are chained to a thick pipe above my head. There’s a rushing scent that hits me of old metal, dirty water, and air that hasn’t been changed over in decades.

Oh, also?

I’m completely naked. Stripped head to toe. My feet flat on the gross, cool floor.

Fuck.

That’s when the shadows start to move. They’re coming toward me. Seemingly from all directions. Black robes. Black masks. I’ve officially pissed off theLegiononce and for all.

Someone followed me to meet with Holom. Someone is assuming that I’m working with or for Holom to get his daughter back to him alive and well. Fuck, for all I know, they’ve been following this entire time and they know that Annika is alive. They know that I have her. They know that I haven’t killed her yet.

There’s a really good chance right now that my intestines are going to be ripped from my body and I’ll be left to bleed out and die a horrible death. And yet there’s one thought that strikes me really hard.

I wonder if any of these guys approaching me are part of mybrood. I wonder if Luc went to Ty and forced his hand through their father or just by simply commanding him. I picture it happening—Ty, Vic, and Demo killing me. Gutting me.

Would I hate them?

Never.

They didn’t ask to be brought into this mess I’ve created. This is my struggle. My fight.

There’s got to be at least a dozen of them all standing there. They continue to close in on me. When I see something in their right hands…

Fuck.

Needles. They all have needles. I grit my teeth. Each holding a fucking syringe in their right hand. Moving closer to me. Lifting their right hands up…

Maybe gutting me isn’t the plan here. Maybe pumping me full of drugs and leaving me to writhe and die…

The first needle slams into the right side of my chest. That’s followed by one on the left side of my upper back. Another in my right leg.

I realize the syringes are completely empty. This is just to fuck with me. They all stab me with the rest of the needles. It’s like stepping on a bees nest and getting attacked.

That’s when I see Luc. Holding a baseball bat. He’s not dressed in his robe and mask. He’s just in normal clothes.

As he moves toward me, he hands the baseball bat off to someone. Before I have a chance to ready myself, the bat is swung, connecting with the left side of my ribs. I hear crunching and instantly can’t breathe.

In one motion, Luc reaches back and takes out a stun gun and hands it to someone else. The stun gun is then jammed against my right armpit and electric volts attack my body. I can’t help that I shake uncontrollably and my teeth chatter.

I can’t help that I start to piss everywhere.

Even when the stun gun is taken away, my body shakes and writhes from electricity.

Luc reaches into his pocket and shows me a set of brass knuckles. Once again, he hands them off to someone and that someone throws a punch at my face. Just under my left eye, splitting my cheek open. The brass knuckles are then passed around from person to person, each given the chance to punch me one time.

It becomes a barrage of metal against skin and bone. My body throbbing and bleeding everywhere. My left cheek. My bottom lip. My jaw feels broken but it’s not. Getting hit in the stomach leaving my insides throbbing. My ribs feel like a pile of ashes.

“All together now,” Luc growls. “Like a beautiful symphony of destruction.”

The brass knuckles, the baseball bat, the stun gun, and whatever needles fell to the floor were picked up, everything all at once hitting me. The pain is enough for me to finally break my silence. I let out a roar.

Not a fucking scream. Not an ounce of pain showing.

I roar.

“Now leave!” Luc orders everyone.

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