He took the bottle, reading the label. Panic hit me hard and fast. They were giving him the choice to drug me.
“Actually, yeah. This might help.” Daire opened the syringe and then the bottle, filling the syringe.
I gaped at him. “What the fuck, Daire? Are you serious?”
Catching my eye, he inclined his head slightly, subtly motioning to the gun laying on the table next to a laptop. Okay, so we were clearly in a dangerous situation. Was drugging me really the best plan? I’d been drugged by Brady to keep me complacent. Why would Daire do that to me?
He thought I was a liability. That my fear would blow this whole plan. Why else would he think drugging me was the best option?
Cash spoke up then, playing his part. A little too well. “I like my girls to lie there and take it. Give her the shot.”
“No.” My voice was breathy, barely audible. I backed away toward the closed door.
This wasn’t part of the plan. I hadn’t agreed to this.
Blaze caught me before I could try to run. He gave me this look, silently begging me to play along. Panic had taken over. I was no longer in control.
I fought and flailed against Blaze, doing my best to get away. Fuck this plan. Fuck the Sinners. Fuck all of it.
Blaze struggled to hold onto me. Cash had to help him pin me between the two of them. It took great effort on their part to hold me still long enough for Daire to stick me with the needle. I froze in their grasps. I stared at Daire, horror and betrayal all over my face. How could they do this to me?
Together they dragged me over to the bed while the two men working the equipment gave them instructions on how to place me for the best camera view. The drug quickly took effect, making my head swim and my vision blur.
I was arranged in the middle of the bed so the camera had the perfect view of anything that happened. One of the men told the guys to get started when they were ready. Everyone’s voices sounded far away.
“Did you bring what you needed?” One man asked. “We have options here if you’re interested.”
My head lolled to one side as I struggled to see what was going on. The man offered my guys things to use on me. Knives, screwdrivers, and even guns. They didn’t care how the job got done, as long as it was gruesome for their disgusting, twisted viewers.
Daire took a gun, checking to see that it was loaded. It was. He placed it on the bed next to my head before grabbing my chin, forcing me to look at him.
I didn’t want to look into his beautiful green eyes. I didn’t want to see the heartless, soulless monster he’d become. This was Daire Keller. Nothing about this should have surprised me. He told me to trust him, no matter what. I wasn’t sure I could do that anymore.
Daire pressed his lips to mine in an aggressive kiss. I started to fade in and out of consciousness. Try as I might, there was no forcing my lips to move, or any other body part for that matter.
Next to my ear, low so only I could hear, Daire whispered, “I hope you can forgive me for this. I fucking love you, Clover.”
His hand moved to my breast, squeezing gently while he kissed along my jaw. Blaze and Cash began to touch me as well, their hands all over my legs and stomach. Somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind, where a flicker of a conscious thought occurred, I hoped like hell they wouldn’t do anything incredibly intimate in front of these monsters with their camera.
They went through the motions of touching me. Lifting my skirt while they caressed my bare skin. Blaze withdrew the knife from his pants, flicking it open. He pressed the blade against my throat. The cold metal bit into my skin, promising violence.
I couldn’t so much as whimper. Not a coherent word would pass my lips, even though on the inside, I was begging them not to do this. I fought against the effects of the drug, determined not to blackout completely. Right when I thought I may succumb, Daire made his move.
Snatching up the gun that lay beside my head, he whirled around and fired. The first shot hit the man running the camera. His second shot hit the guy manning the computers.
The guys moved fast. Blaze gathered me up in his arms while Cash and Daire destroyed the camera equipment, bringing the laptop with us. It all happened in a blur. Even though it might not help now, they made sure to plant the microphones and camera devices from the Sinners.
Cash moved to the door, peering out the small window before cracking it open. “Hallway is clear. Let’s move.”
“We can’t leave without answers,” Daire insisted. “We have to take someone with us.”
Still holding the gun, Daire led the way. He kicked open the last door at the end of the hall, next to the back exit. Shouting at those inside not to make a move, he grabbed a woman seated at the desk, dragging her out with him. Then he barked at Blaze to get me out of the building.
The cool night air caressed my skin as we rushed from the building. Shouts followed us as we raced to the car. Blaze got into the front passenger seat with me on his lap. Daire dragged his captive into the back seat with him, shouting at Cash to drive.
That’s when darkness engulfed me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO