Page 8 of Fervent

“You don’t need her,” I said. “You have me. Let her go.”

Cleft dropped the cigarette butt and ground it out with his shoe before closing the distance between us. He dragged a finger down my chest, his eyes alight with something close to glee. “I have youandher.”

“What the fuck do you want?”

“Didn’t we go over this on your piece of shit island? I want you tosuffer.” He gestured to Brock. “Make the bitch scream.”

“No!” I sprang forward again, mindless of the chains trapping me.

Brock pulled a rubber band from his wrist and lifted her hair, securing it in a messy bun. He grabbed her chin and turned her face so he could drag his tongue up her cheek. She inched away from him, her mouth twisted in revulsion.

“Why are you doing this?” I shouted.

But Brock ignored me. They all fucking ignored me.

He let her go and waltzed to the back of the room where he eyed the various implements. God, I couldn’t watch them hurt her. It would kill me. They had everything they needed to tear me apart, all wrapped up in Alex De Luca. He removed a cane from the rack and strolled toward Alex.

“Answer me!”

“We don’t answer to you, Mason.” Cleft’s lip curled, and he folded his arms as Brock halted a few feet behind her.

I captured her gaze and held it in the safety of mine. Our connection was the only thing left to get us through what he was about to do.

“Baby,” I said, my voice cracking along with the rest of me because I couldn’t stop this. “It’s gonna hurt.”

She blinked rapidly, as if to hold back tears. “I know.”

“Lesson number one,” Cleft said to me. “You don’t fight us,ever.” He nodded, and Brock struck the back of her thighs with an ear-splittingcrack. She jerked forward, sucking in a noisy breath. Brock narrowed his bushy brows and swung again, harder this time, and the impact of cane on flesh reverberated off the walls.

She bit back a cry, refusing to give voice to her pain, though her eyes watered from the agony.

“Stop!” I shouted.

Brock licked his lips, as if savoring the challenge in her silence, and struck again. A small cry escaped her. With the grin of the devil, Brock unleashed his sadistic pleasure onto her ass and thighs, again and again until her escalating screams lashed through me. She cried my name, screamed until the sound of her anguish overwhelmed the room. She rose to her toes, biceps straining against the chains, body trembling, then her legs finally buckled.

My breath caught in my lungs, refusing to expel. Grief and frustration burned behind my eyes.

“Please,” I said, not above begging. Not when it came to Alex. “No more. Let her go. Your problem is with me.” I didn’t know why, but whatever they were after, it had nothing to do with her. “Take it out onme.” I growled the last word, swerving my attention between Cleft and Brock.

Cleft stopped in front of me and thrust his face within inches of mine. I tried going for his throat, regardless of my chained hands, but could only stand there with his hot breath in my fucking face.

“Please what? I like hearing you beg.”

Something about him was darkly familiar, but I still couldn’t put my finger on it, even though some part of my subconscious recognized him, responded to his presence with a level of fear I didn’t understand.

Though I was beginning to. These men, whoever they were, had proven of what they were capable. Intolerable pain delivered with menacing smiles and hooded glares.

“Please,” I said again, hating myself for sounding so pathetic, but I’d do anything to get them away from Alex. “Let her go. She isn’t part of this.”

“I warned you not to try anything, but look at Brock’s face. You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” He turned and traded a glance with Brock. “More.”

The bastard wailed on her, and Alex’s hoarse shrieks ripped me to pieces. “Stop! I’ll do whatever you want!”

Cleft’s hand folded around my chin. “That’s us going easy on your girl. If the boss hadn’t given us orders not to fuck her, we’d all be having a go at her. But he’s saving her pussy for himself, so I guess we’ll settle for beating the bitch.”

I wanted to stop breathing, wanted to shut my eyes and find a place where I wouldn’t have to witness them destroying her. If we didn’t die here in body, we would die here in spirit.

“Again,” Cleft ordered.

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