Page 5 of Splitting Secrets
The weapon of the Midnight Syndicate.
“Darling, he’s the last thing people see before they die,”Divina had boasted back at the beach.
And I see what I missed back then.
I see the hesitation in his angry stare.
The dread.
He doesn’t want to hurt me, but he’s caught up in this obligation. These men and Divina have an air of superiority over him.
Something doesn’t make sense. Even if he’s their weapon to wield, they should still fear him. Fear what he’s done—what he’s capable of doing to them, if they move wrong.
Which tells me one thing: They’ve got to have some sort of leash on him.
And maybe if I can figure out what that is, I can stop him from killingme.
“Get in the cell.” His voice is a low growl, meant for only me to hear.
Swallowing past the terrified lump in my throat, I hold my chin high and follow his command. I’m only one step forward when James huffs out an irritated breath.
“Surely, you aren’t going to allow her to do that without consequences.” He’s staring at Raze as if he has three heads.
Ashton rubs his forehead. “Why don’t we kill her now and save ourselves the headache?”
“She has the right to a trial before the entire Midnight Syndicate,” Divina pipes up defensively, shocking me worse than Raze’s resistance to retaliate.
When she catches my surprised stare, she sneers at me, then adds, “And the right to be punished to the full extent of our laws.”
“She has no rights at all,” James bites out. He and Ashton remain in their spots, blocking my path.
“Regardless of what you decide for her fate, it will be me delivering the final blow,” Raze tells them. “And I’ve decided that some time down here in the darkness will be the first phase of whatever torture she endures. Now,move.”
They don’t challenge him any further. Either because Raze’s tone left no room for argument, or because he emphasized the command by shoving his hands against my shoulders and sending me flying toward them. They step out of the way just in time for me to fall on my ass in the cell with another crack. This time it’s my hip against the hard stone.
No one speaks as he slams the heavy metal door shut and turns away without another glance in my direction. I quickly climb to my feet to watch them through the small, barred square that’s been cut into the door. The two men follow close behind his heels, joining Divina at the mouth of the corridor. They walk back toward the stairs together in a close huddle.
When the door at the top of the steps closes with a loud bang, all the overhead lights blink out. Darkness falls over me, and I’m left alone.
I ram my palms against the door, testing the locks over and over to see if they might fail against the constant pressure.
It’s a futile attempt that only costs me energy I don’t have. With the darkness surrounding me and the threat gone, the adrenaline that kept me from feeling the effects of my own recklessness has started to pull back. I’m left feeling sore and depleted.
Sliding my fingertips along the stone walls, I blindly search for the cot I saw when Raze shoved me in here with the lights on. It takes forever. Even with small steps, I end up tripping over random things—a couple of large rocks that have likely crumbled off the wall, a bucket for relieving myself, and finally, the cot.
It’s nothing more than a few pieces of wood sitting atop two cement blocks. Somehow, my mind made it out to be much more comfortable. Instead of getting hung up on it, I remind myself it’s better than sleeping against the damp, hard ground.
Lying back, I hug my arms to my chest and turn on my side in a fetal position, then allow all the thoughts and emotions I’ve been avoiding to come flooding in.
3
Raze
Twelve years old
WHACK.
I fight the urge to cry out, my teeth settling into the permanent, bloody indentation they’ve created in my lips. The leather strap fell out twenty minutes ago, and I haven’t been able to ask him to pick it up. Hissing out a breath, I squeeze my eyes shut and brace for the next swing.
