Page 81 of Axe
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Allison
The searing pain of my flesh being sliced open pulled me out of my unconscious state. And because my guard was temporarily down, I let out the scream of all screams.
For just a second, I gave him the satisfaction that he was looking for.
And I hated myself for it.
Savage bent down to my level, his dark eyes looking into mine and that evil smirk plastered on his face.
“Ahhh, there it is.” His maniacal laugh filtered through my ears as the ringing subsided. “There’s the fear. I spent years trying to bring that out of you again. I got a glimpse of it once and it wasn’t enough.”
He pulled the knife back slowly and I felt the blood rush down my thigh. I didn’t have to look to know that it was just a fraction away from the last one.
“I think that was where I went wrong with you. The shipping container.” He tisked and shook his head. “For some reason, being in there took the fear right out of you. But that look you got in your eyes when I took you from your pops. Mmm. That moment when you realized that there was no way out and you were so terrified that it locked up your whole body. Yes, that moment I will never forget. So much time wasted trying to bring that look back into your eyes.”
The airswooshedas the blade cut through it, right before it sliced into my arm. I gritted my teeth and tried to block out the pain. I woke alert, being stabbed would do that to you, and so he wasn’t going to catch me off guard again.
For a second, I wanted to give up. I thought about what I really had left to live for. I wasn’t sure if Neiryn had made it, or even Axe, but I knew that if my little boy had, then he would be taken care of.
But then Axe’s voice started to whisper in my ear and I couldn’t help but think that maybe I was a bit delusional at this point.
You always fucking fight.
So fuck Savage and whatever sick game he wanted to play. It may be my end, but I won’t give him one more ounce of satisfaction until I took my last breath.
“What’s it going to take, huh?” This time the knife penetrated my upper arm.
My body jerked but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I closed my eyes and smiled.
“The fuck is wrong with you?”
Forhimto askmethat made me pause. Was I crazier than him? Perhaps, I could definitely see that with all that I’d been through. Maybe it was the brief freedom that finally had sent me over the edge. Was I as evil as him? No, I would never let that happen.
“You are nothing but a sick, sick man with a need to make people feel worse than you do on the inside.” The words tumbled out of my mouth like an insane rant. I knew it wasn’t a good idea to taunt someone like him, especially when I was tied up with no way to defend myself. “What was it? Daddy didn’t love you enough when you were a boy? Or Mommy? Did she not tuck you in and kiss you goodnight? Or was it that she loved you a little too much?”
That one hit home. With a roar, he stabbed me in the side. I didn’t regret saying it until the pain made the bile rise up my throat.
“He won’t come for you, Allison. They are too scared to come after me.”
His words were full of anger and a hint of uncertainty. He wanted to be right, but I knew he could feel it coming. The only thing I hoped was that they would attack before he realized just how unprepared he was. I would bet my left eye that he had a club full of men who thought they were on top like him. That thought they were untouchable.
The knife made aclinksound as it hit the table. I knew he wasn’t done and the sad thing was, that no matter what his fingers touched next, I had already been introduced to it before. Nothing would be new. No pain he could bring me would be fresh.
A smile stretched wide on his face as he nodded to himself. Then he looked at me and walked across the room. The high powered sprayer turned on and within seconds I was drenched and cold.
I knew what was next.
I hated what was next.
And I thought that this might be the one to break me.
The charged current crackled through the air as he tested the electric cattle prod. I sucked in a deep breath as I waited for him to finish taunting me.
Then it came. I had sense enough to wrap my hands around the chains that held them up but it didn’t help all that much. My body violently jerked and trembled. My teeth clattered together so hard I was sure they were going to chip and crack. And I prayed like hell that I wouldn’t end up biting through my tongue.
My body stopped moving, though the pain was still there. I sucked in a deep breath and prepared for the same thing all over again. All I could hope for was that he would get bored of my non-reactions and give up soon.
