Page 67 of Torment

“I’m serious, Hunter.”

“So am I.” Hunter opened the closet, took out his gun, and checked that it was loaded before placing it at his back.

“Like I said, you’re right. But we need to go in there with some sort of plan. A few men with a few guns are not going to help us get her out of there.”

Hunter straightened and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Let me hear it.”

James walked further into the room. “For this plan to work, you’re going to need to get your head together.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You’ve never been inside the world these fuckers run. I have. It’s sick, it’s twisted, and it’s one hell of a mind-fuck. You think you know what this world is all about, think again. This is no fuckingTakenmovie. Forget everything you thought you knew, because I can promise you, it’s a hundred times worse than you ever could have imagined.”

The haunted look on James’s face while he spoke almost gave Hunter the chills.

“What is your plan, Baxter?”

James shoved the pillows and blanket Hunter had used off the couch and sat down. “The only way we even have half a chance of getting in there alive is if we pretend we’re there to get back what belongs to you.”

“I don’t have to pretend. Scarlet does belong to me.”

James’s eyes flitted up to his. “I don’t mean in a romantic, loving kind of way, Hunter.”

“In what way, then?”

James shot him a meaningful look, and Hunter picked up what James was putting down. “You want me to pretend that I bought her, that she’s my…slave?”

James nodded, his jaw tight with tension.

“Fuck me.” Hunter plopped down on the bed, placing his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands.

“It’s the only way, Hunter. You will need to convince everyone there that Scarlet is yours and that Brent had stolen her from you.”

Hunter sat back. “I don’t get it. These people aren’t exactly taking the moral high ground in life. Why the fuck would they care if Brent hadstolenher from me or not?”

James leaned back on the couch. “You’re right, they don’t take the moral high ground. But they have rules. Rules that are meant to keep the peace between the top dealers, and one of those rules state that no master is allowed to steal a valued slave from another. They aren’t even allowed to touch another man’spropertywithout consent.”

Hunter snorted. “Property?”

“That’s what these girls are to them, Hunter. Property to use, sell, and trade as they please. Once they have paid for the girl, they can do with her what they want.”

Hunter let out a string of F-bombs. This was not exactly the kind of rescue mission he had in mind. He was thinking more along the lines of taking a shit load of ammo and shooting every motherfucker in sight.

But this? Pretending to be as sick as they were, pretending that heownedScarlet?Motherfucker.

“Let’s say I agree, how bad can it get? How deep will we have to go?”

James shrugged. “It depends if Rex is in the mood to play or not.”

“If he is?”

James rubbed his chin with his hand. “Then it’s going to get dark, I’m afraid—real fucking dark. Rex is notorious for his head games and sicktasteswhen it comes to playing those games.”

Hunter pushed his hair out of his face. There was nothing in this entire fucking world he wouldn’t do to get her back, to save her. If he had to pretend to be a twisted, demented control freak, then so be it. Besides, it wasn’t too far from the truth. Deep down, Hunter had always been driven by his need to control. He just had to convince this Rex fucker of that as well.

Hunter stood up from the bed, took his gun, and cocked it. “Well then, let’s start playing, shall we?”

Chapter 20

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