Page 87 of Torment

Hunter growled. “If you let that son of a bitch come near her, I will slit his fucking throat.”

“Well then.” Rex placed his hands in his lap like sophistication had suddenly become him. “I suggest you do as you’re told, otherwise I will let Brent come in here. Currently, I’m the dictator here, and the odds are in your favor, my friend. Don’t fuck it up.”

Hunter rubbed the back of his neck, feeling frustrated as hell. James warned him. James told him what a twisted fucker this dude was, and in the back of his mind he knew it would come to something like this. But he’d hoped that it wouldn’t.Fucking hoper.

“Let me speak to her first.” Hunter glanced down at Scarlet.

Rex studied him with intent before nodding, giving him permission.

Hunter rushed forward, letting his hands hover over her body. He didn’t know where to touch her, or if he should touch her. Then he reached for the sides of her torn bustier and tried to cover her breasts, but it didn’t work.

“Scarlet, baby.” He leaned down, finally placing his hands on both sides of her face, wiping the lingering tears off her cheeks. “I’m going to get us out of here, okay? I won’t let anyone touch you again,” he whispered. He didn’t want Rex to know what he was saying. “I’m sorry, but I will make this right.”

The blue eyes that stared up at him pierced through his heart. But the more he wiped her cheeks, touching her face, the calmer they seemed to become. That was also the moment Hunter realized that those eyes—they were no longer Blue. They were Scarlet. It was Scarlet’s eyes staring up at him—and only hers. Every trace of Blue had been wiped away, and all he saw was the woman he had helplessly fallen in love with…Scarlet.

“Do you trust me, Scar?”

Her eyes searched his face for a few seconds, and then she nodded.

“Good.” He leaned down and whispered into her ear, “I’ll take care of you, baby. I promise.”

Hunter straightened and glared at Rex, who was sitting like a fucking king with his one leg on top of the other.

“You want to play? Then let’s play.” Hunter pulled off his jacket and tossed it to the floor.

Rex clapped his hands together. “Excellent. Piper, if you’d please help Miss Woods into a morecomfortable position.”

Hunter watched as Piper started to unchain Scarlet’s wrists. The skin on her arms was already bruised and cut, and Hunter could only assume it was from struggling against her bonds. The anger inside him started to churn violently, but he needed to contain it. He needed to tap into the deepest parts of him for this to fucking work. There was no way in hell he would fail her now.

The second Scarlet was loose, Hunter wrapped his arms around her shoulders and helped her off the table. He immediately loosened the ball gag and took it out of her mouth.

Scarlet cried and threw her arms around his neck, soaking his skin with her tears.

God, it felt so good to have her in his arms. All this time he was worried sick, and he couldn’t stop thinking about how much he wanted to feel her again. After all the shit they had been through, constantly pulling and pushing each other, Hunter knew he would never push her away again. In fact, once all of this was over, Hunter would never pretend he didn’t care about her—never again.

“I’ve got you, baby. Soon, this will be all over.”

“Ace,” she breathed, unable to say anything further. By her rapid breathing it seemed like she had run a fucking marathon.

“Shh.” He stroked his hand down her hair. “I need you to be strong, Scar. Just for a little while longer, okay?” He pulled her face away from his neck and forced her to look at him. “Just a little while longer.”

She bit her lower lip and nodded slightly, soft whimpers still escaping her. Hunter felt her body shiver, and he knew her legs were weak by the way she struggled to keep herself up. Dear God, he hoped she would be strong enough to get through this. Fuck knew what she’d already been through.

Piper took Scarlet’s hand, and when the click resonated through the room, Scarlet’s lower lip started to quiver.

Hunter stared at the cuff Piper had just secured around Scarlet’s wrist. It was attached to a chain that came from the ceiling, and Hunter had to wonder how sick these sons of bitches really were if they had chains at the ready in the fucking dining room of all places.

“It’s okay, Scar. I’m here, and I won’t leave you.”

Another click and the second cuff was placed on Scarlet’s other wrist. Hunter made sure he never broke eye contact with Scarlet. He knew how she felt about being tied, left helpless, unable to escape. It was a hard limit for her, yet she had trusted him once by letting him tie her down and allowing him all control. Now she just needed to be brave enough to trust him with this once more.

“Trust me,” he said to her when he noticed her eyes grow wide as Piper tightened the chains, and Scarlet’s arms started to slowly lift up in the air. Even when Piper brought the spreader bar and Hunter knew this was going to get fucking dark, he never took his eyes off Scarlet. He needed her to know he was there and he wasn’t going anywhere. Scarlet needed to concentrate on him, and him alone—not on what was about to happen.

The higher Scarlet’s arms lifted up in the air, the faster Hunter’s heart started to race. Inside his chest was a raging war as his blood boiled and his heart pounded against his ribs like it wanted out. But Hunter pretended to be calm. He needed all his goddamn strength to get both Scarlet and him out of this mess.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered while Piper secured Scarlet’s ankles to the spreader bar.

“Now isn’t that a sight?” Rex said as he stared at Scarlet, standing in nothing but her thong and torn stockings, tied to fucking chains.

---