Page 44 of Lipstick Lies

Ryker snorted, but even that sounded painful. “Yeah. Sorry, I got you into this mess.”

“I’m pretty sure I volunteered,” I said, my lungs beginning to hurt. “Any clue how long it’s been?”

I didn’t want to think about Finley, too scared I’d never get to see her again, which, of course, meant she was the only thing I seemed to be able to concentrate on. The part of my brain that was working also knew that she might be the one thing that kept me pushing through the pain to survive.

"What do we do now?" I asked Ryker, who wheezed a little laugh.

"Not sure," he said. "I haven't even seen Dex yet. It's just been goons giving us these blows."

"Is he mad, or is he wanting something?" I asked.

"With Dex, I never know."

Almost like he could hear us, which, knowing how tech savvy he was, he probably could, he walked through the door a moment later.

"Gentlemen," he said, spreading his arms in greeting with a smug smile.

The effort it took to lift my head to glare at him was excruciating. I wanted to sneer back, but the muscles on my face refused to obey. I blinked, trying to get the blood out of my vision to see him clearer. I tried to catalog all the features of the man in front of me. He was only moderately tall, probably around 5’10”. He had mousy brown hair, a strong jawline, and wore a suit. Outside of his attire, nothing stood out about his features. Though, it was his eyes that scared me. They were hollow, no ounce of humanity in their depths.

"What do you want?" Ryker asked.

"To punish you, of course." I didn't miss the manic sound in his voice as he said it or the way his eyes shifted back and forth, always falling on Ryker. It was clear the dude was obsessed with him.

"Fine, take me. Let him go," Ryker said.

“But what's the fun in that?” Dex responded, clapping his hands. "He needs to be punished. You care for him; therefore, he's valuable to me."

"I'll do whatever you want. Just let him go."

The psychopath walked forward, gripping Ryker’s face between his hands. Blood poured over his fingertips, but he didn't seem to care. In fact, if I saw his eyes correctly, his pupils were dilated; he was enjoying it.

"Oh, baby. I have so much in store for you. Don't be giving in to me already. It takes out all the fun when you don't scream." Dex squeezed Ryker's cheeks before planting a kiss, and my whole body tightened as a feeling of possessiveness surged up.

I growled, pulling at my bindings, but they were too tight and my body too sore.

“Now, let’s have some fun, shall we?” Dex asked as he grabbed a scalpel off the medical kit lying to the side. Faster than I could blink, he stabbed it into Ryker’s leg, a shout leaving the man I knew I loved but had been too afraid to admit.

“No!” I screamed as Ryker bent over, his face pale. The chair moved only a millimeter, and I knew there was nothing I could do. This was beyond torture, having to watch someone you cared about be hurt while you sat back helplessly.

Tears I didn’t know I was crying fell down my cheeks, mixing with the blood, blinding me even more. I’d never wished for something to turn back time as much as I was in this moment. I couldn't even decide where it had all gone wrong. Should we have not come back to The Order? Or was it just coming here to scout with Ryker, who had been too reckless and impulsive? I'd give anything to know what the right decision was.

Since I couldn't turn back time and wasn't a fortune teller, I focused on what I could do now in the situation. My options were pretty limited, considering I was tied to a chair. But I had training. I'd practiced; surely, I could find a way out of this. I focused on my wrist bindings, twisting them a little to see if there was any give. They were tight, meaning I wouldn't be able to Hulk my way out of them.

Instead, I would need to do the most painful approach. Did I have time? Or was this my only moment?

Looking over at Dex, I wished I hadn't, considering I caught him with his hand down his pants as he stroked himself off looking at Ryker’s bloody body. The leer on his face said it all.

"Just you wait, Ryker baby. I'm gonna make it really good for you." He started to unzip his pants, and I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting that image in my head.

When a beeping sounded, he cursed, and the fiddling of pants stopped. I peeked open my eyes when it sounded like he was on his phone, assuming it was safe.

"What?" he screamed. "Take care of it," he said. "No, I'm busy."

It didn't seem like the person on the other end of the phone was agreeable. Dex let out some expletives, cursing them, before tossing his phone across the room.

He turned back to Ryker, continuing to ignore me as his cock peeked out of his unzipped pants. I squeezed my eyes shut, but the image was already there.

"I'll be back, baby. I have to go take care of something. I'm the boss, after all. No one knows how to do shit without me. I'll show these assholes how to do their job without their thumb up their asses. Maybe I'll give you some pain meds if you're good."

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