Page 15 of Mex

“You know how this goes, Acacia. Answer me honestly.”

I know how it goes, alright. The long, jagged scar on my inner thigh is a reminder of what Marek is willing to do when he doesn’t get what he wants. I’ve lied to him only once in my life, and I immediately regretted my decision to do so. Bringing the knife up, he gently places it between my breasts. It’s sharp, but he never puts enough pressure to cut my flesh unless he needs to. Slowly, he begins dragging the blade softly over my skin.

“Where were you?”

“In a container in the middle of the woods.”

The knife pauses, and his eyes hold mine.

“Why?”

Stomach twisting, I know I’m going to have to tell him as much as I possibly can, because if I don’t, I’m not walking out of here. He’ll find out the truth, one way or another, and I don’t have time to be victim to another person wanting answers. This man scares me far more than that club, so I know that it’ll be him who calls the shots here. It’ll be him I work with. It’ll be him I give my loyalty to. Because, in the end, it’ll be him that keeps me alive.

“Someone wanted my mother’s location, and ...”

I hesitate.

The knife pushes into my skin, just enough to break it and cause a sting to travel through. The burning sensation remains as he holds the knife there, just enough to pierce my skin and make a trickle of blood run down my flesh. Gritting my teeth, I continue.

“They also wanted information on you and your operations.”

The pressure releases, just a touch.

He keeps dragging the blade down, stopping at my belly button. He doesn’t care that he drags blood with it. Hell, this knife has probably seen more blood than I dare to even imagine.

“Who?”

This is the part I’m nervous about.

If I tell him, then I’ll have to get involved, and Ireallydon’t want to get involved. If I lie, it’s my life on the line. Even though I know it’s Marek I’ll choose to work with, if I can get away with it, it would be better for me. I have enough to deal with, I’d rather not have to handle the club at the same time as everything else. I should have rethought my decision to get involved with them to begin with.

Oh well, it is what it is.

I dare to attempt a lie and see if I can get away with it.

“I don’t, he didn’t tell me who he was.”

The knife presses into my skin, harder this time, making a little popping sound as it breaks through the flesh. I grit my teeth, not crying out, not giving him a single reaction as blood slowly trickles down my belly. This fucker won’t stop. I know it. He’ll push that knife into my flesh deeper and deeper until he gets the answers he wants.

“We can continue, if you like,” Marek says, his voice a low rasp, “or you can tell me the truth. By now, Acacia, Iknowwhen you’re lying.”

God dammit.

Fucking biker club has no idea what they’ve done, taking me.

“Prisoners of Purgatory MC.”

My voice is strained.

Marek pauses, pondering my answer, his blue eyes flickering as he takes it in. He doesn’t once look concerned, worried or even angry. He just thinks about it as if he’s thinking about what drink to order next. I wonder if there is anything in this world that scares this man, if there is, I’d love to know what.

“I managed to get away, I’m good at that kind of thing,” I mutter. “I came straight here. That’s all I know. He didn’t say why he was looking for my mother, but he did give away that he wanted information about you. I guess it’s known that the two go hand in fucking hand.”

Marek keeps sliding the knife down, until the sharp tip slides across my exposed flesh, resting on my clit. I hold my breath, because this is the part that terrifies me, the part that makes my entire body shrink into itself. I know he’d use it, and that’s what worries me the most. He would, without a doubt, cut off my fucking clit to get answers.

“Where is your mother, Acacia?”

“I don’t know.”

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