Page 84 of F*ck Steal Kill

“I don’t believe that for a second. You were able to bypass my system. That means you’re valuable. So, who do you work for?” he asked as he leaned down, the threat clear in his evil-murdering eyes.

I swallowed, sweat beading on my forehead despite the chill. I prayed with everything I had that no matter what happened, I didn’t pee myself. That seemed like something I wouldn’t be able to walk away from. The ultimate low.

“No one. Just your neighborhood hacker who likes trying to break into impenetrable places. Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause an alarm.”

He smiled, the action making him scarier, and I braced myself, knowing something bad was about to happen. Men like him didn’t smile for normal things. His hand struck out, slapping my face and sending my head flying, not helping the concussed feeling as the ringing returned and my vision swam.

Fuck.

“You’re funny,” he seethed. “I don’t like funny.”

He gripped my chin in his hand, squeezing my face hard. Tears threatened at the corners of my eyes, and I could hear Joy in the background, saying something in that language again, but I could only focus on the threat before me.

Viper took up my entire vision, and I prayed his ugly, evil mug wasn’t the last thing I saw.

“My daughter was taken. So, try again. Who. Do. You. Work. For?”

“Sorry, man. No one.”

Since his face filled my view, I hadn’t noticed the knife in his hand until he stabbed my thigh, barely missing my femoral artery. Wincing, I screamed out in pain as he drew back.

“You get one more try, and then I start taking body parts.”

He stalked out of the room, his men following him and leaving the knife like a dumbass. Not that I wanted him to pull it out since I’d be more likely to bleed out, but he’d just given Joy a weapon.

Like I said, Dumb. Ass.

“Max, you okay?” Joy asked, smacking my cheeks. “Stay with me, sweet boy.”

“I’m not a boy,” I slurred.

“Okay, sweet man. Is that better?”

“Yep.” I nodded, instantly regretting it. “Ow. Make it stop spinning.”

“You were so brave, Max-a-million. Hols and Gruffy Cinnamon Roll will be so proud of you,” she said, patting my cheeks and pushing my hair back on my forehead. Her cool hands felt nice on my face. It took me a second to realize what she’d called Quentin.

“Gruffy Cinnamon Roll?” I asked, chuckling.

“He’s all Silent McGruff on the outside but a big cinnamon roll on the inside. You’re his gooey center. Which, welcome to the rainbow, cousin.”

“Rainbow?” I asked, trying to ignore the pain as I panted.

“You and Gruffy, you’re a thing, right?”

“Oh. Um. I don’t know what label we are. More like we love one another and enjoy being intimate while exploring our relationship with Holland.”

“That’s cool. You don’t need to label yourself to have my support, and if you have questions, I’m here for you. If I can’t answer it, I know someone who can.”

“Thanks, Joy. That’s really sweet.” I smiled at her, happy to have met her. “So, do you have a plan? I don’t know how much more torture I can take. It’s not my area of expertise.” And it really hurt already. I was quickly on the verge of pissing myself.

“I have an idea, but you’re gonna have to push through the pain if we have any hope of escaping. Where were you when they grabbed you?” she asked, her eyes moving fast as her mind calculated risks.

“Um, I was in the barn. I’d gone to look for Holland and Quentin when the second alarm didn’t disable. It was dumb. I should’ve stayed where I was.”

“Shh, it’s okay. That’s good, though. It means our escape route might still be open. We just have to make it to the wine cellar. It’s only a few rooms down. But I can’t carry you.” Her eyes watered at the acknowledgment, and I tried to soothe her this time, forgetting my arms were still tied.

“It’s okay. If you have to leave me, do it. I know you’ll come back.”

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