Page 32 of Merciless

I take a step forward, and his confidence withers and dies as he scrambles back into the corner next to his shitty toilet.

Fucking thing needs to be incinerated after the mess he’s made in it.

Besides his bed and the sink, it’s the only thing in the room. How the fuck he keeps missing is beyond me.

“If you didn’t want feeding today, you should have just said, asshole,” I sneer. “Not that you need it.”

I regret the fact that I’m not wearing boots the second my foot lifts from the floor, but I don’t let it stop me as I plow it into his gut, making him grunt in pain.

“I’ve seen pigs live in less shit than you,” I mutter, before fleeing the room in favor of some fresher air.

“Everything alright?” Reid calls the second I slam the door shut and lock the cocksucker back inside.

Needing that shower, or better, a bottle of bleach to clean up with, I march back toward Reid and his pet.

Alana’s eyes widen when she takes in the blood sprays across my wifebeater.

The moment she realizes she reacted, she locks it back down.

But I’m not ready for her to give up on me yet, so I reach behind me and pull my tank from my body then shove my sweats from my hips, leaving me in my tight black boxers.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Shower please, Boss.”

Alana is so focused on my body that she doesn’t register my demand. That soon changes when the water once again rains down on her.

The scream that rips from her throat makes Reid grin like a demon, knowing she can’t see him.

Stepping closer, I keep my eyes locked on hers, while Reid’s warning stare burns into the side of my face.

“You look like you’re waiting for something down there, little dove. If you ask nicely, I’ve been known to give a killer lap dance.”

I don’t need to look up to know that Reid is grinding his teeth over my suggestion.

Usually, he wouldn’t give a fuck.

Hell, prior to yesterday when his little pet arrived, I wouldn’t have thought that making that suggestion to Alana would stir anything inside him.

But something has rocked him.

It makes me even more curious about what’s been happening down here and why we have her locked up for the foreseeable future.

Last night, Reid was pretty sure she was playing us. And while it’s certainly a possibility, I’m finding it hard to believe.

Sure, she’s feisty, sassy, and beautiful. She’s got all the requirements to pull the wool over most men’s eyes. But she’s not stupid.

She’s lived this life of violence, corruption and death just as much as we have. She’s just seen it from a different angle.

She knows being down here is the closest thing she’s probably ever going to get to a death wish.

So why is she here? And why is she refusing to talk?

“I think that’s probably something I can live without. Doesn’t look like you’re hiding all that much down there anyway.”

Unable to contain his amusement at that, Reid snorts, although he tries—and fails—to cover it up with a cough.

“Oh, did you want in on the action, Big Man?” she taunts. “Maybe JD could show you what he’s made of.”

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