Page 116 of Menace

He nodded at two men in suits who had come in to the room as well, making the small space feel overcrowded. They had been standing silently behind the two bikers, watching.

“Bring her.”

The bikers tried to come at me but were stopped in their tracks when he glared at them.

“Get the hell out and go back to fucking my cousin. I’m sure by now she’s ready for the second round.” Disdain dripped from his words but the two bikers totally missed it.

My brother suddenly appeared in the open door and he had a look in his eyes I knew very well. Calculation. He was planning something and unfortunately it wouldn’t be to help me get out of here. It would be something that served his end goal.

I knew the end goal. It was to get me back under his control.

While I had been glaring at my brother the men had stepped up, they gripped my upper arms firmly and hauled me up. Instinctively my hands folded around my middle and I felt the one on my left give a slight flinch. So slight I was the only one who noticed it.

Without another word said I was marched out of the room and down a wide corridor. It was a dull grey with buzzing fluorescent lights and we passed three doors like mine before coming to a stop. It was another door with a guard dressed all in black, he had several weapons strapped to his body. He looked me over before he punched in a code and opened the door, then he said something to the men and they shrugged and shook their heads as we walked through.

I shivered as we left the light of the passage and walked into semi-darkness. The men urged me forward and we descended down heavy black iron stairs through the semi-darkness. There weren’t many lights, the ones there were threw round pools of light. I’m sure it was intentional, to scare whoever they brought down here into giving them what they want. I was marched to where a door stood open, bright white light cascading into the passageway.

The minute we reached the door and I saw what was inside I tried to jerk back, to get as far away from it as I possibly could. Nothing in that room said safe, it screamed ‘get out of here as fast as you can’.

It was glaringly white, the walls as well as the floor and there was a shiny steel table in the centre. A single black grate was set into the floor under the table. A table that looked similar to a prep table in a chef’s kitchen. Only thing is, I don’t think a chef has ever prepared a meal on that thing, it was being used for something completely different. Against the wall was another table, there was a narrow white cloth draped down the middle, and there were gleaming silver tools laid out on it. Tools I recognised from hospital shows I used to watch. Unfortunately there were no dreamy or steamy actors down here. Only me, Pablo, and the two guards.

Putting a hand over my wildly racing heart I tried to slow it down.

I knew what this place was.

It was a torture room, a room where he interrogated people. A place where he hurt people.

“You can’t do this.” My voice came out in a scared whisper.

For the first time since he walked into my cell Pablo smiled, really smiled. It took him from attractive to handsome. If it wasn’t for the dead eyes, that is. Those eyes were the eyes of a monster, a killer.

“I can do whatever I want. Who is going to stop me? You?” He snorted derisively.

As I watched he carefully and precisely took off his suit jacket and draped it over a stand in the corner of the room. His tie was next and then he unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt followed by the buttons of his sleeves. He slowly, again carefully and precisely, rolled them up.

I didn’t want to look at him but I also didn’t want to look at the table or the instruments of torture. So I watched him and shuddered in fear as his dead gaze slid over me.

“Strap her down.”

The order came and I knew what was going to happen and somewhere in my head I started repeating words like a mantra. Over and over.

Please God, keep both of us alive until help comes. Please let them track my phone. Please keep us safe.

I prayed soundlessly as the two men strapped me to the table. Stretching my arms above my head they snapped steel cuffs attached to chains around my wrists. My legs were next and they stretched them wide before snapping the cuffs around my ankles.

When they were done all I could move was my fingers, toes and head.

Lifting my head I look down my body at my feet. Not only was I in danger, my baby, my precious little boy, was in terrible danger and it was because of my brother. No, he’s not my brother, hasn’t been since the first time he touched me. He and my father were no longer my family, they were my enemies.

If not for them I wouldn’t be in this bloody country or this damned city.

It was their fault this was happening. I hate them. Hate them so much.

Closing my eyes so I didn’t have to look at the bright lights above me I lay breathing slow and easy, trying to calm my racing heart.

Trying to stay hopeful that there was a way to get out of this alive.

Something cold and hard was pressed against my cheek and my eyes snapped open. Pablo stood next to me, a knife flashing silver as he lifted it away from my cheek before pressing it against it once again.

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