Page 60 of Bleed for Me

Offering her a sad smile, I muster as much gratitude as I can. “Thank you. Really.” I force out, spinning on my heel and striding out the door. Cracking my knuckles, I walk to my car.

Time to get some answers.

Vanessa screams as the cold water hits her. I opted to strap her to the metal chair when I had brought her back here after Paige’s kidnapping. She was going to be a gift for said woman, but plans have changed and now I am going to get her to tell me exactly what’s going on.

She shoots daggers at me with her eyes but doesn’t speak. The only sound in the space is from her chattering teeth. That will change soon enough.

“Hello Vanessa.” I drawl, pulling another chair in front of her. Spinning it around, I straddle the seat with my arms resting on the back. She sneers at me but doesn’t respond. I cluck my tongue. “That won’t do. Did they not teach you any manners? It’s only polite to say hello back when you’re having a conversation. And wearehaving a conversation.” My gaze darkens as I lean forward. “Or we could do this the hard way. I can promise you, you’ll not like that.” I wink and lean back, a sly smile on my face.

Contemplating my words, her eyes dart around the room. I wait. No matter how she reacts, this is not going to end pretty for the woman responsible for the pain inflicted on my girl. My smirk transforms into a full grin as Vanessa returns her gaze to mine, squares her shoulders, and spits the words at me. “Fuck. You.”

I clap my hands together, making her jump. “Oh, I was hoping we would get to do it this way.” I push off the chair and move to the far wall, snatching up the small metal nutcracker tool. It’s an unassuming little thing and takes a little effort to use properly but the results are worth it.

Vanessa eyes me warily as I approach.

Stopping in front of her, I run my hand along the tool. “This was a nice find. I picked it up at an antique store, gave it a little TLC, and good as new!” Opening it, I brush my finger over the sharpened metal teeth. “See, the nice thing about vintage is there aren’t all the pesky safety precautions. With the right amount of pressure, this guy can cause some serious damage.” I pull my finger out and snap it shut, causing Vanessa to flinch. Slowly, I bend to a squat in front of her and grab hold of one of her hands. She tries to pull away but is unable to with her arms and legs all tied securely to the chair. Tightening my hold, I prop up one of her fingers and secure the teeth around the appendage. I glance up at her. “Ready?”

She shakes her head. “Plea-” Her words are cut off with a scream as I roughly snap the tool closed. The sharpened teeth dig into her skin as the pressure crushes the bones. I remove the mutilated finger and move to the next. Pausing just long enough for her to notice and the anticipation to build before crushing that finger as well.

I stand up, releasing her hand. The two brutalized fingers hang limp from her hand, blood pooling around the jagged cuts. Vanessa whimpers and sobs as her fingers reflexively flex, trying to regain the lost sensation but only serving to further her agony.

“Now, let’s talk.”

Chapter 31

Paige

It’s been hours and Seth still hasn’t stopped. My demands grew silent after the first hour and now I sit quietly, my mind working to think of a way out of this situation. The bigger concern is, I still don’t know what the actual situation is exactly.

It’s obvious Seth has been attacked and he blames me. I’m not entirely sure why or how but the only logical conclusion I can come up with is that this is somehow connected to what happened to Kristoph.

If that’s the case, how involved was he?

The possibility that he was part of snatching women from the streets while we were together makes me sick. And furious.

I spot a sign for a rest area up ahead. “Hey, I need to pee. Can we stop there?” I request, gesturing at the sign.

Seth glances at me, checks his watch, and inclines his head. “Yeah. We have to be quick though.” I look at him and am met with a deadly expression on his face, causing me to gulp. “Don’t try anything.” He warns in a low tone, holding my gaze. All I can do is nod in response, the words sticking in my throat.

I’m in so much trouble.

We pull off the highway and park next to the bathroom building. Seth climbs out of his side and rounds the car, not unlocking my door until he is standing next to it. Before I can move, he reaches in and grabs my elbow, yanking me to my feet. I glare at him and try to pull my arm free but he tightens his grip and marches us toward the door. “Ouch, Seth, you’re hurting me.” He doesn’t reply, continuing to drag me toward the women's restroom. My eyes widen in horror as I realize he is planning on escorting me into the building itself. “Seth.” I snap, digging my heels into the ground.

He huffs a breath and whirls on me. “What?” Straightening my posture, I meet his irritated gaze head on, refusing to be intimidated.

This man is playing bad but I’ve survived worse. I’ve gone toe-to-toe with true evil and I now call him mine. And when he realizes I’m missing, Seth will have unleashed a true monster on the world.

Leveling him with a glare of my own, I growl, “You are not going in there with me.” I hold up my free hand when he tries to argue. “No.” I say firmly. Gesturing toward the building, I continue, “Look, there’s only one exit and the windows are too high and too small for me to try to squeeze through. You can stay right out by the door but I amnotletting you watch or hear me piss.” I lock my jaw and glare at him, daring him to fight me on this.

Studying the building, Seth looks like he still wants to argue. He shifts his gaze to my angry one and sighs. “Fine. But I’ll be right here.” Letting me go, he waves an arm toward the entrance.

I push past him and hurry inside. A quick inspection shows me I’m alone. Hurrying my steps, I slip into a stall, sliding the lock. I pull my phone out and open Mick’s contact, pressing the call button.

He answers on the first ring. “Paige? Where are you?”

I close my eyes and push away the tears, knowing I have to be quick. “Mick, I don’t have long. I convinced Seth to let me use the restroom and he’s waiting for me outside.” Mick growls but I rush on. “I think he was working with Kristoph. I’m not sure where we’re going but he was pretty beaten up when he came and got me. I think whoever they worked for isn’t happy about what we did.” The line goes silent and I check to make sure the connection is still there. Bringing the phone back to my ear, I whisper, “Mick, I’m scared.” I try not to cry but a hiccuped sob slips past my defenses.

He speaks then, his tone comforting but edged with danger, making a shiver run down my spine. “I know, baby. But don’t worry, I’m coming for you. Just be patient. And smart.”

---