Brock pulled a rubber band from his wrist and lifted her hair, securing it in a messy bun. He grabbed her chin and turned her face so he could drag his tongue up her cheek. She inched away from him, her mouth twisted in revulsion.

“Why are you doing this?” I shouted.

But Brock ignored me. They all fucking ignored me.

He let her go and waltzed to the back of the room where he eyed the various implements. God, I couldn’t watch them hurt her. It would kill me. They had everything they needed to tear me apart, all wrapped up in Alex De Luca. He removed a cane from the rack and strolled toward Alex.

“Answer me!”

“We don’t answer to you, Mason.” Cleft’s lip curled, and he folded his arms as Brock halted a few feet behind her.

I captured her gaze and held it in the safety of mine. Our connection was the only thing left to get us through what he was about to do.

“Baby,” I said, my voice cracking along with the rest of me because I couldn’t stop this. “It’s gonna hurt.”

She blinked rapidly, as if to hold back tears. “I know.”

“Lesson number one,” Cleft said to me. “You don’t fight us, ever.” He nodded, and Brock struck the back of her thighs with an ear-splitting crack. She jerked forward, sucking in a noisy breath. Brock narrowed his bushy brows and swung again, harder this time, and the impact of cane on flesh reverberated off the walls.

She bit back a cry, refusing to give voice to her pain, though her eyes watered from the agony.

“Stop!” I shouted.

Brock licked his lips, as if savoring the challenge in her silence, and struck again. A small cry escaped her. With the grin of the devil, Brock unleashed his sadistic pleasure onto her ass and thighs, again and again until her escalating screams lashed through me. She cried my name, screamed until the sound of her anguish overwhelmed the room. She rose to her toes, biceps straining against the chains, body trembling, then her legs finally buckled.

My breath caught in my lungs, refusing to expel. Grief and frustration burned behind my eyes.

“Please,” I said, not above begging. Not when it came to Alex. “No more. Let her go. Your problem is with me.” I didn’t know why, but whatever they were after, it had nothing to do with her. “Take it out on me.” I growled the last word, swerving my attention between Cleft and Brock.

Cleft stopped in front of me and thrust his face within inches of mine. I tried going for his throat, regardless of my chained hands, but could only stand there with his hot breath in my fucking face.

“Please what? I like hearing you beg.”