Something about him was darkly familiar, but I still couldn’t put my finger on it, even though some part of my subconscious recognized him, responded to his presence with a level of fear I didn’t understand.

Though I was beginning to. These men, whoever they were, had proven of what they were capable. Intolerable pain delivered with menacing smiles and hooded glares.

“Please,” I said again, hating myself for sounding so pathetic, but I’d do anything to get them away from Alex. “Let her go. She isn’t part of this.”

“I warned you not to try anything, but look at Brock’s face. You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” He turned and traded a glance with Brock. “More.”

The bastard wailed on her, and Alex’s hoarse shrieks ripped me to pieces. “Stop! I’ll do whatever you want!”

Cleft’s hand folded around my chin. “That’s us going easy on your girl. If the boss hadn’t given us orders not to fuck her, we’d all be having a go at her. But he’s saving her pussy for himself, so I guess we’ll settle for beating the bitch.”

I wanted to stop breathing, wanted to shut my eyes and find a place where I wouldn’t have to witness them destroying her. If we didn’t die here in body, we would die here in spirit.

“Again,” Cleft ordered.

Brock lifted his right arm and swung the cane with a grunt. I jumped at the crack that struck my ears with such force, it rattled through me. I didn’t know how she was still in one piece. Something warm and wet fell from my eyes, and her image blurred. I would have given anything to take her place. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…

The apology bled from my soul, and maybe some part of her deep inside heard it. She slumped, eyes screwed shut as her screams diminished to hopeless mewls. Right then, I knew I’d kill every last one of them, and not in the I’m-fucking-irate-as-hell-and-talking-a-good-talk way. I would literally kill them, would do so with the most disturbing satisfaction imaginable, and no one would find the pieces of their corpses after I was through.

Another crack assaulted the tormented space between my ears. Her head dipped, chin to chest, body entirely limp as urine trickled down her quaking legs. She’d given up fighting. Her fucking brother had driven her to stop fighting the day she’d tried to kill herself.

“Let her down. She can’t take anymore.” Don’t break on me now.