Olivia flinched away from the blade, and Cade had to remind himself to stay put. Jack was holding the shirt well away from her body, and the man knew what he was doing with a blade. He wouldn’t nick her unless she moved unexpectedly, and she was too smart for that. He hoped.

He held his breath as the knife moved through the worn cotton like it was air, jerking through the hem with the slightest of hitches. Jack folded the blade and pocketed it, then flicked the two halves of the shirt aside.

“Pretty titties,” Nick drawled beside him in a less-than-subtle twang. He’d asked his friends to try to disguise their voices somehow for this scene, knowing it would make it scarier for Olivia if she couldn’t figure out who they were, and Nick was playing it up for all he was worth.

“Whatcha gonna do to them titties?” Nick called out.

“Whatever the fuck I want,” Jack said, his own southern accent more subtle. He extended a hand and wiggled his gloved fingers. “Gimme my bag.”

Cade kept a close eye on Olivia as Nick grabbed the duffel bag and carried it to Jack. Her nipples were hard and she was shivering, but he didn’t think she was cold. Her pussy was wet—he could see it glistening from his position ten feet away—but she’d been aroused before the scene had started, so he wouldn’t attribute that to her precarious position just yet.

Jack crouched and unzipped the bag, and her eyes narrowed as she watched him rummage through the contents. Cade had been involved in the selection of every single implement in that bag, and they’d planned the order of use meticulously, so he didn’t have to look to know that Jack was pulling out nipple clamps, a small, flexible leather paddle, a trio of super sharp knives, and a handful of zip ties.

And—he remembered when her eyes went comically wide—a ball gag.

Jack held it up so the red rubber ball dangled from his fingers. “Cade, she a screamer?”

Cade pursed his lips as he pretended to think about it. “Yeah, but the basement is pretty well insulated. Noise shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, if she’s gagged, she can’t tell us where the diamonds are.” Or use her safeword.

“I want to hear her scream,” Nick said, his voice appropriately menacing despite the ridiculous twang.

“I don’t like distractions while I work,” Jack growled. Which was a lie, of course. There was nothing a sadist liked more than hearing the fruits of his labor.

“We’ve got a goal,” Cade reminded him.

“Fine.” Jack tossed the gag aside with a flick of his wrist and stood. “But if I accidentally gut her, it ain’t my fault.”