AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Fen carries me toward the desk, his grip around my waist tightening. The man sitting behind it is stunning, with a strong build, ice-blue eyes, high cheekbones, and a regal nose. My gut twists as I recognize his face, even through the trim beard, tanned skin, and tawny brown hair. His features are a perfect blend of Camila and Xero.
This is Delta.
And Dolly is his wife.
Delta rises from his seat like a gentleman, revealing a three-piece tweed suit tailored to his athletic frame. “Amy Bishop,” he says, his voice breathy. “I’ve been waiting to be reunited with you for years.”
Bishop? Reunited? I glance at Dolly, making sure to avoid her eyes, to find her smirking with an unsettling mix of hunger and pride.
“Told you I’d find her,” she says.
“Remove her clothes. Let me take a better look,” Delta says with a warm smile.
My hackles rise, and my mind dredges up everything Xero told me about his father. He murdered Xero’s adoptive mother, impregnated the housekeeper, made Xero endure years of bullying, only to prepare him for nearly a decade of training to be an assassin.
Fen sets me on my feet and places heavy hands on my shoulders so I can’t run. Dolly reaches between our bodies to unfasten the buckles of my head harness, letting the fabric fall to the floor.
Delta steps forward and reaches out to cup my cheek. His hand is large and warm and soft, as though he’s spent hisentire adult life delegating all his dirty work. I shrink backward, recoiling from his touch.
His eyes narrow, and his smile fades into something more sinister. “Keep pulling faces like that and you’ll age before your time.”
Gulping, I drop my gaze to the floor.
“Turn on the cameras and take her over to the waterproof backdrop,” he says.
Fen marches me to a corner where a green screen is set up on a stand, covering both the wall and a large portion of the floor. The three younger men move around, arranging cameras and softboxes, as if preparing for a movie scene.
A scream lodges in the back of my throat, and my breath comes in short, panicked gasps. This is it. The moment they gang-rape me and snuff out my life. I drag my heels, and struggle against Fen’s grip, but he positions me atop the screen.
“Take off the straitjacket,” Delta says.
Fen fumbles at the straps around the back of the restrictive garment, but Dolly strides forward.
“Don’t touch her,” she snaps, her voice laced with venom.
Fen’s grip on my shoulders releases, and I stumble forward. Dolly grabs my arm, but her touch is like a jolt of electricity. I bolt toward the exit to a chorus of male laughter.
“You’re so fucking useless,” Dolly screeches. “Get her!”
Before I can even reach the door, strong arms encircle my waist and yank me off my feet. I kick and scream, my voice echoing around the cavernous room as Fen hauls me back to the green screen.
Panic tightens around my throat like a noose as the trio of younger men stare at me with mocking smiles. Delta scowls, his arms folded across his chest, his features etched with impatience. I can’t bring myself to meet Dolly’s eyes. If I look themonster in the mirror full in the face, something inside me will crack.
“Get undressed,” Delta snaps. “Both of you. Locke, administer a mild sedative. Barrett, Seth, get the steel cables and suspend her from the rigging grid.”
“No!” I scream.
The three men disappear in different directions. Delta works the ties on Dolly’s corset. Fen’s fingers dig into my shoulders as though conveying a silent message to stay calm or things might get worse.
“Please,” I say, my vision going blurry with tears. “Don’t.”
Delta releases Dolly’s corset, revealing a back criss-crossed with scars. Shock hits me in the gut and I hiss through my teeth.
She steps out of her skirt and bends over to unzip her boots. Cuts mar the backs of her legs, making me wonder if it was her who was in that car accident and not me.
Delta reaches into his jacket and pulls out a knife. “Dolly, get a ring gag. I don’t want her ruining the shot while we carve identical patterns into her skin.”
SIX
