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Before I could think, I reached out and stroked her hair. "Calm down. Take a breath and relax."
There was something about her that stirred a strange maternal protection for her. The last thing I wanted was for anything to happen to her. Maybe it was my latent grief at not being able to protect my little sister, or maybe it was the fact that I hated being helpless and wanted to do something to keep anyone else from that same fate. Either way, I wanted to keep her safe.
"This place is sort of like a prison," I said, hoping I could explain everything correctly. "We have a man, we call him Sam, who makes us—argh." I screamed in pain as a jolt of electricity shot through my arm. Drake and the others hissed in pain as well. We’d all been shocked.
"What was that?" Ashley cried out. "What happened?"
"Fucking hell," Bri grunted through gritted teeth. "Don’t say anything else."
"But she has to know," I said, still holding my arm to my chest.
Payton groaned beside us, and when I looked at him he stared at the screen of his device. A sick feeling gurgled in my stomach. He stood and crossed the room to the cabinet.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
Payton’s head sagged forward in defeat. "I’m doing what I’m told. Okay? I don’t want to, but he says I have to."
When he turned around he held the taser in his left hand. My eyes went wide with shock. He was supposed to punish the girl? Already? She’d barely walked in the door.
"This should be good," Bri said and continued eating her breakfast.
Drake sat, fists clenched. Instead of looking at the girl, he glared up at the nearest camera, almost like he tried to will Sam to hear his thoughts.
Leaping to my feet, I stood in front of Ashely. "Don’t fucking touch her, Payton. Do you hear me?"
"What’s happening?" Ashley sobbed behind me. As new as she was, she already saw that something bad was about to happen. The terror in her voice made me want to cry.
Payton already had tears running down his face. "Do you think I want to do this? Fuck, she’s a kid, but Sam says to hurt her, so I have to hurt her."
Ashley clutched at the back of my shirt. "Don’t let him touch me. Please."
Sucking in a panicked breath, I said, "Do me. I’ll take her punishment."
Bong. "If Dahlia takes the punishment, then Ashley will receive twice as much afterward." Sam’s voice sounded strangely bored as he spoke, almost like he was barely paying attention to us. It was nothing like his usual cerebral and almost professorial tone. "She will learn everything soon enough."
A loud bang came from beside me. Glancing over, Drake gritted his teeth, fist still resting on the table where he’d slammed it down. He looked as angry as I did.
As though a heavy weight had descended onto my body. My shoulders slumped. There was nothing I could do. At least not yet. Payton walked toward us, swiping at the snot that dribbled from his nose. His eyes were still wet with tears.
Ashley tugged at my shirt as I moved aside, her eyes going wide with terror at the sight of the taser in Payton’s hand.
Kneeling again, I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Sweetie, my name is Dahlia, this is Bri, and Drake, and, well, the man with the weapon is Payton. We don’t always like it, but we have to do what we’re told. This will be fast. Okay?"
Her lip quivered and tears leaked from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks. She looked confused and terrified. To her credit, though, instead of fully freaking out, she nodded shakily. "Okay. Fine."
Payton stepped up, pressed the taser to her shoulder. "Nothing personal."
He clicked the trigger. Ashley’s eyes bulged, lips peeling back in a rictus grin of agony. She jerked spastically as the monotonous tack-tack-tack sound of the taser filled the room. When Payton finished the ten second long burst, Ashley slumped, sliding from the chair to the floor, sucking in a breath before breaking into sobs.
With a sigh of disgust, Payton walked away, returning the weapon to the cabinet. Drake rubbed at his face, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Bri barely glanced at the girl as she continued to stuff her face and drink orange juice.
Ashley rolled over and looked at me with sad and broken eyes. I wiped my own tears from my eyes. "I’m sorry," I said.
I gasped in pain as another shock of agony burst forth from my cuff. Glancing down, Sam’s message was clear:
We do not apologize for doing what must be done.
Chapter 20
