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He nodded. “I figured you wouldn’t. You have killed twenty-eight of my men in the last six months and these five are the ones that, for some reason, you let live.”

My eyes darted across them as my heart lodged itself in my airway.

I knew I had let some men live, but I had no recollection of what they looked like. I had never cared to pay attention to their features.

“May I introduce Jasper, Felix, Monty, Creed, and Alexi.” The five men took a predatory step toward me, vulgar smiles strewn across their faces as if they’d been waiting their entire lives for this moment.

Clayson leaned forward, his fingers curling around the armrests of my chair as he brought his face only an inch from mine.

“You may not have remembered their faces, but I can assure you, they will be the last ones you see as you take your dying breath.” Spit flew from my mouth and he recoiled as it splattered across his face.

The back of his hand collided with my cheek and I gasped as the cut already present split further from the contact.

I turned my head slowly back toward him as a stream of blood flowed from the open wound over my mouth and drippeddown my chin. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and I watched as he dabbed at his face before tossing it to the dirt floor.

“I think I’ve had just about enough of you,” Clayson hissed, as he took a step away from me and adjusted the collar of his tunic. “She is all yours, gentlemen.”

An invisible hand clamped itself around the muscle beating wildly in my chest as I watched him stride to the dilapidated doorway. His eyes connected with mine over his shoulder as a murderous smile split onto his lips.

I knew the words he would say before they slipped off the tip of his tongue.

“Do not let her leave this room alive.”

My blood pulsed in my ears, the sound of a raging sea muffling the vile cackle I knew was coming from Jasper’s gaping mouth as they watched me writhe against my restraints.

My wrists burned and I could feel the trickle of hot blood dripping from my fingertips as the rough rope tore into my skin.

But I didn’t care.

I didn’t care about anything other than getting out of this fucking room.

“Did you really think you could steal from us for months?” Felix asked as his fist slammed into my face.

The sound of bones breaking roared through my head as a gasp flew from my mouth and white spots flooded my vision.

“Did you really think we would let you take our coin?” Another blow. “Murder our brothers,steal our wives,and we would do nothing?” Another hit landed in the center of my abdomen on the tail of Felix’s words and I could feel my ribs fracturing.

My throat clawed for the oxygen the punch expelled from my body.

“Did you really think we wouldn’t take something from you in return?” Alexi asked, stepping toward me as he pulled a knife from his belt.

I recognized that voice.

My gaze fell to his hand searching for a scar and finding it—a thick band of tissue wrapped around his wrist.

I pulled my eyes from it, dragging them to meet his, and grinned. “How’s the hand?”

“Well enough to do this,” he snarled, plunging his dagger into my thigh.

A scream tore from my lungs as my head snapped backwards. The serrated edge ripped through muscle and tendon as he yanked it out and my body convulsed. Blood poured from the gaping wound, soaking through my leathers as I panted through gritted teeth.

“Is that all you’ve got?” I spat as Alexi’s dagger sunk into my other thigh. A muffled scream sounded from between my clenched jaw, the room spinning around me as pain radiated through my legs.

I forced my head back up, meeting Alexi’s gaze with defiance blazing in my eyes.

Jasper leaned in close, and I flinched as his rancid breath brushed against my ear. “This is just the beginning, sweetheart. We’ve got all night to make you pay for your crimes. And out here,no onecan hear you.”

My breath stuttered in my chest.