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Stretching her jaw once it was off, she told him, “Thanks, buddy. How you doing?”

“My face hurts,” he confessed quietly.

Her heart ached at his suffering. “I know, sweet man, I know.”

“Unca Case likes to tie knots,” he told her randomly.

“Oh yeah,” replying half-heartedly while she tried to figure out how to untie herself from the bedpost. She watched him and the door with one eye.

“Those are sailor’s knots. Unca Case likes them most; he wants to sail the sea one day,” he told her. She finally perked up knowing he knew what type of knots they were.

“Think you can untie them, Jax?”

“Oh yeah!” He seemed excited to have something to do.

While he unknotted her ropes, she considered some ways to escape because she didn’t think they had enough time to wait for Dominic to get there. He was probably still trying to find out where Jaxson was, and even though he had men follow her and had placed a tracker in her shoe, she couldn’t rely on him to save them.

Spotting a vent in the ceiling, she wondered how far away it would take them and if they could escape through the ducts. Being in a fancy hotel, she knew it had to lead to other rooms, but she also knew they were in the penthouse, which was why she was tied and taped up.

As soon as she had one hand free, she twisted to help Jax undo the other. Hearing footsteps coming towards them she told him, “Under the bed, quickly.” Wrapping her hand back up in the rope while he climbed underneath, the door opened just as she laid back down.

“Where’s the brat?” Brooke questioned.

Dee kept her mouth shut, not telling the bitch anything. As she slammed closet doors and dresser drawers, she could physically see the other woman getting madder. “Where is he?” she screamed.

Her silence remained. There was nothing Brooke could do to make her tell. Dee kept her eyes on Brooke as she paced across the carpet silently.

“You’ll tell me where he is now!”

She raised her brow in challenge. If Brooke was pissed off at her, she wouldn’t think to check under the bed.

Storming towards Deedee, Jax’s mother ripped her belt from her jeans, making it into a whip as she wrapped one end around her hand.

“Tell me!” she demanded again.

“Fuck. You!” Dee spat out.

The sick smile on Brooke’s face would have had her cringing if she hadn’t already expected pain.

This is gonna fucking hurt. The other woman brought the belt behind her head before whipping it down across Deedee’s thighs.

Son of a bitch!

White hot flames prickled her skin and sunk deep into her bones.

“Tell me,” she whispered harshly, thinking she’d break Dee.

You have no idea bitch, she taunted in her head while biting her lip so she didn’t cry out.

“Fine, have it your way.” She laughed as she brought the belt down repeatedly.

Pain radiated through her entire body with each strike.

Brooke laughed through each one.

Deidre plotted all the ways she’d get back at the bitch.

“You’ve got grit, little girl, I’ll give you that,” Brooke pronounced after a few strikes along her thighs. Both women were sweating profusely; Brooke from exertion and Deedee from holding the pain in.