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“Maybe that's exactly what you need since you're torturing innocent people.”

“Torture?” He let out a chuckle. “You think this is torture? Wow. This would be pathetic as a form of torture. Trust me, if I decide to torture you, it won't be like this.”

“How about you grow some fucking balls and tell me why I am here then.”

There was a knock at the door. Vega turned and called out, “Yeah?”

“It's time,” a man said.

Vega moved to the door and opened it up. The man with glasses was back. He pulled on gloves as he walked into the room. He looked and acted like a doctor, but he was so cold—dead on the inside. Obviously, whatever compassion and ethics he once held were gone.

He pinched the tube and slowly pulled it out of my nose. The sensation was strange, like pulling a long string of spaghetti out of your mouth that had gotten stuck in your throat. I coughed a little until it was finally free.

The man then moved to my arm. He placed a gauze over the IV line against my skin and plucked it out. A small piece of tape was placed over the gauze. He had a few words privately near the door with Vega that I couldn't hear, and then he walked out as if nothing had happened. He just walked away like he hadn't just violated the Hippocratic Oath.

Vega came to the edge of the bed. His fingers teased the ends of the bindings at my feet. “I'm going to untie you now, but justknow, every single time you refuse to eat, this is what happens. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to eat from now on?”

“Yes. I'd much rather eat than go through this again.”

“Good. We understand each other then.”

I arched a hard brow. “I don't think we understand each other at all.”

He pulled the knots loose and said, “I'm not asking you for much. All you have to do is comply. Do as you're told, and this will go much more smoothly.”

My eyes burned with fire. “Smoothly? How can you even say that? You're talking like this is normal. This isn't normal. I want to leave, not comply with a fucking a thing.” I sat up and rubbed my wrists as he pulled the last binding off.

“Well, unfortunately for you, complying is your best option.” He stuffed the rope bindings in his pocket and walked to the door. “Do you want to take a shower?”

“What?” I asked, confused by the question and his casual stance. Vega didn't look out of place or uncomfortable. He looked right at home, relaxed and at ease with the entire situation.

“Do you want to shower?” he asked again. I stared at him for a moment with a look of perplexity. “Well?”

I glanced around the room, twisting my head left to right and then looking behind my back. “Where? There's no shower in here. Are you going to bring me a bucket of cold water and a bar of soap? Another favor for me just like this meal.”

“There you go with that humor again. I'm not talking about a bucket of cold water. There's an actual shower you can use.”

I let his statement linger for a moment. The shower was someplace else. If I agreed, he'd have to take me there, andmaybe I could find a way out of this place. The thought ignited a flicker of excitement and hope.

“Yes, that would be nice. I could use one.”

“This way,” he said. He opened the door but stopped abruptly. Vega turned to face me. “No funny business. I don't want any more trouble. Do you understand?”

“Why would I cause any trouble?”

Vega didn't answer. Instead, he tugged one of the bindings from his pocket and said, “Hold out your hands.”

“For what?” I asked.

“Just do it.”

“No.”

Vega clenched his jaw and tilted his head. In one quick swoop, his hand was around my throat. He pulled me, shoved me against the wall, and growled. “This isn't complying. This is the trouble I'm talking about.”