Page 140 of Cavern of Silence

I sob, unable to control my emotions, missing my brothers, feeling the ache all over of losing Maureen and now Julieta. The thought crosses my mind to end it. To stop this madness that is now my life and rid the earth of the beast I've become.

In the cell, I've not let myself think about my demise. My entire life, I've taken out men. But killing them with your bare hands is a different level of death. It's barbaric, and I wonder if I am now less of a human being than Jonas or Evandro Torres.

But I can't end it. Julieta will die. So I turn on the shower and pull it together and put on all the clothes, except for the shirt.

The doctor comes in and tends to my wounds. He cleans up my cuts and gives me anti-inflammatories for my pain. I take two and hand the bottle back to him, but he tells me to keep it and make sure I take them.

I put the bottle in my pocket, sure I will be stripped of it when I'm led back to my cell.

Evandro's right hand comes into the room. "Time for dinner."

I'm led to a dining room. An oversized mahogany table fills the room. Floral wallpaper and velvet drapes adorn the space. When I enter, I freeze, holding my breath when I walk in.

Julieta sits at the table next to Evandro. She wears a red evening gown. Her hair is in long curls, and her eyes glisten.

"Julieta," I whisper, afraid to move, not sure what Evandro will do.

She says nothing, only stares at me with a blank expression.

Am I hallucinating?

"Ryker, sit down," Evandro commands and points to the chair next to him and across from Julieta.

I obey, not taking my eyes off her.

"It seems your woman isn't very faithful," Evandro says.

I swallow the lump in my throat.

What is he talking about?

He's trying to get a rise out of you. Don't give in to his game.

I restrain myself from reaching over the table and holding her hand. She continues to have a blank expression on her face, but a tear falls down her cheek, and her lip quivers.

"You've fought like a warrior. Night after night, you've proven your worthiness. And I'm in a good mood tonight. So I'm going to give you a choice."

I look at Evandro. "What choice?"

"Freedom."

He's lying.

He laughs. "Do you not want your freedom?"

"You said I had a choice. What does that mean?"

He strokes Julieta's cheek.

His thug stands behind him with a gun, so I grasp the table's edge to not hit him, so a bullet doesn't end up in Julieta's head.

"Do you want to leave here, or do you want your whore to?"

"She isn't a whore."

He raises his eyebrows. "You should be asking me why she's here."

"Let her go. I made a deal with Jonas. Her freedom for mine."