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Down two flights of stairs into what looked like the lowest deck, they were led along the short hall and then into a room.

As they entered, it felt like she slammed into a brick wall even though no such wall blocked the doorway.

It was a mental wall.

Because the room was something out of a horror movie or an episode of Criminal Minds or Dexter.

This wasn't just any room, it was quite obviously set up for one very specific purpose.

Plastic sheets were strung up across the walls and covering the floor.

A single chair sat to one side, and a bed was pressed up against the adjacent wall.

The only other piece of furniture in the room was a table that held what could only be described as instruments of torture.

That’s what this room was.

A torture chamber.

Nausea swelled in her stomach, and she was suddenly glad she hadn't eaten anything since the fish Jake had caught for lunch. After eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all the previous day and then twice already yesterday, she’d been starting to get sick of the taste, especially when they had no seasonings or sauces to go with it, but she’d still been grateful for food to put in her belly so she didn't starve.

“Put the beautiful lady in the chair,” the fire man said. His tone was creepy because it was so normal. It didn't sound evil, angry, or scary at all, just like a regular tone you would use when talking to your friends.

The two men holding her arms immediately shoved her into the chair, using the leather restraints already attached to it to secure her arms in place.

“Those are leather, my dear, so you’ll find that it won't abrade your skin like plastic would, and it won't leave bruises like metal might,” fire man told her, then stood there staring at her expectantly.

Did he expect her to thank him for that?

As though banging up her wrists was her biggest problem right now?

When Jake gave her a discreet nod, she assumed he was telling her to play along so she looked at fire man and offered a weak smile. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” He beamed at her as though she’d made his day. “I think we’ll keep Mr. Holloway where he is for now. You two are dismissed.”

The two men who had just bound her to the chair gave small nods and then disappeared from the room, leaving her, Jake, fire man, and the two remaining guards holding onto Jake and shooting him wary looks like they weren't sure he wouldn't start fighting them at any second.

He would.

She could see it in his eyes.

But she also knew Jake well enough to know that he was also going to try to gather some intel before he made his move.

Fire man moved toward her, and Alannah braced for pain.

Instead of touching her, he merely knelt at her feet and reached out to circle his hand around her ankle.

It took every ounce of self-control she had not to flinch or kick out at him.

He deserved whatever meagre pain she could inflict and so much more after everything he’d put them through, but Jake had a plan, and she wasn't going to mess with it.

“You have beautiful feet, my dear,” fire man told her as he lifted one of her feet off the ground. A furrow creased his brow when he saw the small cuts dotting her skin. “Did you get these running from my men?”

There didn't seem to be any point in lying so she nodded.

“I always liked feet. I'm sorry you were hurt.” Trailing a fingertip lightly across the myriad of scratches, he then leaned in and touched a kiss to the sole of her foot.

While it didn't help with the nausea, it did give her an idea.

Earlier, when she’d asked why he had set the fire at the park and then saved her from it, he’d said that she reminded him of someone.

Could he have had a previous girlfriend or wife who he had worshiped the way he was currently touching kiss after kiss to her feet, whose screams he had heard in a fire?

It couldn’t hurt to push a little, right?

“Did you lose someone?” she asked softly, and his gaze darted up to meet hers. Swallowing down the fear that she was going to make things worse, she kept talking. “Before you said that my screams … that they reminded you of someone. Was it someone you loved?”

“It was my entire world I lost that day,” fire man replied.

“The woman I loved and planned to marry, and the career I worked hard for. I was in the military, too, you know. Explosives.” Fire man flicked a glance over to Jake.

“I tried to save her. Failed. Watched as she died inside that house, unable to get inside.

They said her death made me lose my mind.

I think they were right. It also made me lose my heart.

It died along with her. So, if you're expecting mercy, my dear, I'm afraid I have none to give.”

The look he gave her was almost apologetic as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter.

Of course.

What else would this guy choose to torture her with except some sort of fire?

“My boss needs to know if you have his name, or if you're close to figuring it out,” fire man said, again his gaze over to Jake, the question for him and not for her.

When Jake didn't provide an answer, fire man tutted. Then he flicked the lighter, making its tiny flame appear. The grip he had on her ankle tightened when instinct had her trying to tug her foot away from what her brain recognized as coming pain.

Her ragged breathing was the only sound that filled the room, but when fire man held his lighter to the bottom of her foot, somehow, she managed to contain her gasp of pain.

“You understand, I'm sure, why it’s imperative I know anything your family knows before you both die,” fire man continued, talking to Jake. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is you just tell me what I need to know, and we can move on, otherwise, we can do this all night.”

The lighter was brought close to her skin again and held there.

For a tiny flame, it caused a whole lot of pain, and the longer it burned against her skin, the harder it got to hold in her cries.

At last, a whimper fell free, and she heard Jake growl.

“It’s so easy to hurt others when you have the upper hand, isn’t it?” Jake sneered. “Would you come at us if you didn't have a couple of dozen men at your disposal?”

“A couple of dozen?” Fire man snorted like the idea was ridiculous.

“I had only a dozen and you killed two of them on the island. Ten men is more than I need to get the answers I require. In fact, I could do it on my own. All I need is to hurt your girl for long enough, and you’ll tell me what I want to know. ”

“I'm not his girl,” Alannah whispered.

This time fire man gave her an almost pitying look. “Don’t lie to me, dear. I don’t like it. Now tell me, Mr. Holloway, do you have a name, or can I assure my boss he’s safe?”

Burning pain in her foot as he touched the flame to one of her open wounds had Alannah crying out before she could help it, and Jake growled again.

“We don’t have a name. Satisfied?”

“Perfectly.” Immediately, the pain withdrew, and fire man stood.

“That wasn't so hard was it?” Sending another apologetic look her way, he reached out and patted her head like she was a dog to be played with.

“Now I'm sorry, my dear, this won't be pleasant for you, but my boss did promise us some time to enjoy you when we caught you.

Personally, I won't be partaking in it, no need, I will forever only love one woman, and the thought of touching another feels like a betrayal. But I can't say the same about my team. They’re quite looking forward to it.”

There was no way to stop the fear that churned in her stomach.

This was always what she had been most afraid of, and now it was about to happen.

Ten men or twenty, it didn't seem to matter. It was still too many.

Her breathing increased to the point where white dots danced in front of her eyes as she hyperventilated.

“I’ll be waiting upstairs. When my men are finished with their fun, I will come and end your suffering.” Fire man ran his hand down her cheek almost tenderly before moving out of her line of sight. “I’ll leave you to watch, Mr. Holloway. As punishment for all the trouble you’ve caused my employer.”

Behind her, she could hear the door opening, footsteps, and then a moment later, a different man appeared before her. This one didn't look apologetic in the least, in fact he looked the opposite, he was everything evil embodied and he was about to rape her.