Page 116 of Depths of Destruction

But first, I need to figure out how to protect her from whatever this situation is that we're in.

19

Naomi

While Andre Wasn't Conscious

"Naomi Salazar, we meet again."Santiago Gómez has an expression on his face I've not seen before. It's a sinister smile and sends chills into the core of my bones.

I blink hard, trying not to show any weakness. A man like Santiago gets off on others showing fear around him. I don't want to give him the satisfaction.

Tell me what you want so I can go back to Andre.

Andre. God, please don't let him die.

Andre is in the truck we were both thrown in. They took a Glock and rammed it into his head then dragged him to the other vehicle.

I was petrified they would separate us, and I'd never see him again, but we were both taken to the same location and thrown into the back of an empty delivery truck.

Santiago trails his finger down my cheek, and I jerk my head to get away from him, but he forcefully grabs my chin and steps so close to me, his mouth is only inches away. "You're responsible for the death of my men."

"No." I try to deny it, but deep down, I know my rescue was the cause of his men's demise.

"If you and your boyfriend weren't so valuable, I'd kill both of you now."

I swallow the thick lump growing in my throat.

He tugs my hair back so my face is toward the sky. Vicious, evil eyes stare back at me. "You mess with my business. You harm my army."

I stay silent and will my lip to stop shaking, but it won't.

His sneer grows. "Time to have some fun."

Fear roots itself in my toes and multiplies through every cell of my body, causing a quivering in my gut. The darkness residing in his eyes is the truth of who he is and what he's capable of, and my breath shallows from anxiety.

What is he going to do to me?

He takes a step back and points at me.

A loud pop then a buzzing zap sound fills the air as an electrical current sends excruciating pain shooting through my back and in every nerve of my body.

I scream and fall to the ground, shaking while Gómez's crew cheers.

Santiago kneels, pulls something out of my back, and screams in my face, "Get up."

I can hardly move, and he yanks me to my feet and drags me to a tree, so I’m facing it. Then he tugs at my shirt with so much force, it splits down my torso and only hangs by my sleeves.

More cheering.

I can't stand on my feet from the previous assault, so he takes a rope and ties it around my waist and the giant tree trunk.

Oh God. He's going to torture me.

"Bring them," he shouts.

Two men, their faces covered in blood, fight his men but are powerless. Santiago's thugs position them on the tree so they are on both sides of me.

One speaks Spanish. The other sends a new chill through my bones when he speaks.