Page 36 of Dreadful

Once again, Percy flails around, but Sev pins him down by digging the cane’s tip into the man’s thigh. He leans heavily on the hook at the top, and the sock muffles his prey’s wail. Sev ignores it, though, and makes a show of analyzing his razor. The blade is much shorter than the knife I carry, but the shiny edge looks just as sharp.

“Tallie is very important to me, Percy. She and I…we’re cut from the same cloth. Nostronzolike you will ever touch her against her will again. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s mine. And no one touches what’s mine.”

My heart thrums in my chest. I’m his?

My body purrs, but my mind screams against it. What the hell does he even know about me?

Panic pricks sweat on the back of my neck, while my nipples peak with arousal. I fold my arms over my chest, as if covering up my insane reaction will make it go away.

“Now back to my question,” Sev begins. “Do you remember how many times you said you touched Tallie without her permission?”

He nods quickly, eager to do something right, no doubt hopeful that it’ll keep him safe.

“Good. Now hold up that number for me.”

Percy raises two fingers from his bound hands.

“Very good, Percy,” Sev praises him, and Percy’s shoulders relax.

“I have a feeling this is where it’ll get interesting. Tallie had a different number. I know you said you can’t recall the other incidents…but maybe I can refresh you. It shouldn’t take long. I have a knack for jogging people’s memory.”

Sev lays his cane behind him and teeters briefly. Once he regains his balance, he snatches Percy’s raised thumb and positions the razor just above the first knuckle.

Percy fights harder this time, but Sev shoves him by the forehead against the brick wall, and his head snaps back like a car crash dummy. When it bounces back, he sways, obviously dazed.

“Whoops. What is that? Your second concussion of the night? Damn, that probably won’t help with the whole memory problem, huh? Let’s try it and see.” He holds up Percy’s thumb again. “Do you remember touching her one time?”

Percy’s head wobbles in a nod.

“Good man. One. What about a second time?” He holds up an index finger. Percy nods again.

“Two.”

My rapidly beating heart begins to slow with each passing moment of inaction.

What is he up to?

“Okay, now here are the hard ones.” He holds up Percy’s middle finger. “Do you remember this one?”

He shakes his head quickly.

Sev sighs. “Thought so.”

Snick.

The razor is so swift that it takes meandPercy a moment to realize what happened. Percy’s middle finger tumbles to the ground, and the night stills around us.

“Three.”

What. The. Fuck.

The sock in Percy’s mouth smothers his hoarse screams.

“Come on, Percy, no need to be dramatic. Isn’t that what you called Tallie?Dramatic? Goddamn, I hate that word. You’ll never use it again if I have anything to say about it. Now that you know the stakes of the game, I’ll tell you how to play. Tallie gave me a number, and we’ll go through each finger until we get to her answer. She could’ve said three. Or she could’ve said more. But if you remember, I won’t cut off a finger. If we go past her number, though, and you say you ‘remember’ it anyway, I’ll take your finger anyway for lying.Hai Capito?”

He grabs Percy’s ring finger and holds it up. “What about this time?”

Percy studies Sev’s blank face before slowly shaking his head.