Page 45 of Sadistic Retribution

Thor flips him off, sticking his tongue out.

“I’m single. I was married once—and no, I don’t want to talk about it,” Bill insists.

“Fair enough,” I say.

The two of them start bickering again, so I tune the idiots out, typing quickly as I get to work.

Chapter 17

Trikk

Where the fuck is it?It has to be here somewhere!

I'm combing the entire forest, going tree to fucking tree. Pushing, pulling, digging—everything. There is nothing! It's not in any of the buildings that we can access. I need my Bambi—now!

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I swipe it open, seeing new messages in our group chat.

Purge: We have new info. The Morgue is confirmed. Our girl is likely there. It's somewhere on this property, connected to the tunnels.

Synn: And I made a deal with female Hitler to get that info. Now I have to be engaged—for real.

Razor: We reached Harris. He's looking into it too. No clue where the asshole is though.

Me: Bro!! The fuck? I've been combing every inch of the forest, nothing. What now?

Purge: I suggest checking the actual grounds more thoroughly for now.

Me: Roger that!

No response from Ghost, my love brother. I’m really worried about him. We bonded young, thanks to our similar fathers. Mine is just more concerned about money than power. Ghost's… his father is all about the fucking power.

Trikk Age 8

I run in through Ghost’s kitchen, sliding across the super-clean floor. I did take off my shoes—they better be happy with that.

I jog into the living room, hearing voices behind his father’s closed office door. “Well, Son? What do you have to say for yourself? You had a direct order!”

I hear a sniffle, and a small voice answering. “I-I’m sorry, Father. I’ll do better.”

A pause, and I squeeze closer to the door, listening.

“Oh, yes you will,” his father says. “You will run that maze until you make it through the whole thing unseen. My men will be in there, with instructions to go harder with each failed attempt.”

What the hell? What is he being made to do? I can’t even complete that thought, when a loud slap sounds. I hear Ghost cry out, then the unmistakable crack of a whip lashing down onto bare skin.

I don't think—I just turn the handle and burst in. “Get away from him!”

His father turns, fury all over his face. He sneers, reaching out to grab me. He tosses me onto the floor, next to Ghost. “You want to be my son’s protector? You will take his punishment, then.”

One of his men pulls off my shirt. Ghost struggles to cover me, but he’s too weak. I close my eyes, waiting on the lash. When it comes, I scream. Blinding hot, searing pain goes across my back. He keeps going, lash after lash.

Before I pass out, I turn my head to see my best friend. “I’ve got your six, bro.”

I come out of the trees, my eyes scanning the grounds. There are multiple storage units scattered around. I don’t see anyone around. It doesn’t surprise me there aren’t any groundskeepers, there never is.

I move, going to the first one. I try it—it’s locked, of course. I check it out. It looks like every other storage unit. I move on to the next, and the next. They are all the same.

Wait a fucking minute... I saw something right past the electric fence when I was wandering. It was small and square. Another storage unit? Or an entrance to The Morgue?