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Oliver

The air around me felt suffocating in that moment. It felt like time had slowed, drawing out the milliseconds before my punishment.

Because that was what this was, wasn’t it? Punishment.

This was my punishment for hurting Lane.

For failing him.

I let out a heavy sob, sucking in air as life resumed—ready for the pain I deserved.

But it didn’t come.

I cautiously raised my eyelids as Greyson roared, “That was for insinuating that my beloved allowed the abuse from his cousin. I don’t actually disagree with most of your concerns about me, but victim-blaming your best friend, really?”

I sobbed, horribly confused on why I wasn’t in pain, “I d-didn’t mean… it– it like that.”

“Really? Because when I listened to the audio recording, I could’ve sworn it sounded like you were saying that by him staying with me—pampered and adored, may I add—he was encouraging abuse rising to the same level of that piece of trash who raped and beat him for two years as a child,” he sneered.

What?

No.

Oh, god.

I was going to be sick.

“What?” I whispered shakily.

He ignored my question, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper from inside his jacket. “By the way, he left me a goodbye note. Want me to read it to you?”

I wanted to die as Greyson read out Lane’s letter. I could tell how unstable he’d been while writing it. I had made him that way. It was my fault.

“Did you catch that part about him killing himself, hm? What about the part where he calls me Daddy and says that he never wanted to leave? Oh, and the part about the vomit? As soon as you walked out the door, he collapsed, had a panic attack, threw up on the floor, and lay there shaking and crying.”

“I-I– I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I didn’t mean for it to hurt him like that. I had no idea. H-he never told me. I just wanted him to l-leave you and for everything to go back to normal,” I rasped.

Greyson angrily said, “Knowing now that we will indeed hurt you, I’ll ask you again. Do you know where he went or where he could be going?”

“I swear I don’t!”

Hayes drew the mallet back again, stopping my heart from beating.

I desperately shouted, “I don’t know! I don’t know! I don’t know!”

And then I felt it—the warmth mainly.

I was twenty-three.

I was twenty-three, and I’d just peed my pants.

I’d peed from sheer terror in front of a man who wanted me dead and two men who’d completely betrayed the trust I had only just begun to give them.

Humiliation ate me up inside, but I deserved it, didn’t I?

I felt so sick. I couldn’t bear to make eye contact with any of them, so I squeezed my eyes shut and hoped they’d put a bullet in my skull before making me open them.

“Okay, I believe you,” Greyson called out.

I hesitated before choking out, “T-thank you.”

“If there is anything at all that you think could be helpful, please tell me. Anything you can tell me will improve the conditions of your stay with my brothers.”

I gulped, wishing my uncontrollable trembling would cease. “Um… Let me think…” I heard Greyson ask for a bottle of water. Was he going to waterboard me? I pushed those thoughts to the side, trying to focus on answering him. An idea popped into my head. “Did he take Chloe with him?”

“Yes, in a cat carrier. His last known location is Portland, Oregon,” Greyson shared.

“Okay, well, um… If Chloe’s with him, he’d be really conscious of her care. Pet-friendly motels, stopping to buy her food, stopping to let her go to the bathroom—those kinds of things.”

I jumped in my seat when a large hand cupped my jaw, tilting my face up. My eyes shot open out of instinct—it was Hudson.

He spoke softly, “Open your mouth, precious. There you go, good boy.” Hudson held the water bottle, tipping it just barely to pour a mouthful into my waiting mouth. I swallowed, keeping eye contact with him. Despite the humiliation I was feeling, Hudson’s eyes felt like a tether to my sanity.

This was all so fucked up.

I’d been on a date with them, I’d made out with them, I’d even been open to having dinner with them again. Honestly, I was more than open to it; I had already started to picture us being boyfriends.

I thought they liked me.

We had even kissed—my first kiss, by the way. And now I was chained to a chair where I’m sure many deaths had occurred, scared out of my fucking mind.

Hudson held up his palm, showing me the two white pills on it. “Stick out your tongue. Good, thank you. I promise these won’t hurt you, pet. They’re going to calm you down, relax those tense muscles.” He carefully placed the pills on my tongue before pouring a little bit of water into my mouth to swallow them down. I whimpered, searching Hudson’s eyes for something .

I breathed out raggedly. “What about money?” I directed my question towards Greyson.

He cocked my head, asking, “What about it? He took my credit card, but hasn’t used it since he withdrew cash from an ATM.”

“Did he take his credit card? Or the one that his parents pay?”

He took a second to think before replying, “I think he may have. His wallet was gone.”

“Okay, I’m not assuming anything… but you guys are obviously really sketchy…” Hayes and Hudson snickered. “I know you shouldn’t be able to, but could you somehow get into the accounts of those cards and see if he’s been using them, and then track him that way?”

Greyson actually looked relieved hearing my advice. He sighed, “Yeah, we can definitely do that. Thank you. If I’m able to find him using that method, I’ll make sure these two bring you out of the basement.”

I sucked in air. “Out of the basement… N-not out of here in general?” I looked at Hayes and Hudson, frowning; they—of course—were grinning.

My stomach dropped.

Greyson’s mouth contorted into a sinister smile. “No, my brothers will be keeping you at least for now. They’ve been waiting for a chance. I was going to try to discourage them from playing with you, but you’ve made that impossible for me. I’m sure you’ll be more careful when speaking with my boy from now on. Maybe you’ll even come to understand his attachment to me. Although I’m not nearly as sadistic as your new Masters. You’ll see how lucky Lane is soon enough,” he mocked, leaning down to pat my cheek.

“No! No, no, no. Please don’t leave me with them!” I begged, thrashing in the chains surrounding me.

“My hands are tied, Oliver,” Greyson derided, stepping out of the room. “I’ll see you again once you’ve been housebroken.”

The door shut behind him, my hopes of escaping leaving in his back pocket.