Moving to the small fridge located beside the store cupboard, I yank out a bottle of water and tear the plastic cap off. Torture is thirsty work and we take dehydration very seriously in this family. There’s generally a decent supply of beer or water in every dungeon we own, and we have a few dotted around the place. Normally, I’d drink beer, but I’m not in the mood today.
Draining the bottle of water slowly, I watch Lois as she tries to control the wreckage I’ve created. Her sobs are slowing down now, little by little, and she’s almost got her breath back. This is my cue to play nice for a bit. If I want her to talk, I have to offer a bit of carrot. Too much stick, and she’ll dissolve into hysterics again. Picking up another bottle of water, I stride back over to her, and flip the cap off.
“Want some water, Lois?” I wave the bottle over her head enticingly. It has little drops of condensation all over it, so she knows it will be cool and refreshing.
“No. When you’re in this mood, I’m liable to get it thrown all over me, so I’ll pass.” She glares at my face, and though I hate to admit it, her defiance amuses me. Most women are scared shitless of me, and with good reason. Lois should be utterly terrified by now because she has first-hand experience of what I can do, but she isn’t. The woman is a fighter, and it turns me on something fierce. She can also read me better than most people, which is bloody annoying. Tipping the ice-cold bottle of water over her, anyway, I wonder if I’ll get some sense out of her now.
“Why did you do it, Lois?” She shrieks and rocks from side to side, as the freezing liquid dribbles its way down her body. At least I have her attention now. She’s looking at me as if I’ve just grown horns.
When she remains silent, I continue to hover over her, watching and waiting. “I can get another one. There’s at least twenty bottles in there.” My thumb points back to the fridge. She’s already shivering, and though it is fairly warm outside today, it isn’t down here. The room is cold even without the air-conditioning that I’ve switched on.
Lois blows a stream of water out of her mouth and shakes her head. “Why not just dunk me in a pool and save yourself the bother? You’d have one less problem to deal with then.” She giggles, as if this is funny. It’s an unfortunate side-effect of the shit I’ve given her, but we can work around it.
“You’ll be dead soon enough as it is. Why did you do it, Lois? Gimme something I can work with here.” Frustration has set in, and I’m not a patient man.
“Because I’m a shitty human-being. Will that do?” There are more giggles and I stick my thumb in my left eye to stop myself from lashing out. It’s what I want to do, and it’s also what she expects. She’s goading me. The woman doesn’t want to talk, that’s clear. She will fight me tooth and nail to keep her secrets hidden.
“That’s the trouble, Lois. I don’t think you are. I can’t marry up both versions I’ve seen, which means either there’s something I’m missing, or you’re the best damn operative I’ve ever seen.” Blowing out a long breath of air, I grip the thin bamboo cane tightly in my fist and tell myself there is no point in beating the shit out of her. It won’t get me what I want. All I will get out of this little interlude is tears and blood. While that might make me feel better for a couple of hours, it won’t be enough to untangle this web of lies and deceit.
“I’m good at what I do, Adie. I’ve been doing it for a while.” Her voice is quieter now, and the laughter has gone. I need to try a different approach. Maybe a little pleasure will help to loosen her up. It can’t hurt to try.
Sitting down on the wet floor next to her, I ignore the water slowly seeping through my jeans. It’s a minor inconvenience. There’s no way I’m moving her until she’s out of that contraption, in any case. Dropping the cane alongside me, I rethink my plan of attack.
Meanwhile, my fingers stray to her right nipple, and I pull it gently. She whimpers. It sends my thoughts back to the night where James pretended to fuck me up against the St Andrew’s cross. Until that night, Lois only had eyes for James, but after that, things changed. I guess I cheated slightly because I didn’t tell her it had all been an act for Alain, but James isn’t above using silence to get his own way, either. He let Lois think I was Alain for the first few days we spent away from Carte Blanche, and I was lucky she didn’t kill me. Even now, I don’t want to make an enemy of Lois, although I know James will. I have enough enemies in this place. All I need is honest answers - although I am unlikely to get them.
Tracing little circular patterns around her nipple with my fingernail, I trail my arm lower, moving across her stomach, as I reposition myself at her exposed rear end. The sight of her splayed open wide like this makes my cock go wild, but there’s no way she’s getting anything from me today. I’ll get one of the other girls to take care of me, one I’m expected to train and torment later this evening. My blood goes cold.
Dipping a long finger into her sex, I smile when it slides in easily. She’s so damn wet I can smell her from here, and the scent is intoxicating.
“Want to fuck me, Lois?” My thumb moves up to her clit, rubbing the hard, little nub. It wouldn’t take long to get her to come like this, but that is not on the cards. That kind of thing has to be earned in this world, and the woman is not being co-operative. She’ll learn.
Around and around my thumb goes, while my fingers splay themselves wide in her cunt. She tries to withhold her moans from me, but occasionally the odd one escapes, which makes me smile. If there’s one thing I know how to do well, it’s play a woman’s body, and I could keep her on the edge of torment all day and night if I wanted to. I’ve done it before. I’m an evil fucker like that. The dark stuff turns me on - and the darker the better. That’s why I’ll never end up with a happy-ever-after - not in this lifetime. No woman in their right mind can take my kind of twisted for long.
“You had your shot, Adie,” she whispers. “I’m fucking your brother now.” My fingers stop what they are doing instantly, and my face goes rigid. Lois knows exactly where to aim to make sure she does the maximum amount of damage. For a minute, I just see red, and I can feel my chest go tight as anger radiates through me. Then my fingers grip the cane again, and the rage to kill her there and then passes.
I’m under strict instructions to do no permanent damage. Lois is Alain’s new toy, and while he doesn’t mind if I put a dint in her here and there, I’m not allowed to scar her, nor am I allowed to break any bones - tempting though that might be. For the life of me, I can’t fathom why the woman has switched sides. All the money in the world isn’t worth the hell she’s about to put herself through. Alain will introduce her to his freaky fucked-up world, and she’d better hold on tight because there are no safety harnesses where she’s going.
“Well, that told me,” I say softly. “I hadn’t realised you were such a money-hungry bitch, but I’ll remember that for future reference.” Getting to my feet for the last time, I smile nastily. “Any last words before I use this?” Throwing the cane neatly up in the air as I rise, I catch it in the middle as it flies back down towards me. Her eyes are drawn to the stick, and she licks her lips softly. She’s not afraid of me, or the stick, and though that should anger me, it doesn’t. I will figure out this woman, eventually. It might not be today, but I will get what I want. I always do. For now, I’m just going to give her a little memento of our time down here together. If I know my brother, I know one thing for certain - it won’t be my last time down here with her.
“Yes. I’m sorry,” she whispers. Biting her lips on that last word, as if she didn’t want her apology to escape, I frown. The woman isn’t making sense. Sorry for what? Wanting to fuck my brother? Or wanting to get herself killed? My head is exploding with what-ifs, and I can’t think anymore.
The first stroke of the cane is on her outer thigh and it whistles down before landing with an impressive thud. Lois’s eyes go wide as pain shoots up her leg. She’s not had much experience with this beauty, but after today has ended, she will have. The cane moves again like
a streak of lightning in my hands, striking her opposite leg. By the time I’m finished with her, she will be covered in bruises.
“Sorry for what?” Running my fingers up and down the cane appreciatively, I admire my handiwork upon her legs and plan my next stroke.
“Hit me,” she moans, ignoring my question. Pointing the toe of my shoe into the mark I’ve just made on her left leg, she gasps.
“Hit me, please,” I admonish. “We use our manners in these parts.” My eyebrows shoot up into my head, as I unleash a shitstorm of temper upon her. I don’t wait for her to beg. I let the cane fly, over and over, in sharp, neat little lines across her bare thighs. Hearing her scream out loud doesn’t deter me, it spurs me on to greater things. Although she’s not sobbing yet, she soon will be.
The cane, in my hands, is one of the worst torments imaginable, and I’ve had lots of practise wielding it. I’ve now made sure I’ve bruised most of Lois’s thighs and I intend to draw blood before I’ve finished.
“Tell me what I want to know, Lois, and I’ll stop.” For a change, I mean it, too. I don’t want to hurt the woman before me. At one point I thought she was my salvation, but now I’m not so sure.
“I can’t tell you that,” she sniffles. She’s not broken down yet, but it’s only a matter of time. The pain I’m inflicting will be all-consuming shortly. I have no idea how she’ll complete her workout this evening, but I do know that she won’t be able to get out of it. Once Alain has laid down the law, you follow, or you face the consequences. She’s yet to head down that route, but once she does, she’ll be his obedient little lapdog. If he can whip the shit out of me, his own brother, just imagine what he can do to someone who is not a blood relative? My brother is a special kind of crazy and she will shortly wish she’d never got into bed with him.
“You need to tell me, Lois. If you don’t tell me, I can’t help you.” The next stroke of the cane snakes towards her at the speed of light, and a thin line of blood blooms in its wake. She shrieks and I can see her hands and feet straining against the restraints. There’s no way she’s getting out of them, though. She’s not going anywhere until I’ve finished with her.
“I can’t talk to anyone,” she wails, as the cane comes down again, searing its way past soft, tender flesh and hitting the bone beneath. There are more screams. I barely hear them. I am slipping back into my old self, the one that doesn’t give a damn about anyone bar himself. Retreating to a place so far inside myself I can’t see the light of day, I can just about keep sane. It’s the only way I can get through this, and I hope to hell James has got something up his sleeve to get us out of here because I, for one, am not sure I’m getting out the other side this time.
“You need to talk to me, Lois. Even if you can’t tell James, you need to talk to me.” The cane whistles down a further three times, imparting awe-shuddering malice upon her thighs, before I bring a single stroke down upon her clit. She screeches so loudly, the sound echoes around the room, over and over again. That should satisfy my brother. The sadist is still there within me, and he’s out to play.
Sinking down to my knees, next to Lois’s head, I bend close to her ear and whisper, “I know that you know there are microphones in here, but we need to talk. It’s too risky inside, but I’ll catch up with you elsewhere at some point. I don’t know what’s going on anymore, but I’m having trouble believing you’re not on our side.” Letting out a sound of frustration, I then said, “If you are still on the right team, then I’m sorry for hurting you. If you aren’t, you deserved everything you got and then some.” Grabbing a handful of her hair, I feel the four walls closing in on me. It’s as if cockroaches are climbing all over my skin and sinking their teeth into my flesh. I can’t deal with this. Getting into character will take me at least a few days, and the transition period will be hell. I have no idea how Lois feels, but it has to be much worse. Her poor legs will be screaming blue murder by now, and by this evening, it will be worse.
“I’ve got to go.” The words aren’t as harsh as I intend them to be. For some reason, my alter-ego isn’t snapping neatly back into place and I suspect Lois is the reason for that.
She snuffles, and then nods.
“I’m sorry, too,” she eventually says, when the tears have stopped falling.
Sorry for what? I put my head in my hands and let out a howl of frustration. Threading my fingers through my hair, I grab at the roots and pull them. What is going on here? I’m fucked if I know. Throwing down the cane, I storm from the room and slam the door behind me. Alain can send someone down to mop up the mess. I can’t bear to be in the same room with her a moment longer.
Chapter Seventeen - Lois
Alain’s minions come in to untie me a few minutes after Adie has left. They are careful around me, so someone’s probably told them I’m dangerous. They needn’t worry, though. I’m a shuddering, trembling mess, and tears threaten to leak at any given moment. My thighs feel like someone has set light to them, and I can’t imagine doing a workout in this state. At the moment, they haven’t even stopped bleeding. Today will be one of the worst days of my life, I feel sure of it, and it’s far from finished, yet.
I’m given a robe and an iPhone before being directed back to my room. The details of the rest of the day’s schedule are on there. I nod numbly because talking is more than I can handle. There’d better not be anything on there for an hour or two. Adie has officially knocked the stuffing out of me, but I don’t feel an ounce of resentment towards him. I know today was about James. Adie’s just looking out for his friend. Unfortunately, I am too, but I’m drawing the rough end of the stick. Later today I will have to face James, and I daresay I will get more of the same, but this is the way it has to be. I’m a big girl, and I can take it.
When the door to my room closes behind me, I waddle over to the bed. Someone’s been here in my absence. There’s a first-aid kit already opened and ready to use, and some work-out clothes and trainers have been laid out on a chair for me. A big bottle of water rests on the desk beneath the TV screen, and there’s a plate of something beneath a shiny silver dome. I don’t have the stomach to look at it, but I’ll need to if I want to get past whatever is thrown at me later. Running on an empty stomach won’t be much fun.
Picking up the iPhone, there’s a small yellow post-it note that tells me what my passcode is. I enter it. Hitting the calendar app, I see that James and I have a workout scheduled at six o’clock this evening. It’s now three pm. That gives me three hours. It’s something. Thankfully, it’s the only thing I have to face today. For the rest of the week, there are more workouts scheduled, both in the gym and outside, as well as other training exercises. There’s also a doctor’s appointment, and a couple of meetings to discuss things like clothes. I’m guessing I’ll need some new outfits for our little jaunt next week.
Throwing the phone over to the bed I grab the first aid kit and struggle over to the bathroom. Deciding to have a bath because I can’t handle the thought of standing up for more than two seconds, I run both taps and watch the water fill the tub, while sitting on the toilet seat. My eyes are mesmerised for a few seconds by the rushing water and rising steam. Clearing my head of all thoughts, I do nothing but stare. Somehow, I need to keep myself sane in this place, and dwelling for too long on things I can’t change won’t help.
When the tub is half-way full, I haul myself upright and step into the warm water gingerly. Today the water is tepid, and I prefer scalding-hot, but I can’t have that on my legs. I just want to wash away the congealed blood and bandage them up. Inspecting the damage, I wince. Adie certainly knows what he’s doing with the cane. Red lines decorate my thighs, and I know the bruising has yet to surface, although I can already feel it. Tomorrow morning, they will hurt like hell. Grabbing a wash-cloth, I slowly dab around the marks, as little ribbons of blood fly off into the water. I don’t dare use soap today, but I will disinfect the welts as soon as I get out. For now, I just want five minutes of peace, so I lie back wit
h my head against the backrest and close my eyes.
I wonder if Alain is watching me right now. It wouldn’t surprise me. He’s probably got his beady eyes on all three of us, waiting to see what’s going to happen next. Hell, I’d be watching, too, if I had three trained assassins on the loose. He probably thinks he’s got enough mercenaries to keep us in check, but I’m slitting that man’s throat the first chance I get. This is one kill I’d do for free, and for the first time in the entire history of my career, I figure I might even enjoy myself.
Time passes slowly. I have no idea how long I lie in the bath, but when the water becomes too cold for me to sit in without shivering, I grab a towel and plonk myself back on the toilet seat with the first-aid kit. It doesn’t take me long to find what I’m looking for. Slathering a big tube of antiseptic cream generously over my welts, I wrap my legs in clean, white bandages and tie them off firmly. The bleeding has almost stopped now, but if I’m running later, the wounds are almost certain to open up again. Hopefully, after I’ve slept on them for a night, they’ll fare better tomorrow. Right now, I just want some decent pain killers. Unfortunately, aspirin is the extent of the pain meds in here, so I take two pills and shove them in my robe pocket. I’ll need to eat first, and then take them.
Fire (A Special Agent Novel Book 4) Page 18
