Page 28 of The Devil's Weakness

I want nothing more than to take her up to my room, but the sooner I come to terms with the fact that can never happen, the better it will be.

“Basement.”

She screams again when she hears where we’re headed, but I do nothing to stop her. She’ll be able to scream all she wants soon, and there won’t be anyone around to help her.

The basement is more like a warehouse than anything. There are shelves filled with beer and liquor that we keep on hand, both for the bar and for parties that we throw. We also keep a bunch of extra bike and car parts and tools down here. That way, we always have something on hand in a pinch.?

In the very back of the basement, however, is a little room with a single chair in it. We use this room when we need to get answers from someone. If you end up down here, it means that you’ve fucked up, and chances are good that you’re not leaving here alive.

My stomach is in knots the closer we get, but I don’t dare do anything about it. Especially not with Stone on my heels. I hate the idea of her being in here. More than that, I hate the idea of her not coming out alive. However, the Club comes before everything else. If Iron doesn’t pull through, I know I will be the one to end this girl’s life.?

I walk her through the door and put her down on the chair. Stone enters the small room as I remove the tape from her wrists and ankles. Once she’s free from her binds, she screams, and I wish she would have kept her mouth shut.

“Please don’t do this! I’m so sorry for what happened!”

Stone’s hand moves so fast I barely see it, but I don’t miss the sound of the smack that echoes throughout the tiny room and the basement beyond.

Fuck.

My brothers probably heard it from all the way upstairs. I’m thankful that Stone is so focused on her that he didn’t see me flinch when he made contact.

She flies off of her chair from the force of the blow, and it takes all I have to keep every single one of my muscles from moving. Before she recovers, Stone grabs a fist full of her hair and lifts her off of the ground, pinning her to the wall at her back. She howls in pain, and my heart clenches at the noise, but I do nothing. I can’t react, even though hot anger courses through me. I quiet the growl threatening to come out before Stone can notice.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Stone asks her, gripping her chin so she can’t look away from him.

I can see that the right corner of her mouth has already begun to swell, and blood oozes from her split lip. She’s sobbing again and working on sucking air into her lungs. It’s the only sound that she makes, as she’s unable to answer Stone’s question.

“When I ask you a question, you answer it,” he commands.

This time, she takes a deep breath and speaks. When she does, it’s as though my heart splits in two.

“I’m no one,” she seethes through clenched teeth, her body shaking with fear, or anger, or hatred.

Probably all three.

“That’s right. Youareno one. And if our brother doesn’t pull through, you’re going to beno one, six feet under the motherfucking ground in the middle of nowhere.”

I don’t expect her to look up at him. When she does, I realize I was wrong about the fear and anger. She’s looking at Stone with pure hatred.

“Let’s go, Blade,” Stone orders.

Keeping my gaze trained anywhere but on her, I follow him from the room and secure the deadbolt behind me, locking her in the dark call, all alone.

Chapter Nine

The momentI hear the lock engage, my chest gets tight and feels as though it’s caving in on itself. I spit, the metallic taste in my mouth souring my stomach.

I hate small spaces like this. Between that and the gravity of my situation, I’m having a hard time catching my breath. I tried to put on a brave face and take ownership of what I did, but the moment that monster put his hands on me, I knew I was in way deeper than I initially thought.

Would things be any different right now if I would have stayed with the man that I hit? If I would have tried to comfort him or…somethinguntil the ambulance came? My pain shifts from sorrow at my situation to grief for the man that I’ve barely thought of through this entire ordeal. I’ve been so worried about my own safety that I didn’t once stop and wonder how he is doing.??

I hope he wakes up soon. When—if—he does, will they let me go, then??

I’ve got a bad feeling they won’t.

Walking to the steel door, I push on it to see if it will open. I don’t know why I try. I heard the lock turn when they left. Still trying to suck air into my lungs, I scroll through my brain, searching for something to distract myself with.

Blade.

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