Page 75 of Ruined

“Blake,” Ryker whispers.

She stays radio silent. Not a good sign, not at all.

I could just tell them. It would be easy; tell them all the dirty little secrets I’ve been hiding. It would feel good to tell them, to finally tell someone. Butsome part of my brain shuts down and refuses to even acknowledge I’m safe with them.

Even if I’m pressed to the table by Ryker, I can feel the knife against my inner thigh. I can’t see Jace, but I know he won’t stop Ryker either. They’re both hitmen and right now they’re not in the mindset of protecting me. They want information and while I refuse to speak and I won’t use my hands, Ryker thinks he can get me to talk.

The cartel thought they could get me to talk, too, thought they could make me tell them all about my father’s and brother's operation. Besides the fact I didn’t know anything, they didn’t believe me.

I wouldn’t talk with them, and I wouldn’t when my family asked me what happened. I couldn’t tell Uncle Zane that half of them ran out before everyone showed up for us.

So if Ryker thinks he was going to do anything that hadn’t already been done to me, he was sadly mistaken.

“Ryker, she’s already shutting down,” Jace sounds like he’s whispering. He might be, but my brain is between reality and what the cartel did to me. What Henry did to me.

“She’s going to tell us what happened one way or the other, Jace. You gave me the okay, and if you can’t fucking handle it, then I suggest you fucking leave!”

I don’t see anything, I can barely hear them, so I’m not sure if Jace leaves or not. All I feel is Ryker standing from the table and the grip on the back of my neck. Would Ryker hurt me? I know he likes causing pain to others; he enjoys making me bleed. And while I also loved him taking that blade to me, I didn’t like it from Henry and the rest of them.

“Now, pet.” Ryker licks along my neck. I don’t move, I’m frozen against the table. I could try and fight back but it would be useless. “Why did Dimitri hire us?”

“You think Daddy’s going to come and save you?” Henry laughs. “It’s been hours, and he’s nowhere in sight.”

Blood coats my mouth, and I can feel the burned flesh of my tongue. Blood drips down my chin. Ringing echoes from my ears into my head, my vision nothing but darkness.

“Nah uh, come on, little one,” Ryker growls. Grabbing the back of my thigh, he pulls my legs further apart, slamming something into me. I bite down on my lip, stopping myself from showing too much of a reaction.Don’t show him fear, don’t show him emotions.

“Fine, let’s take a little nap,” Ryker hisses right as his hand wraps around my throat, my vision darkening before it goes black.

My mouth is dry and the pulse in my head throbs. I reach forward to touch my head when something clinks together, my hand not moving anywhere.

My eyes snap open, my breath caught in my lungs.

I’m back. They’ve kidnapped me again.

Tears cling to my eyes, threatening to drop. The room is too small, it’s freezing, and the smell of the tiny mattress I’m lying on has seen better days.

My heart speeds up as I lay there. I need to get my bearings. But how can I? No one knows where I’m at. Dad can’t come to rescue me this time. No one is coming this time.

“Why did Dimitri hire us?” that familiar voice comes from the door. Snapping my head over, Ryker stands there, arms crossed over his chest.

I shake my head. He wouldn’t understand. And I can’t believe he knocked me out, let alone tied me up, to ask these questions.

“Who took you?” he asks, stepping further into the room. “Just answer the fucking questions!” Wrapping a hand around my throat, he starts choking me, pulling the life out of me. I almost beg him to finish me off, to just end it all.

I stare into his once beautiful hazel eyes that are now filled with so much hate, so much anger. It’s not the Ryker that told me about his past. It’s not the Ryker that fucked me like he owned me.

This is the monster, the hitman, the one who doesn’t care about anyone’s feelings.

“Let’s see if I can add some more scars to this flawed body.” Ryker chuckles. His nostrils flare, hand tightening around my neck. Our eyes stay locked together. Pleading for him to have some sort of remorse won’t do me any good. Ryker’s made is mind up. He wants to torture me. He knew I wouldn’t talk, and he tied my hands up.

Ryker pushes me away, grabbing the chain from my wrist. Yanking hard, I’m pulled up, hanging by my tippy toes. I narrow my eyes at Ryker, hating this game he wants to play.

“I’ll give you one more chance.” Ryker walks over to a duffle bag that I hadn’t realized was there. My breath hitches, knowing what’s to come. “Who took you?”

I shake my head, dropping my chin to my chest. I brace myself, but it doesn’t matter, the whip hits my stomach. My body tenses and my hands grip the metal chain. Ryker doesn’t stop. He hits me across the stomach and chest over again. Not breaking a sweat. He’s getting off on the pain he’s inflicting on me.

“Tell me, pet, why won’t you answer?”

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