Page 98 of Fighting Shadows

“Is that a dental drill?” I ask incredulously.

“It is!” Dominic claps his hands together, “Do you want to see how it works?”

The others shake their heads, looking a little green at the mention of it, “Don’t, man… just don’t,” Tobias mutters, cringing.

“I’m good. How long do you think you’ll keep him alive for?”

“A few days, maybe. It depends on Autumn and how quickly his body starts to give out,” Zander says, helping Dominic move over some things to the table that’s only just out of reach for the chair – a taunt to the prisoner.

Charlie’s slumped in the chair, his neck bent unnaturally, and his arms chained to the back of the chair. He has a black eye and swollen jaw, but I know that’s not even hitting the surface of the pain he’s going to suffer at the hands of these men in Autumn’s name.

Kelvin comes down the stairs, his shoes squeaking against the tiles. He walks towards us all with measured steps, his face set in stone.

“Out.” He orders.

“Kelvin…” Zander starts, stepping towards him.

“I said out. I let you all bring him in, but this filth laid hands onmydaughter. He’s mine first,” he doesn’t shout; he doesn’t have to. You can hear the pain in his voice, and I can’t blame him.

There’s no guarantee that the others won’t kill Charlie before Autumn gets down here to say what she needs to, to this piece of shit, and Kelvin needs this. He’s her dad, and he’s weighed down by the guilt that’s clearly burying him alive.

We all nod our heads, our understanding finally hitting the others, and we all shuffle out of the room, leaving Charlie at Kelvin's hands.

Kelvin

The others shuffle out after I ordered them to leave, and I’m thankful.

My fists clench around the knife in my hand, and I have to hold myself from carving the bastard in front of me into pieces before he even wakes up.

I unshackle one of his wrists and place the scales on one of the rolling tables in the room, setting it in front of me and take a seat just out of reach of him. Waiting for him to wake up.

It doesn’t take him long to rouse finally, his eyes flaring wide with panic as he looks around the room. His death sentence is practically written, but I want him to suffer first, to have even a semblance of hope that he’s going to get out of here alive.

His brown eyes settle on me, flaring with recognition, “Where is she?”

“Who?” I ask, feigning ignorance cocking my head to the side.

“My Little One!” he screams, spittle flying from his mouth and dribbling down his chin.

Screwing my nose up in disgust, I sneer at him and resist the urge to drive the knife in my hand into his face.

Taking a deep breath, I let a deadly calm wash over me and look back to the man who’s going to die at our hands for everything he’s done to Autumn.

“Do you want to get out of here?” I ask, ignoring his name for my daughter.

He nods his head slowly, seeming only now to realize he has one hand free. Charlie lunges for the table that Dominic set up just out of reach, his fingers grazing the cold metal but not enough to get a grip on it.

“Tsst, that won’t do. I want to give you a chance, Charlie, but you have to play my game to gain your freedom,” I goad, loving when his eyes flare with hope.

“Do I get my Little One?” he asks.

“You get your life!” I shout, “You get to leave here with your cock and balls still attached to your pitiful body instead of being hung, drawn and quartered like you fucking deserve. So, do you want to play or not?”

He nods his head eagerly, but I can see the calculations in his eyes. He thinks he’s going to win this and steal Autumn again; pity him. He’s never getting free, but there’s no fun in letting him know that.

I place the knife on the rolling table next to the scales and roll it over to him with a kick of my foot, “Pick the knife up, Charlie.”

He does as I ask, his trembling hand clutching the knife like a lifeline, and looks to me expectantly, “What now?”

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