Page 20 of Saving Her

He smirks. “Good.”

Tobias leans forward, peering around Chloe to look at me. Toreallylook at me. He’s scared. Panicked. He needs me to fight for him. To tell Luther this plan is destined to fail. And God, how I want to battle his demons for him even after he ripped my heart out.

But I can’t.

Those sweet, innocent eyes tear me apart one slow blink at a time and all I can do is ignore him. I can’t be his champion when my neck is on the chopping block.

I have to stay on the straight and narrow for a while. To obey with complete obedience. To lead my women by example and remind them that additional punishments are only handed out to those who don’t play by the rules.

Even though it kills me, I can’t win this battle for Tobias.

“What about me?” Chloe remains stock still at my side. “What will I do?”

Luther’s lips incline lightly. Chris’s do, too.

A skitter of foreboding descends along my spine, the discomfort prickling my skin.

“You, sweet Chloe,” Luther purrs, “will be our guinea pig.”

4

Penny

The gentle kissof sea spray brushes my cheeks as the boat bounds across the water’s surface.

I hold Tobias at my side, helping him remain upright as we speed through the darkness before sunrise, our vessel quickly approaching an island in the distance.

I’m calm.

Focused.

I’ve been through a lot worse than stabbing a man with a sedative-filled syringe. And if I succeed, I’m sure I’ll live through much more.

I listened with intent as Luther instructed Tobias on how to use the device. He’d told the boy how to hide the cylinder in his long shirtsleeve until the time was right. Then how to jam the tube against a body part, clothing-covered or not, and plunge the leaver with force.

I then watched as Tobias practiced on Chloe as she sobbed and begged him to stop.

Nobody acknowledged her pleas.

Not even me.

All I could do was hold her hand as Tobias jabbed the device against her thigh, then glanced at his father for praise.

I’d been shocked at the drug’s quick effect. Panicked, too. The sudden crumple of Chloe’s body made me question if something far more sinister had been injected into her system.

Something lethal.

But her pulse remained strong. Her breathing even.

Now, all I have to do is mimic the process, only on a man far bigger and stronger than I am.

There’s no room for reluctance. I need to snatch the tube strategically placed in the waistband of my cream pants and strike without hesitation.

That is, if I can get close enough to my target.

“Penny?” Tobias glances up at me, his arms clinging around my hips. His hold tightens whenever we hit a bump in the water, yet the emotion peering up at me has nothing to do with the rough ride.

He’s petrified.

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