Page 70 of Caged

That a girl, show them how well Marines obey orders.

He shoved her, almost knocking her off balance, then continued pushing her until she was outside the cage. There was no point in trying to fight.

Too many guys with guns.

Is that a fucking cattle prod?

I prayed for Maxwell.

Chapter 28

Cate

The zing of an electric current behind my right arm made my hair stand on end. I turned just enough to identify what made the sound.

A cattle prod. Not strong enough to harm a cow, but I was a lot smaller than a cow. Knowing it wouldn’t kill me was a small comfort.

“Be a good girl, and Franks won’t have to use it,” Roman said.

I prayed for strength to get through whatever was coming as Roman and his men escorted me up the wooden stairs, down a hall, and into a small room.

"Sit." Franks ordered.

The sun was rising outside the window.I’m facing east. Not that it mattered, I thought, as Franks tied me to the small wooden chair.

“Now, Catelyn, can I call you Cate?”

“It’s Maxwell.” My plan was to rely on my Marine and FBI training, which meant saying as little as possible. And suffering the consequences as bravely as I could.

“Alright, Maxwell, tell me what Sheppard & Sons knows about my nephew.”

“Nothing.” I braced for the expected hit.

“Now Cate, excuse me, Maxwell, you must know something if you ended up at his store.”

I stared at the cattle prod Franks held in his right hand and bounced against his left, while leaning casually against the edge of Roman’s desk. If I weren’t an expert at reading body language, I would’ve thought he looked bored. He wasn’t. If the look in his eyes was any indication, he was eagerly anticipating the opportunity to zap me. Of course Roman’s enforcer was a sadist. I made a mental note to warn Jaden.

Franks stood when Roman said, “I don’t like waiting.”

“It was a coincidence.” I shrugged.

“And I really don’t like liars.” His nod signaled Franks.

When he tapped the prod to my thigh, all thoughts left my mind as my muscles seized. It only lasted a few seconds, but the feeling lingered.

“I don’t like having to do that,” Roman said.

The shock sparked my sarcasm. “Who’s the liar now?”

When my body relaxed after the longer shock, I recognized my mistake. But I didn’t regret my choice.

“How’d you link Robert to Wendy?”

“Facial recognition.” My non-answer answer brought Roman to his feet.

“I must say, I expected better from you Ms. Maxwell. This is the kind of behavior I anticipated from Mr. Sheppard.”

“Sorry.” I made sure it sounded as insincere as I felt.

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