Page 15 of Unhinged
My heart sinks as the pieces start to fall into place. This isn’t just about revenge or justice—they’re protecting their empire, their territory. And I’ve unwittingly thrown a wrench into their plans.
“I’ll think about it,” I tell him. “But just know that if you lay one finger on my boy, then all bets are off and when I get out of here, I’ll fucking castrate you.”
“We’ll see about that,” Bastard says.
They turn on their heels and head for the door, their footsteps echoing off the concrete walls. The sound of the basement door slamming shut leaves me in a sudden, heavy silence.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity fuck.
My mind races, trying to piece together a plan. They have no clue I’m the Alpha Slayer, which is both a blessing and a curse. If they knew, they’d kill me on the spot. But without a scapegoat to hand over, I’m running out of options. They’re too stupid to realize a woman could be their elusive killer, and that ignorance might be my only advantage.
If it were just me, I’d let them do their worst. I can handle pain; I’ve been through hell and back more times than I can count. But Judge…he needs me. If I don’t get out of here, he’llend up in the system, lost and alone, maybe even back with Earl and Tina. I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.
I glance around the room, taking in every detail. The tools on the bench, likely intended for torture, the single door they used to come and go, and the small window to my right. It’s barely large enough to crawl through, but if I can free myself, it might be my only shot.
It’s dark outside—that’s good. Darkness means cover, a chance to slip away unnoticed. But it also means I’ve been out cold for hours, maybe a full day. My blockers are wearing off, and if I don’t get them soon, my secret will be out. I can’t afford that. Not now, not when everything is on the line.
My wrists ache from the rough ropes binding them behind my back, and my legs feel like lead, stiff and swollen from being tied down. My head throbs where they struck me earlier, and the metallic taste of blood still lingers in my mouth.
Eventually, the door creaks open again, the dim light spilling into the room as the same three bastards walk in—Bastard, Arrow, and the bitch. They don’t say a word, just stand there, looking at me with varying degrees of irritation and impatience.
Bastard steps forward, crossing his arms over his chest as he stares down at me.
“Thought you might’ve had some time to think things over,” he says, calm on the surface. “You ready to talk now?”
I raise my head, meeting his gaze with a defiant glare. “Fuck off,” I hiss.
I won’t give them what they want. They can beat me, break me, but I’ll never betray who I am.
Gears narrows his eyes, then glances over at the bitch.
“Acid,” he says quietly. “Do your thing.”
Acid doesn’t hesitate. He steps forward, looming over me like a predator eyeing its prey.
“You’ve got a smart mouth, but I’m gonna fix that,” he snarls. He cocks his arm back, and for a moment, time seems to slow. I can see the muscles in his arm tense, the malicious gleam in his eye, and then the punch lands squarely on my jaw. The force of the blow is brutal, snapping my head to the side and sending stars exploding across my vision.
I bite down hard on my tongue, tasting blood, and blink rapidly to clear the tears blurring my vision.
I won’t break. I can’t.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Gears taunts. “Just tell us what we want to know, and this can all stop. You can go back to your kid, pretend like none of this ever happened.”
I lift my head, my vision swimming, and meet his gaze with what little strength I have left. “Fuck you,” I whisper, the words barely audible through the blood and pain.
Acid’s eyes darken with fury, and he raises his fist again, ready to deliver another brutal blow. But before he can, Arrow finally steps forward, grabbing Acid’s arm mid-swing.
“That’s enough,” Arrow says, tense, almost shaky.
Gears glares at him, clearly annoyed by the interruption. “The hell, man? We’re not done here.”
Arrow doesn’t back down. He’s watching me, and for the first time, I see something in his eyes that I didn’t expect—hesitation, maybe even guilt.
“You’re gonna kill her,” he mutters. “She’s not gonna talk if she’s dead.”
The two of them lock eyes, a silent battle of wills playing out between them. Arrow doesn’t flinch, and after a tense moment, Acid lets out a low growl and steps back.
Acid, who’s been silently observing this exchange, sighs.
