Page 126 of Skin In the Game (The BlackWater)

Maddie groaned as the shock of the electricity slammed into her again but it didn’t matter anymore, she couldn’t stand, her legs couldn’t take it and she crumpled to her knees.

“Get up.” The man snarled and she gritted her teeth knowing that she couldn’t.

“I said get up.” He yelled slamming the rod into her again and she cried out as her body jerked even more but she remained where she was.

“Fine.” He muttered before hitting her again and walking out.

She stayed where she was, panting, feeling the bruising, feeling the residual heat of the electricity, feeling the tiredness too as it swept over her and fighting it with every breath. She blinked, her eyes lids were so heavy. She blinked again and thought back to when they’d drugged her, when she was struggling to stay awake as the barbiturates worked through her body. Come on Maddie, she thought, you can do this, you’re stronger than this.

She heard footsteps. They stopped right in front of her and she knew there was more than one of them now. More than one other person in the room.

One of the men squatted down grabbing her face through the sack and pulling her close to his.

“I’m going to ask you some questions and you’re going to answer them.” He said. “If you lie, if you try to mislead me then my friend here is going to start breaking your bones do you understand?”

Maddie swallowed, mentally preparing herself for it, for the pain, for the attack, for it all.

“You work on the Omega Project at BlackWater correct?” He asked.

Maddie nodded not seeing the point in lying about the little details.

“And you have access to the schematics?”

“No. I haven’t…” She felt the blow and her voice caught in her throat.

“Don’t lie to us.” He stated.

“I’m not lying.” She said through gritted teeth. Someone grabbed her hands and she felt the snap as her little finger was yanked around at an impossible angle before the bone splintered.

She couldn’t fight the cry that came.

“Let’s try again. You have the codes.”

“What codes?” She asked. Her heart was thumping fast, adrenaline was coursing through her.

“The codes to operate the missiles.”

“Are you fucking mad?” She snapped and a new blow hit her and she gasped wanting to clutch her side, wanting to hold her ribs but her wrists were bound so she wasn’t able too.

The hand grabbed her hand again but before they could twist another finger she spoke. “I don’t have any codes. I just worked on the case, not the project itself.” She said and he laughed then before they broke another. This time her ring finger.

“Do you think we’re stupid? You work for BlackWater, they made these missiles.”

“BlackWater didn’t. Black Tech did. They’re different companies.” She stated. She could feel her chest heaving, her body responding but the pain was bearable. She knew she could take more, she knew her body could endure a hell of a lot more.

“They’re the same thing.”

“No they’re not.” She snapped and then cried as another blow hit her.

“I can do this all day.” He said and she laughed wincing with the pain as they twisted the little finger on her other hand.

“You’ll have too because I don’t know anything.” She retorted and then cried out as he snapped it hard before hitting her again. “You should have kidnapped Cole, or even Brandon, you’d have had better luck with them.” She jeered and the man growled grabbing her throat and slamming her back onto the hard floor.

“I could snap your neck right here.” He warned.

“Go on then. You still won’t get any answers.” She replied through gritted teeth.

He snarled. “You think you can take this? You think you can keep fighting us?”

“I know I can.” She retorted and he squeezed hard making her choke as her airways constricted. He looked back at the man behind him before staring at Maddie once more. This girl thought she could beat them, that she could defy them. He shook his head, he was going to show her, he was going to break her.

He undid his trousers and the other man saw the move and left them to it. The first still had his hands around her throat and could feel her heart rate slowing as she started to drift into unconsciousness.

“Not a chance.” He snarled releasing his grip and opening up her airways. “I want you feel every second of this.”

He yanked her underwear aside and she knew exactly what he was going to do.

She blinked, her heart pounding fast and mentally she pulled herself back, mentally she shut herself off, disassociating from it all. He could do whatever he wanted to her body, she thought, her mind would be somewhere else, anywhere else and she shut her eyes focussing on the first thing that came to mind.

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