Page 127 of Skin In the Game (The BlackWater)

Asharp kick to Maddie’s side sent white hot pain through her and she gasped waking up. The sack was still there, covering her head and the material clung to her skin making her feel even more claustrophobic.

Someone grabbed her, yanking her across the room before holding the sack tightly over her face. She knew what was coming with just that gesture. Part of her didn’t care now because she knew what they wanted, what they were trying to get out of her and she couldn’t tell them even if she wanted too.

So they could torture her, she thought, they could literally do their worst and it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference and for some reason that thought actually gave her comfort because she knew she physically couldn’t give in. That either they would kill her and be done with it or eventually let her go and she just had to focus on surviving, on getting through each moment they forced her to endure until they made the decision either way.

The water came, freezing, over her face. She spluttered as much as the tight fabric would allow, trying to swallow, trying to take down as much as she could because the need to breathe was overwhelming all her senses. She shut her eyes tight, screwed them up and gagged. Her arms lashed out, trying to fight them off but someone wrenched them to her side and held her body down at the same time.

“All you have to do is tell us Maddison.” The man said and more water poured over her face.

She spluttered again before gasping. “I don’t know it.”

She heard them laugh, like it was a joke, like it was all just some misunderstanding.

“Stop fighting and just give in.” He said and her eyes flashed with stars as someone punched her hard in the side of the head.

“I don’t know anything.” She replied but more water was already covering her and her words were drowning along with her.

She lay, freezing in the darkness. She wasn’t sure how long she had been there now. It could have been days but it could have been weeks. Everything had melded into one. Her stomach twisted angrily as she realised they hadn’t fed her which meant she couldn’t have been there that long. The only thing she’d had was the water she’d managed to swallow when they’d been waterboarding her and her mouth felt impossibly dry.

Her lips were chapped and she could feel them splitting and resisted the urge to lick them. She groaned rolling onto her side and instantly regretting it as the pain shot through her so she returned to lying on her back. The rope was cutting into her wrists and her fingers were in agony from where they’d been fractured.

She heard footsteps and braced herself for whatever was about to happen next.

Someone wrenched her up and she stumbled to her feet, trying to pull loose but their grip was too tight.

They shoved her from the room, watching as she stumbled and eventually fell hard onto the ground, groaning as her bruised body slammed into the hard concrete and her broken fingers took the impact.

“Get up.” Someone said and she shut her eyes clenching her fists even as they were still bound and instantly regretting it as white hot pain shot through her hands.

“Get up.” He snarled kicking her and she moved, shifting the sack on her head and she realised she could see out, only momentarily but she could. She got to her feet and then stumbled again, this time being more dramatic, and landing further from them.

More of them laughed then and she gritted her teeth. Let them laugh she thought, because while they were laughing she was getting the better of them, she was figuring out exactly where she was and would then know how to get out. She saw the glimpse of the name. Just a glimpse, just a partial clue and she realised then where she was or at least where they were keeping her.

Someone picked her up, yanking the sack down properly over her head and half carrying her along.

They shoved her onto a chair and she sat, trying not to shake, waiting. One of the men pointed the camera at her, checking the view, clicking the on button and giving the thumbs up.

And then someone yanked the sacked off.

Charlotte walked through the office ignoring all the agents scrambling to cover their files, cover their desks. Technically she had clearance to be there, she had a pass after all and she didn’t care what they were working on anyway, she was here to see her brother. Here to see Cole.

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