“I’ll read it to you later,” he offered as if we were simply passing time.
“No thanks. I hate that poem.”
He waved me off. “You haven’t listened to it properly. I’ll teach you to love it.”
The same way he wanted to teach me to love him. It was never going to happen.
He straightened and approached me. I scrambled back until I hit the wall. I trembled as he stood in front of me, shudders of revulsion racing down my spine.
“You must be hungry,” he said softly. “Thirsty.”
I refused to answer.
He lifted a finger, tracing it along my cheek. “How long do you think you can go without food or water, Raven?”
I stared at his feet, trying to escape his touch. It filled me with dread.
“Stubborn little pet.” He traced a finger over the collar on my neck. “Such a pretty little pet.”
I lifted my head, meeting his eyes. They were cold, empty.
“I’m not your pet, you bastard.”
Then I drew back my arm and punched him. As hard as I could, right in the nose. Blood spurted, and he howled in pain. I smiled in satisfaction.
He grabbed the collar, yanking me close, furious. His cloying cologne washed over me, and I tried not to gag. Punching him had drained the last of my energy, and I stumbled. He held me up by the collar, cutting off my breath. I gasped, fumbling, clawing at his hands. He held me until black spots formed in front of my eyes, then he stepped back, dropping me to the ground where I lay, terrified and gasping for air.
“Let’s see how you feel tomorrow,” he muttered and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
Blackness exploded, and I welcomed the dark.
Andy and Stew were the same person. He had seen Damien earlier.
Did Damien know?
I shut my eyes as tears gathered. He had to know. He was coming for me. He wasn’t what Stew thought he was. He was acting as well. I was certain of it.
Damien was coming for me. It was a mantra I kept repeating in my head as Andy continued to torment me.
In and out of the room.
Taunting. Blackness. Bright lights. Loud, jarring music. A bottle of water with just enough in it to wet my mouth but not slake my thirst. A crust of bread tossed to the ground that Andy called “my scrap for the day.”
He made me stand, my legs shaking as he chained my wrists to the ground and removed the collar. The weight of the heavy chains locked my arms down, no doubt in retaliation for punching him. I blindly kicked out with my leg, my foot connecting hard with his groin. He yelped, backing away, bent over, and I kicked again, but this time, he grabbed my foot, knocking me to the ground. My head hit the ground, exploding in pain.
He cursed and yelled, leaving me on the ground. He stormed away, plunging me back into darkness, the metal door slamming so hard behind him it shook my body. I heard him screaming profanity as he moved away, and despite the ache in my head and the knowledge I would be punished for my attack, I had to smile. I was going to fight back as much as I could.
The jarring music started playing again, the sound ringing in my ears. Of all the things he did, I hated that the most.
I lay on the ground, letting the tears roll down my cheeks. I didn’t move, not wanting to activate the camera.
I refused to let Andy see me cry.
To let him know that I was, perhaps, already breaking.
Then it began to rain.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Damien
We converged on the house in the rain. We had our plan, our backup, and we were ready. I put any and all thoughts and fears for Raven out of my mind and became the Damien of old. A man of Hidden Justice. I knew the target, the goal, and how to accomplish it. I would not fail. Egan would run us from here, and I would concentrate on getting Raven out and putting an end to Andy.
Egan spoke in a low voice as we gathered around him in the back of the van. We were parked a distance away from the rear of the property, which he had pinpointed as the least secure. The van was black and totally self-contained. No lights or sounds were visible from the outside. If Andy was scanning the area at all, we were untraceable.
“The house appears to have some sort of cellar for storage. No windows. Accessed only through the garage. I’m sure that is where she is. When I probed the place earlier, that was where the weak heat source was coming from. I’ve been tracking Andy since he got there, and when I overlay the two images, that is where he goes. I assume he’s checking on her.”
I nodded curtly, Marcus and Julian also remaining quiet.
“He’s not answering your calls, Damien, so we have to go in with him there.”
“Deb says she tried to call him as well, and he isn’t picking up,” I replied, my eyes stuck to the tiny mark on the screen. The one I knew was Raven.
“We can handle him. We’ll go in and separate. Damien—what do you want, to rescue Raven or kill Andy? You might not be able to do both.”
“I want both, but Raven comes first. Whoever gets the kill shot, take it.”
Julian’s hand was heavy on my shoulder. “You took out the man threatening Tally. Let me return the favor.”
“Fine.”
Egan spoke again, changing screens. “You’ll go in here.” He indicated the grainy image. “Stay low until you get to the back of the garage. There is a door, and once inside, you should find another door that leads you down the steps. What is down there, I have no idea.” He glanced up. “He’s not expecting us, and although he has the house monitored at the front, there is little out back. He isn’t anticipating anyone showing up.”
“He thinks he’s invisible. Undetectable.”
“We need to wait so I can tap into his security feed and create a loop. I’m hoping with the rain, he’ll assume it’s a little glitch.”
“How long?”
“As soon as I can, Damien. You know we have to do this right.”
I tightened my hands on my gun. I knew he was right, but my anxiety was high. I wanted to get to her as soon as possible.
Marcus met my eyes. “Patience, Damien.”
Egan kept talking as he typed. “I want to hack into his system and see what he’s got going on. Knowing how he likes to stalk her, I’m sure he has a camera trained on her.”
I let my head hang, rolling my shoulders. Outside, the rain picked up, the sound of the water hitting the roof loud. Thunder rolled, and Egan grinned. “Perfect.”
A few moments later, he grunted. “I’m in.”
I watched over his shoulder as his fingers flew and he set up the loop, fed it into the grid, and then moved on to hacking into Andy’s system.
His annoyance was evident as his fingers hit the keys in hard thumps. “Bastard is good. I’ll give him that,” he muttered. “But I’m better.” He glanced up. “We’re in.”
Then he sucked in his breath. “Jesus.”
I froze as I looked at the screen. Raven was visible, her body curled up into itself on the ground. The room flashed with lights. She had her ears covered, and the sight of the heavy chains and clamps around her wrists made me curse. Her eyes were shut against the lights. Her entire body trembled. Then the room went dark.
“He’s trying to break her. Sight and sound deprivation,” Julian muttered. “Then he’ll retrain her. That sick bastard.”