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CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

2006

Hours had turned into endless days. They kept me locked in the same room, making me worry I’d lose my mind. I slowly walked from wall to wall, forcing my healing leg to soldier through the pain. Whenever Samuel came to check on me, I pretended I couldn’t walk, making him carry me to use the toilet and to take a shower. He wasn’t cruel or violent, but he refused to answer any of my questions.

It drove me crazy being so close to Hayden without seeing him. Dark thoughts began to blossom in my restless brain, and with nothing to do but wait, my fears morphed into panic attacks, and there were no needles to help.

On what felt like the fifth day, Samuel arrived with a wheelchair. “Bo’s waiting for you.”

Meeting him meant that things were finally moving, yet it remained to be seen toward what outcome. I’d been waiting for days for this moment, and now I wished I’d done more to prepare, but who was I kidding? Even after all these years, nothing could prepare me for Bo.

I leaned against Samuel as he helped me into the wheelchair. “When can I see Hayden?”

“Fuck, you’re annoying. Ask Bo that. I don’t call the shots.”

For the first time, I saw a different part of the estate. My mouth opened in surprise when Samuel wheeled me through a hallway with windows.

“Wait. Can I look outside?”

He sighed and wheeled me closer to a window, then helped me up so I could see. Everywhere I looked, I saw sand. Dunes and dunes. I squinted at what seemed to be the faraway skyline of Las Vegas. It must have been a few hours’ drive from here. When I pressed my face to the window, I could see more of the estate, which was shaped like a U. It didn’t seem nearly as large as I’d expected, and only had a single floor.

“They didn’t used to have windows,” I said, almost to myself. I had gone through months without seeing the sun. Even Mr. White’s rare invites were during nighttime.

“That’s a bummer. Sit your ass down.”

I did, and Samuel wheeled me farther into the heart of the estate.

“How many people do you keep captive?” I asked, not expecting an answer but feeling too nervous to keep quiet.

“Four.”

“Four? Does that include Hayden and Nick?”

“Yes.”

So few?

“Here we are.” Samuel stopped in front of a wooden door and opened it without knocking. The office was wide and cozy, reminding me of the office I’d spent countless hours in with The Director, but this one didn’t have a fireplace or anything resembling art. At least it had a window, letting in sunlight.

“Where is he?” I asked as Samuel wheeled me in.

“He’s coming. Sit on the couch.”

I shifted from the wheelchair to the leather couch. In front of me was a tall mirror with a golden frame. I looked paler than usual, and my hair had begun to grow long enough for curls to reemerge. Hayden would like that .

The door opened behind me, and my body turned to stone.

“Leave us,” Bo said, followed by the door closing.

He walked around the couch and stopped in front of me, leaving me with no choice but to raise my gaze and meet his single eye. The other was covered by a black eye patch. He was still stocky, still with a messy beard that now had streaks of gray. He wore nice clothes: a black button-down shirt and clean blue jeans. Yet no lipstick could help this pig.

“I hoped you’d be less pretty,” Bo said and glanced at my leg. “You can’t walk?”

“No.”

“Good thing you’ve nowhere to walk to.” He took a chair and sat close to me. “Who else knows you’re here?”

“No one.”

“Prey… don’t lie to me.”

My blood grew hot. “Don’t call me that.”

He arched an eyebrow, the one above his missing eye. “Should we have a talk about what I can and cannot do to you?”

I shook my head, recomposing myself. Back then, there was only so much he could do without The Director intervening. Now, there was no one to hold him back, and I had to remember that.

“I worked with a former FBI agent who is related to Hayden. We tried to find this place, but Samuel saw me at the motel, and it all went to shit.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that—you’re here, after all.” His smile was as nasty as I remembered.

“Where’s Hayden?”

Bo shrugged. “How would I know? You think I keep tabs on all the people we have here?”

All four of them? As always, Bo was full of shit.

“Are you the one who sent Hayden the videos of me?”

He shook his head. “That was your old friend, Mr. White. But what did you expect, dating a detective? I mean, yeah, he has a big cock, but still.” He crossed his legs. “Mr. White has become more paranoid in his old age. Too many members left, and you can never know when someone might say the wrong thing to the wrong people.”

I crossed my arms, pondering Bo’s words. Mr. White could have told me directly to break up with Hayden, but he chose to play his little games. “Then the High Council still calls the shots?”

“White’s the last remaining council member. He reached out to me a few years ago and offered me this gig. Between you and me, it didn’t feel like he was swimming in options.”

“Then The Society really is dying?”

“It sure is, and I saw it coming years ago. Some things die slowly.” He took off his shoes and placed his foot in my lap. “You know how I like it.”

I sighed and began massaging his foot. “Was Mr. White the one who chose to kidnap Nick?”

“Nah, that was me.”

I gave him a hard look. “Why?”

He smiled at my anger. “Agatha suggested him as an option, and when she mentioned you two were fucking, I couldn’t resist.”

Even though I had no way of controlling what happened to Nick, a flame of guilt stirred in my chest. “Who had Agatha killed?”

“Mr. White took care of that after she told him the police were on to her. If there was ever anyone who knew too much, it was her.”

“And who was stupid enough to put Nick’s video online?”

Bo narrowed his remaining eye. “Which video?”

Interesting . “His torture video.”

“How the fuck do you know about that?”

“The police found it on the Darknet.”

He growled and rubbed his face. “That’s the last time I try selling things over there.”

“You did it for money?”

“No, for the love of art. Of course, for money. If this place is going down, I want to walk out with enough cash to keep me happy till I’m done and buried.”

“You’re going to use some of that cash to support your family?”

He pulled his foot from me, and I knew I should have kept my mouth shut.

“You’ve been snooping, Prey. Did you tell them anything about me?”

“I didn’t speak with them directly.”

He leaned down and put his hand on my knee, close to my bullet wound. “You feel entitled to play high and mighty with me? You, who helped film all those poor fuckers being tortured?” His hand climbed higher. “Aren’t you the one who blew Nathan’s head off to get out of here?” He squeezed my wound. I screamed and dug my nails into the couch, my common sense preventing me from pushing him away.

When he finally let go, I fought to remain conscious, my body drenched in sweat. He’d reopened the wound, and now blood was soaking into my pants.

“Fuck, I missed our little games, Prey.”

I rubbed my damp face, my head spinning as the pain slowly subsided.

“Remember this?” He raised his eye patch.

Bile shot up my throat, but I didn’t look away from the deformed skin inside his empty eye socket.

“They needed to scoop out what was left of my eye. Fun times.”

If he was trying to shock me, he was missing the mark; I felt nothing but pride.

He lowered the patch. “Still a cold bastard, I see. Good. I was worried you might’ve gotten soft.”

“Where’s Hayden?”

“You don’t need him; I’ve got all the cock you could want.”

“Bo, where is he?” I inhaled. “Please.”

His smile chilled me. “What do you mean? He’s right here.”

I looked around in alarm, but Hayden wasn’t in the room, and I was falling into Bo’s twisted games.

“Take me to see him.”

He sighed. “Do you like playing dumb? I told you he was right here.”

I glanced around again until my eyes landed on the tall mirror in front of me.

No.

Bo chuckled. “Knew you’d catch on eventually. He heard everything we said.”

Then he now knew about my involvement in those videos, and how I’d killed Nathan to regain my freedom. I rubbed my flushed face, the air barely reaching my lungs.

“See that little button over there? Press it.”

I never wanted—yet dreaded—anything more in my life. I spotted the small button next to the mirror’s frame, still partly convinced that Bo was lying. I maneuvered myself back into the wheelchair, absently aware of the blood trickling down my leg. My ghostly face stared back at me, growing larger as I wheeled myself forward. I raised my hand, hovering over the button.

“Prey… don’t keep him waiting.”

I pressed the button.

The mirror’s glass slid aside, revealing another glass layer—a transparent one. I grabbed the edges of the wheelchair, sitting still yet feeling as though I was falling.

“It’s almost one hundred degrees in there,” Bo said through the ringing in my ears, “that’s why he’s so sweaty. I made it freezing yesterday—you should’ve seen how tight his balls got.”

I put my palm on the glass, overwhelmed by rage and guilt.

Hayden’s gaze was hazy, unable to focus despite the recognition in his eyes. He sat naked on a chair in the middle of a closet-sized space, his arms shackled to the ceiling. An infusion bag was attached with a needle to his vein. He didn’t have a lot of bruises, but he’d lost so much weight, his ribs were poking out, and his beard couldn’t hide his sunken cheeks.

“How…” I cleared my throat, but it felt filled with ash. “How long have you been keeping him like that?”

“I have him put there whenever I’m in the office, so I’d say around six hours a day—sometimes more if I forget he’s there.” He came to stand next to me, his hand on my shoulder. “I love watching him. I tell him all about the fun times you and I had. He gets a real kick out of those stories.”

“Bo—”

“Hold on; check this out.” He took a small remote from his pocket. At the sight of the device, Hayden’s eyes grew wide with fear. He shook his head frantically, mouthing “no.” Bo laughed. “See how excited he gets? He loves it!” He turned the dial on the remote. Behind the glass, Hayden began to squirm, his face clenched as he gripped the chain that kept his hands raised.

“It’s up his ass,” Bo whispered. “So high, it must be tickling his stomach. In two minutes, he’ll get hard. Wait another few minutes, and he’ll shoot all over himself. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve milked him like that.” He turned the dial again, and Hayden squirmed harder. The shame in his eyes was louder than sound.

“Stop. Bo, stop! ”

He did, and Hayden’s head slumped, his chest heaving. Beads of sweat slipped down his body.

“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you’re getting soft, Prey. You’ve seen worse.”

I wheeled myself back, needing to think without letting my emotions pilot my mouth. “What do you want?” I met his smug gaze. “What will make you leave him alone?”

“I don’t negotiate when I don’t have to.”

“Bo.” I closed my palm over his crotch. He flinched but didn’t shove me away. “I want you to let him rest.” I massaged his cock through his pants. “You’ve got your kick out of him, and now you’re getting bored.”

He snorted, hardening against my palm. “You think I’m bored? ”

“You get bored easily, and now you have me.” I leaned my face and sniffed his crotch, aware of Hayden seeing and hearing everything.

“I don’t need to let him out to get what I want from you.”

“You don’t need to,” I said, raising my face, “but it will make it more fun to make me work for it.”

He grabbed my jaw, pressing until the pain caused my eyes to water. “Fuck you, Prey. You know me too well. We’re gonna give the world’s shittiest detective here one hell of a show, or I’ll make him melt in there.” He let go of my face and gave me the remote. “Make him dance.”

I glanced at Hayden, who nodded his approval, though he seemed close to passing out. I took a breath and turned the dial up, watching Hayden's face contort, his body twitching and quivering on the chair.

I’m sorry.

“Prey…”

I tore away my gaze and lowered Bo’s zipper, knowing how to dance this dance.

*

In the quiet of my room, I pushed my brain to its limit, trying to recall all that I’d learned from my hellish time with Bo. It was hard to concentrate with images of tormented Hayden circling in my head, but there was too much on the line for me to dwell in remorse.

There were two things that Bo had said earlier that gave me hope, although they weren’t necessarily connected. One was about how and why Nick’s video found its way to the Darknet, and the other one was about Mr. White, who’d apparently been growing paranoid in his old age.

The door opened, and Samuel walked in holding a tray. He had wheeled me back to the room earlier after stopping to get my wound restitched. I had a hefty dose of painkillers in my system, but my leg still throbbed. Samuel gave me the tray with the same tasteless food I’d been having for days. Before he could turn to leave, I said, “Wait.”

He sighed and crossed his arms. “What is it?”

“I know what Bo has been doing to Hayden.”

His expression softened. “He shouldn’t have snooped.”

“He’s a detective.”

“And how’s that been going for him?”

I held back my anger because I needed his help. “Bo promised to let Hayden out after we… he promised.”

Samuel nodded. “Yeah, he’s out. Resting.”

I exhaled, both relieved and surprised Bo had gone through with his promise. “Thank you for telling me.”

He turned to leave.

“Wait. Do you know Mr. White?”

“Yeah, I’ve met him a few times.” It sounded like he would have preferred not to have met him at all.

“I need you to send him a message from me.”

“Sure. Should I add a fruit basket with that?”

“Bo is putting this operation in danger.”

Samuel rolled his eyes. “Here we go. Bo warned me you’d try to pull off something like that.”

Of course he did. “Did he also tell you he’s been selling videos on the Darknet?”

Samuel narrowed his eyes. “Explain.”

“When the police started to investigate Nick’s disappearance, they found a video of him being tortured on the Darknet. Bo confessed to me that he was the one who sold the video for money. If you tell that to Mr. White, he won’t let it slide.”

Samuel chewed on his bottom lip, face troubled. “I think that I should speak with Bo before starting something that might kick me in the ass later.”

“Go ahead.” I shrugged to mask my dread. “I’m sure he’d be fine with having one of his employees know his secret. He definitely won’t kill you for that.”

He took a step forward, and I readied myself for pain. “You’re playing with fire, Jonah. I’ve tried very hard to be cool with you, but you’re pushing it.”

“I’ve got nothing to lose, and I’m telling the truth. I don’t know how many other videos he sold, but he is putting all of you in danger. Please tell that to Mr. White. You know he’ll reward you for speaking up.”

He snorted. “You think you know him?”

“As much as one can know a psychopath.”

Samuel seemed thoughtful, and I used the opportunity to ask, “What were you in prison for?”

He leaned back as if I’d hit him. “Fuck, you have nerves.”

“They offered you freedom, didn’t they? That’s how they do it.”

“It was different for me.” He shook his head. “Why am I even talking to you?”

I remained silent, and eventually he exhaled and said, “My twin brother used to be in a gang. No matter how much my mother and I begged him to stay away from that shit, he always thought he knew best. When one of their leaders killed someone, they pressured my brother into taking the blame, to show his loyalty. I asked why the fuck he cared about loyalty if he was gonna end up in prison, but he feared that refusing would get him killed. He got twenty years for pleading guilty. About five years later, Mr. White came to see me.”

I frowned. “He came to see you in person?”

“Yes, maybe because mine was a special case.”

“He offered to free your brother if you came to work for him.”

He nodded. “He wanted ten years, but I got him down to seven. My mother was dying of cancer, and giving her that gift felt worth it. So I agreed, and my brother got out a few months later.”

“Why didn’t he offer this job to your brother?”

“I asked the same thing, and he said he only needed a few people, and working with criminals had proved problematic in the past.”

Yet he still made Bo The Director.

“How long ago was it?” I asked.

“About four years ago. Last year, my brother returned to his old gang. Didn’t take long for him to end up dead with six bullet wounds in an alley.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Fucker had no value for other people’s sacrifices. Anyway, that’s life. I should have asked more questions before signing up for this, that’s for goddamn sure.”

“Then can you please speak with Mr. White before it’s too late?”

Samuel sighed and shook his head, then exited the room, leaving uncertainty in his w ake.