I pressed myself flat against the wall while they beat Paul to the ground. He knocked out two of the men, but he was outmanned. Forced to his knees, they knocked him unconscious.
A man grabbed at my arm, and I screamed as he dragged me to the tall, narrow cage. I kicked and screamed, terror swirling through me as he shoved me inside the cage.
Snowden walked over, hands behind his back, moving as if he had all the time in the world. His eyes glittered like black obsidian, a deadly visage that made me cringe.
I drew back, but there was nowhere to run. I could barely move.
Snowden drew close, his grin wide, feral, and victorious.
“Your boyfriend did not keep up his part of the bargain.”
Behind him, his men attached cuffs to Paul’s wrists and ankles. They put a collar around his neck, then drew chains down from the ceiling.
Paul groaned as he came to. He struggled to his knees, then stopped when he noticed the rattle of the chains. His head titled up.
“What the fuck is going on?” Menacing eyes threatened death as they took in Snowden.
“I’d like you to tell me.”
“I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about. Release me.”
“Oh, I’d love to do that, but you see, I have a bit of a dilemma.” Snowden turned back to me. His oily smile spread across a compassionless face. “You want to know a secret?”
Chapter Forty-Six
Sara
I didn't want to know any of Snowden's secrets.
His fetid breath blew into my face, and I nearly gagged.
"Did you know Paul is my son?" He sneered at Paul. "My own blood has betrayed me."
I wasn't supposed to know Paul was his son and tried to look surprised. It was difficult with the fear racing through my veins.
Snowden didn't seem to notice. A glassy look overtook him as he stared at Paul, who struggled to his feet. One of the guards sucker-punched him, sending him to the floor again with a grunt.
"That's right. He's my boy. Born without my knowledge, hidden for years, then returned to me through a twist of fate." He walked to Paul, leaving me to struggle to make sense of what could have brought this on. "I knew you were mine because of your tenacity, your killer instincts, and your will to survive no matter the cost. A brilliant, brilliant boy, I was so proud of you. It's a shame you've become such a disappointment and over something that rightfully belongs to me."
"Release me." Paul struggled to his knees, weaving back and forth as blood dripped down his temple. His lip was split, and a cut over his cheek swelled. He spat out blood, aiming it for the guard's foot who'd punched him.
"Oh, I will." Snowden continued his slow circuit around Paul. "But first, I need to know the truth."
"I don't know what you're talking about,” Paul ground out the words.
"Well, that's what we're going to find out."
Forest shifted. His entire body moved as if he were in great pain.
"Your piece of shit son knows nothing." Forest's low rumble rolled across the room.
"So you keep saying, but we have a leak in our ship. A traitor in our ranks. A rat eating the cheese. Imagine my surprise when it traced back to my son." Snowden kicked Paul in the ribs. "My fucking son!"
"He did nothing." Forest's voice might be deep, but it sounded weaker than I'd ever heard it.
Defeated.
"I've seen how the two of you look at each other. Honestly, it's disgusting."
"You gave him to me to continue your work and break him. You told me to keep him under duress, never letting up. What did you think would happen?" Paul's shout had me holding back a gasp.
"You were supposed to tear him down," Snowden said.
"I did." Paul's gaze cut to Forest.
"You did far worse. You broke our rule. You care for him."
"I beat him and fuck him. That's no different from what you do down here, but that's it. I don't give a shit what happens to him outside of that."
I expected Forest to react. The bond he and Paul developed ran deep. It couldn't possibly all have been a lie.
"Ah, but it's worlds different when you give him access to your phone. Or did you let her send the message? Did you let Little Miss Innocent notify her people?"
"No." Paul stood his ground and faced down his father. "I did not."
"Then explain how a message from your phone made it to Xavier?"
"I did it." Forest wavered in and out of consciousness.
Snowden clapped his hands. "See, now we're getting to the truth. What did you do, my boy? How did you turn my son?"
"I didn't turn your fucking son. He can rot in hell with you for all I care."
Snowden backhanded Forest, snapping his head to the side.
I held back a yelp.
"Tell me, what did you do?"
His men moved around the room, closing in on me in my cage. Paul's sharp gaze took them in, but he could do nothing with chains wrapped around wrists and ankles.
"Release me," Paul demanded. "I'll get to the bottom of it. I'll beat it out of him."
"I would like to see that. I want to know what he's done." Snowden shouted in Forest's ear. "Tell me everything and the girl lives."
"Don't touch the girl." Forest's words came out a strangled cry.
"Oh, I'm going to touch her. You broke our agreement. She's going to get touched by a whole lot of people."
"Don't…"
Snowden grabbed Forest's hair and yanked his head back. "Or what? What will you do? What can you do? You don't understand your position. I. Own. You."
"I'll do anything," Forest begged.
"This isn't a negotiation, my boy. It's a punishment and a lesson, something you'd better learn because next time, I won't show mercy on the girl."
"What did he do?" Paul swayed on his feet, and the chains over his head rattled.
"I told you, Forest got a message out. Our boy is quite ingenious. My only question is, how? I've pieced together one or two things, and it all begins with you."
"Me?"
"Yeah, you."
Paul tracked the progress of Snowden's men as they gathered around me. Lopsided grins filled their faces. They saw only one thing in me.
"For the last time, I've done nothing. I took him while you rested, babysat his fucking girl while you had your fun with him, I've done everything you asked and more. I haven't betrayed you. Can't you see this is his doing? Driving a wedge between father and son?" Paul's gaze cut to Forest, and his expression filled with disgust. "I'll prove it." He jerked the chains.
Snowden paused, a look of confusion rippled across his face as he considered Paul's words.
My expression echoed Snowden's because I thought Paul was on our side.
"I'll beat the truth out of him, and leave the girl for me. I have an idea about her."
Snowden rubbed his shoulder, and for a moment, I didn't see a monster, but rather an old man. He looked tired.
"Is this true?" Snowden walked to Paul. He stopped in front of him.
"When have I ever let you down?"
Snowden's voice softened, and adoration spilled forth. "You really didn't do it, did you?"
"That's what I've been trying to tell you. We'll get to the bottom of this together, and we'll make him pay."
Snowden snapped his fingers and pointed to the chains. Four of his men went to work, releasing Paul.
"Tell me what happened." Paul rubbed where the cuffs had chaffed his skin.
Snowden told Paul how he'd discovered a breach in their security, a cyberattack on the mainframe. It wasn't clear if he'd stopped it.
"It's Forest's men for sure." Paul turned his attention to Forest. "Why did you think I was involved?"
Snowden's shoulder's hunched. "How else could it have happened? Either he did it, or the girl did it, and the only access they have to anything is through you. You have to understand…I thought."
"I'd never betray you." He turned to me. "No way the girl did it. She didn't have
access, and there isn't anything in their quarters he could have hacked." Paul cupped his chin. His arm dropped, and he pressed his hands into the small of his back. His fingers slipped down into his back pocket, where he slowly pulled out his cellphone.
"I know how he did it. We have to move." His eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
"You were right. It was my phone, but I didn't do it. The only thing he had access to was my phone. I never let him have it, but somehow he got to it."
"How?" Snowden released a hacking cough that tumbled through the dungeon.
"I don't know."
Paul knew exactly how Forest had done it. He'd given his phone to Forest to fix when it started acting up, but for some reason, Paul didn't mention that.
I cocked my head. What the hell was happening?
"Remember when mine started acting up? He must have done something to my phone, and remember how we had to replace everything?"
"Sneaky bastard." Snowden paced around Forest, his eye squinting as if he were calculating how best to hurt Forest.
Paul grabbed the whip out of Snowden's hand and struck Forest without warning and without mercy. He rained blow after blow until Forest screamed.
"That's how you get him to talk." Paul came up behind Forest and whispered in his ear. It was too low for me to hear, even Snowden strained, stretching his neck out and cocking his ear toward them.
Paul made a fist and punched Forest in the kidneys until Forest's legs buckled, and he collapsed.
Turning to his father, Paul gestured around the room. "We need to leave. Spread the word, pack what you can, burn the rest, we're getting out of here."
None of the men moved. Their eyes locked not on Paul, but rather Snowden, who chewed at his lower lip, considering his options.
After a long pause, Snowden pressed his lips together. "Go. Notify the others. We leave by the end of the day."
The men moved, exiting the room. Paul put the whip back on the table and turned to follow the men.
"You stay."
"Don't you want me to oversee…"
"No, I want you to help me teach Forest a lesson. It's time he paid the price for disobedience." Snowden walked toward me.
My back was already pressed against the bars. There was nowhere to run. He pulled on the lock, releasing it, then opened the cage. His hand darted in, gripping my wrist, and he yanked me out. He then dragged me in front of Forest and thrust me to the ground.
"It's time to touch the girl." He turned to Paul. "You're going to fuck her while he watches and make it hurt."
"You want me to fuck her?"
"That's what I said." His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Fine." Paul made it sound as if it was the most disgusting thing he'd ever do. "Let me tighten Forest's restraints. He's going to go ballistic."
"Fine." Snowden retreated with a wheeze and collapsed into the only chair in the room. "Your girl will pay, my boy. She's going to fucking pay."
I huddled on the floor as Paul went to Forest for a second time. He worked on one cuff then moved to the other.
"I'm going to fucking kill you." Forest jerked in the restraints. The threat meant little with him tied up. I hated seeing Forest powerless, but what could he do? Paul had failed us.
Paul came at me, and something shifted inside my head. We weren't getting out of this alive.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Sara
“You don’t want to do this.” Despite my resignation, I couldn’t help but try to reach Paul. “Please, don’t do this.”
Snowden gave a deep sigh, but a fit of coughing overtook him. Paul glanced over his shoulder and gave Forest one last look.
Paul’s shoulders bunched, and his legs flexed.
He sprang forward.
Not toward me.
Paul went for Snowden.
He tackled his father, tipping the chair backward.
Snowden shouted, but Paul covered his mouth.
“The door!” Paul shouted at me. “Lock the goddamn door before the guards return.”
It took a moment before everything registered.
Forest had a hand free.
He had a hand free?
Sure enough, the left cuff dangled over his head.
Had Paul…?
“The door, Sara! Lock the damn door,” Forest said.
I scrambled to my feet, moving more on autopilot than anything else.
Snowden struggled beneath Paul, fighting Paul’s hold.
I raced the few feet to the stairs, then launched up them.
There was a locking bar on the inside of the door. Why anyone would put that there made no sense, but I threw the lever. The bar slid into place, and I turned my attention to the room.
Forest had both hands free and worked to rid himself of the cuffs at his feet.
Paul straddled his father. His hands gripped Snowden’s throat, who kicked and flailed beneath him.
“My sister!” Rage filled Paul’s face. “What the fuck did you do to my sister?”
“Your sister?” Snowden croaked. “You choose him over me? Your blood?”
“You told me she was dead. I chose you because I thought she was dead. You lied to me.”
Snowden grabbed at Paul’s fingers, trying to release the chokehold grip.
Forest came up behind him. “Paul…”
Snowden’s face was beet red, progressing to a darker shade of purple.
“Paul!” Forest grabbed at the back of Paul’s neck and pulled. Despite everything done to him, Forest remained strong as an ox.
Paul refused to release his grip, and as Forest lifted Paul, Snowden’s body followed. His face turned nearly black, and his eyes looked like they were about to pop right out of his head.
“Help me get him to the cage.”
The two of them manhandled Snowden across the floor. The door thumped behind me, and I jumped. Snowden’s men had returned.
“What are the two of you going to do? Keep me locked in a cage?” He sucked in air and clutched at his throat. “You’re locked in here with me, and they will break through.”
“Doubtful. You were an idiot to install an interior bolt.”
“Only an idiot would install one without a catch release on the other side. You have minutes at best before they break-in. Enjoy the last minutes of your life.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Forest gestured to me. “Get away from the door, Sara.”
I didn’t need encouragement. If Snowden’s men had a way in, I didn’t want to be in their way. I raced down the short flight of stairs and ran into Forest’s arms. Sweat soaked, worked hard, he stank of pain and fear, but I didn’t care. I hugged Forest with everything I had and prayed he absorbed some of my strength.
“What now?” Paul glanced around the room. “There is only one way out.”
“This turned into a shitshow fast.” Forest glanced around the room. “Pick your weapon of choice?”
Paul bent for the whip, then went to the wall of pain, where he grabbed what looked like a pair of bully sticks. He tossed one to Forest.
“What the fuck, Forest? You tapped my phone?”
“I didn’t tap it. I installed code on it.”
Snowden barked a harsh laugh. “Wait, you’re telling me you didn’t know?”
Forest growled. “I told you he didn’t know.”
“But what is this? He’s fighting by your side. How did you turn him? Did you suck his dick better than mine? I know my son; he’s not taken by a pretty face.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Paul spat.
“Ah, this is about your brat sister, isn’t it? You’re mad because of that?”
“You took her from me.” Fury darkened Paul’s face.
“I took nothing. He’s the one who took her.” Snowden pointed at Forest.
“I saved her from her rapist,” Forest said with a growl. “Your goons picked Paul up the day I rescued Piper. I had intended to free them both.”
“Is that true? Did
your men try to take her?” Paul went to the cage and poked Snowden in the ribs with the bully stick. “Were you going to turn her into a slave?”
Snowden shrugged. “Probably, but in my defense, I didn’t know you were my kids at the time.”
The banging against the door grew louder.
I retreated to the far corner of the room, but then looked at all the things hanging on the wall. I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
“Sara…” Forest took my hand in his. “We’ll protect you. You don’t have to…”
I jerked out of his grip and grabbed a long metal rod. “I’m not going to just stand here. What are we going to do? There’s no way out of here, and the two of you can’t hold back that many.”
“We’ll figure it out. Please, just stay as far from the door as possible. I need to focus.”
I glanced at Paul and his arsenal. The man had things dangling from his belt, chains in his hands, and a lethal expression plastered to his face. He meant to go to war or die trying to protect me.
I lowered my voice so only Forest could hear. “What did he say to you?”
“Paul?”
“Yes, when he whispered in your ear.”
“He said, Trust me.”
“That’s it?”
Forest gave a sharp shake of his head.
“How did you know you could?”
“I just did. Now go. I need to focus.” He shoved me toward the corner and went to stand by Paul.
I had to pass the cage Snowden was locked inside.
He sneered when I passed. “Once I get out of here, I’m going to fuck you myself, and then I’m going to let each of my men fuck you until you bleed. It’s going to be an ugly death, a long, painful death, and I’m going to make him watch.”
“You’re a monster.” I angled away from him and huddled in the corner.
The banging on the door intensified, and I realized they were probably banging on the pins holding the hinges in place. It’s what Paul had done the first night of our captivity when he removed the doors.
How much time did we have?
Paul and Forest stood side by side, my two warriors preparing to do whatever it took to protect me. I loved seeing them standing together. Any doubts I had about Paul vanished, and I saw him in a different light. No longer working against us, he had become a part of us.
Forest's Fall (Captive Hearts Book 3) Page 37