Chapter 114 One hundred and thirteen
ARA
“Where are they keeping Sasha?” Thayne asked Ursula for the thousandth time, his face inches from hers.
Ursula was tied to a metal chair in the basement, wrists bound behind her back, her ankles strapped to the legs. Sweat plastered blonde strands to her forehead, but her eyes still burned with defiance.
“Go fuck yourself, Thayne,” she spat. Saliva flecked his cheek. “I won’t tell you.”
I watched them from the cracked door at the top of the stairs, hidden in the shadow of the hallway.
Thayne had asked me earlier not to come down here. He’d asked me to stay in the bedroom, rest, and let him handle it. But I couldn’t.
I needed to see him,needed to know he was still in control, still whole, even after everything. I knew he was capable, more than capable, but watching him now, shoulders rigid, voice like ice, I couldn’t leave.
He leaned closer, so close their noses almost touched.
“I’ll ask you one last time before you hate me forever,” he said. “Where are they keeping Sasha?”
Ursula threw her head back and laughed, her shoulders shaking against the restraints.
“Sasha is probably pregnant by now,” she said, eyes glittering. “Munroe and the others had their way with her. Repeatedly. She screamed so beautifully, especially when they took her all at once.”
My hand flew to my mouth. Nausea surged up my throat, hot and bitter. I pressed harder to keep from vomiting, but the image burned behind my eyes.
Thayne didn’t flinch. He swiveled his head toward his team, two men standing in the shadows near the electrical panel.
“Connect the live wires to her chair when I say it’s time.”
They nodded once, their faces blank. This wasn't their first rodeo.
Ursula’s laugh died in her throat, as if she didn't quite believe Thayne was actually serious.
“One last chance,” Thayne said, turning back to her. “I’ve been kind enough.”
“Your kindness is pathetic,” she hissed. “Just like everything about you. I don’t need it.”
Thayne studied her for a long moment. Then he stepped back, dusting his clothes.
“It’s time,” he said to his men.
One of them flipped a switch, and a low hum filled the room, the sound of electricity waking up. Ursula’s body jerked against the restraints, her eyes widening for the first time.
Thayne crouched in front of her again, his voice soft now.
“You think this is about pain?” he asked. “It’s not. It’s about time. Every second you stay silent, Sasha suffers another second. Every minute you waste, they hurt her more. You want to be the reason she breaks? You want that on your conscience?”
Ursula’s breathing turned shallow. Sweat dripped down her temple.
Thayne stood slowly.
“Turn it up,” he told the men.
The hum grew louder. Ursula’s chair rattled. Her teeth chattered, and her neck twisted to the side.
“Wait—” she gasped.
Thayne raised a hand. The hum dropped back to a low buzz.
“Where is she?” he asked again.
Ursula’s eyes darted, cornered, calculating, her breaths rushing out in gasps.
“An old warehouse on the docks,” she said finally, her voice cracking. “Pier 17. The one that burned down three years ago. They rebuilt the basement. That’s where they’re keeping her.”
Thayne didn’t move. “Is she alive?” He asked, crossing his arms.
Ursula swallowed. She wasn't sure of her answer.
“Yes. Last I heard.”
Thayne nodded once.
“Get the address,” he told his men. “Confirm it. Satellite, heat scans, I need everything. And now.”
They moved like choreographers, pulling out gadgets I'd never seen before in my entire life.
Thayne looked down at Ursula.
“You’re going to stay here,” he said. “And if you lied, if Sasha isn’t there, or if she’s hurt worse than you said, I’ll come back down here. And next time, I won’t stop the current from breaking your bones.”
He turned and walked toward the stairs. I slipped back into the shadows before he saw me, my heart pounding, tears burning my eyes.
Thayne reached the top of the stairs and paused when he saw me.
He didn’t look surprised. He thinned his lips, as if he was disappointed.
“I told you to stay upstairs,” he said in a low voice.
“I know.”
He cocked his head, eyes narrowing as they raked over me.
“You disobeyed me.” His voice was low, almost gentle, but the edge beneath it made my pulse kick harder. “Seeing torture isn’t good for your health.”
“Or yours,” I shot back, my chin lifting. “Right now, you need—”
“I need to fuck you until you forget what you saw.”
The words landed like a match on dry grass.
I licked my lips and watched his gaze drop to my mouth, pupils blowing wide, darkening to black.
“What’s holding you back?” I asked, the words almost sounding like a challenge.
Thayne groaned, a deep, broken sound in his throat, and moved.
He crossed the distance in a single blur, his hands slamming to the wall on either side of my head.
“You just had to say that,” he rasped, right before his mouth crashed down on mine.
There was no preamble or gentleness, just raw, starving need.
He kissed me like he was trying to devour the memory of what I'd just seen from both our minds, his tongue thrusting deep, claiming every inch of my mouth until I was dizzy with it.
One hand fisted in my hair, yanking my head back so he could angle deeper; the other slid down my side, gripping my hip hard enough to bruise.
I moaned into his mouth, my fingers digging into his shoulders, pulling him closer. My body arched instinctively, my breasts pressing against his chest, nipples already tight and aching beneath the thin fabric of my shirt.
He broke the kiss only to drag his lips along my jaw, down the column of my throat, his teeth scraping over my pulse point.
“You watched,” he growled against my skin. “You saw me break someone, and you still want this?”
“Yes,” I breathed, hips rolling against his in a helpless grind. “I want you. All of you.”
His hand left my hair and shoved between us, ripping the buttons of my jeans open with one sharp tug.
The zipper gave way under impatient fingers. He shoved the denim and my panties down my thighs in one rough motion, not bothering to get them past my knees.
The fabric trapped me, hobbled me, and the restriction only made the heat between my legs burn hotter.
He palmed my pussy, his fingers sliding through slick folds before plunging inside. I cried out, my head thumping back against the wall.
“Quiet,” he ordered, his mouth in my ear. “Or the men outside will hear exactly how wet you are for me right now.”
His thumb found my clit, pressing, circling, and I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.
He pumped his fingers faster, deeper, the wet sounds obscene in the quiet stairway. My hips rocked shamelessly, chasing the pressure, my thighs trembling.
“Look at you,” he murmured, his voice both dark and reverent. “Soaking my hand, so desperate for me you can’t even wait.”
Shame and need twisted together inside me, making everything sharper, hotter.
“Then make me forget,” I gasped. “Please.”
“Request granted.” He said, an evil grin spreading on his face.