Page 26 of Ruthless

Doesn’t matter, dumbass. Just stick to the plan.

The plan. Right. My revenge doesn’t end with Sara. One way or another, I need to find the Ghost and force him to pay for his actions.

In the meantime, I’ll have a little fun with my captive. I want to switch her camera back on because the urge to watch her is impossible to ignore. If I could study her for long enough, maybe my brain could reconcile memories of the old version of Sara with this new one.

I shake my head in disgust. The old Sara was a mirage, one that was destroyed as soon as she betrayed me. I’d do well to remember that. If I’m not careful, she could lure me right back into the trap of those big, innocent eyes.

Ignoring the monitor that broadcasts her cell, I reach for the temperature control and crank it down.

Let her suffer. She deserves every discomfort…and a whole lot more.

Chapter 9

Sara

I hold the material up a little higher, alarmed by just how much harsh fluorescent light bleeds through each cutout. The dress is approximately the size of a dinner napkin. How will I even fit into this?

Overnights at the hospital mean I meet a lot of people from all walks of life. Occasionally, we’ll get a sex worker in the emergency department in need of patching up or an STI test. I’m always amazed by how little they wear, even in polar vortex-level ice storms. Not because I’m a prude, but because I’d get arrested for public indecency if I left the house with that much ass showing.

Guess I’m about to put that theory to the test.

For the hundredth time today, I read over the note I found with the dress just this morning.

Last time, you picked pain.

This time, it’s my choice.

7:30

I crumple up the paper, throw it away, and begin pacing the length of my cell, rubbing my arms to warm them. The air conditioning’s been on the fritz for days, and despite begging Angela, Gregor, and the blinking light on the camera, myrequests for someone to fix it have gone unanswered. Given how much he clearly hates me, I wouldn’t put it past Dante to crank the temperature down on purpose.

Now that I’ve learned we’re going out, nothing works to calm my nerves. Angela let me take another shower and brush my teeth an hour or so ago, but I’d put the sweats back on rather than don that tiny sliver of material he left for me. I have no idea where we’re going or what we’re doing, but I’d prefer not to do any of it while dressed like a stripper.

And yet, biting the bullet may be the only way forward. He wants my submission, and I’m trying to get on his good side, aren’t I? A dress isn’t that big of a deal.

Wait. No. No. I’m not doing this anymore. I refuse to blindly do what I’m told just to make his life easier.

Playing his game won’t solve anything. It’ll just lead to my humiliation, which falls right into his plans. Dante wants to hurt me, and the longer I deny him that, the more time I can buy for myself and Jeremy.

Footsteps grow closer, snapping me from my thoughts. Dante’s long, steady gait. My heart leaps into my throat, and I glare at the dress. I wish I could rip it apart like he did mine, but Dante would force me to put on the scraps. Bastard.

“I’m not wearing this.” I toss the dress onto the ground between us, but he doesn’t even glance down. Instead, he pretends to consult his watch while a muscle bunches in his jaw.

“We leave in five minutes. If you’re not dressed in three, I’ll be paying Jeremy a visit tonight.”

Gasping, I edge forward before I can stop myself. “You son of a b?—”

“Three minutes, pet.”

His non-negotiable tone curls my fingernails into my palms as I battle the urge to claw his skin. I’m not sure what promptshim to step closer, but the knuckles that brush my jaw are gentle.

“When faced with a more powerful enemy, one must learn to pick and choose one’s battles.”

Tilting my chin away from his touch, I search his eyes. “Why do you care which battles I pick and choose? You win them all anyway, don’t you?”

His teasing smile almost undoes me. I wonder if he realizes it’s more devastating than any threat.

No. If he did, he’d use it against me all the time.