Chapter 12
I awoke to the usual slap on my ass. I thrust out my legs and viciously kicked as Hawk laughed haughtily.
How long had I been I asleep?#p#分页标题#e#
“Brought you a little present, honeybunch.”
My curiosity was piqued when I heard unfamiliar noises coming from the front of the room. I peered over my shoulder and noticed Hawk had placed a table at the foot of the bed and was hooking up a television.
“I don’t want to watch TV,” I said, scooting up and rubbing my face.
“Oh, you’ll want to see this,” he said, connecting the cables in the back. Cables that ran out the door instead of plugging into the wall. “I have a special show I want you to watch.”
“What time is it?”
He stood up and pressed a button on the remote. “Showtime.”
The screen switched on, and a black-and-white image appeared.
“What is that?” I asked, staring at an empty room.
Hawk set the remote on the table and tucked the cables out of sight. “When I stopped by the house to pick up a few things, I ran into your boyfriend. You know—the guy with his dick swinging in your face.”
My heart plummeted and my veins filled with ice. I looked closer at the screen and only saw a crate.
Oh God.
“Hawk, what did you do?”
“That asshole broke into my house. I put a cap in the guy who was with him, and your boyfriend shifted. Good thing I know a thing or two about how to get a wolf in a crate. I had plenty of practice with you.”
“You what?” I gasped, my eyes widening. All this time I thought he’d kept my wolf in the backyard. Oh God, Hawk might have shot one of Jericho’s brothers. Every thought revolted at the idea I’d been intimate with a man capable of such horrific crimes as these.
“That’s right, Izzy. Your wolf is a mean little bitch, but once you learn how to handle a rope, it’s easy to get them under control.”
“Why? Why would you do that?”
“I had to make sure I could transport you if things didn’t work out between us. You were easier to handle than the other girls who tried to leave. You’re too forgiving, Izzy. That’s your weakness.”
I held my forehead in disbelief. “What are you going to do with Jericho?”
“I’m going to have fun, and you’re going to watch. I can’t believe you still hold a candle for a worthless bag of shit like him. Do you think you matter to a guy like that?” Hawk laughed sadistically and leaned on the television. “I can spot a user a mile away.”
A wolf emerged from the crate, staggering about the room and groggily shaking his head. It was Jericho’s wolf. I recognized his markings. Oh my God, this wasn’t happening.
“Hawk, what are you going to do?”
“Nothing. The question is: what’s he going to do to himself? There are enough drugs in that room to kill a whale. I want to see how long it takes before he buckles and gives in to his weakness. Sitting alone in a room for a long time makes a man reflect on his life. It’s what happens when you’re incarcerated. I was locked up in a human jail once. I had someone tracking me down, and it was the safest place I could lay low. Wouldn’t do it again; it almost killed me.”
“Please, Hawk,” I begged. “Please let him go. Jericho won’t be trouble, and he has nothing to do with us.”
“Sorry, Iz. A man swings a dick in my bitch’s face and he pays the penalty.”
My cheeks grew wet with tears, and I looked away. “Turn it off.”
“It’s late and I’m tired. Let me know if you want me to heat up any popcorn,” he said with a dark chuckle, closing the door behind him.
When I braved looking at the screen, the wolf was no longer there. Jericho paced naked around the room with his mouth moving, but I heard no sound. The door looked impenetrable, and on the floor beside the wall was a towel with some objects neatly laid out on top. Jericho knelt down with his back to the camera, looking at the items. Then he whirled around with feral eyes, shouting silent profanities at the camera.
I turned away from witnessing the cruelest torture imaginable. I’d heard stories about former addicts who overdosed because the first time they went back, they used the same amount of drugs they’d used at their peak. They forgot their body didn’t have a tolerance to that level anymore. Shifters healed, but we weren’t immortal.
Bile rose in my throat, and I swung my legs off the bed and stared at the lamp. I tried to remember the number Denver had given me, but I couldn’t think straight. I kept wondering if the cables coming out of the TV led to Jericho’s room or a computer. Was he in this house or another one? I strained to listen but heard nothing. Maybe Jericho’s screams were behind soundproof walls or in a basement. Hawk seemed concerned that mine could be heard. Did I dare risk it?