TORTURE ME_ The Bandits MC(61)

“Did he ever talk to you?” Fiona asked softly.



Tori nodded, visibly swallowing before she spoke again. “He said he was making a pie for God made up of the best ingredients, but that he’d take out my heart, give it to my parents for them to eat. He said they deserved that much,” she said with a humorless laugh that transformed into a sob halfway through.



“Jesus,” Gage whispered under his breath, softly enough that Tori and Fiona couldn’t hear him. He was just utterly disgusted, feeling the contents of his stomach twist around uncomfortably as a result of Tori’s words, but Fiona was calculating, her eyes burning with something that Gage couldn’t identify. One thing was clear—she was taking everything in, grabbing as much ammunition as possible to use against the killer.



“How did you get out?” Fiona asked. “Did you get out of your bonds or…?



“No,” Tori said, a sad smile spreading across her face. “No, I couldn’t even do that. One day, when I was really weak, he took the bonds off my feet and massaged my ankles with some kind of oil. At first….it felt….nice, in a way, like maybe he was sorry for what he’d done.” Tori paused to scoff, rolling her eyes at herself. “Ridiculous, right? No, I think it was just some part of the ritual, making sure I was pretty enough to be baked into a pie for God. Anyway, a couple days after that I realized what it meant. It’s so sad, right? It took me days, literally days, to realize that my feet being freed meant I could walk away. But I had to wait until I felt strong enough, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to get away fast enough. So one day, after he fed me and massaged my feet and left and I heard some door slam upstairs, I just started hobbling to where I saw this skinny little line of light. I figured it had to be the window, even though it was still covered up. I tore off the cover…and then I forced it open with my hands…” Tori paused again, lifting her hands to show where the glass had cut up her skin. She visibly swallowed, her throat working hard as she collected herself before speaking again. “I just climbed out and broke into a run and didn’t stop running until….well, you know the rest.” Tori tore her eyes away from Fiona, cradling her forehead in her hand for a second before peeking out through her fingers. “You know what the worst part is? I knew there was another girl tied up in there.” She shook her head and dropped her hand, sighing deeply before meeting Fiona’s eyes again. “And I didn’t do anything to help her.”



“That’s not true, Tori,” Fiona whispered, shaking her head. “You’re helping her now by getting yourself out and telling us what happened. It’s the only way you could have helped. You couldn’t have carried the other girl out of the window and gotten away with her. He probably would have come back by the time you got her out of the house, and by now, he would’ve killed both of you just to punish you for trying. But now you’re here, and you’re helping. You’re being so brave, darling.” Even from across the room, Gage could see Fiona tighten her grip over Tori’s hand, like she was clutching the girl to reality, keeping her from sliding off into the darkness again.



“I guess…” Tori murmured, though she didn’t sound entirely convinced, despite the overt sincerity of Fiona’s words.



“Do you remember where the dungeon was, Tori? Where he kept you? Do you think you could show us where it is?” Fiona asked after a short, loaded pause where the two young women just looked at each other.



Tori shook her head, her face falling like a wave of sadness just crashed over her. “No, I’m sorry. I just…I just ran, when I got out. I just ran until I found a road I recognized. I don’t think I could retrace my steps.”



“That’s okay; that’s okay, Tori,” Fiona rushed to say, patting her hands lightly. “You’ve given us more than enough. Believe me.”



Tori licked her dried and cracked lips, staring across the room at Gage for a second before looking back to Fiona. “Will you find him? Will you save her?”



Fiona sighed a little before nodding. “I’m going to do everything in my power to save her. I promise, Tori. And he’s going to pay for what he did to you. To all of you. This isn’t going to end here.”



Tori seemed to relax in response to Fiona’s words, her body sinking further into the hospital bed like the tension in her muscles had evaporated. “Okay,” she whispered, and she dropped her free hand on top of Fiona’s, squeezing it tightly. “Okay. Thank you.”