Steal the Day (Thieves #2)(102)

“Zoey, she’ll be all right.” Dev was right behind me. “Whatever has happened to her, we’ll deal with it. I can get her an awful lot of help. Psychiatrists, therapists, you wouldn’t believe what some witches can do with memory. She doesn’t have to remember that she was ever here.”

I doubted anything could ever completely erase the time Sarah had spent in Hell, but standing out here because I was scared wouldn’t change anything.

I pushed the door open and walked into Lucas Halfer’s torture chamber. It was lit with a series of torches because track lighting just doesn’t scream dungeon. I would have gone with fluorescents, but nobody asked me. Dev and I entered a circular chamber. There was an altar in the center and off to one side I saw a rack. Both devices were currently occupied.

The Revelation had no doubt as to who was held on the rack.

“Please hurt her, not me,” Felix Day begged from his place on the rack. He was tied down, all of his limbs roped and bloodied. His head seemed to be the only part of him that moved. It came off the surface of the rack, his eyes imploring me, glowing in the near gloom. “She’s a horrible person. I’m good. I’m an angel. You shouldn’t hurt me. You should hurt her. Stay away from me. I’m from Heaven.”

I ignored him, seeking my friend, and my heart sank when I found her. Sarah lay on the wooden altar, bound by ropes that dug into her flesh. Her body, always graceful and slender, was now far too thin. Her eyes seemed to sink into her face. Her hair was a mousy brown, and that seemed the worst insult of all. Sarah’s hair was always vibrant, an outward reflection of her inner personality.

I ignored that * angel, who I was pretty sure at this point I was leaving behind, and knelt down by the altar. Tears blurred my sight as I touched her cheek and willed her to wake. There was blood everywhere but her skin was smooth. It was a torturer’s paradise. You could hurt someone as much as you wanted in a room like this, and they were always ready for more just hours later.

Felix continued his admonitions that I pick Sarah as my victim as she managed to open her eyes and focus on me. It took her a moment, but then she held her head up and turned to me.

“Zoey? Did Halfer get you?” Her voice was raspy as though she’d been denied water for a very long time. She asked the question and sounded so sad to see me here.

“No, sweetie.” I tried to muster a smile. “I’m here to spring you. This is a jail break.”

Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “I can’t believe you’re here. This is a dream, isn’t it?”

I tried to work on her bindings, but they held tight. “Nope. This is a heist. You’re my booty this time, Sarah, and you know I never leave my booty behind.”

“No, don’t take her. You want to take me,” Felix said, his voice high and whiny.

Sarah tried to turn toward him. “Felix, you can stop. This is my friend. Did you bring Daniel? Where’s Neil? Zoey, this is stupid. You can’t get us out of here.”

“Daniel and Neil are waiting eagerly to see you. They couldn’t come with us,” I explained as I finally worked the knot free and undid her hands. Dev moved to the end of the altar and started on the rope that held her feet. “I brought Dev. You remember Dev?”

Sarah laughed, a weak sound that ended on a rusty cough. “I remember Dev was pretty bad at magic. Hello, Dev. It’s good to see you. I’m glad to see Zoey followed my advice to jump into bed with you. Sorry you’re going to end up spending eternity here with me and Felix. Seriously, you come to bust me out of Hell and the only person you bring is Dev?”

“Oh, ye of little faith. I’m getting you out of here, but that * angel over there can rot as far as I’m concerned. He told me to torture you. What the hell kind of angel are you?” I rounded on Felix Day and got my first look at him. He looked an awful lot like his siblings, but the half-starved version. He didn’t have their glow. His skin was ashen. “You should protect her, but no, you’re trying to save your own ass.”

Felix smiled. It was brilliant even in the gloom of the chamber. “She’s exactly as I pictured her. Felicity sent you, didn’t she, little cousin?”

“Yes, she did, but she didn’t mention that you were just like Oliver, who I can’t stand,” I shot back. “I bet he’d be down here trying to pawn off his torture on someone else, too.”

“Zoey, he’s trying to get you to torture him instead of me.” Sarah struggled to sit up as Dev finished untying her feet. “If he whines he’s a better target. They want you to cry. Brix started to torture me when he realized it hurt Felix more to see me torn up than to be harmed himself.”

Dev moved to the rack and started on Felix. “Zoey, we can catch up later. I have no idea how long those demons will stay asleep. We need to get out of here.” He looked down at Felix. “Can you get us off the Hell plane quickly or do we have to take the scenic route?”

“I can get us out of here,” Felix stated without dropping his high-voltage smile. Unlike Sarah, he seemed to think everything was looking up. “Unbind my magic and I promise you it won’t matter if they all wake up.”

“Felix, you need something of angelic origin to unbind you,” Sarah said in a patient tone. It sounded like she had explained it more than once. “Unless Zoey brought along some of your sister’s tears, we’re out of luck. It’s why she needs to run.”