DELIVER(43)

Mr. E scratched his chin through the mask. “I’m a huge Baylor Bears fan. The news reporters are saying you’re the best linebacker in college football.”

His shoulders curled in. How much was the news covering his disappearance? Would they be camped out on the farm, shoving cameras in Mom and Dad’s faces, and magnifying their grief?

“Get dressed.” Mr. E pointed at the clothes.

The taunt of freedom thrilled in his chest as she removed the padlock on his wrists and unbuckled the cuffs. He massaged the skin that had been rubbed raw by metal for a week. Were they letting him go? “What is this?”

“Too many people are searching for you.” Mr. E angled his mask toward Liv. “She picked the wrong boy and has made no progress in your training. You’re a liability.” He placed a hand on Josh’s shoulder and squeezed. “Besides, the Bears are getting crushed. They need you.”

What? No. This was crazy.

Mr. E laughed. “I was kidding about the last part. Seriously though, you’re a risk I can’t afford.” The hand on his shoulder shifted to his throat, gripping his jaw to tilt back his head. “I’ll drop you in the middle of nowhere. By the time you find your way to a phone, we’ll be gone from this house.”

Letting him go home was a risk. Even if they fled, he could identify Liv and Van. There were no suspicious bulges on the men, but Liv had proven how easily a weapon could be concealed. He imagined a gun trained on his head as they pushed him from their car. Boom! Body dumped, never to be traced backed to their operation. His chest hitched. “You’ll kill me before you’ll let me go.”

The grip on his throat released. “Been doing this a long time, boy. Never killed no one. And this is the first time I’ve offered freedom.”

He could taste the promise of it, felt it awakening every cell in his body. Liv pressed his clothes to his chest. He stared into her eyes, searched for the truth, and found an expression as lifeless as Mr. E’s mask. Even Van was gazing at his feet. “What about Liv and Kate?”

“Not your concern.” Mr. E waved a dismissive hand. “Take the offer, boy.”

It would be so much easier to help the girls if he were free. Even if the operation vanished, detectives could track it.

Why was he even debating this? Would he seriously choose the woman who’d been beating him over his parents’ happiness?

But he couldn’t protect Liv if he left. She was as much a victim as he was. His head swam. He couldn’t protect her in chains, either.

He dressed, and with each piece of clothing covering his skin, he felt more hopeful, more anxious. He watched her expression as he tied his boots, wishing she’d look at him and give him some sign she understood. He wasn’t abandoning her. He was going to get help. He was going to save her, dammit.

Clothed and trembling, he waited at her side while she punched in the code. Was this really happening? He was wearing his clothes. They were letting him go home. Mom and Dad’s joyous faces filled his vision and spread through his chest. He was going home.

The door opened. Mr. E and Van exited first. When Liv stepped through to follow, Mr. E pivoted, grabbed her throat with two hands, and shoved her back against the door jamb. Her mouth gaped, gulping without sound, hands clawing at the ones on her neck.

Josh leapt forward, pulse racing, a roar bellowing from his chest. “You’re choking her.” He tried to break the grip, yanking on unmovable wrists.

The barrel of a gun moved into his vision. Van jerked it at his face. “Move back. All the way into the room.”

Liv stretched her jaw, her eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking down her red face.

“Let her go.” Josh’s heart thundered, his voice thick with spit. “You’re going to kill her.”

“Step. Back.” Van’s tone was steady, but his eyes shifted rapidly between Mr. E and Liv, as if warring with whose side he was on.

Oh God, she couldn’t breathe. He was going to choke her to death. Josh shuffled back, hands in the air.

With a violent heave, Mr. E slammed her head into the jamb and tossed her limp body onto the floor at Josh’s feet.

Josh dropped to his knees and put his ear over her chest, then her mouth. Unconscious, she lay listless, her breaths labored. He didn’t know CPR, had no medical training. What was he supposed to do?

Van lowered the gun, his muscles flexing, his teeth bared, but he made no move to help.

“You’re not going home, boy.” Mr. E clutched the door handle. “You were never going home.”

Deep down, he knew it. Didn’t stop the pain from splintering his chest. He turned her head and followed the river of blood to the cut on her scalp. Head wounds bled a lot, right? Did she need stitches? “She needs a doctor.”

“She needs to do her job. You meet your future Master in two days. If you want her to live, you’ll kiss him with ardor and skill. You’ll grab your ankles if he wants to test drive your ass. You’ll be f*cking willing and obedient.”

The door slammed shut, shaking loose the last forgiving piece of Josh’s heart and replacing it with a sharp-edged thirst for blood. Mr. E and Van seemed to be using her in the most vicious way. Maybe she could outsmart them, but she wouldn’t need to do it alone.

As he carried her to the vanity to search for a medical kit, he glared at the door. God was neither hot tempered nor did He rush to judgment. Josh could be patient, but when the time came and God delivered those bastards before him, he would defeat them. He would utterly destroy them.