“Well, Miss Dunn, I prefer to talk over torture, and it seems you will be amenable.”
“What do you want with me and Langston?”
“You disappoint me, Miss Dunn. You shouldn’t ask questions you already know the answer to.”
I frown. “What do I have to do for you to allow Langston to go free?”
“Now,
that is a much better question.”
“One that you intend to answer, or will you continue to talk in riddles?”
“I’m curious. He took all of the drugs for you, so that you would stay conscious. My men stupidly left you unattended in this room, with a clear escape route. Why didn’t you escape and save yourself?”
I tilt my head. “You shouldn’t ask questions you already know the answer to.”
He cracks up like I’m the funniest thing in the world.
“You’re quite amusing, Miss Dunn. I might just keep you for entertainment.”
“I don’t care what you do with me, as long as Langston goes free.”
He purses his lips and puts his hand to his chin as he studies me. “I’ve done my research on you, and I thought you were a soulless creature who only looked out for yourself, but I’m afraid I was mistaken—you do have a heart.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh. “I don’t have a heart.”
“Then, accept my deal. You give me some basic information, and then I’ll let you go.”
“You’ll keep Langston?”
He nods.
“What will you do to him?”
“Whatever it takes to get the information we seek.”
I frown.
“And then, we’ll kill him.”
I gasp.
He smiles, getting more information on me than I might have otherwise admitted. He stands from the arm of the chair and walks over to me, lifting my chin to look at him.
“One of you has to die.”
“Why? Why not get the information from us and then let us go?”
“Because as you said, you have half the information and he has the other half. Neither of you can go after the treasure with only half the information. Whoever has all the info gets the treasure, and I have to be assured that no one else has all of the map. If I let you both go, you’ll tell each other your half of the secret to head me off.”
I swallow hard and pull my head from his touch as anger pulses through me. I try to come up with a new plan to escape, but nothing comes to me immediately. All I can think is that the drugs they’ve pumped Langston with will wear off soon, and then he’ll find a way to escape. Maybe Enzo or Kai are on their way here to save us—or at least, save Langston. Hopefully, because I have no idea how to get both of us out of here alive.
“Who will live and who will die? You or Langston? I’ll give you some time to decide, Miss Dunn. ”
He walks out the first door and locks me in. I run to the door and attempt to throw it open, but the door won’t budge. I run to the second, but the handle barely rattles.
I slump to the floor with tears in my eyes. Only one of us is going to survive this—and I already know what my decision will be.