I can’t look at Kai as Archard speaks, because this is already sounding like this game is going to be my own personal hell.
“What are the rules, old man? How many rounds of torture does each have to endure to win? Does one of them have to surrender for the other to win? Because we already know who will be surrendering,” Milo says giving Kai a dirty look.
Archard glares at Milo, not willing to take his crap. “Only the two competitors are allowed to ask questions. If you speak again, you will be removed.”
Milo huffs but shuts up.
“As I was saying, this game is about withstanding torture and pain with grace. I will not share how many rounds of torture there are or what each round will include, but each round will become more painful and difficult to bear. The game ends when one of you surrenders.”
Fuck, Mr. Miller, he’s more twisted than my own father. That’s why he had Kai kidnapped, so she was prepared to deal with pain. So she could win this round. She learned to lock away her pain. She can withstand any torture.
My father taught me to handle pain as well, but Kai is better at it. And I will have to watch her being tortured. It will kill me. The torture won’t be physical for me. The drugs will mask any pain I feel. I’m usually good at handling pain, but this will make it even harder. My weakness is Kai. If she shows any amount of pain, I will lose it.
“Each of you must choose a teammate who will carry out the torture of the other competitor,” Archard says.
Kai’s eyes meet Langston’s. She would never ask Liesel to do it, even though it might hurt me more to have Liesel torturing me. Langston nods.
“Langston,” Kai says, sucking in a breath.
“Good,” Archard says, turning to me.
I close my eyes because I already know who my only choice is, and I can’t do it. I can’t make her suffer that way, even if it might be my only chance of winning.
Milo clears his throat, and then he whispers in my ear. “If you don’t win, I will hurt Kai.”
He won’t. Langston and I won’t let him, but it’s enough to push me into saying my choice. “Milo, I choose Milo.”
Kai’s eyes burn into mine. Milo is going to be the one to end this game early. And I don’t know if Milo is going to break Kai or me. Because the pain will intensify as Milo is the one who is carrying out the torture, but the pain at watching him touch her will explode my own suffering.
Either way, I’m screwed.
11
Kai
The second I saw Enzo I could fully breathe again. The kind of breath that fills your lungs and energizes your body with new hope.
But then I saw the damage. I felt the extra heat pulsing through his body before I figured out where the pain was coming from.
And I wanted to kill Milo, more than I did before. I wanted to destroy him. Make him pay with his life for laying a finger on my man.
Enzo was supposed to be safe. Milo needed him to take over the Black empire, but apparently, he didn’t care to not hurt him in the process.
Both of Enzo’s shoulders are damaged. And I want to run over to him, put my arms around his, and drag his ass as far away from these people as possible.
Instead, I’m about to play the most twisted
game of all.
Thank you, father.
I exhale deeply. I can do this.
But I can’t. I can’t watch Enzo being tortured knowing he’s already in pain. The game isn’t how much can I withstand torture, because I can indefinitely, it’s how much can I watch the man I love being beaten.
“Torture is killing each other slowly, death by a thousand cuts,” Archard reads from a paper in front of him. “So before each round the tormenter will get to stab once into their victim at the place of their choosing.” Archard produces one small knife and hands it to Milo.
“Each round will alternate who goes first. Kai is first this round,” Archard continues.