The dilemma sat heavy.

If I did this, he’d finally won. My imprisonment would include willingly screaming or answering his torturing questions. If he broke me down to utter one word, he could do two and three and four.

He would never let me be silent again.

Or I could take my self-imposed silence for real. Like a devout religious follower denouncing all monetary wealth and entering a nunnery, no longer just practicing their faith but becoming their faith.

I would be mute no longer by choice but by disability.

Was I vain enough to hate the thought of not being perfect anymore? Or strong enough to accept that it was the price I had to pay to win?

Master A’s fingers pinched my cheeks. “Make up your mind, Pimlico. You have ten seconds to decide.” He looked at Darryl. “Cut on one. If she tries to speak, let her have her tongue to do so.”

“Got it, A.”

My heart started a countdown, marking each second with dynamite as Master A said, “Ten…”

Should I speak?

“Nine...”

What should I say?

“Eight…”

What word will keep me safe?

“Seven…”

Do I truly want him to win this way?

“Six…”

How quickly will I die if I refuse?

“Five...”

Will I drown in my own blood?

“Four…”

Make a decision!

Darryl’s fingers tightened, the faint taint of copper filled my mouth as his nail dug deeper, pulling my tongue out as far as possible.

Do it!

One word.

How about: Help. Or mercy. Or please.

“Three.”

I saturated my lungs with oxygen, inhaling hard for the first time, knowing I would finally transform air into sound waves through the magic of human engineering.

“Two…”

I shook my head, eyes wild with promise that I’d talk.

The men paused, eyebrows arched, but Darryl didn’t release my tongue. “Go on, Pim…one little noise. Show us you’ll obey before you get your tongue back.”

A noise was easier than a word. He’d torn worse from me before.

I obeyed.

The tattered moan rose with rust and misuse, vibrating strangely in my chest.

Master A smeared terror-soaked sweat from my skin. “Good girl. You finally obeyed.” Kissing my forehead, he whispered, “Pity for you…I don’t really like the sound of your voice.”

Slapping my cheek, he nodded at Darryl. “One.”

He cut.

THE CAR STOPPED.

I climbed out.

The front door was locked.

I used my skills as a burglar to gain entry within seconds.

The instant I entered, the alarm shredded my eardrums with a shrill alert.

I ignored it, stalking forward through despicable corridors.

The white house mocked me as I erupted from foyer to lounge.

And then suddenly, I no longer saw white.

But red.

Lots and lots of red.

I didn’t pause to think. I didn’t second-guess. I let the instincts I’d spent years trying to dull rage into being; muscle memory took over.

Along with my sordid past, I’d done things that’d evolved me from thief to killer, from killer to assassin, from assassin to heartless stealer of souls. Fighting had always been more than just a hobby. It’d been in my past for generations. And because of my unique personality flaws, I’d become a master at it.

My hand formed a blade, my fingers tight and long, locked together like a machete. I brought the weapon in a swinging arc right onto the juggler of the man sitting on top of Pimlico.

He toppled sideways, unconscious from the single blow.

Pimlico didn’t move as blood poured down her front, drenching her nakedness. A pair of large scissors fell from the unconscious man’s hand, clattering to the floor.

“What the fuck!?” Alrik shot to his feet, leaving his girl to bleed all over the carpet. Moving away, he gave me the opportunity to get closer to her.

The man who’d hacked down the bedroom door with a baseball bat lunged at me, swinging the same knife I’d taken from the garage. “You freak! You’re dead meat.”

Normally, I would have fun with such an idiot. I would parry and feint, slowly wearing the assailant down until he begged for the fight to end.

But Pim needed me.

It took one tiny thought.

One second, the man stabbed air, doing his best to gut me. The next, the knife was twisted from his hand into mine and the hilt buried in his stomach.

He screamed as I slashed his insides before yanking out the knife and impaling it in his heart.

His gaze lost focus the moment I tore through the muscle keeping him alive. However, it didn’t stop his body pumping blood and unspooling intestines as he collapsed onto the carpet.

Pimlico scrambled back, her eyes as large as twin moons.

The man was dead. He was no longer worth my time.

Her gaze met mine, wild and agonised. Blood rivered from her mouth.

What had they done to her? What fucking monster did such a thing?

You’ve done worse.

Yes, I had. I wouldn’t deny it.

But never to a woman.

Never to an innocent woman.

Dropping to my haunches, I pulled her into a sitting position, cradling her against my chest.

I didn’t care about the blood.

All I cared about was making sure she’d survive longer than a few minutes so I could do what I should’ve done at the beginning when this asshole contacted me.