The cloak figure leaned forward and placed himself close to Brody, close enough the wolf couldn’t help but rumble. His body shook, restrained by the shackles that held him in place. “You will do as you’re told, wolf, or else. I only have one use for you. Or at least a use for a certain part of your body. How much pride do you think you’ll retain if I remove that crucial part your anatomy?”
Even Layla had to wince.
Poor Brody. The threat froze him. Only his nostrils flared as he breathed deeply in and out, a man fighting his wolf and his inclination to protect himself from a threat.
“No comeback, dog? No threats?”
“Just thinking of the best way to kill you,” Brody bravely blustered.
The mechanical laugh from the master sent a shiver down her spine. “Think about it, but not too long, my pets. Already my patience wears thin and you don’t want to see what happens when it snaps.”
The interview was over. The master rose, his dark robe hiding his true shape and identity. With that awful glide, the master slithered from the room and left her alone for the moment with Brody.
“He’s a pleasant dude,” Brody remarked.
“A ray of sunshine,” she muttered. “One you did your best to piss off.”
“I can’t stand pompous asses.”
“Gee, I couldn’t tell.”
“Ah, come on, Bait, admit it, that was kind of fun.”
“Don’t call me bait. And no, it wasn’t fun. You’re new here. I don’t think you grasp just how sadistic master can get.”
“Oh, I can imagine. I’ve dealt with his sort before.”
“So you’re just an idiot with a death wish then.”
“Nah, just an idiot with huge balls of steel. Wanna see?”
“No!”
He chuckled. “Let me know if you change your mind. Now that we’ve had the talk with the asshole in charge of this place, what’s next on the agenda?”
“We wait until the guards come to take us back.”
“Pretty trusting, leaving us here all by our lonesome.”
“Not really. There’s nowhere for us to go.”
“Such pessimism.”
“I call it realism.” Also known as experience. She had numerous failed escapes from this room to attest to the futility.
But Brody was a man. Stubbornness was in his genes. “Mind telling me where the front door is?”
“Why do you need to know?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
She glanced at him to find him smiling. “You find our situation amusing?”
“More like interesting.”
“How do you figure that?”
“For one thing, we’re out of the cage.”
“Yet handcuffed and you’re chained to a floor bolt. I fail to see the improvement.”
“Again with the Negative Nelly attitude. You’ll never succeed in escaping if you don’t try. Now, I’m asking again, before Jackass and his friends show up, where’s the front door?”
It wouldn’t hurt to tell him. “Out in the hall, turn left, through the door into the screened porch and then left again. But I don’t know what you think you can do with that information.”
“Watch a master escape artist at work, sweetheart.” He winked as he shifted his shoulders and drew his legs up in a tuck that allowed him to bring his cuffed hands forward. Brody then unlinked his chains—one for each manacled wrist—from the eyebolt in the floor.
She sighed. So he’d figured out the weakness in chains, not something she’d played with yet, as she hadn’t wanted to attempt escape fifty-seven until she thought of a way to avoid the dilemma she’d run into with escape forty-nine.
Namely—
Too late to warn Brody as he was dashing through the door. She sat there and counted. One. Two. Three.
Thud .
A moment later, a pair of guards passed by the archway to the living room where she sat, dragging Brody’s limp carcass down the hall. Another pair arrived shortly after to fetch her.
But it seemed they weren’t returning to their cell quite yet.
They both got dumped in the bathroom with its large shower stall, lined in cracked pink and black tile, and its
Even Layla had to wince.
Poor Brody. The threat froze him. Only his nostrils flared as he breathed deeply in and out, a man fighting his wolf and his inclination to protect himself from a threat.
“No comeback, dog? No threats?”
“Just thinking of the best way to kill you,” Brody bravely blustered.
The mechanical laugh from the master sent a shiver down her spine. “Think about it, but not too long, my pets. Already my patience wears thin and you don’t want to see what happens when it snaps.”
The interview was over. The master rose, his dark robe hiding his true shape and identity. With that awful glide, the master slithered from the room and left her alone for the moment with Brody.
“He’s a pleasant dude,” Brody remarked.
“A ray of sunshine,” she muttered. “One you did your best to piss off.”
“I can’t stand pompous asses.”
“Gee, I couldn’t tell.”
“Ah, come on, Bait, admit it, that was kind of fun.”
“Don’t call me bait. And no, it wasn’t fun. You’re new here. I don’t think you grasp just how sadistic master can get.”
“Oh, I can imagine. I’ve dealt with his sort before.”
“So you’re just an idiot with a death wish then.”
“Nah, just an idiot with huge balls of steel. Wanna see?”
“No!”
He chuckled. “Let me know if you change your mind. Now that we’ve had the talk with the asshole in charge of this place, what’s next on the agenda?”
“We wait until the guards come to take us back.”
“Pretty trusting, leaving us here all by our lonesome.”
“Not really. There’s nowhere for us to go.”
“Such pessimism.”
“I call it realism.” Also known as experience. She had numerous failed escapes from this room to attest to the futility.
But Brody was a man. Stubbornness was in his genes. “Mind telling me where the front door is?”
“Why do you need to know?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
She glanced at him to find him smiling. “You find our situation amusing?”
“More like interesting.”
“How do you figure that?”
“For one thing, we’re out of the cage.”
“Yet handcuffed and you’re chained to a floor bolt. I fail to see the improvement.”
“Again with the Negative Nelly attitude. You’ll never succeed in escaping if you don’t try. Now, I’m asking again, before Jackass and his friends show up, where’s the front door?”
It wouldn’t hurt to tell him. “Out in the hall, turn left, through the door into the screened porch and then left again. But I don’t know what you think you can do with that information.”
“Watch a master escape artist at work, sweetheart.” He winked as he shifted his shoulders and drew his legs up in a tuck that allowed him to bring his cuffed hands forward. Brody then unlinked his chains—one for each manacled wrist—from the eyebolt in the floor.
She sighed. So he’d figured out the weakness in chains, not something she’d played with yet, as she hadn’t wanted to attempt escape fifty-seven until she thought of a way to avoid the dilemma she’d run into with escape forty-nine.
Namely—
Too late to warn Brody as he was dashing through the door. She sat there and counted. One. Two. Three.
Thud .
A moment later, a pair of guards passed by the archway to the living room where she sat, dragging Brody’s limp carcass down the hall. Another pair arrived shortly after to fetch her.
But it seemed they weren’t returning to their cell quite yet.
They both got dumped in the bathroom with its large shower stall, lined in cracked pink and black tile, and its
Similar Books
