dead, which meant Chrissy, Tom, and Jess were dead too. The adults would have fallen first, defending Mo and Feef with their own lives if need be. And it was Caroline’s fault that they were all dead. Her soul split apart on that icy day in January when she became a young widow but that grief paled in comparison to the way she felt now.
Was it possible to die of a broken heart? She pressed a mangled hand to her chest, feeling the steady beat. The tempo a little faster than normal. She half expected there to be no activity at all. But no, that would be too easy. Too simple for her to suddenly ease into a permanent sleep, never to wake up. This was only the beginning of her payback for her sins. There was no way that the pain, the agony, the absolute defeat she felt would ever subside.
I want to die.
For the first time, she heard no dissenting opinion.
* * * * *
She didn’t know how much time passed. She stopped drinking from the sink, stopped getting up to use the bathroom. Her head pounded non-stop and she drifted in and out, never able to stay asleep or awake for any length of time. Caroline stayed curled up in a ball on the bed, hoping that death from dehydration wouldn’t be nearly as bad as she imagined it to be.
The lights flickered on and Murdock and several guards came in wearing smiles. She didn’t recognize any of them. Night. It had to be nighttime. Fischer and Powell worked the day shift. One of the guards yanked her off the bed. Her knees buckled. He didn’t bother holding her up.
Murdock knelt down beside her. He’d taken off his suit jacket and tie. Even at his most horrible, he’d always been wearing a suit. Because he was a pretentious tool.
“They gave me the green light with you tonight,” he said. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
Caroline looked over his shoulder. One of the guards carried a spool of rope, and her gaze was immediately drawn to the hooks in the ceiling.
Oh no.
She tried to fight back. Her brain told her to battle, to resist, not to cave. It didn’t matter.
They ripped off her shirt and bra, bound her wrists, and hung the rope from one of the hooks, until she was standing on her tiptoes. Thankfully, that part was over quickly. The guards then exited the room, looking quite disappointed, leaving her alone with the biggest sadist in the building. They hadn’t been allowed to touch her aside from the clothing removal because as Murdock put it, “He wouldn’t want them to behave in an ungentlemanly manner.”
They’d busted up her face, shattered her fingers, killed her friends, killed her family, psychologically and physically tortured her, tied her to the fucking ceiling with goddamn rope coiled so tight it tore into her already raw wrists, and Caroline was expected to be grateful that they hadn’t sexually assaulted her?
Fuck them. And fuck that twatfucker Murdock in particular.
He came up behind her and placed a hand on her back. Cold as ice. His touch made her feel nauseated.
“It’s just you and me,” he said. “The guards turned the cameras off before we came in, although I assure you, they very much wanted to watch.” He pivoted to face her. “At least, they said they turned them off. Some of my friends may have decided to stick around and enjoy the show.”
Her voice was weak, wiped out from the lack of fluids. “Fuck you.”
He smiled. “You’ve had this coming to you for a long time, and I’m going to relish every minute. I’ve had a lot of time to plan. So many hours spent wondering what I’d do to you when I finally got you alone. Granted, I never had the opportunity until now. If only I’d been able to do this years ago.”
She didn’t want to think about it. Caroline pursed her lips and didn’t say anything.
“Cat got your tongue? I guarantee you won’t be silent for long. I heard rumors about how you and Jack used to get into some kinky shit. Nothing substantiated, mind you, but some really good stories.” Murdock walked around her slowly. “Tell me, Caroline. Did you like Jack to beat you? Whip you? Degrade you? Was that part of your little game, how you both got your thrills?” He laughed. “Such a shame he wasn’t captured along with you. Just think of what we could have