A Ruthless Victim by Nadia Siddiqui (best novels to read for students .txt) 📗

might borrow some of his strength. That she could take peace in knowing that no matter what happens, this is almost over. Even if Nathan cannot figure a way out of these cages on his own, this whole thing will be over soon. He wishes that he could tell her that she will be back in her husband's arms before the night is over and that should she like to chop off every single appendage of Alexander Paulson’s body before they leave him down here to rot, that he would happily be the one to stand there and rock Emma to stay asleep while she did it. What kind of monster normalizes a child falling asleep to the sounds of her own mother's screams as if it’s alright. Nathan wants to cut this asshole into pieces, or at the very least, he wants to watch Lila do it. Honestly, he knows now that he would be fine with either turn of events.

Lila strains against her bonds, and Alexander laughs. “I put that there so that she couldn’t hold her daughter. It’s her punishment for being naughty.” Alex turns back to Nathan, “Perhaps I will have to find even more creative ways to hurt you both. Perhaps I’ll have you fight to the death, and whoever wins, I’ll allow you to leave. Wouldn’t that be fun? I’ve never had this many toys in my basement at once.”

Lila looks down to Emma, awake now with her thumb in her mouth, holding the threadbare blanket that they have been given around her tightly as she presses into Lila’s leg for heat and comfort. What sort of sick fuck can look at that poor child and be self-satisfied. It’s a particular form of cruelty to allow that to happen. To enjoy it is even worse. Nathan’s lip curls upward. “I’m going to enjoy killing you very much.”

The company needs to hurry up. At this point, Nathan doesn’t even care that he will be in trouble for fucking this up. He doesn’t care that he might not get to learn anything else about himself; he cares about getting that child out of here. She needs to be back in her home; she and her mother need access to clean water. Their skin is sallow and waxy over their skin, and he can see their signs of obvious dehydration and starvation from all the way over here.

“Does this make you feel powerful, you prick? Is this how you get your rocks off, mother fucker?” Nathan spits.

“Ah, now I’m finally getting a reaction out of you. Yes, to answer your question, this is exactly how I get my rocks off. It’s why I have stayed in this imbecile town for so long. I didn’t mean to keep them this long, but Lila there...she’s such a nice plaything. Every time I have to bump into her husband looking more and more like a shell of a man, I like to come back here and bury myself to hilt in his wife while she cries because I know who really won here. I know who has all the power. I took it from him, and he will never have the audacity, the nerve to work again. Everything that he tried to do to me and more, I’ve done tenfold. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“You’re a sick fuck.” Nathan feels bile rising in his stomach for how twisted that is. He barely manages to keep from puking down the front of his button down shirt. “So what do you need me for? Another sick, twisted power fantasy?”

Alex scoffs. “Maybe, my Tabitha up there...she likes to watch. So maybe I’ll give you to her and let her have a chance to play for a while. She never liked Lila’s face too much. I think she will take Emma for her own once I finally tire of Lila there. Tabitha and I can raise Emma like our own daughter...wouldn’t that be hilarious the next time that I run into little Bradley Kramer, and he sees somebody that looks like his daughter but can’t possibly be. Yes, I think that I will enjoy that very much.”

Lila gasps and attempts to pull the heavy metal chains from the wall until her wrists start to bleed, and the thin skin is tearing.

“I’m going to enjoy killing you, you fucking asshole,” Nathan says with perfect clarity.

Alex marches back up to the front of the plastic divider and grins, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “And how do you plan on doing that? You’re not going to leave this room until I decide to drag you down the hallway. Perhaps I can have you spend some time in my favorite place, the box; that might break you of your spirit a little bit.”

Nathan doesn’t bother asking what the box is; he already knows from Lila.

“Would you like to see it?” Alex pulls a syringe from his pocket and pulls off the plastic cap with his teeth, starting to push the yellow fluid up to the top of the needle until a small bubble forms and he flicks it off to make sure that there are no more air bubbles inside, clearly not wanting Nathan to die before his time. “Perhaps once I’ve started cutting off pieces of your skin, you will feel more like telling me who you work for, and how they have found me here. Won’t that be a fun little experiment for the both of us?” Alex seemingly cannot control his enthusiasm.

Nathan pushes himself upward until he’s in a standing position, staring the man holding him captive down. The zip ties on his wrists won’t be the easiest thing to get through, but he has faith that he can manage it. He just needs the man to open that plastic barrier and step foot inside, and Nathan will rush him. Anticipating that opening somehow so that he can be ‘sedated,’