I twist against the grip on my arms. The zip ties bit. My shoulders burn.
“What happens in Elliot's manor?” I ask.
Grant’s mouth curves. “The only thing you need to know is you follow what he says.”
My eyes burn. “Or what?”
Grant’s gaze stays calm. “Men like us decide if you breathe or if you don’t. We’re gods. If I were you, Brooke, I’d fall in line.”
Time stretches after that. The engine noise settles into a constant roar that fills the cabin while my body remains locked in place as the plane carries us farther away from anything familiar.
Grant shifts in his seat as if remembering something.
“Oh. I almost forgot.”
His eyes move over me again, slower this time.
“Elliot likes his girls to look clean.”
A faint smile touches his mouth.
“Obviously we can’t do anything about all those tattoos right now. But we can at least get rid of the piercings.”
Before I could lean away, he reaches forward and shoves the gag back into my mouth. The fabric forces my jaw open and presses against my tongue as he ties it tight behind my head. The pressure cut off any chance of speaking.
Then his hand comes up to my ear.
His fingers catch the first earring along the shell. He twists it free with quick, careless movements. The small piece of metal drops into his palm. He moves down the row without pause, unscrewing each one and pulling it out. The cold air brushes over the empty holes as he clears the last of them.
Grant rolls the little cluster of jewelry in his hand, studying it.
“Oh yeah,” he looks back at me. “The footage my PI got.”
His tone carries a thin edge of amusement.
“It also showed you have piercings in a few other places.”
He grabs the front of my shirt and yanks the fabric down just far enough to expose my breasts. The movement is rough enough that my shoulders jerk forward.
Grant looks at the barbell through my left nipple.
“Thought so.”
His fingers close around the metal.
He doesn’t warn me. He doesn’t slow down.
He twists the first ball loose in a quick, impatient turn. The metal shifts inside the piercing, dragging painfully through the tissue as he pulls the bar out. The sudden movement sends a sharp sting through my chest.
A muffled sound pushes against the gag as my body jerks against the restraints.
He drops the piece of jewelry into his palm with the others.
“Let’s see the other one.”
He grabs the fabric again and pulls it lower.
The jet rocks slightly as it cuts through the air, but Grant doesn’t seem to notice. His fingers close around the second barbell.
