I dug my fingers into my skin, pulling out the jagged shards embedded in my arms. I winced as each piece tore through tender flesh. Blood welled and slicked my skin, dripping down in thin rivulets.
One by one, I worked the shards free from my legs, gritting my teeth as each pull sent fire through my muscles.
Then I felt it, a long, cruel piece buried deep in my side. My stomach clenched as I felt the sharp stab of pain that stole mybreath. I yanked the glass shard out, the world tilting as crimson stained my hands, slick and sticky, a stark contrast against the cold metal floor beneath me.
Every movement made the blood run faster, every heartbeat a reminder of how raw and fragile my body had become.
“Where is she?” I snarled, yanking the clothes from the man’s hands. The fabric felt heavy, alien in my hands, and my chest hammered so hard I thought it might crack my ribs.
I shoved my arms into the long-sleeved black shirt, then jammed them into the vest. The straps dug into my skin. I slammed the velcro shut and fixed the masked man with a glare I hoped could pierce through the hollow mask he wore.
“I said, where the fuck is my wife?”
I swore I could see the curl of a smile beneath the cotton, but a ticking sound, like a clock counting down, snapped my focus away.
“Your time is almost here, Mr. McKinnon,” the voice said, smooth and detached. “You’d better get moving.”
I huffed out a breath of frustration but kept going, swaying a bit from the amount of blood I was now losing.
I put on the black cargo pants, then the mask. It slipped over my face, feeling hot and suffocating, pressing against my jaw. The eyes of the mask slightly fogged from my breath. My visibility was almost zero. I could only perceive muffled sounds and faint shadows.
How many eyes were on me right now?
The air felt too still, too intentional.
There had to be cameras, hidden somewhere in the corners, maybe even behind the vents. Knowing how the Alliance operated, this wasn’t just an initiation. It was entertainment.
I could almostfeelthem. Men in tailored suits, watching from the dark, placing bets on me like I was a horse in their private race.
How far until he breaks?They were saying.
How much pain before he taps out?
They were betting on me. For what? To prove I deserved Mackenzie?
She doesn’t even want you,my brain sneered.
She left you.
I hammered the top of my skull with my knuckles until the van echoed with dull, hollow thuds. The masked man tilted his head, watching me. Maybe I was losing it. Maybe a little. I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing.
The minute I slipped on that mask, something changed. I wasn’t Max anymore. I was a different animal: a psycho, a killer. Exactly what they wanted me to be.
“Good,” the woman’s voice purred through the speakers, amused and predatory. “You’ll look perfect for the task.”
I flexed, testing the vest. The ring under my gloves was a tiny, hot reminder of Mackenzie. Of what we had been just hours before.
Did she still wear hers? Was she even alive?
A single tear tracked down my cheek, and I almost let myself break. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want whatever came next. I only wanted my wife.
But they had her name on their tongues. They would hurt her if she were even still alive. I was so stupid. So fucking stupid. I should’ve never let Graham split us up. I should’ve protected her more.
“Exit the vehicle,” the voice snapped.
My feet moved on their own. The door slammed shut behind me, and I was immersed in total darkness.
I couldn’t see a fucking thing. It was dark, darker than I remembered. I had been here just a few hours before. But it all felt different, now.
