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But what would I really do with it? I have to admit to myself that even if I did have it in my hands, I wouldn’t shoot either of them. The knife I can see strapped to his thigh, though, might be a different matter.
We enter the larger room at the heart of the warehouse and I can see that there is a light set up toward the center of the room, but I can’t see around Dare’s broad shoulders as we walk. But then he stops and steps aside.
My eyes widen at the sight in front of me. “Mark?”
Chapter 31
Alex
MyheartdropsasI see Mark, hanging from the same hook they hung me from during my last visit to this warehouse. He's bound and gagged, his eyes wide with fear as he struggles against his restraints.
I can’t get my mouth to form words, the shock of seeing him there has me frozen. “What is this?” I finally manage to get out, but I feel like I can barely hear my voice over the sound of my heart beating in my chest.
Mark’s body suddenly swings from side to side like a pendulum. I look to see Truth standing next to Mark where he must have pushed him, his focus is completely on the swinging body in the center of the room.
“Oh, don’t you know, Little Darling? Mark here likes to help evil people escape justice,” he says.
The realization hits me like a ton of bricks, and I feel a mix of emotions surging through me – anger, betrayal, and a sense of disbelief. I would have trusted Mark with my life, he is part of our team, I never would have suspected him of that from the interactions I had with him.
"He's involved with them too?" I manage to say, my voice shaking with both anger and sorrow. "How deep does this corruption go?"
Dare steps closer to me, his presence both comforting and unnerving at the same time. "Deeper than you can imagine," he replies, his voice low and filled with an undercurrent of determination.
Truth leaves Mark to continue swinging as he saunters over to us, his own gloved hand coming up to brush my cheek. “Hey, Little Darling.”
I blink rapidly, focusing on his masked face in front of me instead of Mark. “Hi,” I breathe in response.
He chuckles, as he continues to brush gloved fingers against my skin. “You look beautiful. Well, you always do, but this color looks almost like blood, it's hot.”
There he goes, showing his psycho side again. Is it bad that it actually pulls a smile from me?
I shake my head at him and he drops his hand. “I think there is something else more important going on here than how hot you think I look.”
He leans closer to me and I still my movements. “Let me make something clear, Little Darling, nothing is ever more important than you.”
My heart skips a beat at his words, and I can feel my cheeks flush at the intensity of his gaze. It's both thrilling and unnerving to be the object of his attention, but I try to keep my focus on the gravity of the situation at hand.
"Thank you, but it’s a little hard to ignore the man hanging from the hook," I say firmly, trying to steer the conversation back to the urgent matter before us.
Truth leans back slightly, his eyes still fixed on mine. "Of course, you're right. We should deal with him."
He moves to stand on the other side of me next to Dare, turning so that we are now all facing a still swaying Mark.
I narrow my eyes at Mark, my anger bubbling inside of me, “So is he the person in charge of the corruption?”
Dare shakes his head, his dark eyes never leaving Mark's form. "No, Little Darling. Mark is not the mastermind behind the corruption. He’s just a pawn, albeit a willing one, but he doesn’t hold the reins of power."
Truth chimes in, "Mark's role is to assist in covering up crimes and destroying evidence whenever he can. He doesn’t call the shots, but he is complicit in the evil deeds."
I clench my fists, my anger now directed not only at Mark, but at the entire organization. "So he willingly chose to be a part of this? To protect those monsters and let them continue their atrocities?"
Dare finally turns toward me, his eyes taking in my anger. “Yes, he did, Little Darling.”
I walk slowly over to the hanging man, my anger burning inside me. They follow closely behind me until we get a few feet from him and Truth touches my arm, stopping me from getting closer. He steps past me and rips the tape covering his mouth.
Pain flashes across Mark's features but his voice is already rushing out. “Run Alex, they’re psychos! Look at them! Too many movies fucked with their heads, they’re delusional!”
Truth laughs loudly, his modulated voice making it even more eerie in the decaying room. “Oh, wait! I’ve seen this one. Scream right?”
