Born in Blood

Twenty-three

"Maze!" June screamed while thrashing in her restraints.

"June!" I mocked back letting out a hellacious laugh.

"Maze, what am I doing here? Where am I? Remove the blindfold!"

I didn't respond all I did was trace my knife along her shaking jawline, at the end near her chin I added the smallest amount of pressure to puncture her smooth skin. She drew in a sharp breath and pulled her head back.

I walked around to the back of her chair and cut off her loose black t-shirt, leaving her in just a cotton tank top. In between her shoulder blazes I craved out the letter 'M'. After the first line, she couldn't hold the pain and started to scream.

"Maze, Stop! I'm begging as you friend, stop, stop, stop!"

I completed the 'M' and walked back to in front of her. I looked to the corner where Shade stood as he nodded his head approvingly.

His busted lip had turned a deep shade of purple similar to the bruise on June's temple.

I took off June's blindfold and tossed it to the floor beside me. "Take a guess where we are?"

She swallowed and licked her dry lips. "We aren't in-in-in-the-torture chamber, right?" Worry lines coated her forehead as her eyes darted all around the room.

"Correct." I smiled. "You know June, this is not only your first time visiting but also the first time being tortured." I continued to circle her and trace her features with my knife.

"Only one of us had to undergo it. You volunteered to participant on our team's behalf." She mumbled avoiding my eyes.

"That's correct again." I dropped my hands to rest on her thighs and held my face in front of hers. "I volunteered to have Boss hang me from the ceiling in this room and whip me like a dead animal. Then I volunteered to have him spill burning alcohol all over my back while I laid stripped of everything in the corner right over there. Lastly, I volunteered to have Boss torture me by cutting and slicing different parts of my body until I didn't make any noise."

"What is this fucking about Maze?" She screamed. I could sense the fear coming from her voice. Not so tough now, when I'm the one hunting her.

"You know when they first took me, I thought about you. I wished you got away safely. Then I prayed you'd come after me so we could get back to Italy. Instead, you never showed. Then once I get back all the pieces seem to fall into place."

"What are you talking about Maze?"

"During my time in Russia, I learned many secrets. About who I am, who Boss is, and who my parents were. The kicker is I couldn't put all these pieces together until I saw it in your eyes. You are the connection."

"I didn't do shit to you Mazikeen!" She pulled at the ropes again.

"My parents were Russian. They were spies under the Anwar's and for a long ass time worked successfully under Cassio."

"Kenny don't bore me with a fucking story and get to the bloody part." Shade spoke darkly pushing off the wall and standing behind June. He dropped his hands on her shoulders and she shuddered against his touch.

"Shade, this is fucking important. Interrupt me again and I'll strap you to this chair next." I glared.

"I'll say it again, kinky." He laughed taking his knife out and holding it against June's bleeding back. "Why don't you continue with your story, and I'll finish writing your name." He smiled and went to work.

I dipped my head back down to June and dug my fingernails into the skin on her exposed thighs. "A maid heard them talking and exposed them. They were whispering in Russian. None of the maids know Russian, except for the daughter of one maid in particular. You are enough years older than me to have been able to understand my parents and turn them over to Boss. You killed my parents!"