Set Me Free ▪︎ Joel Miller ▪︎

▪︎○ Fifty ○▪︎

The grunts and groans echoed in her ears as she stood to the right of the room, leaning against the wall with arms folded and eyes hard. She watched silently as Joel continued to punch the man tied to a wooden dining chair, beating him down repeatedly in a will to break the man's current vow of silence.

They had tried to ask for answers but the man had refused to offer them up and so, Joel had taken the approach of torture instead. An approach, Olivia realised he was an expert in.

She sighed as her gaze flicked to the man beside her feet, his face also beaten and bloodied. She rolled her eyes as his pleaded with Joel to stop, begging for mercy to be shown to his friend.

"Shut the fuck up." she demanded while kicking him in the stomach with all the force her weak body could muster. Then, as he groaned and coughed at the harsh impact, her gaze returned to the southern man now moving towards the dining table.

His fingers curled around the wooden top of one of the chairs, carrying it across the room and setting it down firmly opposite the man tied to a chair. His eyes remained hard; set in a dangerous glare as he lowered himself into the seat while scooping up a nearby knife and working hard internally to forget Olivia's presence altogether.

He didn't like her seeing this more ruthless side to him. Part of him loathed it while the other was glad to have it. Mainly because without this side of him, he'd never be able to do what he was about to do. They would never manage to get the answers they sought from these men.

Therefore, ignoring the broken beauty behind him was all he could do as he focused in on the beaten man whimpering right before his very eyes.

"Now, the girl..." He drawled lowly. "Is she alive?"

The man shook his head while leaning back slightly, attempting desperately to put space between he and Joel. It was futile but Olivia could hardly blame him given how intimidating Joel appeared in this moment. Sure, it was an awful dark side of him but it also was a side of him she was shamefully attracted to.

A part of him she dared admit she found sexy.

"What girl? I don't know no girl..." the man lied and the moment he did, Joel's fist clenched and his hand that held the knife tightened with paling knuckles. He leant forward and in one swift motion, he dug the knife deep in the man's knee, earning a pained cry in return.

Across the room, Olivia felt her body wince as her face contorted as though feeling the pain inflicted for herself. She knew that had to hurt like a bitch, and yet a deep part of her was glad it did. These men - in her eyes - deserved worse.

She frowned as she watched Joel work expertly. Still leaning close and lifting his free hand to smack the man twice under his jaw. "Focus right here. Right here." He ordered with face inches from the man groaning and writhing in evident agony. "Or I'll pop your goddamn knee off." He threatened menacingly in that low husky tone that sent a thrilling chill through Olivia's body, sparking a deep warmth in his nether regions.

Jesus Christ. It seemed unfair for him to be so sexy in this moment. Not to mention fucked up on her part to feel such desire when he was torturing someone.

"The girl." Joel repeated firmly as his glare remained locked on his victim, awaiting the inevitable moment that he would buckle and tell them all they needed to know. He could feel it upon them. Any second now.

"She's alive." The man finally admitted with a tremble to his high pitched voice; a tone consumed with fear and pain. "She's David's newest pet."

"Where?" Joel growled as his hand twisted the knife in the man's knee mercilessly, his expression contorting with a mix of disgust and hatred.