Page 31 of Vicious Deception
They take us to Ludo’s office. The layout of the mansion is burned into my brain from when I studied the blueprints with Wren, so I know the way even though the men don’t tell us where we’re headed.
Halfway there, we hear yelling.
“How the hell did this happen?” It’s Ludo’s voice. “No, I want answers! Why didn’t the fire system go off? Why were the fryers still on?”
What the hell is he talking about?
“Who was the closing manager last night?” Ludo barks. “Get them on the phone. And get me the security footage!”
“It was all destroyed in the fire,” a familiar voice says—Axel.
“Goddammit,” Ludo shouts.
“I’ll find out who closed last night,” Axel tells him.
By now, we’re right outside the office. The door is closed, and after one of the guards knocks, Ludo shouts, “Not now!”
“Uh—sorry, sir, but I don’t think you’ll want this to wait.”
The door opens, revealing a tired-looking Axel. For a split second, worry flickers over his face, but it’s gone before it fully registers. “What?” he asks harshly.
“We found them together,” one of the men holding Elliot says. “This one snuck in through the other’s window and spent the night with him.”
Ludo shoves Axel out of the way. His glare makes me flinch. “I never thought you were a fool, Hayes,” he says, swiveling to look Elliot in the eye. “I was wrong.”
“Punish me,” Elliot says desperately. “I shouldn’t’ve done it, I know. So punish me, but leave Oliver out of this.”
Ludo laughs, and a chill settles over me at the genuine amusement in it. “Your begging won’t do any good. Besides, I’ve left Oliver alone for long enough. It’s time.”
“No!” Elliot lunges for him, but the guards stop him before he reaches Ludo. It takes two of them to hold him back, but when Ludo speaks, Elliot freezes.
“You’ll only make it worse on him if you put up a fight.”
My chest tightens with dread. Is this it? Is he going to kill me?
“Take them to the basement,” Ludo says.
Neither of us protest as they drag us downstairs. Elliot’s face is stricken with fear and regret, and my mind feels almost numb as we descend a second set of stairs into the basement.
The ceiling is low down here, and it’s dark except for the occasional lightbulb. One of the guards opens a door that’s covered in thick foam padding, and then we’re shoved inside.
Inside, the room smells damp and mildewy. There’s a metal chair in the center, right next to a drain in the floor, and a hose hangs on the far wall.
I’m more than familiar with the rumors surrounding Ludo—specifically the ones that earned him the nickname Redback. He’s a fan of torture—slow, painful torture that ultimately leads to the death of his victims. He takes pleasure in drawing out the process, much like the spider of the same name.
Gulping, I look to Elliot. His face is slack, his chest rising and falling quickly.
I’m sorry,he mouths.
When Ludo steps into the room, I swear the temperature drops. He’s carrying something long and thin with two prongs at one end. I recognize it almost immediately—a cattle prod.
“Please let me take his place,” Elliot says weakly, but Ludo ignores him.
The guards yank all my clothes off before shoving me into the chair. Between all of them, they hold me so tightly I can barely even struggle. Only once they’ve cuffed my wrists and ankles to the chair do they back off.
My vision blurs, and with every passing second, it’s getting more difficult to breathe.I’m never going to see Wren and Rhett again.
“I really thought you’d learned your lesson,” Ludo says to Elliot. “But here you are, so quick to underestimate me again.”