Solace's head boomed, and her wrists ached from the metal biting into her skin. Someone was whispering her name. It sounded urgent. Hushed. Terrified.

Was it death?

Sounds of chains jangled in the air. "Hey, Solace," hissed a boy. He said her name so beautifully. "If you don't wake up, I swear I'll rip off your eyelids."

A groan left her lips as she stirred into consciousness. She blinked rapidly from the bright light shining into her eyes. It was sickeningly bright as if she was staring directly into the sun after spending years in the dark. Once she became accustomed to the glare, Solace opened them wide and took in the environment.

From top to bottom, the room was a spotless white. There was no furniture or pictures or carpets. It was barren. She dangled from the ceiling, her feet barely skimming the floor. Solace glanced up to see metal chains around her wrists. She wasn't sure how long she was like this, but her arms were beginning to feel sore.

"That threat works wonders," muttered Sage.

Her gaze flickered towards him to see Sage in the same position as her. He was a few feet away, but if she stretched hard enough, she could make contact with her shoes. Sage relaxed just the slightest bit with a sigh of relief.

It was when the memories came rattling back. She was in the kitchen of his apartment getting chocolate milk. Then, the next thing she knew, someone had attacked her and knocked her unconscious. The man made her break a perfectly good glass cup. Not only that, but they had kidnapped the two of them. That realization made her want to vomit, and she wasn't sure if it was from the after effects of the chloroform or utter fear. Possibly both.

She had always heard of kidnappings on the news. Some child being abducted by their parent. A woman was taken from the side of the road. Solace never thought she would be one of them. Or at least, she would put up a bigger fight, instead of going limp in less than ten seconds.

"Are you okay?" Sage asked worriedly.

Anger flared through her, momentarily diluting her terror. "Am I okay?" she repeated with venom. Solace clanged the chain in emphasis. "Does it look like I'm okay?"

He winced. "Dumb question, got it." Sage stepped closer to her, but the chain kept him firmly in place. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Oh, you didn't mean for us to get kidnapped? No one plans to get kidnapped, you dumbass," she snapped.

Sage's brows furrowed. "Can you save the insults for when we get home?" he fired back annoyedly. "You wouldn't be here if you hadn't followed me like an idiot."

"So, you're saying this is my fault?" she demanded, her voice low and murderous. If they didn't die here, she would kill him herself.

He shrugged mockingly. "I'm not not saying that."

Solace yanked at her chain, ignoring the wave of pain. If only she had superhuman strength. Then, she would rip the metal from the ceiling and wrap them around his stupid neck.

"Aw, lovers spat?" mocked a man. She distinctly remembered his voice. He was the one who got to her.

She would have corrected him if her attention wasn't so fixated on the cart he wheeled towards them. Drills, sharp knives, forceps. The equipment was neatly placed in a straight line. She had a distinct feeling they weren't here to fill her cavity. Her blood turned cold as if someone doused her in ice. Her heart battered against her ribs, and her skin crawled at the mere thought of that drill piercing her bones.

"Vince," grunted Sage angrily. His jaw clenched, and his hands curled into fists. If it weren't for the chains, nothing would have stopped him from hurting the man.

"Nice to see you again, kid," smirked the man.

"You know him?" she whispered. The dangerous man that made her spill her milk and would possibly wreak havoc in her nightmares was on a first name basis with Sage.

Sage didn't take his eyes off Vince. "He and his friends attacked me when they found out I was leaving the company." His voice was sharp as the blades that would soon be cutting into her skin.

"A cowards move," Vince snarled. His pale green eyes flashed with contempt. "Did we not give you money and riches? Did you not travel the world and sleep with beautiful women whenever you pleased? Was this work not good enough for you?" he demanded as if Sage was a lunatic for leaving such wonders.

The idea of Sage with other women left a bitter taste.

His focuses shifted to her for a quick moment. The honeyed eyes of his hardened into solid gold. "I never did any of that," clarified Sage to Vince. "You know that. And for the money? It wasn't enough for me to kill people. I'm not cut out for this."

"Boss should have just let me kill you," remarked Vince, his tone mournful at the lost opportunity. "But I'll settle with carving out your insides until you scream for me to stop."

A laugh formed at the base of her throat. Solace attempted to swallow it. There was nothing more terrible than smiling in the face of torture and pissing off the man that would be doing the said torturing. She utterly failed to push it away. Vince glanced at her, shocked, and Sage stared in disbelief. She wasn't sure what the cause of the laugh was. It must have been the hysteria and how easily the man talked about torture. Her chuckle melted into a sheepish smile.

"Sorry," she choked out, trying to hide her smile. It was a lost cause because apparently, Solace Laurent not only did terribly in emotional conversations but foreseen torture as well. "I'm fully aware there is nothing funny about this situation."

Sage sighed and shook his head. "She does this a lot."

Vince gritted his teeth at her failed attempt to squash her grin. "You won't be smiling when I pull out your teeth one by one," he threatened.

Solace tried using her shoulders to squish her cheeks. "I actually have a cavity. Might make my dentist's job easier. Students have terrible health insurance," she explained soberly.

The man curled his hands into a fist. If he was a cartoon character, his ears would be blowing with smoke until his head exploded. "Tell your girl to stop, or I'll chain all four of her limbs to a lever and tear them from her body slowly."

She gagged. "Please never call me his girl."

Sage rolled his eyes at her distaste for being referred to as his girl and not the explicit medieval torture method. "Where's Kane?" he demanded. "He came to see me a few days ago to give me a warning. I told him we're in the process of getting the painting."

Vince shrugged, gently twirling a scalpel in his hands. He made the tiny knife appear more deadly than it was. "I don't think you took him seriously," he drawled. "I believe a more direct approach would be best."

"We are taking it seriously," Solace denied desperately. All remnants of her hysterical smile dissipated. "Your boss will have the painting. Trust us."

The smirk pulling at his mouth was deadly. "Trust is hard to come by in this line of business." The sound of the cart creaking boomed against the walls as he pushed it closer. "Now, who would like to go first?"

Solace swallowed roughly. "Don't do this," she whispered hoarsely. "Please."

"Let her go," urged Sage. His voice cracked, and it melted away any anger that was aimed at him. "She doesn't play any part in this."

"Lies," barked Vince, his mouth curling viciously. "She became part of this job as soon as she let you in her home."

Sage met her gaze, fear, and anger flickering in his irises. "Take me, then," he said quietly, his words shaking.

Solace nodded vigorously. "Yeah, take him," she agreed.

His head shot up, and he threw a frown in her direction. "Wait, what? You aren't even going to offer to go first?"

A scoff met his question. "Nope."

"But that's basic courtesy," Sage said in a 'duh' tone.

"Torture does not have rules of etiquette."

Sage ran his tongue over his teeth and tilted his head. "I take it back," he declared to Vince. "You can have her first."

Solace gasped. "You can't do that." She wiggled in her chains, rotating and throwing her body in his direction until her shoes made rough contact with his thigh.

"Just did," he fired back, stretching his long leg to kick her back.

And for the next few moments, the white room was filled with the clanking of the metal chains and breathless cuss words as Solace and Sage whirled and twirled to get a good hit at one another. Her legs weren't nearly as long as his, and it was beginning to get a bit pathetic as she stretched and stretched until her leg felt like it would pop out of her hip. The skin around her wrists was turning a flaming red that was hidden under her dark skin.

"I'll start off easy," interrupted Vince with something that was supposed to sound like a fair suggestion. "Perhaps some electric shocks to ease you two into it. I am nothing but a thoughtful man."

Both of them immediately stopped, wearing matching looks of disgust. Thoughtful was not a word she would use to describe the man standing in front of them. The scar that ran through his lips or the dead glassiness of his eyes did nothing to support his words. This man had seen death. He was death. Ruthless and unforgiving. Solace wouldn't be surprised if he bathed in blood to get that shiny glow on his pale face.

"About 3000 volts is enough to kill the average human being. Why don't I start with 500, hm?" offered Vince as if he was a car salesman with a fantastic offer when it was really hidden in deceit.

"I bet I could take 4000 volts," muttered Sage with a glint in his eyes.

Solace hmphed. He could do no such thing. "I can take 5000 volts," she countered with too much confidence for a girl betting on killer electrical shocks that would fry her insides.

"6000," he argued.

"7000," she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Enough!" shouted Vince, earning a jolt from them. He gave them a look that could only be described as incredulous. "Are you two seriously turning torture into a competition?"

She locked eyes with Sage, and she would bet his sheepish expression mirrored hers. Now, it wasn't smart to anger the murderous torturer-wannabe nor gamble on the number of volts their bodies could take until they were nothing but fried corpses, but Sage brought out the competitiveness in her, and she did the same to him.

Vince sighed. "I can just kill you both, then."

"No," said Solace firmly.

He arched a brow. "No?"

"No. I refuse to die, therefore you cannot kill me. Thank you."

He opened his mouth to speak but was left speechless for several moments. "I don't think it works like that," Vince finally said when words found him.

"Well, it does now," she sassed.

The anger rolling off him was palpable. "I'm getting sick of you two," he snarled, seizing a drill from the cart, and marching her way.

There it was. She pushed too hard. "No, no, no," she whispered, tears accumulating in her eyes. "Please, don't do this. I'm sorry."

"Vince, don't you dare go near her!" screamed Sage as he yanked at the chains with ferocity. "You touch her, and I swear, you will never take another breath again."

He exhaled a breath in contently. "That's the Sage that I've been looking for," he smirked, but he paid no heed to the threats as he roughly grasped Solace's chin between his grubby hands.

Solace cried out, squirming and kicking her legs, attempting to land a hit. But they were too uncoordinated as fear clouded her thinking. She was nothing but a dumb college kid up against this skilled man as he seized her legs. She immediately stilled, fearing to move as the drill purred, inching closer and closer to her skin. Just between her ribs at her sternum. Imagining the sounds of her bone crunching as the drill pierced layers of her body until they reached her lungs was enough to make her stomach lurch.

"Please!" shouted Sage hopelessly. "Take me. Not her." The words grew harsher and harsher. "Take me."

Screaming and shouting got louder and louder as the drill stopped just before her sweater. She wasn't sure who was yelling. Solace was sure it was Sage. He cursed and threatened and pulled at the chains. But it was no use. There was nothing he could do. She was defenseless as tears ran down her cheeks, her lips quivering and her throat aching from the sob she pushed down. The drill grew closer, tearing into the fabric of her sweater, and suddenly, it halted.

"Stop!" boomed a voice from the end of the room.

The room went deadly quiet as a man in all black, and metal-studded boots slammed the door shut. Solace sniffled, letting out a sigh of relief. She had never been gladder to see Kane.

"Step away from the girl," Kane ordered, his voice booming with authority.

She watched as Vince's fingers tightened on the drill to the point, they turned white. For a fleeting moment, she thought he would ignore the command until he reluctantly let her go. Solace let out a shuddered breath when he left her vicinity and stalked over to Kane.

Kane's face was void of emotion, but his tone was edged with ice. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Nothing but good fun," retorted Vince with a smile.

"I am assigned to watch over them. You have no jurisdiction here," explained Kane in an eerily calm voice. "You let them go, and if I ever hear you are bothering them again before the job is complete, you will be the one hanging from these chains."

Vince turned red. It was clear he did not like being undermined. "Very well."

It wasn't long as they were untied and being led out of the building. As much as she wanted to pay attention and see where they were, shock had overtaken her. Solace's eyes glazed over, the world glassy from her tears, as she numbly followed Kane. Sage tried and tried to speak to her, touching her arm and attempting to get her to look at him.

But all she could hear was the sound of their screams weaving with the vicious roar of the drill.

***

Author's Note:

Hello hello!

Just an early update because why not. This chapter was pretty different from the ones we have had so far! I'm really curious if you guys have figured out the company that Sage is part of. There have been a bunch of hints.

Until next time - m.k.t