Suddenly, a painful grip pulls me from the chair and shoves me toward two guards. They drag me to the opposite wall, and I cry out, struggling against them.
A fist slams into my side, exploding my lungs. I vaguely hear Daniel’s shouts and subsequent groans as they subdue him as well. It’s not real. Another nightmare? A vision? But pain pulses through me. Ties are being wrapped around my wrists.
“Clausen, you bastard! She has nothing to do with this!”
Daniel slumps in the chair from a blow to the face. He shakes it off as Clausen leans close.
“Then tell me what I want to know.” Clausen glances over at me, and the guard raises his fist to strike me again.
“No! Okay. I got them from you.”
Clausen stiffens, locking his hands on the armrests, inches from Daniel. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve been giving them to me for years. I just didn’t always take them when you thought I did.”
Clausen lets out his breath. “You expect me to believe that?”
“Whether you believe it or not, it’s the truth. I planted the idea that you have a traitor to weaken you.”
“How do I know you’re not lying now?”
“Which is more plausible? That I used a weapon I openly had in my possession or that there’s some grand conspiracy going on behind your back?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. But I can’t trust anything you say. And the reality is, I don’t know if your affection for her is genuine or not. I don’t know if you’d let her suffer for a lie, but I do trust her.” Clausen evaluates me coldly. “I do believe her affection for you is genuine. I would believe a distressed confession from her.”
“No! You bastard. Hey!” Daniel cries. “Get away from her! She has nothing to do with this. This wasn’t part of the deal!”
“There is no deal. You changed the rules.”
I never have a chance to brace for the first blow. Or the second. By the third, the room spins, and I’m on the floor. Distant voices scream in the background, but they don’t affectme. There are only lights, and sparks, and throbbing pain. After a moment I recognize Daniel’s voice again.
“Beating me isn’t going to help,” I mumble. “I can’t tell you something I don’t know.”
I must still be disoriented when it seems like Clausen is helping me up.
“I’m truly sorry for this, Rebecca. This was not our first choice. I know you don’t have any answers, and we have no desire to hurt you again.”
I squint up at him through a swollen right eye, struggling to suck in air.
He sighs. “This was unfortunate, but for the next part to be effective, you need a fresh memory of pain.” He lets me go when I recoil. “Oh my dear, I don’t mean you.” He crosses back to Daniel. “Take note of how you feel, Rebecca. We’ll give you both some time to think over your options.”
Daniel curses after they leave. “Are you okay?” he calls over to me.
I force a nod and cough. “I’m okay.” I’m far from okay.
“I’m so sorry. I should have seen this coming.”
“Is what you said true?”
“I’m not telling you anything else. They can’t extract what you don’t know.”
“That won’t work!”
He doesn’t look at me. “Yes it will.”
No! Wait. What’s he doing? “Are they going to hurt you? I don’t even know anything you haven’t already told them.”
“Exactly.”
