SIXTY-NINE.

ACE.

The silver bullet strikes the glass covered in gasoline on the ground, igniting a ring of fire to encompass our naked captive.

The kid swiftly steps away from the iron rods, his eyes larger than saucers drift to the ring of fire, and he shakes his head with disbelief – shock evident in his eyes.

I don’t know what he was expecting.

Did he seriously think that I was bluffing?

That this was all a set-up to make them talk?

I mean, yeah, I didn’t shoot his brother like I stated, but I did shoot my weapon.

The kid is more naïve than I could have guessed, and not a sliver of pity nips at my twisted, cold heart for him.

Not like it did when his father and mother had passed away.

I can faintly hear our captive screaming in the background as my focus bores into Alanas’ son, who has a big mouth.

Redirecting my gun to the front of me, I aim it at the dark-haired kid cowering in the corner with his hands covering his ears and his body rocking back and forth.

“Looks like you just skipped the