Ian shook his head. “You can’t scare him into it. He can’t remove his will as long as he wants her to be bound to Jake, and scaring him won’t change that.”

“So we explain that he only lives if she goes free. He’ll want to break her binding to save his own life, right?”

Ian shrugged. “I guess it’s worth a try.”

I turned back to Kenley. “Throw some clothes and essentials into a bag and call Van while you pack. Don’t tell her what’s going on, though, or she’ll have to rat us out. Just tell her you want to see her. You can break her binding once we’re on our way.” I was afraid if she tried to break it without telling Vanessa what she was doing, Vanessa would feel the burn on her arm and accidentally give us away before she understood what was going on.

Kenley nodded sluggishly, and I laid one hand on her arm. “You okay? Resistance pain?” I asked. The pain from unsealing my oath had passed, but as long as we were actively working against Jake, she would be hurting, and if we couldn’t break her bindings soon, that hurt would quickly become unbearable.

“Just a headache so far.” Kenley dialed as she crossed the living room, then stopped cold less than a foot from the hall, phone pressed to her ear.

“Kenley? What’s wrong?” I asked, and she turned slowly, eyes wide in terror, index finger pressed to her lips in the universal sign for “shh.” She pressed a button on her phone, and Jake Tower’s voice greeted the entire room, on speakerphone.

“I heard her, Kenley. I know your sister’s there. Is Holt there with you?”

Kenley glanced at me, the phone shaking in her hand, and I shook my head.

“No,” she said, phone held near her mouth.

“I know you’re lying, but I’m not angry,” Jake said, and Kenley swallowed nervously. “I understand why you’d want to protect them both. I also understand that you’re not responsible for the massive clusterfuck your sister has just laid on my doorstep. Did she tell you what she did in Holt’s hotel suite?”

Kenley nodded, then when she realized he couldn’t see that, she whispered, “Yes.”

“Avoiding police interference cost me quite a bit of money. More than your sister’s service is worth to me. More than her life is worth. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Kenley said, her voice no stronger now.

“Good. Then you’ll understand how very generous I’m being with the offer I’m about to extend to her. Korinne, can you hear me?”

“Fuck off, Jake,” I snapped, picking up the gun on the counter, just for the comforting feel and weight of it.

“Kori, I’m willing to let you live if you bring your sister and Ian Holt to me right now. Walk them right into my darkroom, and you will all three live. You have my word.”

“No way in hell,” I said, more than loud enough to be heard.

Jake chuckled, but there was no true amusement in the sound. “That must hurt. Why don’t you be a good girl and do as you’re told, and that nasty headache will go away.”

I glanced from Kenley to Ian in surprise, and we all seemed to come to the same conclusion—Tower didn’t know my marks were dead. And I saw no need to tell him.

“I’d rather die from resistance pain than bring either of them to you,” I said, careful that every word I said was true, in case Julia was listening.

“Okay, we tried this the civilized way,” Tower said, evidently speaking to all three of us. “Now I’m going to give you one guess where I’m standing, and who’s with me. I’ll even give you a hint.”

There was a moment of quiet over the line, then a scream cut through the silence like a scalpel through flesh. I knew that voice.

“Vanessa!” Kenley screeched, and Tower laughed again.

“Good guess. Vanessa and I are in the basement, and she’s just had her first taste of my displeasure. Tell them what happened, Vanessa,” Tower said, and Van’s ragged, uneven breathing grew louder as the phone was moved closer to her.

“Cut,” she gasped, and the word was bitten off, like she’d swallowed back sobs. “Fucker cut me.”

“And I’ll let him do it again,” Tower said as Vanessa’s shocked pants faded. “Once every fifteen minutes until you show up. If the three of you aren’t here in ninety minutes, the last cut will be across her throat.”

“Kenley, don’t—” Vanessa shouted, but her words were swallowed by another scream of pain, and tears rolled down Kenley’s face.

“Ninety minutes,” Tower repeated. Then the phone went dead.

“Oh, shit. Shitshitshit.” Kenley sank onto the couch in shock, her phone still cradled in her hands. She was pale from ongoing resistance pain, and her hands were starting to shake again. “What are we going to do?”

“Surely he won’t kill her,” Ian said. “If she’s dead, what’s our motivation to turn ourselves in?”

If Jake said he’d kill her, he’d kill her. Then he’d find new motivation. But I couldn’t say that with my sister listening.

“But he’ll cut her!” Kenley shrieked.

“There’s nothing we can do about that,” I said, brushing past her and into my bedroom. “But we’re going to get her back, and then we’re out of here. All four of us. You can break her binding, and we’ll figure out how to break yours, even if it means killing Barker.”