Thirty-nine

Erwan rushed to Shane and pushed his brother away. He held the face of the woman he loves.

 “Shane, look at me,” he pleaded, but Shane’s eyes are swollen and she can barely keep it open.

There are bruises on her arms and when he held her hands, he heard a groan escape from her mouth like she’s in so much pain. His forehead creased. Erwan looked at her hands. The back of her left-hand looks like it had been burnt. He can’t bear to imagine the amount of terrific terror Shane had to experience inside this very room. Erwan controlled his emotions. Anger is surging inside him but he is trying to contain it… for now.

Erwan tucked the strands of her hair into her ear and brushed it softly with his fingers.

“You’ll be okay now, Shane. I’m going to get you out of here.”

He cautiously removed the duct tape on her lips, careful not to hurt