For the next set of hours, the world was nothing but the sound of rushing water.
My lungs burned, the sensation like swallowing glass dipped in acid. Every time they hauled me up by my hair, I would gasp, sputtering and choking on the stagnant, salty water, only for Alexiou's men to shove me back under before I could get a full breath.
One. Two. Three.
I lost count of the dunks. My body had gone from trembling to a dull, heavy numbness. The warehouse was freezing, the midnight air biting into my wet skin like a thousand tiny needles.
My clothes were heavy rags clinging to my frame, and my hair was a tangled, dripping mess that shielded my eyes.
Alexiou had vanished into the shadows of the warehouse hours ago, leaving me with three of his gargoyles. They stood a few feet away, their rifles slung over their shoulders, the orange embers of their cigarettes glowing in the dark like the eyes of wild cats.
