Chapter 24

• Thomas drags me down to the basement of an unfamiliar house. The place is enormous and filled with scary-looking men with tattoos and scars on their bodies. His grip on my hand is firm. A bruise will definitely form by tomorrow. I bite my lower lip to keep from wincing. We stop in front of two holding cells. *Why does he have a holding cell in the house?* I look at the two men in each cell and realize that my suffering is nothing compared to theirs. My hands fly to cover my mouth as one raises his head. His face is badly beaten, and I can bet people who know him will no longer recognize him. Looking at Thomas, I wonder why we are standing in front of these two battered men.
• "Pick," he says.
• "Huh?" I ask, confused.