Chapter 33 I know who you are!

• Annie My heart drops to the pit of my stomach when I see a masked man hobble through the door. Even in his bent over state, I can tell he's quite tall in stature. He's dressed head to toe in a black pair of slacks and a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up so nothing but the gilded gold mask shows. It's covered in intricate designs and goldleaf flakes. I follow his arm down to where he has... a struggling Eve being grabbed by the hair on her scalp. She thrashes and screams, pulling at the man's hand as he throws her into the room like a ragdoll. She hits the floor with a loud thud and a cry of pain. I flinch and inch back on the bed, trying to push myself as far away from this scene as I can. I hear myself audibly gasp when the man slams the door behind him and stalks towards a petrified Eve, struggling to crawl away from him on the carpet. "Eve!" I call to her. "Leave her alone, you Monster!" The man chortles. Ah, so I see you do know this double-crossing. "Annie! I'm so sorry!" The man places the toe of his boot on to the small of her back, eliciting yelp of agony from poor Eve on the floor. "Shut up, whore! Speak when spoken to!" "Let her go!" I shouldn't interfere. It isn't in my own self interest. I should be doing everything in my power to stay safe, but I can't sit by and let this happen. Eve risked herself to help me, and I owe it to her. "Please!" "She knows her place--or she should have." The man grunts and I can't help but think his voice sounds... familiar? But I can't place it. "Eve has made her bed, and now she must lie in it, but she requested seeing you and hell, we were gonna make an example of her anyway so why the hell not, right?" He bends down again and lifts her head up from the floor by her hair, making her scream again. "You have thirty seconds. Make them count." Her eyes widen and she looks directly at me. She doesn't have to say anything, I already understand. He got it. Daniel got my letter. If the circumstances were different, I would have smiled at my little victory. Sadly, they're not, and this woman is practically being tortured right in front of my eyes. She nods, not saying a word and I thank her with my eyes, trying to reassure her that everything is going to be okay--even though I know it won't be. "Time's up." The mysterious man clicks his tongue. "You really didn't want to say anything? You're really are stupid." He scoffs and it clicks for me. As if the lights have just been turned on I'm illuminated. My eyes widen as now I've placed the voice owner of the mystery voice. I know that tone anywhere and I'm pissed at myself that I didn't place it earlier. He's wearing a mask and trying his best to alter his voice, but I know that voice anywhere. In a shaky tone, I open my dry mouth, desperately speaking the name I never thought I would. "William?"