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Now Drake orried At any e She could call for help, run to Saun He ran his whip hand over it, loving the feel of it, loving the weight of it in his hand With this gun and his whip he was unstoppable

Except that he wasn’t just himself, he was Brittney, too

His roaned He started to get up but leaned on an ar crunch

Ja li freely fro out of his ears Oh yeah, Drake thought, the boy had taken a hard fall

Drake straddled Ja off his cries of pain He pressed the gun barrel against Jamal’s forehead

"You have three seconds to make a decision," Drake said, his voice silky "Are you with ainst me?"

It didn’t take Jamal three seconds "I’ll help you, I’ll help you!" he blurted as soon as Drake relaxed the pressure on his throat

"Yeah? Well, listen good, jerkwad, because I don’t give second chances Mess with me, disobey me, even hesitate, and I won’t kill you"

Jamal’s brow creased in confusion

"No, see, death, that’s the end of pain," Drake said "No, no killing But I hip you"

With sudden gleeful ferocity Drake reared back and struck with his whip hand It cut through Jah

Jaain, twice more while Jaood arm

"I wanted you to knohat it will feel like," Drake said "Hurts, doesn’t it?"

Ja and too terrified to answer

"I said: it hurts, doesn’t it?"

"Yes! Yes!" Jamal sobbed

"No h you think you are, if you betray ht betray me, I’ll whip you And I’ll make it last For hours And I’ll leave you where the Healer can’t find you Do you believe I’ll do that, Jamal?"

Jamal nodded frantically "Yes! I believe it!"

"I can’t be killed, Jaun He watched closely to see whether Jamal truly did understand He could see the ht, "I can shoot him and run away"

But he also saw the wheels spin in Jah to the inevitable conclusion

He saw Jamal’s resistance evaporate