The cattle prod hummed when Victor pressed the button. A thin arc of blue electricity jumped between the two prongs, and the sound of it—a crackling pop, like a tiny fire—made Leena's whole body flinch before it even touched her.

She was on her back on the gym mat. Wrists tied above her head to the squat rack. Ankles spread wide and tethered to chains bolted into the concrete. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, and Victor stood between her open legs, the prod held loosely in one callused hand, its button unpressed now, waiting.