So here we are again, I said, glaring at Troy. Im the one with al the power and you have none.
I raised my hand to stop Troys response. Before you say anything, this is the deal Im wil ing to make. And while I might not be able to take out al your men before I go down, we both know theres only one Im gunning for first. The smugness from Troys face had drained at my jailbreak and, instead of looking at a twenty year old girl he could play games with, he was looking at me like I was the angel of death . . . who was down on my quota for the month.
You let the three of them go from here unharmed, not fol owed, and left alone for the rest of their lives”along with al the Haywards”and I wil go with you wil ingly without a struggle, I smirked, crossing my arms, or else Im zapping the first one dumb enough to touch me.
No deal, Patrick stated like he had a say in my deal, which he didnt. And as a friendly reminder, I real y hate it when you play the martyr.
Shut up, Patrick, I said, keeping my eyes on Troy.
He was considering, at least to the best of his dimwitted ability. When he crossed his arms, I knew Id won the most important battle of this war.
You drive a hard bargain”
Thats the great thing about having al the power, Troy. You can. I let my arms rise as I took a few steps towards him. He al but lunged backwards.
Fine, Troy said, stil side-stepping around me. Let them go as soon as we have her.
Stupid is your job, I said, picking up my pace in his direction. Let them go now.
What reassurances do I have that youl come with us if I let them go first? Troy asked, stumbling over a chair leg.
None, I said calmly, but its not like you have any other options at the moment.
One side of Troys lip snarled up. Let them go, he commanded, keeping his eyes on me.
The three parties released the Haywards and made their way around me. You guys can go now, I said to the three frozen forms staring at me.
Girls, you go, Patrick said, nodding at the slider. Neither moved.
Listen to me right now, you three, I said, my annoyance shifting to desperation. Leave, I begged. Get out of here. The only way you can help me is by leaving and going back to live your lives. Please, I said, proud of myself for sounding stronger than I felt.
Patrick grabbed both of the girls and nearly tossed them outside the slider, locking it closed before shouldering through the men bearing down on me. He stopped right in front of me, too close given my current condition. Leaning his head to the side of mine, he whispered, Wel find you.
I nodded, knowing that wherever Troy was taking me was un-findable, but if Patricks vow made it easier for him to leave me behind, Id happily nod my acknowledgement.
He smiled the rarest one Patrick had in his arsenal, a vulnerable one. Stay strong, kil er. He winked, turning away from me and marching in Troys vicinity. Stopping inches in front of him, Patrick said, Im real y looking forward to the next time I see you. Im going to bring my little friend revenge along with me. Cant wait to introduce you two. With one more look back my way, Patrick grinned before jogging to the slider and disappearing behind it.
I felt as close to joyous as one could given the situation and that the tables would soon be shifting favor away from me.
I see Patrick Hayward is stil quite capable of one of the things he does best, Troy sneered out the slider door. Turning and leaving.
As twenty men advanced towards me with beefy outstretched arms and vacant expressions, my instinct was to do the same, but I stayed rooted where I was.
And now its time to hold up your end of the deal, beautiful, Troy turned to me, victorious. Time to drop your defenses . . . quite literal y.
I worked up my final reserves of courage, forcing my gift to take a hiatus when times like this were exactly the time to use it. Irony was the funniest of things, although I wasnt laughing.
Feeling the last of it evaporating off, I shrugged. Come and get me.
Stel a, Troy said, pointing to me. Youre up.
If you think Im going to be the first one to touch her, youre dumber than you look, she snapped back. Send one of the expendable meat-heads in to test the waters.
You are such a pain in my ass and, just so you know your place, honey, if it wasnt for your gift, Troy said, glaring her way, youd be expendable too.
Here, I said, lunging at the nearest man and touching his chest. Problem solved. Ape-man is stil standing. Im perfectly safe to touch for al your wrathful beating pleasure. I made sarcasm and a smile my way of staying in control of a situation I had none in.
However, I had control of myself and that was al we ever had anyways. I couldnt direct where theyd take me or how Id be treated or how long my days would run, but I could control my every response to what lay ahead. And I would.
Youre a brave little kitten, Troy said as Stel a came my direction. Too bad your days are numbered. He was trying to inject some fear into me, but I smiled wickedly back at him.
They always have been.
CHAPTER TWELVE
BLACK BOX
It was black, the unseeing kind that even my Immortal eyes couldnt cut through. I couldnt be sure how long wed been travel ing in some sort of vehicle with a sack cinched over my head, but it had been long enough to lose track of time. If I had to guess, Id say a day. Maybe two? Maybe less? The hard thing about suffocating blackness was its ability to slow time to a near standstil .
Not that time real y mattered, anyways. Whether an hour or a week had gone by, it didnt change that wherever I ended up would be the last place Id visit in this life. My body stil throbbed from the fists thrown against it; these men were definitely not against hitting a woman and it made me wonder if Stel as gift also incapacitated my ability to recover or if these men were particularly skil ed at landing a punch in the right spot. Knowing John, knowing Troy, I guessed it was both.
The vehicle skidded to a stop and, before I had time to wonder if wed hit a red light or almost hit an armadil o crossing the road in Amaril o, I was pul ed from my seat and tossed over a shoulder. A hand stayed gripped to my arm, the claw-like nails and my absent power enough of an explanation as to who the hand belonged to.
There were no sounds other than the rumble of feet jogging over a hard surface, no sounds of moving water or chirping birds or automobiles or anything that would give me something to narrow down the options that I could be just about anywhere in the North American continent.
There were no scents that would distinguish if I was inside or outside other than a mans cheap smel ing, spicy cologne. A couple of minutes later, something that sounded like a heavy door groaned open.
It isnt a home with al the comfort of a Haywards not-so-humble abode, but it wil just have to suffice as home sweet home for now. Since for now is only a few days and al you have left, Troy said, laughing.
The man whose shoulder I was hung over tossed me potato-sack style to the ground. It was grainy smooth like concrete and cold.
Enjoy your humble quarters, Troy said, as I realized that, for the first time in hours, there wasnt a hand adhered to my shoulder. Stretch your legs out, go ahead and make yourself comfortable.
Before I could react, verbal y or physical y, the same door that had just opened closed shut and the rumble of laughter was cut-off mid-note. The bag over my head was stil in place, along with the ankle and wrist restraints I knew better than to try to break through. I was bunched into a bal lying on the concrete, so I attempted to stand”its much harder than youd think when youre bound and blinded”but my head crashed against a wal before Id barely risen from a sitting position.
That couldnt be the ceiling, please God tel me that wasnt the ceiling. I could feel the hyperventilation setting in with just the possibility. I reached my bound wrists above me and, sure enough, before theyd progressed more than a few inches above my head, they hit a ceiling. A ceiling and I was sitting, semi hunched over. I was going to lose it if they kept me in here longer than a few minutes.
Running my hands across the ceiling, I found where it ran into a wal , not more than a couple of feet away. Moving them back directly above me, I did the same until my fingers traced the seam of the wal in front, behind, and the other one to the side of me. One of my worst fears had just been realized. I was locked in a three by three foot, dark, cold, concrete room. My hands and ankles bound.
This was one of those moments I knew I could crack in the space of time from one second to the next. I was experiencing one of those primal, runaway train, barreling towards insanity moments and there would be no one or nothing to offer any comfort if I let myself go any further down this track.
Lifting my knees, I lowered my head to them, imagining Montana. The fields that rol ed on forever, the expansive sky overhead, the feel of the crisp air breaking across my skin, Wil iams hand in mine . . . I felt calm trickle its relief into my bloodstream, dul ing my senses just enough to regain control of them.
This was nothing but Johns way of trying to break me, showing me who was in control. This was nothing more than a smal room. A very smal room. A room couldnt break me, a room couldnt change me. I was the only one capable of doing that and I was stronger than losing it after two minutes in a box . . . in a smal room.
I lifted my wrists to my necklace, grabbing the sapphire hanging from the chain, a tangible reminder of Wil iams unfailing love. And in this cold, dank box, it was the hope I held onto.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
NIGHTMARE INCARNATE
I knew the box was meant to disorient me, make me lose track of time, sense, and self, but it was almost twenty-four hours to the minute”having nothing else to do, I busied myself with counting the seconds, then the minutes, and last, the hours”when the door screeched open.
A burst of fresh air swirled around me as someone grabbed me and dragged me out of my new little home.
Stel a, a voice said impatiently.
Had to make sure she wasnt going to kil me before I touched her, she sneered back, that al too familiar hand circling around my arm.
Am I your guinea pig or something? the man asked, a voice I didnt recognize, as he forced me into a chair.
Yes, Stel a answered, no tone of apology present.
A strap was pul ed over my lap, cinched tight across it. This whole thing was starting to feel a bit too experimental for my comfort and the only thing I could think of was Hectors fear that John would use me to try to replicate my gift”or curse was more how I viewed it”to deal out death with a mere touch of the skin.
The bag was ripped off my head and my eyes blinked open. The first thing I noticed was the light swaying above me; it was one of those lights you saw in movies or documentaries depicting torture chambers. I never would have guessed a light had such power to begin the process of unraveling me al over again.
A movement in front of me caught my attention. I focused on the figure, knowing anything would be better than staring at the metal, circular, swinging lamp.
I was wrong.
It had been over half a year, but the nightmares had never dul ed in frequency or vividness and, seeing him now, observing me like I was a possession, reminded me why.
John, I said, giving it my best attempt at sounding unaffected. So nice to see you again. You look better than the last time I saw you. I smiled, mostly contrived, but part real as I remembered his crippled form breaking through the Council table after Id nearly kil ed al the Council members as they were trying to do the same to me.
Bryn, Bryn, Bryn, he mused, marching straight for me. How Ive missed you. His hand flew against my cheek, just as ice cold as before, although the sting he left behind was so icy it burnt.