Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
SINCLAIR
"How long has it been?" I whispered.
Wren glanced at her watch. "Too long."
"That's very unspecific, but at the same time accurate," I said with a sigh.
My ass was sore from sitting on the thin carpet. There was nothing under that but a concrete slab, cold and hard, like the expressions of the men who guarded us.
They sat side by side on the bed, guns still pointed at us. I waited for a moment when they looked bored or distracted, but it didn't come. However much they were paid, it was enough to keep their attention. Luckily for them, they kept their hands to themselves.
So far.
"Any chance of a cup of coffee?" I asked Roach.
He twitched. Apparently he'd like a dose of caffeine too.
"Quiet," Otis snapped. "You'll get coffee and food when we're told to give you coffee and food."
Their leader, Gus, stepped out a few hours ago, giving them orders to stay put and not move until they heard from him. Whether or not he meant it literally, they were taking it that way.
They must both be as hungry as I was. Not that I gave a fuck about them, just me and Wren. Although, it might be to our advantage to pretend for a while.
"I don't suppose there's food in the minibar?" I nodded towards it. "I'd share a chocolate bar with you if there was one." I carefully avoided mentioning packets of nuts. Giving them ideas might be a bad idea right now. The last thing I wanted in my mouth was either of their nuts.
"If there's food in there, it's probably been there for a decade," Wren pointed out.
"I'm hungry enough that I almost don't care," I replied. "What's the worst that could happen? Death by chocolate?"
"I was thinking more along the lines of vomiting and diarrhoea," she said. "This isn't exactly the place for it."
"Quiet," Otis snapped again. "I won't say it a third time."
I've always thought that was a strange expression.
If he wasn't going to say it again, then there was no risk in us talking our heads off, was there?
We already knew they wouldn't kill us unless Gus told them to.
While he wasn't here, we could chat about anything and everything.
Whether or not we talked wouldn't matter if he gave the order to dispense with us.
In spite of that, it might be better not to antagonise Otis or Roach, just in case.
I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. All I wanted right now was to be in my own bed curled up in clean comfort, surrounded by my three guys.
My three guys. That was surreal. I'd joked about it when Elenna got together with hers, but never seriously thought it would happen to me.
Not at all and especially not with three guys who were so different.
So complicated. I wouldn't change any of them for anything.
They kept life interesting, fun and sexy as hell.
I was a lucky girl. When this was over, I was going to tell them that as many times as it took for them to believe me.
I wished they were here. No, I wished I was wherever they were right now. They'd hate every moment of this. One of them would have tried something by now. Something that might have gotten them killed.
Where were they right now anyway? Did they have any idea we'd been taken? They would have returned to Dusk Bay by now. They had a late afternoon meeting before they'd head home.
Coast and Phoenix might have gone to Phoenix's apartment, but Javey… He could have gone to his place or straight to mine. Was he sitting outside, watching the door our abductors closed behind them, not realising no one was there?
No, he wouldn't have sat there and waited. He would have walked up to the window and looked inside at the very least. When he saw no one there, he would have tried another and another until he found my open bedroom window. Then he would have known I was gone.
What would he do next? He'd probably let himself into the house and look around, trying to figure out what happened.
Would he at some point call the other guys and tell them? If not them, then maybe Aidan. The head coach would have told the other guys, wouldn't he? I decided he would. He might discuss it with Elenna and she'd insist.
The idea of that conversation made my breath catch in my throat. What would Elenna think when she knew we were gone? She'd be frantic, the same as I would if it happened to her. She'd want to find us. I hoped like hell she didn't do anything silly that would put herself at risk.
What was I thinking? Even if she was inclined to, Aidan, Finley and Orion wouldn't let her. Not unless she snuck off by herself without them knowing.
I could imagine her doing something like that. For a moment, I pictured her bursting through the door with a flamethrower on her shoulder, ready to free us. She'd be dressed from head to toe in army fatigues, that black stuff smeared on her face like they did in movies.
She'd probably have a cool line like, "Burn in hell motherfuckers." Then she'd turn the flamethrower on them and incinerate them on the spot.
Why a flamethrower, I didn't know. Burning the world down for me was more my guys’ thing than hers.
Yeah, at times my imagination was as active as hers. I should try writing some of this down some day. I doubted anyone would read it. Although, a flamethrower would be cool and effective. As long as Wren and I managed to stay out of the flame.
No one burst through the door. No flamethrowers appeared. No one in army fatigues. Not even someone with a security guard badge.
Nothing until the door opened quietly a couple of minutes later. It startled me out of a light doze.
My eyes snapped open. I jerked my head around to see Gus step inside. The sight of him was like a bucket of cold water straight on my head.
Not who I was hoping for. Not even close.
At this point, I'd be ecstatic if Aidan walked through the door. Anyone but Gus. Or anyone else who worked for the Fiorellis or Mancinis.
He glanced in our direction before closing the door behind him. He didn't immediately order them to kill us, nor did he do it himself. That was a good start. Wasn't it?
I decided it was. If only because I had to have something to cling onto. While we were alive, there was hope we'd make it out of this yet.
Gus was carrying a large paper bag in his arms. He set it down on the table and unrolled the top. He pulled out a burger wrapped in wax paper and tossed it to me. He threw another to Wren before keeping a third for himself and handing the bag to Roach.
I unwrapped the burger and took a bite, but only after Gus did the same with his.
It was silly. If they wanted to kill us, they didn't need to bother with poison. Admittedly, poison would be quieter than a bullet, but slower.
Regardless, I was too hungry to resist.
"No coffee?" I asked once I swallowed my first couple of mouthfuls.
"I just had one." Gus looked smug. He fished out another burger from the bag and started to open it.
How many more were in there? Right now, I could eat sixteen of them. Okay, maybe two. They weren't the biggest burgers in the world. Or the best. Of course they weren't, they weren't from Hazards. Theirs were twice as big and three times better. And didn't have beetroot on them unless you asked.
I caught the look of annoyance on Otis's face. Evidently I wasn't the only one Gus pissed off by not bringing us coffee. Good, let them be pissed off at each other. If it helped us in some way, then I could handle missing a few cups.
"Can I go and get one—" Otis started.
"No going anywhere," Gus told him. "Be glad I brought enough food for you too." He looked meaningfully towards Otis's gun, which had dropped slightly while he ate with the burger in his other hand.
Otis brought the gun back up. He didn't stop eating. He must have been starving. He was almost twice my size. A guy like him needed a lot more food than I did.
Use it on Gus, I silently suggested. Asshole didn't bring you coffee, or tea. Surely he deserves a bullet. Okay, maybe that was a little extreme, but firstly, we were talking about caffeine, and secondly, if they turned on each other, it wouldn't break my heart.
It seemed that Otis didn't agree, because he didn't shoot Gus. That sucked, but he didn't shoot me either, so I finished my burger and licked my fingers clean.
I admit the hamburger was more or less edible, but it would have tasted a whole lot better if I was anywhere but here.
"I suppose you're all wondering if there's any news," Gus said slowly. "The Demons won their game last night. Only just. I hear they played like shit. Of course they did, they're a team of losers."
If he thought he'd get a reaction from me, he thought wrong. I wasn't going to be drawn on the guys' playing. We all knew they were doing better this season than they had in the last few. If he wanted to provoke me, he was going to have to try harder than that.
"They arrived back in Dusk Bay a couple of hours ago. They went from the airport to the arena and then went off to their homes." He glanced tauntingly at me and Wren. "It seems like they didn't even notice they were missing anything."
He leaned forward towards us. "Or maybe they don't give a shit."
I looked back with no expression on my face. I knew better than to think the guys didn't care about me. And, in spite of her tumultuous relationship with both of them, I knew Tiger and Bray cared what happened to Wren.
"Either way, it seems you're in our company for a while longer. I hope you're comfortable down there on the floor, because you're not going anywhere anytime soon."
He leaned back.
"Were you the bully?" I asked.
He frowned at me.
"Were you the bully?" I asked again. "Or were you the one who got bullied? In school, I mean. It's one or the other. Guys like you turn out fucked up because of it."
His face turned red.
Shit. I should have kept my mouth shut.
He stepped around the bed, crouched down beside me and backhanded me across the face.
He hit so hard I was slammed back against Wren's shoulder. My cheek stung like a bitch.
"If I were you, I'd shut the fuck up," he growled. "There's a lot more where that came from and I don't mind dispensing it. There's nothing I hate more than mouthy women. Unless their mouth is around my cock."
For a few moments, I feared he'd unzip his jeans and try to make me suck him off.
Instead, he glared at me until he stood and stalked away.
"Are you okay?" Wren whispered.
All I could do was nod and press my hand to my face. I believed him when he said he'd hit me again. They needed us alive, but that wouldn't spare us from being beaten if they felt like it.
Silence fell for at least an hour after that, finally broken by the sound of Gus's phone ringing.
He pulled it out of his pocket and pressed it to his ear. "Yes, boss." While he listened, he turned to look at me and Wren.
His expression filled me with dread.