Chapter 20 Evangeline
CHAPTER TWENTY
evangeline
The zip ties have been replaced by something rougher, coarser; something that tears skin with every movement.
My wrists are raw and bleeding, pain radiating up my arms with each breath.
My head pounds from where they hit me earlier, a steady throb that makes it hard to think clearly.
I can taste blood from my split lip, metallic and nauseating.
I’m still in this room that stinks of oil and rust, and a chemical that burns my throat with every breath.
Cold seeps up from the concrete floor beneath me, making my bones ache.
My shoulders burn from being wrenched behind my back for so long.
Every muscle in my body protests, begging for relief that won't come.
I know I'm bait. I know they're using me to lure Hades into a trap he can't escape. The thought makes me want to scream, to rage against the ropes until my wrists break and I can fight my way free.
But I don't. Because breaking means giving up, and I'm done being weak. Done being the victim who needs rescuing.
The kids' faces flash through my mind. Lily with her fever, needing medicine I never brought back. Jake with his nightmares, Sophie with her selective eating, Emma trying to be strong for everyone, Mason carrying weight no sixteen-year-old should have to bear.
They need me to survive this. Need me to be strong enough to come home.
And Hades... God, Hades. The man who's fought for me from the beginning, who's loved me when I was too scared to love him back, who's walked into hell to keep me safe.
I have to be strong for him too.
"Hades," I whisper into the darkness, knowing he can't hear me but needing to say his name anyway. "Please don't come. Please don't walk into this. Please be smart for once instead of brave."
But I know he's already coming. He won't stop until he finds me or dies trying. That's who he is. The protector. The savior. The man who puts everyone else first.
Which means I need to find a way to save myself before he gets here.
I test the ropes again, twisting my wrists despite the agony. The fibres are slick with blood now, making them slightly easier to move. If I can just work one hand free, just get enough leverage...
Silence answers my efforts. Just the drip of water somewhere in the darkness and my own ragged breathing. The minutes stretch into eternities, marked only by the steady throb of pain and fear.
Then the door slams open with enough force to rattle the walls and shake dust from the ceiling.
Ethan enters first, looking immaculate despite the late hour and the warehouse setting. Behind him come three men in Shadow Hawks cuts, all carrying themselves with the casual violence of people who've hurt others before and will again.
"She's awake," Ethan says, like he's commenting on the weather. "Good. I want her conscious for what comes next."
"What comes next?" I ask, hating how my voice shakes.
"Your boyfriend's arrival. The Shadow Hawks' payback. And your education about what happens to women who don't know their place."
"My place?"
"With me. Where you've always belonged." He crouches in front of me, and I can see the madness fully now. No more masks, no more pretense of civility. "This isn't me, Evangeline. This is what you made me become."
"Bullshit. You've always been this person. I was just too naive to see it."
His hand lashes out, catching my cheek hard enough to snap my head sideways. Stars explode across my vision, and fresh blood fills my mouth.
"Careful," one of the Hawks says. "Boss wants her unmarked when Blackwood gets here. Says the shock value's better."
"She's mine," Ethan snaps. "I'll mark her however I want."
"Not until we get what we need from her boyfriend."
The casual discussion of torture and ownership makes my stomach turn. These men see me as property, as leverage, as something to be used and discarded.
They have no idea who they're dealing with.
Before I can respond, there's a commotion outside. Shouting, the sound of a struggle, and then the door opens again.
Hades.
They drag him in, his hands bound behind his back, blood streaming from his nose and a cut above his eye. But his dark eyes are clear, focused, burning with rage barely contained.
Our gazes lock across the room, and I see everything he can't say out loud. Love, fear, determination, apology.
I try to convey the same back. That this isn't his fault. That I'm not afraid. That we'll get through this together.
They throw him into a chair facing me, binding him to it with chains instead of rope. Making sure he can't break free, can't reach me, can only watch whatever they plan to do.
"Angel," he says, his voice rough but steady. "Don't look at them. Look at me."
I do. I let his face be my anchor in this nightmare.
"I'm not afraid," I tell him, and I mean it.
One of the Hawks laughs. "You should be, sweetheart. You should be terrified."
Ethan circles us like a shark scenting blood. "Here's how this works. I ask questions, Blackwood answers. For every answer I don't like, my associates here hurt your woman. Simple, clean, and effective."
"Don't tell them anything," I say quickly. "Hades, don't—"
The backhand comes from my left, catching me off guard. Pain explodes across my face, and I taste more blood.
"See how easy that was?" Ethan says conversationally, circling us like a predator toying with prey. "One refusal, one consequence. Simple math, really. So let's try again, and this time think very carefully about your answer. Where do the Saint's Outlaws keep their money?"
"Fuck you," Hades growls, his voice pure gravel and rage.
This time it's a punch to my ribs, hard enough that I hear something crack. I can't suppress the cry of pain, can't stop the tears that spring to my eyes as agony radiates through my chest.
"Stop!" Hades roars, straining against his chains so hard I can hear metal groaning. "Leave her alone! I'm the one you want! Take it out on me!"
"But that wouldn't teach you anything, would it?" Ethan crouches in front of me, studying my face like I'm an interesting specimen. "You need to understand that your choices have consequences. Every time you refuse to cooperate, she pays the price."
"I'll tell you whatever you want!" Hades shouts, desperation bleeding into his voice. "Just don't touch her. Please!"
"Now we're getting somewhere." Ethan stands, pulling out a knife and testing the edge with his thumb. A thin line of blood appears, and he licks it away with a smile. "But I think we need to make sure you truly understand the stakes here. Show him what happens when people don't cooperate."
The Hawk behind me grabs my arm, holding it steady against the chair. I try to pull away, but the ropes and his grip make it impossible.
"Don't you fucking dare," Hades snarls, fighting his restraints with renewed fury. "I swear to God, Morrison, if you cut her—"
"You'll what? You're chained to a chair, bleeding, outnumbered three to one.
You have absolutely no power here." Ethan brings the knife closer to my forearm, letting me see the dried blood on the blade from whatever he used it for last. "But she does.
She has the power to make you do whatever I want. "
The knife touches my skin, cold and sharp. I try to brace myself, try to be strong, but I can't stop the whimper that escapes when he drags it slowly across my forearm. Not deep enough to hit anything vital, but deep enough to hurt like hell and leave a permanent scar.
Blood wells up immediately, running down my arm in rivulets that drip onto the concrete floor.
"Stop it!" Hades is beyond reason now, fighting his restraints so hard the chair rocks and scrapes across the floor. Blood runs from his wrists where the metal cuts into his skin. "I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill all of you!"
"Empty threats from a powerless man." Ethan wipes the bloody knife on his expensive pants, leaving a dark stain. "But I appreciate the passion. It shows me I'm on the right track."
"You're insane," I gasp out, trying to focus through the pain.
"I'm practical. There's a difference." He gestures to the Hawks. "Again. Different location this time. Let's see how many cuts it takes before he breaks."
I can see Hades warring with himself. The need to protect me against the knowledge that giving up club secrets will get us both killed anyway.
"Tell him nothing," I say through gritted teeth. "Hades, I can take it."
"You shouldn't have to."
"But I can. And I will. For you, for the kids, for everyone who's counting on us to be strong."
Something shifts in his expression. Pride mixed with anguish. "Angel..."
"He's always been the protector," Ethan muses. "But what happens when he can't protect you anymore? When he has to watch you bleed because of his stubbornness?"
"He doesn't get you killed," I say, finding strength I didn't know I had. "He doesn't lie and manipulate and murder innocent people."
"Your sister-in-law wasn't innocent. She was in my way."
"She was a good woman and my brother was a good man. Better than you'll ever be."
Ethan's face darkens with rage, and I know I've pushed him too far. But I don't care. Let him be angry. Let him show Hades exactly what kind of monster I almost married.
"You want to play tough?" Ethan asks quietly. "Fine. Let's see how tough you really are."
He nods to the Hawks, and they advance on me with weapons I can't see clearly in the dim light. But I can imagine. I can feel the fear trying to claw its way up my throat.
"Evangeline, look at me," Hades commands. "Only me. Fuck them. Fuck what they do. Just look at me and remember that I love you."
I do. I let his face be my lighthouse in the storm.
The first blow makes my vision gray. The second steals my breath. But through it all, I keep my eyes on Hades, keep my chin up, keep breathing.
"You're poison," Ethan hisses in my ear between blows. "He's going to get you killed."
"No," I gasp out. "He's my home."