Chapter 44
Zeke
I’m going eighty miles an hour down this curvy mountain, speeding as fast as I possibly can without flying off the side of it.
Since I don’t have any of our communication gear, Grease is coming through the disposable cell as we drive.
A thousand questions fly through my mind as we soar down the road.
How the fuck could we have missed this? Has he been here the entire time?
There’s no way they hid him this well, right?
I haven’t called in for backup. There’s no time, and I’m not waiting around.
It would just scare the shit out of Ash, and only God knows if Alex could keep it cool long enough to get this done.
Grease and I are going to have to work with what we’ve got to get Damien back.
We have no idea what we’re walking into, and I can only imagine what would happen if they knew we were coming.
Will they kill him once we get on the property?
Will they immediately start firing at us before we can even get inside?
It’s going to be messy, and it might just get us all killed, but I can’t just sit by when Damien is right down the road.
My hands sweat profusely as I grasp the steering wheel, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little shaky.
Anticipation floods my system, and I just can’t push the excitement away.
We finally got him. I can feel it. I’m fucking terrified to know what they’ve done to him, but the only thing that matters is bringing him home.
Whatever it is, we can handle it. If anyone can, it's D. As long as he isn’t dead, and we get him home to Ash, he’ll be okay. He's got to be.
We finally make it down the mountain and turn onto the private road. I’m surprised when we don’t have to stop. The gate that’s normally closed and locked is now left ajar, and the back of my head starts to tingle.
This wasn’t open when I passed it earlier…
“FUCK! Did we miss them?!” Grease yells over the sounds of his bike.
“We better fucking not have! Keep going!” I slam my foot on the gas, needing to get there now.
If I’m correct, this private road goes on for about a mile before it gets to the building.
It’s a good ways back, and the building was condemned by the city, so no one ever knows what’s going on back here.
The government condemned the building…and if we’ve learned anything, it’s that Avery seems to have any government backing he could ask for. We should’ve fucking known!
The car roars to its limits as we continue on the road towards the old institution, and when it finally comes into view, I hear a gunshot ring out from the inside.
My heart crashes into my chest. I slam on the brakes and drift against the dirt that leads to the main door, not caring enough to actually park the damn thing.
The car doesn’t even come to a full stop before I jump out of it.
Grease does the same, not giving his bike a second thought, and we both sprint inside with our guns drawn.
The moment we burst through the doors, mold, urine, decay, and I’m not even sure what else assaults my nose.
It hits my senses so harshly that I stop in my tracks.
I’ve never smelled anything so horrid, and the fear tingling across my skull only intensifies.
God, what have they done to him?
“DAMIEN?!” I yell for him, but I don’t get a response. I look around, praying that I find some type of clue as I turn around to search. There’s a faint light coming from the stairs immediately to my right, so I take that as a sign.
I take the steps two at a time and practically fly down them, desperate to see what awaits me.
The broken wooden floors quickly turn into concrete and stone, and even though I can barely see through the dim lighting, it’s enough to guide me.
The stairs turn, so I can’t see what awaits in the basement, but I tread on headfirst, not willing to waste another moment.
It's dirty and cold down here, but as I turn the last corner at the bottom, I see another very faint light.
Once I reach the floor and step into a hallway, three men turn to meet my gaze.
I don’t hesitate and immediately raise my pistol.
They’re not our guys, and as far as I’m concerned, they’re the enemy.
The first two don’t even have a chance to draw their own weapons before I shoot them, but just as the third raises his gun, Grease makes it to my position and fires first.
Before the last guy can even drop to the floor, I sprint inside the first room on the right. I almost trip over a masculine body lying dead on the stone floor, but that’s not what brings me to a halt.
It’s Damien.
It’s actually him.
He’s standing in the middle of the room, looking like a ghost. His skin is so pale that I almost think I’m seeing an apparition—it might actually appear a little yellow at first glance.
He’s completely naked, but my eyes are only drawn to the obvious abuse he’s endured.
As I take all of him in, I can’t help but cringe at the sight.
He’s beaten, bruised, cut, burned and he looks so skinny compared to the last time I saw him—his ribs even show behind his skin.
I’ve never seen Damien look so small. He’s clearly dirty and his hair is matted, only adding to the sad scene.
My skin starts to crawl, and I actually shiver when I feel the cold chill run down my spine.
He sways and wobbles before dropping a gun to the floor, and that draws my attention to her.
Victoria. Fucking. Avery.
A curtain of satin hatred drapes over me, instantly stoking the flames in my chest. I’ve stared at her picture for hours and memorized it.
Even under the bruises and gashes, I know that it’s her.
The vile bitch. Her wild curls and midnight eyes aren’t fooling me.
I can see the fire beneath them—the untamed animal that lays dormant.
The others may not have been sure, but I am.
This little demon is just as atrocious as her father, and I’d love nothing more than to put her in her place.
She’s on the floor, holding a syringe to Damien’s thigh, and as he falls to his knees, she yanks the needle out. Her eyes meet mine, and the moment they connect, the only color I see is blue. Midnight fucking blue.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” I scream and dive for him. Thankfully, I manage to lay my hand under his head before he hits the stone floor, and Grease runs over to drag Victoria up by her arms. She tried to thrash and push him away, but he doesn’t let go.
“Get off of me!” she screams and picks her hand up to stab Grease with the needle, but he catches her wrist before she has the chance. I pull my pistol and aim at her, happy to pull the fucking trigger, when Damien grabs my arm.
“She…comes with…us…” he says weakly and so hoarsely that it makes my throat burn.
I look down at him, just grateful that he’s able to speak.
His eyes flutter closed, and then his hand drops from my arm, making my chest clench in pain.
My heart instantly starts to race, and I can feel the bile rise up in my throat.
Without hesitation, I drop my gun and press my fingers to his neck, begging to feel a pulse.
A relieved sigh escapes me when I feel faint throbbing, but then the loathing returns tenfold as I turn back to the enemy.
“What the fuck did you give him?!”
“He was going to kill himself! I had to!” she screams at me and tries to shake Grease off again.
Her face twists with pain as he tightens his grip, and she only pisses me off even more.
She has the audacity to act like she’s in pain?
She needs to take a look at Damien! I’m sure she’s behind this somehow, and I suddenly can’t wait to make her feel every ounce of pain that he does.
I lay Damien’s head down on the floor as gently as I can, then stand up and position my gun to point at her again. “No, no! Please!”
“Come on, amigo. D said she comes with us. We don’t have time for this.
We’ve gotta get him out of here and back to Ashia.
That’s what he needs,” Grease reminds me, and I almost lower the gun.
He’s right. If anything, we can tie her up and shove her in the trunk until I know what to do with her.
Victoria’s face morphs into something almost disbelieving, like I said it out loud, and I get confused the moment her jaw drops and her eyes widen.
“She’s alive?!” she asks, almost as if she’s relieved. I think I can actually feel the blood bubble up under my skin. What the fuck does she have to do with my sister?
“How the hell do you know Ashia?”
“They’ve been—” She stops, and her face turns horrified. She even pales, and I wasn’t sure she could look any more ghostly. “Oh, my God!” Victoria punches Grease in the face, like she could’ve actually escaped at any moment, and then takes off.
After taking a moment to reel in the shock, I sprint after her.
She darts right once she clears the door, and by the time I follow her around, she’s already a few yards ahead of me.
My body has to sprint to its limits just to get close, and I hate how fucking impressed I am.
She’s moving like her life actually means something, and that tells me that I’ll just have to prove her wrong.
I don’t know how much time I have, or what Damien has in store for her, but I’ll be sure to use every advantage I can get to make her suffer.