Chapter Twenty-Four
When the guards showed at dinner, I wasn’t surprised. Not because this had been the norm for the past week, but because Vex had been too giddy last night after my face had shown recognition for Emmanuel’s photo.
When the two men stepped up to us, Stephanie grabbed my hand. “Alessia, I don’t want them to take you.”
Glancing at her heart-shaped face, I broke just a little. Aiden and I had been careful to not talk about what happened in that building when the twins were awake, but they weren’t stupid. And as much as I wanted to keep them away from this, their curious eyes stared at the bruises adorning my face each night. They knew something was wrong.
“Only one more night, okay? And then I’ll be with you,” I whispered as low as possible, not wanting the guards to hear.
I intended to keep the promise to Stephanie. After tonight, I would never step foot in that building again. Either I would be leaving this camp or I would take a bullet to the head trying.
Squeezing her hand tightly in mine, I bent down to her level. “Keep an eye on Aiden and Lucas tonight until I’m back. Can you do that?”
Stephanie straightened her shoulders, looking at the two boys who were gathering food onto plates. Turning back to me, she nodded once, her face contorted in a look of concentration. She never needed to worry about acting tough, that little girl had more strength in her bones than I could ever hope to have.
And I knew that no matter what Vex threw at me tonight, I’d do everything to protect that spark in her, making sure no one touched it. Trying to gather some of the courage the eight-year-old possessed, I let go of her hand, turning toward the guards.
“Lead the way.” I gestured forward, hoping they would leave me be, but like every other night, they gripped my arms tightly and led me toward the building.
When we entered, it looked the same as my first night in here. Dozens of people milling behind computers, some with paperwork in front of them. Usually, I ignored the sight, but given this was my last time in here, I tried to pay closer attention. Maybe I would see something that would give us some answers to what they were doing here.
I had gathered that the upstairs held rooms where they slept. Of course, they wouldn’t be caught in the tents the rest of us were forced into. I tried to lean around the guards to catch a glimpse of what was on a few of the screens, but they tightened their arms, blocking my view.
Obviously, I wouldn’t be getting access to that information. Especially considering I’d bet my life on the fact that there was constantly someone in this room gathering information throughout the night.
Walking down the stairs, I ignored the fear fluttering in my gut. I was always focused on the room they dragged me into, but there were several others down here. I had never heard noise coming from them, which led me to believe that they weren’t housing anyone else.
Maybe they were other rooms to try to get information out of people. But there was a niggling in the back of my mind, wondering if they were storage rooms. Possibly stored with information.
Each door was locked from the outside as mine was, a simple padlock that took a key. There were three separate doors and the simple fact that they were locked made me think that whatever was inside was worth something.
The guard on my right unlocked my room, pushing me inside, my feet faltering beneath me. I caught my balance, prepared to take my seat and wait for Vex, but he was already inside. And there was no chair.
The click of the lock behind me sent a tremor down my spine, another rushing through me when I caught the malicious glint in Vex’s eye. He had warned me that tonight would be fun, but I knew now that I wasn’t prepared for what he had planned.
His tactics were about to change, and I didn’t know if I had the strength to take it. It had been easier when I didn’t have any information, but now that I did, I wasn’t sure how much I could take before my lips parted, all my knowledge spilling out.
“Alessia, I’ve been waiting all day for this. You cannot imagine how excited I am for our chat tonight.”
His wide grin, eerily contrasting with the evil in his eyes, told me exactly how excited he was. And I wondered if I would make it even five minutes before I talked.
Vex’s steps were precise as he made his way toward me and my body shook as I stood in place, not wanting him to see me cower. I needed to be strong, to show him that he couldn’t break me.
His hand reached out, a whisper of a touch against my cheek, and it took everything in me not to flinch. I knew the damage those hands could do.
Vex’s grin widened at whatever he saw in my face. “Hmm, let’s get started, shall we? Who was the man in the picture?”
I gritted my teeth, refusing for even a breath to escape past my lips. Vex chuckled, all of this a game to him, before he reached into his back pocket. I waited with bated breath for whatever he was about to pull out and my stomach dropped when I caught the glint of a sharp knife.
It was a small thing, only an inch or two long, the hilt swallowed by Vex’s large palm. I couldn’t contain the gasp of fear that escaped me. I had been prepared for the fists. For the hits that always landed solidly against my ribs or face. I was in no way prepared for the sharp weapon glaring at me.
“Not so brave now, are we? What a shame, I was hoping you’d have a little more backbone. Would make this much more entertaining.”
Vex stepped forward once more, not an inch of space between us. “I’ll ask one more time. Who was the man in the photo?”
I shivered at the vile man in front of me, but I didn’t speak. And nothing in the world could have prepared me when he pressed the tip of the blade into the top of my arm, slowly dragging down the skin.
I tried, I tried so fucking hard, but my scream echoed in the room. The pain was a fire racing up my arm, the trickle of warm blood wetting my skin.
“No answer? Well, that won’t do.”
Vex lifted the blade and slid it into the flesh of my other arm, digging deeper. The pain was unimaginable, more than I had ever experienced, and I was embarrassed when I fell to my knees. I had barely made it a minute and I was already crumbling.
Vex followed my movements, dropping to his knees as well, bending his face until the only thing I could see was his manic smile. “This will all stop once you tell me the man’s name. And how he knew your father.”
My father? My mind was spinning with pain and I could barely focus on Vex’s words as the gaping cuts throbbed. How would Emmanuel know my father? I had never met him before the woods.
“I see you aren’t willing to talk. No worries, I can do this all night.”
And so he did. The knife was a burning point in my skin each time. My thighs were given the same treatment as my arms, blood spooling on the wood panels beneath me. Vex continued to ask questions, but I could barely hear his voice. It was like I was outside of my body; the screams bouncing off the walls someone else’s voice. The pain had me in a haze I couldn’t escape.
My eyes were heavy, unconsciousness at the edge of my periphery, and I welcomed it. However, Vex wouldn’t let me off that easily. Gripping my ponytail, he tilted my head back with a yank, pressing the blade against my throat.
I had been in this position before, my life on the other side of the weapon. Words pressed against my mind, information begging to be set free, to let me end this torture. But I closed my eyes tightly, seeing two small faces behind my lids. I couldn’t let anything happen to them, couldn’t let anything happen to their father.
“Tell me who the man is, Alessia,” Vex grunted, the blade nicking the delicate skin of my neck.
Gathering all the strength I had, knowing that if he dug the knife into my throat, it would be a reprieve from this, I said, “Fuck. You.”
I waited for the pain to hit, but Vex released my head, pulling the blade away. My balance was long gone, the strength to hold my body up vanished, and I fell to the floor. My cheek pressed against the wood panels, my breaths heaving as I tried to stay awake.
“Pity. For you, at least. This isn’t over.”
With those parting words, Vex left the room, the door closing with a loud thud. The door opened a moment later and I prepared for the asshole guards, but when a cool hand touched my arm, I knew it wasn’t them.
Peeking my eyes open, a woman with light blonde hair crouched above me. Her hand cradled my arm with a gentleness I wasn’t expecting. However, I was too far gone to trust any of the people in this place. Trying to slither away from her, she pressed a firm hand to my arm, halting my weak movements.
“Stop moving. I’m going to bandage your wounds.”
I couldn’t move if I tried, and I laid on the cool floor as the woman, presumably some sort of doctor, pulled supplies out of a bag. I recognized the needle she pulled out and braced myself for more pain.
The cuts were deep enough that a simple bandage wouldn’t stem the flow of blood. “I’m sorry,” she whispered before she began suturing the first wound.
Biting my lip, refusing to let another yell slip from my lips, I tasted blood as she stitched the skin back together. Each arm and thigh was done and by the end, I was a panting mess, tears cresting over the dried tracks on my face.
Once she finished, she bandaged each area, putting a hand behind my back and lifting me into a sitting position. Blinking my eyes open, I saw the sadness in her gaze. If I had more energy, maybe I would ask why she was letting this happen. If the sight of me made her so sad, why was she standing by, allowing this to happen? But any energy I had faded the moment Vex walked out that door, and so I stayed silent.
She left without another word, gathering her supplies, my two guards entering the room immediately after her. I don’t know why I thought they would be more gentle tonight, given the state of my injuries, but they weren’t. Their hands were iron against my arms, bruising the already damaged flesh.
In a daze, I walked back toward the tent, not even sure if I was going in the right direction. My eyes were barely open, my head dizzy from the loss of blood. In the back of my mind, I wondered why they had bothered to stitch me up. What was the point?
“Alessia?” The quiet voice shocked me out of my thoughts and through squinted eyes, I spotted Warner’s tall form.
“What the fuck did they do to you?” His words were angry, his voice harsh, but I didn’t fear the rage.
Finding the energy to speak, I asked, “Can I sleep in your tent tonight? The twins can’t see this.”
I didn’t know if Warner nodded in agreement, my eyes were already closed, but a strong arm wrapped around my middle. Half carrying me, Warner dragged me across the ground, muttering under his breath.
Minutes or hours later, his warm hands were lowering me to a sleeping bag, my body curling in on itself. Rough fingers raked through my hair, the touch comforting.
“Sleep,” a deep voice said, but I was gone, the pain finally taking hold as I succumbed to it.
As sleep overtook me, I finally realized why they had stitched me up. They couldn’t let me die, not until they got the answers they wanted. But screw them, because this was the last night they would ever get ahold of me and I hadn’t broken.