Chapter 3
THREE
NATTY
PRESENT
A firm grip on my elbow was the only thing grounding me as I walked through the halls of my prison.
This wasn’t a motorcycle club; it was a small house.
One that had no furniture and no people.
Likely a safe house. The ceilings were low, the floors were made of wood and the walls were all covered in forest green wallpaper.
Alec hadn’t let me go since Fable arrived, as if he knew his father would take a bite of me, all teeth and nails the second he released me.
Fable was nearly as tall as Silas with short gray hair, slicked back, so only small pieces fell across his brow and similar eyes to Alec.
Gray thunderclouds swarmed in those irises while his face was sun-kissed and wrinkled, showing his age.
His expression was twisted angrily, as if he’d tasted sour milk, and the look of disgust froze over the stern set of his jaw.
We finally stopped walking once we reached the dining room.
“Sit.” Fable ordered as Alec gently led me to a chair.
The room was sparse, with just the table, four chairs and a hutch against the far wall.
The windows were all covered with white sheets.
It was still early enough that it allowed in natural light.
The walls were so similar to what was in the Stone Riders clubhouse, it had an ache gaping open in my heart.
A pleading prayer coming right after it.
Please let everyone be okay.
Let them be alive.
Fable’s stern voice cut into my thoughts. “Tell me your name.”
I had a suspicion that he already knew my name, which was why he’d taken me but maybe I was wrong.
A woman pushed through a side door, leading to the kitchen.
She had dark hair, green eyes, and a willowy frame.
Her gaze quickly scanned the space, inspecting each of us while holding the wooden tray in her hands.
She made her way to the table and set a bowl of soup down in front of Fable then let the tray hang by her side.
“Rachel. Please bring bowls for our company.”
The woman…Rachel, peered over at me, giving me a blank expression before turning toward the kitchen once more.
Alec took a seat next to me, pulling my chair directly next to his so our knees touched.
I bristled, trying to create space, but he only held firm to the back of my chair.
Fable watched us, taking sips of his soup.
“Your name,” he repeated.
I watched him swallow his soup, wondering how I might kill him in that position then sadly recalling I couldn’t even kill a man using a gun when he was directly in front of me. For all of Silas’s efforts to prepare me for likely this exact moment, I was completely useless.
Alec cleared his throat, his hand on the back of my chair moving to my shoulder.
I tried again to push him off, but he held firm.
“Alec, encourage her to speak.”
The man next to me tapped a lazy finger against my shoulder as if his father’s command didn’t matter. Regardless that I knew it did in fact matter, especially to someone who had become a glorified errand boy for his evil father.
I did what Silas told me and cleared my head, then started counting.
I could take it. Whatever he was about to do to me, whatever punishment, or pain…I could take—
Warm lips pressed against my ear as Alec’s hand traveled down to my hip, wrapping around it.
“He’ll watch me do unspeakable things to you, Artie. Don’t make me do that. Just tell him.”
I wanted to rip out of his hold and glare at him. Throw back in his face that he didn’t have to do anything his disgusting father wanted. Instead, I leaned forward and leveled Fable with a glare.
“Nomen est Caelum.” My name is Heaven.
Fable’s eyes lit up, his spoon dropping to the bowl with a clank. He waited three seconds before he burst into laughter before replying in Latin.
“Caelum non est verum.” There is no Heaven.
My smile faltered the smallest bit; regardless, I wasn’t surprised in the least he spoke Latin fluently. I was still hoping he didn’t. I waited for him to continue. He’d asked for my name, I’d given it, I had nothing left to offer him.
“Your full name.”
The smallest flicker of unease slid in through my ribs.
“Natty Langford.”
Fable suddenly stood and shoved a hunting knife into the wood table, making me wince.
His eyes were wild, his mouth open as he seethed, “Try again. Last chance.”
Alec looked between the two of us.
My mouth parted with an answer then it shut again.
There were limits on what I was willing to give.
Silas used to warn me not to fold easily, especially not over secrets.
Information is worth more than blood being spilled, or skin being bruised.
Details put in the hands of the devil, become weapons.
Fable pulled his knife free. “Natalia Nikole….” He paused, waiting for me to finish.
I searched his face acting confused.
“Langford.”
Fable’s gaze narrowed. “You lie almost as well as my son. You’re his most guarded secret, and yet I have you. To do with whatever I want.”
“What is it you want?”
Rachel came back in with two more bowls and a few slices of bread. She was calm as she set each bowl down and arranged the dishware. Her green eyes flicked over to me a few times before bustling back out of the room.
I looked down at the soup and felt my stomach grumble but resisted grabbing the spoon. Alec, however, dove into his meal without looking up.
Fable continued to watch me.
“You think I can’t break you?” His eyes narrowed.
I shrugged. “You can’t break what’s already been broken.”
Alec froze next to me while Fable rose from his chair.
“You don’t look broken to me, pulchra.” Beautiful.
My face heated as he drew closer, until his finger caught my chin, tipping my face up.
“Broken, is your mouth dripping with my cum, your veins stuffed with heroin, and your will completely gone. Is that what you want, Caelum?”
The way he said my nickname mocked and jostled the stable place inside me that was already starting to crumble, the one that had previously boasted with confidence.
He let my chin go. I stared at the bowl of soup in front of me.
“You will help me. You’ll either be in my bed tonight, or Alec’s. I’ll allow you the chance to decide, but you will bend to our will, or we will take it by force. Do you understand?”
Fear gripped me so tightly it was hard to breathe but I managed to nod.
Silas had trained me to deal with many things, dealing with his father wasn’t one of them.
My belly was full because I was determined to keep my strength up.
Besides, I had no idea if one of Fable’s intimidation tactics would include starvation.
I didn’t do hunger well. Sasha had once mentioned that my mother didn’t feed me for a whole week when I was little.
Apparently, Sasha put my mom in the hospital when she found out, then made a bed for me in her house, in the same room as Silas.
She had to feed me saltines slowly for two days straight while I sipped on water and 7-up, before I could eat real meals again.
Now as an adult, any hint of hunger had my hands shaking and my nerves raw.
It was partly why I decided baking would be a fun way to reinvent myself.
There would always be a little morsel of food at my fingertips, and I’d never have to go hungry.
It also helped to keep my mind busy…like right now, I’d give anything to escape into the kitchen and pull out some flour and sugar.
“This is my room here.” Alec gently touched the door near my face, pushing it open.
Without saying anything, I walked inside and kept my arms folded close.
A simple queen-sized mattress sat in the middle of the room, decorated with a comforter the shade of cobalt blue.
Four fluffed pillows sat against the wall for lack of a headboard.
There was a singular dresser to the side, but nothing else.
I inspected the room as Alec shut the door behind me, then locked it.
“Surely there’s another room I can sleep in. In fact, I’ll even go back to my cell.”
I faced him, silently pleading with him to agree.
Alec’s ashen eyes avoided me as he moved around the room. His leather cut came off, leaving him in just a t-shirt, and then his boots, revealing a pair of white socks.
“Alec.” I tried to get his attention again as he moved to his dresser and clicked on the lamp. The window in his room was only letting in muted colors from the strange opaque glass blocking out my surroundings.
He moved again, this time slipping into the small, attached bathroom.
Water flowed from the faucet as Alec brushed his teeth and my eyes roamed to the bedroom door.
It was unguarded. I waited for when I heard the faucet turn off and then the toilet seat lift.
He began relieving himself, and I hesitated.
Run.
Run, Natty. Just get to the door.
My eyes burned as I stared, my left foot shifted the smallest bit and then as I blinked, I ran for it, pushing myself forward as quick as I could. My fingers came around the brass handle as a shaky breath left my lungs.
The knob turned the smallest bit right as an arm came around my middle, lifting me off the ground.
Alec shut the door with his foot and began pulling me toward the middle of the room.
“If you step outside of this room, Fable will find you and trust me, Artie, you don’t want him to find you.”
I pushed against his arm, digging my nails in as hard as I could.
“Ouch. Fuck.” He dropped me, inspecting his torn skin.
I spun on him, seething. “Stop calling me Artemis. Stop flirting with me. Just fucking stop. We’re not friends, Alec. We are enemies.”
He smirked. “I’m not your enemy, and what…only Silas gets to give you nicknames?”
“Yes.”
His gaze searched mine before letting out a huff of air and spinning away from me. “You chose the mean one, Natty. Darkness, anger and bullshit. I’ve known you for just as long, and you’re acting like we don’t have just as many memories.”