Chapter 38
A Pleasant Conversation
Rhys
Inever thought I’d allow myself to be open and vulnerable with another person again. Not after everything that happened with the explosion and then my divorce.
And yet, here I am, bruised and battered, allowing someone to wash me. To take care of me. To see me weak.
And instead of sprinting for the hills, I want more.
There’s still a part of me that wants to run and shut down my increasing affection for Ollie.
But it’s easy to ignore. Especially when she opens up to me about her own shitty experiences with past relationships and doesn’t treat me any differently after seeing me in this vulnerable state.
It’s a weight off my shoulders I didn’t know I was carrying; to know that she understands me and why I am the way I am.
Although I can tell she’s not happy about my promise. Not that it matters. Regardless of what she thinks, I will do everything in my power to keep her safe. No matter what.
Both of us lull ourselves into a light sleep.
However, with the sun gone, the temperature in the room has plummeted, and the blanket does little against the chill, making our sleep restless.
Plus, Ollie is plagued by nightmares, constantly jolting herself awake with muffled whimpers and gasps.
My entire body is throbbing in agony with each breath, making sleeping for any length of time almost impossible.
I’m certain I’ve broken at least a few ribs, and my left cheekbone is particularly painful, leading me to think it’s been fractured.
Luke’s thugs certainly did a number on me, even more so when I refused to answer his questions.
Haven is already in deep danger from the unidentified traitor in its midst, so there’s no damn way I’m saying anything that could make it worse and risk more lives.
My only saving grace is that neither Luke nor his thugs seem to have any idea how to effectively torture someone.
So I’ll continue to refuse until I have no choice but to trickle-feed less valuable information until I can get Ollie safe. That is my number one priority.
It’s still dark out, so I’m not sure how much time has passed when the dull thuds of shoes on the other side of the door jolts us awake. Ollie immediately tenses, her heartbeat mirroring my own and thundering against my back.
“Wrap yourself in the blanket and move closer to the garage door,” I tell her as the footsteps grow louder. My stomach tightens with fear and dread, and it takes everything in me to keep them from bleeding into my expression.
“What about you?” she asks, not moving.
“Don’t worry about me, princess, just move.” I snap the blanket from around me and practically throw it at her, gritting my teeth as my body screams at the movement.
The temperature is so low in the room that the freezing air burns my skin, but I ignore it. Right now I need to get her away from me and covered before those thugs come in. The less they focus on her, the better, because Luke’s interrogation tactics are only going to get more brutal.
I grimace at the thought of more pain, but I’d much rather be the one to take it. “And remember what I said before; don’t react.”
Finally, Ollie gets moving. She wraps herself in the blanket and scampers to the far side of the room.
She looks terrified, her emerald green eyes wide and her face pale.
There’s a slight tremor in her hands as she clutches the blanket, but then her face hardens as the lock snicks and the door flies open.
Luke, the smarmy bastard, and his two sidekicks waltz into the room, acting like their shit doesn’t stink.
Just like before, they’re only armed with knives.
Not that they need them when they can use their steel-toed boots and fists.
I’m pretty sure I’ll have a permanent imprint of their boots on my ribs.
Luke stops in the middle of the room, those dark eyes sweeping across the room with a calculating gleam. “Well, I never would have thought you’d be a cover hog, freebie, or I might have been generous enough to give you two blankets.”
Ollie and I remain silent.
He sighs, acting disappointed even though I can spot the sadistic spark in his gaze.
The prick loves nothing more than breaking people, so this tiny act of defiance excites him.
Unfortunately, rising to his taunts will only do the same.
At least if we stay silent, there’s less chance for either of us to spill any information by accident.
“And here I thought our fun from earlier would have loosened your tongue,” he says as he steps towards me.
I have to fight not to tense and remain passive, but it’s hard. Especially when your body knows pain is coming and there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop it.
Luke’s hand snaps out to grab my hair. He wrenches my head back, my scalp, neck and back screaming at the unnatural angle. Motherfucker. I allow myself a small reaction and grit my teeth.
A triumphant smile stretches across Luke’s face, and he tightens his hold on my hair. I’m pretty sure he’s ripped some strands out. “But don’t worry. I’ve come up with a better, more interesting way of convincing you to have a pleasant conversation with me.”
My stomach plummets with dread at the sadistic glee in his voice. What the fuck is he up to?
Luke shoves me to the ground, the slap of my flesh hitting concrete echoing around the garage as I choke back a groan of agony. “Hold him,” he barks at one of the thugs. “But make sure he can watch.”
Cold, rough hands grab my shoulders and yank my body over so I’m lying face down on the floor.
A knee digs into the middle of my back, right over my spine.
My entire body throbs, the pain causing my vision to waver for a moment.
The next time I’m able to see clearly, Luke has moved across the room to Ollie.
My body goes cold.
No…
Her brave mask has slipped, and her face is pale with abject terror as she stares up at Luke.
The man in question grins, bends down and rips the blanket from Ollie’s body, exposing her naked body to the ice-cold room.
Her eyes widen and she wraps her arms around herself, making her look even more vulnerable.
I hate it.
“Don’t look so shocked, freebie,” Luke says with a chuckle. “I told you I was a feminist.” He glances over at his remaining thug and motions for him to come over.
He saunters towards her, lecherous smirks on their faces as they leer at her.
Ollie’s desperate eyes find mine, and she silently asks what she should do. As much as I hate to, I shake my head slightly, telling her to do nothing. At least not yet. We need to wait for the right moment to act otherwise it’ll only make shit worse.
However, that plan almost goes out the window when Luke roughly grabs Ollie’s arm and wrenches her upright.
She sucks in a sharp breath, the pain clear on her face, but she doesn’t make another sound. Instead, she stares at Luke, still terrified, but there’s a defiant tilt to her head and narrowing of the eyes. It’s the same look she gets when she’s about to do something incredibly brave and stupid.
I want to kiss her and punish her at the same time.
“Well, look at you, freebie. You do have some fire in you after all. How fun.” As quick as a snake, he strikes the side of her face with the back of his hand.
Ollie gasps and staggers from the force of the hit. Her cheeks turns a brilliant shade of red and tears shimmer in her eyes. I growl, the sound erupting from my throat before I can stop it, and my muscles bunch, ready to attack.
Not yet. Not yet, I tell myself, even though every part of me is screaming for me to stop this before he hurts her again.
Luke, hearing me, glances over his shoulder at me, a smirk on his face. “Well, would you look at that? It seems the big guy does have something to say.” He turns to the thug next to him. “Hold her and hit her when I say. No groping.”
The thug huffs in obvious disappointment, but does as he’s told like a loyal dog. With Ollie now in the hands of his thugs, Luke strides over to me and crouches, hiding my view of Ollie.
“Here’s how this is going to go. I ask a question, and if you don’t answer, she deals with the consequences. Understand?”
I glare at him, unable to hide my utter hatred for the bastard.
“Hart,” Luke says, unable to hide the glee in his voice.
There’s the sound of a fist hitting flesh, followed by a pained noise from Ollie. My heart clenches.
“Yes, I understand,” I say hastily as nausea burns my throat.
“Glad we’re on the same page,” Luke says, patting me on the head like you would a dog.
Fuck, fuck, fuck! Think, asshole!
While I knew this would happen eventually, that they’d use Ollie against me, I’d hoped I’d have a plan for how to deal with it before they did. Or at least have more time. Unfortunately, that’s the one thing I don’t have. Not unless I’m willing to compromise Haven’s safety.
My mind replays Ollie’s pained gasp, making it the easiest choice I’ve ever made. Fuck Haven right now. She’s more important.
Luke grabs my hair again, wrenching my head so I’m forced to look at him. “First question: where are all the secret entrances to Haven?”
Fuck. My teeth clench as I spit out the three secret exits that the Council and the security team know about, keeping the one only Theo, Alex and I know about to myself.
Not that it matters much, since they already know one, and them knowing the other two already makes protecting Haven almost impossible.
Luke grins down at me. “See? That wasn’t so hard.” He pats my cheek, causing the broken cheekbone to throb in agony. “Hart.”
Ollie yelps, the sound like a knife to my heart.
“You fucker! I answered your question,” I snarl, fury bubbling up inside me.
“You did,” Luke says with a nod. “But I didn’t really like your attitude, so I figured I’d remind you of the consequences.”
The realisation slams into me. No matter what I do, Ollie will get hurt unless I stop this. It spurs me to action.
“Ignore my previous order,” I shout, hoping Ollie will have enough wherewithal to understand what I’m telling her; fight back.
Luke gives me a bemused smile. “You're giving orders now?” he asks with a chuckle, his hand relaxing in my hair.
The guy with his knee in my back chuckles alongside him, the weight lifting slightly from my spine. Apparently, they’ve forgotten that while I may be heavily beaten up, I’m still a highly trained former spec op. One with enough rage to fuel a small city.
And now I have the perfect opportunity to let it out. Even if it’s going to hurt like a bitch.
As quickly as I can, I snap my hands up and grab the hand currently gripping my hair.
With a savage twist and a sickening crunch, I break Luke’s wrist before he can react.
He yells out, that cocky smirk falling from his face, replaced with pain.
I wish I could savour the expression, but now isn’t the time.
Using everyone’s shock, I shove myself upward, knocking the thug behind me off balance.
Every part of me is screaming and throbbing with agony, but my icy fury dulls most of it, giving me the chance to turn and slam my fist into the guy’s face.
Blood bursts from his broken nose, and he topples backward with a cry.
Luke finally recovers from his shock to roar and tackle me to the ground.
My shoulder slams into the concrete, causing pain to radiate outward like an earthquake across my arm and back.
I groan, my vision flickering as the Scourge leader rains punch after punch on me.
Thankfully, it’s his non-dominant hand so they’re sloppy, but I’m already bruised to hell so they still hurt like fuck.
Across the room, I hear Ollie growl, followed by a male grunt as fist hits flesh. I’m not sure what’s happening, only that whatever it is, she’s okay.
“You fucking cockroach,” Luke snarls, the arrogance gone from his face, replaced with a feral rage to rival Theo’s. “You couldn’t just do what you’re fucking told and had to be a difficult bitch!”
I roll my eyes as I land a solid hit to his stomach, causing him to choke and gasp as his diaphragm spasms. His attacks stutter, giving me the perfect chance to grab his broken wrist and wrench it. He screams in agony, the sound like music to my ears, and throws himself off me.
“Out! Get the fuck out!” he barks at the thugs.
The thug I punched in the face staggers to his feet and hightails it to the door. The other thug, who’s covered in scratches, bruises and blood, scampers after him.
Luke stalks after them, pausing at the door. “You’ll fucking regret this,” he threatens before disappearing through the door and slamming it shut. A moment later, the lock clicks.
I exhale, my body going lax on the cold, hard ground as every ounce of my energy drains away. Ollie stumbles over to me, sporting a black eye and bruised cheek that makes my blood boil.
“How hurt are you?” I ask her, my voice rough from the beating.
“Nothing major, just some bruises,” she says, waving me off. “I’m more concerned about you, Rhys.” She brushes her fingers over my face, the touch as soft as a butterfly’s wing against the worst of my injuries.
“I’ll live,” I say, wondering what the fuck we’re supposed to do now. Fighting back the way we did has only angered Luke, meaning whatever sadistic shit he comes up with next will be ten times worse. For both of us.
We need to get out before that happens. But how?
My stomach clenches with dread. Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have fought back like that and just answered his questions. If I’d ‘behaved’ the way he wanted me to, then maybe he would have spared Ollie the pain? But that’s a lot of maybes and ifs, especially with a fucking psycho like Luke.
There’s just no right answer for this.
I close my eyes and sigh heavily. “I’m sorry I got you into this mess, princess.”
“There’s nothing for you to apologise for, Rhys. None of this is your fault; Luke is the one to blame. He’s the one hurting us. Besides, that fight went well for us.” I can hear the grin in her voice.
I crack my eyes open and frown at her. “Are you delusional?” Maybe that backhand was harder than I thought, rattling loose a few screws inside her head.
She rolls her eyes before brandishing something small and red.
Holy shit.
My eyes widen. “Is that…?”
She smiles triumphantly. “A Swiss Army knife? Yep. Now let’s see if we can put this to good use before those fuckers come back or figure out that it’s missing.”