26. Maeve
26
MAEVE
I sit in the closet on my knees, leaning back against the wall. I hear them. They're out there, the man who calls himself Eamon and a much larger man whom Eamon calls Badger. Tears streak my cheeks as I think of how they're using me as bait to make Ronan come to them. I'm in this closet hidden and gagged so I can't make noise to alert him to the danger, and when he comes for me, they will kill him.
Then they'll kill me.
Struggling against the rope they have tied around my wrists, I whimper and strain. There's nothing in this closet that can help me out. I don't even know what the point of struggling to get my hands free is. My logical mind knows even with my hands free, I can't fight them, but I still wrestle to get loose.
When I hear fighting erupt again, I cower, sinking to the back of the closet where I feel safer. I'm not an idiot. I know any bullet could tear right through the flimsy closet door and hit me, but somehow, the added distance from the door makes me feel safer.
Gunshots ring out, and I wish I could press my hands against my ears as I shake in fear. Sobs escape my throat, but they’re muffled by the gag. I feel the vibrations from the gunshots even through the closet door. Tears leak down my cheeks as my body trembles. I want to scream for Ronan, but I know they’ll kill me if I do.
I hear more fighting and it sounds like it's getting closer. There's more gunshots, peppering the air with death. I squeeze my eyes shut and rock back and forth on the hardwood floor of the closet. My stomach churns with dread, wishing for this to be over. Wishing Ronan would just come and get me, just end this nightmare that has been my life for the past few months.
Now I know what it's like to have a taste of freedom and have it ripped away. I don't want to die in this closet. Now I know why Ronan told me I couldn’t leave. These people were out there. They don’t care about me at all, but they do care about him. They wanted a way to get to him and they found it.
Screw you, Eamon , I curse inwardly. Rot in hell, you bastard .
Footsteps scuffle to a stop right in front of the closet door, and my heart stops. It’s like he can hear my thoughts and know what I’m thinking. Like he will come and finish me now because I hate him. But the footsteps walk away at the command of a man’s voice, and I relax for a second, and I whimper when I hear Ronan's voice. He's angry, and he's here.
Hope starts to rise in my chest. I struggle against the rope binding me even harder. A million thoughts go through my head. If I can get free, it's not just me against those savages. Now, Ronan is here. But the sound of a scuffle makes me pause again and strain to hear what is happening. I rise up to my knees again and wobble over to the closet door, pressing my ear against the cold wood.
They're fighting. I hear grunts and the sound of someone striking another. I wince and whimper, and I pray Ronan is getting the better of them. Then they exchange more muffled dialogue and I can't make it out.
When the door bursts open, I almost fall flat on my face. But the large man named Badger grabs me by my hair and pulls on me. Pain shoots down my neck and shoulders and across my back as he drags me into the room. My knees scrape across the floor and tears stream down my cheeks as he holds my head back. He takes off the gag, and it's strange to hear such fear in my own sobs.
All manner of horrible visions flash through my mind. They've brought me out here to murder me right in front of him, or they're going to kill him in front of me. I'm so scared, I try to keep my eyes open, but when Eamon demands I speak, I'm paralyzed, unable to move, let alone speak. The gun isn't pointed at me, but Badger's fist is ready to strike.
"Tell him now. Tell him why Butcher is dead. Tell him your little secret."
I'm sobbing, whimpering so badly I know he'll kill me. He is torturing us both. He's just waiting for me to share my secret so Ronan will die an even more painful death. When Badger wraps his hand around my throat, the terror forces my confession.
"Ronan, I’m pregnant. They want to kill our baby… please…" I close my eyes briefly, but Badger's hand tightens down on my neck.
It feels like my world just imploded. The pressure in my face and head is so intense, I can feel every heartbeat. I wiggle my fingers, desperate to get my hands out of the restraints to reach his hand and pull it away from my throat, but I still can't wrestle free. My heart is racing, the room spinning. He's going to strangle me. He's really doing it.
My eyes lock with Ronan's, and I see the exact moment he loses it. The tempest inside his mind explodes in rage and he lunges forward, shoving Eamon across the bed, and I blink long enough to miss what happens next. I hear the gunshot, but my world fades to black and I see white stars swirl in my field of vision before Badger lets go of my neck and I crash to the ground hard.
My head slams to the wood floor, and I suck in a greedy breath, filling my lungs. It's almost too much, the air so rich with hope and freedom it makes me dizzy. I curl my knees to my chest instinctively as the movement around me scares me. My hands are still bound and I am frozen now in fear, but something tells me Ronan will fix this, that he's not walking away without saving me.
And I relent and let my body rest. The world goes black, but I'm not dead, just giving up.