Chapter 18
Quinn
When the men left, I tried to force my foot free from the chain, but it was too tight. So, I huddled in the corner of the cage. My body wouldn’t stop shaking.
Taven barged into the room, and I covered my face, terrified. When I heard the cage door open, I held my breath. His hands touched me, and I screamed.
He shook me. “Shut up!” I fell silent. “Where are your keys?”
Slowly, I reached into my back pocket. I contemplated shoving them into his eye socket, but what good would that do? I was still chained up, and the others would kill me for sure if I did that. Dropping them on the floor, I curled up again. “Please don’t hurt me.”
He sighed, “If you behave, we aren’t going to hurt you. Be a good girl and let us finish what we started. We’ll let you go.”
Licking my lips, I stared into his bright brown eyes. “Why would you let me go?”
Tossing the keys in the air a few times, he said, “When we’re finished, we’re leaving the country. Once we land safe and sound, we’ll let the cops know where you are.”
“Why are you doing this?” I whispered.
“It’s none of your fucking business. Just know you aren’t our target. So just behave, okay?”
As he closed the cage, the other two men entered the room. They ignored me completely, focusing on the dead body in the chair. Taven went to work cleaning up the guts and blood while Zane and Keith removed the body. It took everything I had not to puke.
I stayed silent the entire time, watching and observing. Eventually, they left and didn’t return for quite a while. Still, I remained quiet. It felt like hours had passed when I got to my feet and began screaming at the top of my lungs. No one came, not even the guys. They must have left the premises. I was utterly alone, and there was no bed or anything to sit on besides the cold, filthy wooden floor. To make matters worse, I had to pee. Luckily, there was a discarded fast-food cup lying on the ground just outside of my prison.
Walking over to it, I nearly tripped when the chain reached its limits. I tugged at it, but it did no good. Frantically, I got down on my belly and stretched. My fingertips grazed the cup, but I couldn’t quite reach it. It sat there, taunting me. I was only moments away from pissing myself when I finally heard the sound of footsteps on the metal floor. Crossing my legs, I pressed against the bars. My lip trembled as Zane stepped into view, dragging something behind him.
He unlatched the lock and pushed the large item inside. A grey beanbag couch, the kind a full-grown adult could stretch out on. “It’s the best I could do for a bed.” He cocked his head, looking me over. “Issues?”
“I have to pee,” I whispered.
Rolling his eyes, Zane pulled a pistol from his pocket, compelling me to freeze. He unlocked the chain from the bars and wrapped it around his arm. “Let’s go before you piss all over the place.”
Having the gun pointed at me made it hard to move. But I had to pee so bad I was beginning to see yellow. Waving the weapon, Zane indicated he wanted me to take the lead. Most likely so he could keep the pistol at my back in case I decided to bolt. When we went outside, I had to resist the urge to scream for help. That would only get me shot.
“The gift shop has a working toilet,” muttered Zane.
My eyes moved across the open ground. Right next to the entrance was a building attached to the castle. If I remembered correctly, that was the gift shop. As quickly as my aching bladder would allow me, I strode to it. The space was empty except for barren shelves, an old counter with a cash register, and a door with a man and woman symbol.
I remembered the shop from when I was a kid. I had bought a little drum with feathers hanging off it. For some reason, most of the items available were Native American. I never questioned it as a child; it just seemed right. Ignoring my inappropriate nostalgia, I yanked the door open and waddled to the toilet.
“Keep the door open,” Zane ordered.
I had to pee so bad I could barely get my pants down before the waterworks started. When I finished, I washed my hands and felt a tug on the chain. Turning, I locked my eyes on his. The longer I stared, the more obvious it became that his irises shook slightly. I wanted to ask about it, but that moment did not seem like a good time for my curiosity to possibly offend my captor.
We walked in silence back to the fun house, where I was once again latched to the bars and locked behind an iron door. Gripping the bars, I asked, “What if I have to go again?”
He shrugged. “Hold it until morning. I’m staying here with you tonight. So, if you really have to go, I’ll let you out again. But if you try anything, I won’t hesitate to shoot you.” Stepping closer to the bars, he glared. “You’ve already seen what we are capable of.”
With a shudder, I lay on the beanbag couch. It was soft but smelled of weed. I wondered who it belonged to. As I snuggled in, I kept my eyes on my captor. He said they would let me go when they were finished... if I was good. What if they changed their mind? I had to survive; I wasn’t ready to be butchered just yet. Perhaps I could make them forget all about hurting me. If I was good to them, maybe they would be good to me. They said they liked me, what if I made them love me? It made me want to vomit, but what if I fucked them into wanting to keep me alive?
I shuddered again. The thought made me sick to my stomach. Still, the gem between my legs could keep me alive. If I gave them what they wanted, anything they wanted, my chances of survival would be higher than if I suddenly became a prude. That night didn’t seem like the right time, though. They might catch on. After all, the men had gotten away with killing four cops; they weren’t stupid. They had to be clever to get away with such gruesome murders.
I didn’t know why my mind questioned their motives; it didn’t matter. They were monsters, and it was in my best interest to tame the beasts. Rolling over, I closed my eyes. I doubted I could go to sleep, but I needed to try. I didn’t want to look at Zane, nor did I want to talk to him. I just wanted this to be some horrible dream that I would wake up from.