Chapter 6
That was the last thing Riley expected her to say.
He thought she would fight him about it, or worse, go silent again.
Riley takes a moment to think about what they need to know.
He watches as she takes a sip of the water, another small moan escaping her lips, and her eyes flutter closed.
He looks away, not wanting her to see how much he enjoyed seeing her like that.
He shakes off the thought, feeling like a monster for being attracted to her after everything she has been through.
He adjusts in his seat and looks over at her.
“I know you aren’t involved in Dmitri’s operation, but he kept you around for a reason and you did stab me,” he says, looking down at his shoulder, “so now the general is convinced you’re working for Dmitri. He thinks you’re a threat.”
“I stabbed you because you’re a stranger who came into my personal space.
I didn’t know what you were going to do to me,” Liz quietly states.
She inhales deeply, her thoughts spinning as she glances at the hidden wound she gave him.
She can’t help but feel bad for attacking the man who tried to help her, even if she didn’t know that’s what he was doing at the time.
“I’m sorry,” she says to him. “For stabbing you,” she adds, guilt plastered over her face.
“Don’t—you’re right. You were alone and scared.
Shit, I punched you, knocked you out, and brought you here, left you alone with those two assholes, and the general.
You should probably stab me again,” he says, amusement dancing across his caramel-brown eyes.
“Just tell me what happened,” he adds with a small chuckle.
Liz looks around nervously, taking a few more breaths before finally calming her nerves enough to start.
“That’s the thing. I don’t know what he wanted with me.
I was grabbed by two men outside of a bar and woke up in that dirty ass cell,” she says, hands starting to shake.
“The day I woke up, he came into my cell and told me he would make me pay for ‘humiliating’ him.”
Liz abruptly stands, pacing around the cold room before continuing. She takes a deep breath, steadying herself. The small concrete room suddenly feeling too much like the cell she was held in for so long.
“At first he would come into my cell and ask if I was ready to apologize, and when I wouldn’t answer, he would hit me. If I tried to fight back or hide, he would have someone hold me down, nothing I couldn't handle, reminded me of my childhood honestly.”
Riley stays quiet, tracking her with his eyes: back and forth, across the small room, then back again. He forces himself not to react to what she tells him, knowing he will only scare her more. So, he sits, waiting for her to start again.
“He did that for twenty seven fucking days, thats when he came in and told me he’s tired of waiting for me to come around.
” She still paces the small room. “You don’t need to know what he did, or tried to do, but it was the first time I really understood the severity of what I got myself into.
Everything up to that point was fine, it sucked, but it wasn't any worse than I'd had before. That day I fought with everything I had left,” she says, stopping her pacing and sliding to sit on the hard floor.
She pulls her knees to her chest, pain etched all over her face.
“After that, he made one of his guys chain me to the floor, to make sure I couldn’t fight back again, but that was the last time I saw him.
He would let his guys come in and do what they wanted to me.
Hit me, kick me, cut me, whatever they felt like that day.
Then they started drugging my food, making me sick.
” She looked up at him before averting her gaze, not wanting to let him see the tears filling her eyes.
“When I started refusing the food, they just stopped bringing it. For days at a time, they would starve me until I was so hungry I would eat whatever they brought.” She glanced up, seeing the hate behind his eyes.
She started to shake, knowing what would come next after someone looked at her with that much anger.
“I didn’t mind being starved, really. At least when they withheld food, they wouldn’t come in at all. They made sure to get me as weak as possible before they came back.” It was then she finally let the tears fall. She sniffles and quickly wipes her face, attempting to stand.
“How long were you starved this time?” Riley asks, his voice pure ice. He gets up and walks to where Liz sits, each step echoing around the small room. He crouches in front of her and asks again—“How long?”
“How long have I been here?” she asks. “It was five days, I think, before you came in.”
Five fucking days without food or water, seven counting the two days she’s been here, he thinks to himself. He needs to get her out of the room and get her some real food. Not surprised she can’t stand back up.
He stands and extends his hand to her. She looks at his arm, eyeing it like she’s waiting for it to strike.
Liz needs to make a choice, trust this stranger and hope he truly does want to help her, or shove everything she feels so far down she's numb to the world and let them end her life.
She slips her hand into his and he helps her up.
He walks her back and helps her sit in the chair again.
“Thank you,” she whispers before snatching her hand back.
He sits on the table, something telling him he needs to stay close. Just then, a cracking noise cuts through the silence. He looks over at his vest and groans, sliding off the table to pick up his radio.
“What?” he says.
The radio crackles. GENER… AL… IN… BOU… D the voice cuts through the static.
“Shit,” Riley says, walking back to the table, roughly sitting in the chair closest to the door.
“The general is on his way, and he’s going to be expecting information,” he says, voice dripping with annoyance.
He glances at the door, not knowing when it’s going to open.
“If I don’t tell him something, I don’t know if I can stop whatever he has planned for you.
” He turns back to see her trembling in her seat.
Out of time, the door handle turns and the general steps in, slamming the door behind him. He ignores Liz and simply asks Riley—“What did she tell you?”
Riley stands and stalks to where the general is waiting.
They talk, too quiet for Liz to make out anything they are saying.
She looks just in time to see the general crane his neck around Riley so he can peer at her.
His eyes widen when he takes in the sight of her sitting there, wrists free of restraints, and fresh clothes on her body.
He shoves past Riley, storming toward the table.
Liz cowers in the chair, waiting for the blow that doesn’t come.
“What the hell is she doing unrestrained?” he shouts, turning on Riley. “That woman is working for our number one enemy, and you let her go free!” he yells as he grabs the handcuffs still sitting on the table.
Riley sees Liz, legs pulled into her chest, her too thin arms wrapped around them, making herself as small as she can, shaking in anticipation of what she expects to come next.
He forces himself to calm, not wanting to be the reason for her fear and steps around the general, putting himself between the two of them.
The general eyes Riley, noting his back turned to Liz and his face starts to redden. He extends the cuffs to Riley. “Put them back on, Commander,” he says, shoving the handcuffs into Riley’s chest. “That’s an order.”
Riley grabs the handcuffs and tosses them across the small room. He turns to the general, who looks like he’s going to have an aneurism. The general starts to sputter but Riley cuts off his ramblings.
“She hasn’t done a damn thing to deserve being in handcuffs.” Riley shouts, unable to control his anger any longer.
“She stabbed you!” he yells.
“She was scared!” Riley shouts right back.
“You’re going to deny a direct order from your commanding officer to protect Dmitri’s whore?” Spittle flies from the general’s mouth.
Suddenly, it feels like the air has been sucked out of the room.
Liz hadn’t realized how many little noises there were until it all stopped.
Her heartbeat quickens in her ears. She struggles to breathe.
She doesn’t know Riley, but he has been fiercely protective of her.
Whether it’s genuine, or a ploy to gain her trust, Liz doesn’t care.
Right now, he is the only thing keeping her safe.
“Careful, General,” he says, an eerie calm taking over. “Your authority has limits, and it stops where my tolerance ends.”
The general swallows hard, taking a step back.
“You ordered me to get information, and I followed those orders. She wasn’t involved in his operation, and I won’t allow anyone to treat her like she was.”
General Scott lets out a big breath, not expecting Riley to rush to her defense.
He looks around Riley again, noting Liz hasn’t tried to move in the time he’s been in the room.
He turns back to Riley and smirks. “What are you going to do? Keep her with you at all times? Are you willing to put your position on the line to prove she’s innocent? ” He sneers, thinking he’s won.
“If that’s what it takes, then yes. Mikey and I will supervise her at all times,” he says, silently hoping his friend isn’t going to be too upset. “Sir,” he adds with a smirk hidden under his mask, noting the shock on the general’s face.
“Fine, you gentlemen can play babysitter to that—woman. I expect eyes on her at all times,” the General says, choosing his words very carefully.
“But if anything happens, you will be stripped of your rank and I will get the pleasure of handing you a dishonorable discharge” He makes it a point to add on the last bit, a desperate attempt to land a final blow.
He turns and strides for the door, before reaching for the handle, he turns back to Riley.
“Get her to your quarters before the whole fort wakes up, and make sure she stays there until I say otherwise.”
With that, he opens the door and walks out. As soon as the general’s gone, Riley lets out a sigh and hangs his head. He only allows himself a moment to breathe before facing Liz.
“Well, you heard him. Are you ready to go see your new prison?” he asks, joking. Seeing the sadness on her face he adds—“Sorry, not funny. I’m going to try to get you home as soon as I can.”
Reluctantly, Liz gets up and follows him out the door.