Chapter 20
When he finally emerges, dressed in full tactical gear, Liz looks at him, stuck between not wanting to make him madder than he already is and wanting to scream at him for abandoning her.
Never one to make things easy, she decides to go with simply snuggling herself deeper into the couch, turning her attention back to the movie.
“Get out,” he says, turning his anger on Mikey. Riley glares at his friend, the look alone enough to make him leave. Mikey heads for the door, knowing this isn’t his battle to fight. “Gear up. Alex will brief you.”
As soon as the door closes, Riley shifts his attention back to Liz.
She tries her best to ignore him, even though every fiber of her being screams at her it isn’t the time for being petty.
She can’t help herself. She opened up about her family, let herself be vulnerable with him, and he walked out on her.
“Get up and get dressed,” he says to her again, not trying to hide his annoyance. He walks to where she sits, stepping right in front of the TV.
“No, thank you,” she says, refusing to meet his gaze. “I think I’m going to stay here and finish the movie.” She peers up, batting her thick lashes at him. She can see his patience wearing thin already.
He picks up the remote, flipping the TV off, not in the mood to deal with her stubbornness.
He glares at her, trying the same look he used on Mikey.
Not surprised at all it doesn’t work, he takes a deep breath, and says— “Princess, I will throw your fine ass over my fucking shoulder and carry you out of here if you don’t get dressed and come with me.
” He hopes she doesn’t call him out on his choice of words.
“Okay, so do it,” she says, arms folding across her chest as she wiggles her hips deeper into the cushion.
A clear challenge to see just how far he’s willing to go. He takes a small step, then another. Watching her watch him, a predator closing in on his prey. She allows him to take one last step before jumping up and skirting around him.
“Where are you taking me?” she asks, starting to worry he might be finally turning her in after everything she has done.
“Will you just change... Please?” he asks, tone softer, seeing the gears in her head turn.
She nods and walks into her room, not bothering to close the door behind her.
She slips out of her borrowed hoodie and puts on a small, black crop top before peeling her shorts off.
She stuffs her legs into a pair of tight black jeans before adding socks and the pair of combat boots Mikey gifted her.
Liz goes back to the living room where Riley impatiently waits.
He looks her over, satisfied with what she put on, and simply turns and walks to the door, holding it open.
Neither says a word as they walk down the hallway and out the glass doors.
Normally, Liz and Mikey would turn right and start their run, but Riley just walks across the parking lot.
Liz follows close behind, maintaining a safe distance, debating whether she should make a run for it or not.
Recalling what happened last time she didn’t trust him, she decides against it.
Riley stops in front of a big black truck, pulling keys out of his pocket, and pushes a button causing lights to blink. He goes over to the passenger side and opens the door. “Get in.”
He holds the door, waiting for Liz to climb into the truck.
She reluctantly obeys. The door closes and she watches Riley walk around to the other side, eyes never leaving him, as he opens the door and climbs in.
The engine roars to life as he pulls out of the parking lot, flashing his lights when they pull up to the gate.
It groans and slowly raises, making a ghoulish noise the entire time.
When it gets just high enough, Riley starts again.
Liz watches out the window as the base disappears behind them.
She watches the twists and turns of the road, nothing in the distance but desert.
When they pull off onto a well-hidden dirt road, her stomach drops.
“Are you bringing me out here to kill me?” She asks, only half joking.
She looks over at him, back in the first mask she ever saw, showing just enough of his strong jaw line for her to tell he smiled.
Whether it’s from her audacity to ask or his excitement to end her life, she’ll never know.
Another turn and they are no longer on the road.
Liz watches as they drive further and further from safety.
“So… I never pegged you as a Raptor guy,” she says, trying to break the tension. Her anxiety running wild from his refusal to answer her last question.
“Oh yeah?” Riley responds. “What did you think I would drive?”
“I assumed you would have a sports car or something… flashier: Audi, Corvette, maybe even a sport bike, that’s what all you military guys get,” Liz says to him, turning her attention back to the window.
“Didn’t peg you as a car girl,” he says, glancing at her before turning back to the road.
“I’ve always liked cars. James and I even started rebuilding an old Impala together,” she says, a small smile forming on her lips at the memory of her late husband.
He wants to ask more, learn more about her, but seeing her tiny smile fade into the pain she’s feeling, stops him from saying anything else.
They drive another thirty minutes into the desert, nothing to see but rocks, dry bushes and the occasional cactus.
Liz stays silent, running through every possible scenario in her head as the minutes tick by.
When the truck starts to slow, Liz sits up more, looking for any sign of where they are.
She doesn’t see a lot, but off in the distance, she sees something that resembles a van.
She starts to panic all over again. The closer they get to whatever it is they are heading toward, the faster her heart beats, and the harder it is to breathe.
They finally reach the van, and Riley puts the truck in park.
“I won’t go back with him. If you try to hand me over, I will make sure you’re forced to put a bullet in my head,” Liz whispers, voice cracking.
Riley shifts in his seat so he can face her.
They lock eyes, just for a moment. Liz sees something in him she can’t quite read.
He reaches over, gently taking her hand in his, the glove he’s wearing scratching her hand as he rubs his thumb in a small circle.
“I need you to trust me,” he says, squeezing her hand.
Liz nods, the only thing she can do while fighting off her oncoming panic attack. She goes back to staring straight out the window, not able to bring herself to look at him again.
“Just stay here, I’ll be right back.” He drops her hand and climbs out of the truck, shutting the door with a loud thud.
Liz watches as he strides to where three men get out to greet him.
The first man is not much shorter than Riley with rich black hair, and full beard.
Then she looks at the second man, deep brown skin with short black hair.
When she looks at the third man, she realizes it’s Mikey.
Liz stays watching them, wishing she could hear what they were saying when the two she doesn’t know both turn and look at her.
She immediately ducks, trying to hide herself as if they don’t already know she is there.
Her heart rate picks back up, as she fights to catch her breath.
The door flies open and she lets out a small yelp.
“Just me, love,” Riley says, his deep voice sending shivers down her body. There is something different about it, harder than when he normally talks to her, like he's fighting against turning back to reaper again. “C’mon.” He grabs Liz’s hand and helps her down.
She lets him help her, and when she’s out, he closes the door with one hand, the other still firmly holding hers.
As he leads her to the men, he slowly interlaces his fingers with hers.
When they reach the open space between the truck and van, Riley shifts ever so slightly, just enough for her to be tucked in close behind him.
“Hey, darlin,” Mikey says, a wide smile on his face as he waves to her.
She gives him a small smile in return, still not sure what to think of what’s going on. She sneaks a peak at the other two men only to find them already watching her. Riley gives her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze, then steps to the side, bringing her fully into their huddle.
“Meet Alex,” Riley says, nodding at the man with the full beard. “And Tyler.” They both nod their head in greeting, unsure of what to say.
“These are the other men in Nemesis. I trust them with my life, and more importantly… yours.”
Liz looks up at him, wondering if that’s what he meant to say. He must know by now her life is worthless. Before she can start to overthink as she so often does, Riley turns to her.
“I need you to trust us,” he says, rubbing slow circles on her hand with his thumb again. He nods to the men and they all walk away, leaving them alone in the headlights. His eyes search hers for any sign she will trust him.
She can’t stand him looking at her like that, so she quickly looks away.
“Bring it out!” He yells to his team at the back of the van.
The back doors creak open and Liz hears banging but can’t see the source of the noise.
Then, she hears it, the rattling of chains.
Her breathing picks up, heart pounding in her chest. Too many thoughts in her head to fight it.
She struggles to catch her breath, sharp pains pulsing through her chest. She looks to the source of the noise, seeing Mikey step from behind the doors, followed by a man with a sack over his head.
Everything slows, she watches the man, hands tied behind his back, ankles shackled, dust kicking up with every step he takes.
Then Alex and Tyler appear, following closely, their weapons ready.
She doesn’t understand what is happening, but when she looks at the man, she gets an uneasy feeling in her gut.
Something about him sends a chill through her body.
Slowly, Liz turns to Riley, and asks, “Riley… who the fuck is that?”
Riley drops her hand and walks to the mystery man, his anger igniting with every step he takes.
He approaches the man, stepping behind him and swiftly kicks the back of his legs, sending him onto his knees.
He grabs the bag, roughly ripping it off.
Liz looks on in horror, once again face to face with the monster who took everything from her.