Chapter 21
Mikey steps around him and rips the tape off his mouth. Her brother, Jeremy, wastes no time before the shit starts pouring out of his mouth.
“I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!” he screams at the group of men surrounding him. “DO YOU KNOW WHO THE FUCK I AM?” He tries to stand.
Mikey pushes on his shoulder, keeping him kneeling.
He continues his rant, glaring at each of the men, personally threatening each one.
He turns his head and does a double take, turning back to stare at Liz, ignoring the men completely.
A dark, sinister smile spreads across his beat-up face.
“Hey, sis. How’s the family?” he asks, letting out a dark laugh.
Riley doesn’t hesitate before swinging his fist into her brother’s face, sending his head flying to the side, his body with it. Mikey reaches down and roughly brings the monster back onto his knees.
He spits a mouthful of blood at Riley’s feet before turning back to Liz, smiling to reveal his bloodied teeth.
“Do you know the problems you caused me? Do you have any fucking idea what happened when they ran me through their system? They found warrants and arrested me,” he says, eyes growing darker with anger at every word that spews out of his mouth.
“They dragged me back and threw me in fucking prison!” He screams at her, spraying blood and spit across the sand in front of him.
“I guess it wasn’t all bad. I met some pretty…
interesting people there.” Staring at her, smiling again as the tears roll down her face.
Seeing her hurt and crying only motivates him to keep going, tied up or not, he’s going to make sure she’s in pain.
“But you already met my new friends, didn’t you?
I hear you’re going to see them again soon.
You all are.” He cranes his neck to eye the men, who are exchanging confused glances, before turning his attention back to his sister.
“She screamed for you, you know. Screamed for a mommy who never came to save her.” His evil smile spread back across his face.
“She screamed and screamed. James didn’t stop fighting until I dragged my knife acro—”
He is cut off by Riley slamming his fist into his nose, a sickening crack echoing through the quiet night air. “Keep him quiet,” Riley says to his team before running to where Liz stands.
She can’t move, forced to stand there with her arms wrapped tightly around herself, a small stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. She takes a few deep breaths, trying not to vomit hearing about what he did to her precious girl.
“You’re a fucking asshole,” she says quietly as Riley approaches. “How could you bring him here after everything I told you? I know I fucked up. I made stupid choices out of fear and desperation, but this–” Liz waves her arm at Jeremy and the group surrounding him, “this is just fucking cruel.”
She turns, intending to walk away, but something stops her. She trusted him. She held back in the room when all she wanted to do was scream at him for leaving her. She put her trust in him, just for him to do this to her. She refuses to look at him, she keeps her back to him as she says,
“I trusted you, Riley. I trusted my whole fucking heart with you. I told you everything and you left me. I knew you had this reputation of some big scary soldier that everyone fears, the one who will do whatever it takes to hurt someone... but I didn’t think you wanted me to fear you, too. I guess I was wrong.”
Liz walks away, stopping next to the truck.
She takes a second to think about what she’s doing before she turns and walks into the desert.
She doesn’t make it far before she hears the soft thuds of boots crossing the sand.
Riley catches up to her moments later, grabbing her by the arm to stop her.
She whirls on him so fast her head spins.
Every lesson they had floods her head as she swings her fist at him.
Pain shoots through her hand as it connects with his jaw.
Mikey yells something she can’t make out, too flooded with anger to care about anyone else.
Riley lifts his hand in the air, signaling the rest of his team to stay put.
Liz pulls her arm back, attempting to swing again, willing to do anything to be free of him. Riley avoids her fist and grabs her other arm like it’s nothing for him. She glares at him, nothing but pure rage in her gaze.
“I fucking hate you,” she spits.
Holding her by both arms, he backs her up to his truck. She tries to pull her arm out of his grip. She didn’t plan on fighting him. She planned on walking into the desert until her legs gave out, but he took the choice from her. She yanks on her arm, attempting to swing again.
“STOP!” he shouts.
He backs her up a step, then another. Before she has time to process what to do next, she is being slammed into the side of Riley’s truck.
Arms pinned at her side, she throws her leg out, attempting to kick him.
All that does is open up space for him to slide his leg into, pushing her legs apart to keep her from kicking out again.
He steps into her, bodies unbearably close together, pinning her in place.
“Look at me,” he orders. The power in his deep voice sends a shiver through her. “Princess,” he pleads softly, the pet name being her undoing.
She drags her eyes to his, opening her mouth to argue, but he cuts her off before she can.
“Shh… Just listen.” He leans down, closing his eyes, resting his forehead against hers.
The thin metal of his mask grounding her.
“I’m sorry I left. I know I should have stayed.
I should have been there for you. You needed me and I left—After hearing about what that fucking animal did to you, to them…
” Riley lets out a breath, taking a second to compose himself.
“I snapped. The only thing on my mind was finding him.
I was going to kill him myself until I found him.
You weren't lying about his record, I just wasn't expecting to see his name pop up in our K.E.I.M database. I think he planned your kidnapping.”
He picks his head back up, searching her eyes for any sign she is really hearing what he’s saying. He drops her arms, trusting her to not attack him again. Reaching down, a small pop echoes through the silent night. In that moment, he places all of his trust in her.
Liz takes a deep breath, pushing their bodies closer together when she feels cool metal sliding into her hand at her side. She looks down to see Riley handing over his gun.
“I didn’t bring you here to suffer any more pain, love. I brought you here to finally end the cause of it.”