Chapter 37
“Come on.”
The lights flick on, bringing me out of the dark once again. Glaring back at them. Well, I’m actually not sure if it’s a squint or a glare.
“What?”
The cold from the ground is seeping through my clothing, mixing with the now-dried blood, and sending a chill through me.
“We’re going.”
“Where?”
“You don’t need to know.”
But I still don’t move; I just stare at the ceiling.
“Drew, get up,” Matthews snaps, walking over to me and pointing the rifle back in my face.
“I don’t care, shoot me in the face if you want.”
I watch the frustration grow in him.
“Get. The fuck. Up.” He snaps again, reaching down and hoisting me abruptly up.
It makes me laugh as I come face to face with him.
“I said it just to piss you off because I know you can’t.”
Stepping into me, he laughs again. “When the time comes. I’ll be the one who deals with you.”
“Aw, you’ve got a crush.” I continue to goad him.
“You’re a cunt.” He grunts at me.
“I’m aware.” Whispering back to him as I move towards the door.
I’m yanked back, and my body slams into his.
He holds me in place, flush against his body, his hand pressing against my stomach.
“You think you’re untouchable because of who your family is, but I have news for you.
” He pauses as his right arm snakes around me.
And I can see the barrel of his rifle as it points to the side.
I pace my breathing, doing my best to ease my anxiety.
His breath is heavy on my ear as he starts again. “No one’s untouchable.” The barrel slides between my thighs.
I can’t stop the wicked smirk.
Thrusting my head backwards, I can hear the crunch as it makes contact, and he yelps out. Gripping the barrel and twisting his hand until he screams. Gripping the gun, I shove it backwards, landing the butt of the gun directly on the dick.
“Fuck,” he coughs out, doubling over as I step in front of him with the barrel now pointing at him.
“Ya know, you can have a crush on someone without trying to assault them.”
“You bitch.” He coughs again.
“Oh, and by the way, I don’t think I’m untouchable. But what growing up in my family taught me is that the worst mistake you can make is to underestimate someone.”
When he looks up at me this time, he smiles.
Forcing myself to remain still as the cold metal presses against the base of my skull.
The fucking irony.
“Drop the gun.” The man from earlier tells me close to my ear. I can feel the cool metal graze my ear, just to let me know it’s there.
“No.”
“Drew, I don’t want to do it, but I will if you give me no other choice.”
“He was trying to —”
“Have a little sympathy for him; realize he’s used to having free-range here.”
“What?” I gasp out, the gun slipping from my fingers. Remembering the cells, the girl’s eyes as she looked out, begging me to help.
The laughter echoes in my ear. “Finally realizing where you’re at?
A smart girl like you thought you would have put it all together before now.
” Reaching around me, he grips hold of the rifle.
“Ya know, depending on how you act here, maybe we’ll just keep your friend alive, but we’ll get a better use out of her.
” I don’t want to let it go, but I’m not sure what choice I have in the matter.
“You’re fucking sick.”
“You know what happens when you’re treated like an animal for 20 years?” The old man leans into me so close I can smell his breath. “You become one.”
Reaching behind me, I hear Matthews grumble as he hands the gun back to him.
“Now move.” He tells me, pressing the barrel back into my back.
“Yes,” the older man says. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” I ask as I’m pushed into the hallway.
“Does it matter?” He glances over at me. “You can’t say no, and you can’t put up a fight because…” He laughs again, turning down a hallway to the right.
I follow behind him, not wanting to talk and knowing that the rifle’s still on me. Stopping abruptly, he nods next to us. To the large, hospital-like window that peers into the room.
Low lies on the bed with a tube down her throat, asleep. I can see the line on the monitor next to her as she hangs on.
“How do I know she’s gonna live?” I can hear the cracking in my voice as I speak.
“You don’t.” He laughs. “But if you try anything, she definitely won’t.”
“Where are we going?” I ask them as they open another door to a room.
This room isn’t what any of the others look like, it looks more kept. And I realize it’s the older man’s office. He’s been here the entire time.
“Is this what they mean by man cave?” making jokes to deflect from the fear consuming me as I scan the room, seeing the camera’s feed playing. I’m sure mine’s on here even if I can’t pinpoint which room is which.
Neither of them answer me; they just push me forward.
The older man pushes part of the wall, and I watch as it moves backward, exposing a tunnel.
The rifle propels me forward into the darkness.
It’s somehow colder than the cell I was just in; the walls are narrower than the hallway, and I can’t see anything until the older man takes out a flashlight.
It almost feels as if they’re just taking me further into the earth.
“You know,” starts from in front of me. “The MC isn’t the only one who thought of tunnels.” He laughs.
“No, shit. Pretty sure it goes back to ancient civilizations.”
The rifle presses harder into my back.
“What!?” snapping back at him as I turn my head and glare. “I’m just stating facts.”
“The problem is you’re talking.”
“Whatever.”
“That’s what’s always been the issue with catching the club. They’re smart.” He pauses. “Even the women are smart.”
I roll my eyes at the misogyny of it.
“Smart enough not to get caught. Their only downfall is their loyalty.”
“What?”
“Your mother would still be here if she hadn’t insisted on staying.”
“How do you know she was there?”
His laughter sends a chilling shock through me.
“Did you kill my parents?” It’s a whisper as I say it, not sure if I can handle the knowledge.
He doesn’t answer, just continues forward.
“Answer me!” I shout, lunging towards him, but feel a hand on me, yanking me backwards. My back slamming onto the ground.
“Get up.” The barrel back in my face.
“You’re smarter than that, Drew.” The old man says in front of me, not turning around.
The light halts as it shines on what looks like a door surrounded by the ground.
“Here we are.” He mumbles to himself as he grips the handle, pulling the door towards him and revealing some sort of room.
Panic is rising inside me. How are they supposed to find? I get that’s the entire point.
The rifle pushes me inside the room, and following behind the man as he turns to the left, walking towards another door and opening it.
This time it isn’t the rifle that pushes me forward, but Matthews. Gripping my arms, he moves me across the room and pushes me down onto the bed.
The same panic as earlier arises before I have to shove it back down, refusing to let him see my fear.
“Ow,” I mutter out as the chain smacks against my ankle, and then hear the lock close. “Why do I need this? When I’m already in the Earth’s core.”
Matthews sneers down at me.
“Have to take all the precautions.” The man looks at me from the doorway as he makes his way across the room.
“For wha —” the door cuts me off as it slams shut.
Flinging myself backward onto the bed, I stare up at the ceiling.
“Good job, Drew. Way to get yourself into a mess like this.”
Sighing, I roll onto my side. The sound of Eli’s voice as they burst through the bedroom door and he shouted no. I could hear the panic in his voice, the determination to get to me.
Now that everything is quiet… way too fucking quiet. I can’t stop the questions flooding my head.
Why did I call Eli?
Why not call either of my brothers?
But knowing deep down why, even if I don’t want to admit it to myself.
There’s no doubt that he went to get Z. Even after all the shit he talked about Z killing him. I knew he’d go to them. I just hope they can find me.
I know they’ve taken me out of the asylum; we’re somewhere completely different. So even if the club finds it, and takes it down, kills everyone, burns the fucking world to find me before the cops get there. They’ll still come up empty because I’m underground no longer in the hospital.
Slowly, I’ll starve to death with no one free or maybe even alive knowing where I am.
Goddamn it. That’s exactly why they put me here.
It’s fucking leverage.