Chapter 27 Laynie
Isat on the floorboard of the SUV, clenching my calf. The bullet had only grazed my calf, but the pain was excruciating. It felt like my leg was on fire. I couldn’t believe I had gotten caught. Alek and Eddie left me in the car. I think they had seen Linc on the security cameras. Linc was right here, but I couldn’t move, I couldn’t think. Alek stomped my sides the entire drive here. After 20 minutes, I heard the back door open back up and Eddie was screaming in pain.
“Shut the fuck up already,” Alek said.
I could hear Eddie in the passenger seat in agony. I wondered what had happened. Did Linc hurt him? Where was Linc now?
“I have the doctor meeting us at the warehouse. It’s not life threatening, you’ll be fine.”
“I’m going to kill that fucking bitch and him.”
“Well, you’ll have your moment later, but I need her for something tomorrow,” Alek said.
I could see I was going to be blamed again for something Linc had done. How could I be mad at him, though? He was trying to save me. But in saving me, it appeared he was killing me…slowly.
We arrived back at the warehouse and I saw Eddie couldn’t walk. He had two bullet wounds on the tops of his feet. I smirked to myself, watching him hobble and whine like a fucking baby. Despite being shot, no one helped me out of the car or supported me to walk.
I shuddered when I entered the icy place of hell. They were so focused on Eddie right now; they didn’t even notice me standing in the corner. I saw my bed was empty again and I so badly wanted to run to it and curl under my sheet. It was unlikely they would let me do this, so I waited for my command. I held my right leg up and leaned against the wall. Every deep breath I took, I shuddered from the pain.
After dealing with Eddie, the doctor finally turned to me. “Is she hurt?”
“Yes, her leg. It’s just grazed. She’ll be fine.”
“I’ll give her a shot of antibiotics to keep any infections off.” The doctor was old but agile. I had seen him several times before. He always wore athletic clothes, like he just came from a run with his gray hair brushed backward. He was nice. I couldn’t complain and enjoyed seeing him despite the reasons. He offered me a weak smile when he approached me with an injection in his hand.
He looked down at my fingers and frowned. “What happened?” he whispered to me. “Alek,” I mouthed.
He understood and asked no more questions. When no one was looking, he slid a pill into my hand. “It will help with the pain.” He put his finger to his lips.
I nodded and turned my head, swallowing the pill without water.
I wondered how this sweet old man worked for these monsters. I could tell he didn’t want to be here and was afraid of Alek. He might have been just as a prisoner as me, forced to work for Alek under blackmail. Maybe one day I could free him too. I would ask Lincoln if I ever saw him again.
After the doctor left, someone propped Eddie in a chair in one of the heated offices. I saw him through the little glass window. Lying there with a blanket up to his neck like a little child.
Alek finally turned his attention back to me. “You dumb little shit. You see this fucking chaos you have caused me!” he screamed so loud the entire warehouse was silenced. I could see the girls huddling back to their beds in fear of being the target of his wrath.
I kept my head down, bracing for a blow. Instead, he grabbed me by the back of my hair and dragged me across the floor. My scalp was screaming. He led me to the front of the beds, so I was in clear view of every girl. He was going to make an example out of me and there was nothing I could do about it.
“I want to show you what happens when you try to escape, when you ruin a relationship with a client, or when you become defiant. Which this fucking bitch has done all three.” He pushed me flat on my stomach and put his boot on the back of my neck, holding me down. Another one of his men approached and Alek instructed him to put his boot on my wrist.
I cried out in fear of what was coming. For all I knew, he was going to chop my fingers off. I saw the pliers he pulled from his pockets and I screamed again. He ripped the remaining nails off of my fingers. This time, he did it slowly. He wanted to make sure I felt every ounce of pain. I screamed and kicked, but the boot he had on my neck just dug deeper into me the more I squirmed. I felt the vomit coming, but I couldn’t speak or warn them. It hit Alek’s shiny shoes, and he reared back and kicked me in my face with them.
“You disgusting bitch.” He dropped the pliers next to my head and walked away. I heard him say something else to the girls, but I couldn’t comprehend anything. I could feel myself losing my grip with consciousness until everything went black.