And if I didn’t know that I was going to hell before,I do now.
She stands with an urgency that speaks to her desperation, and I hate that this is the first time I’ve truly offered her clean water and soap. Adalene deserves so much better than this. Instead of being steady on her feet, she wobbles with weakness, and I grip her bicep to keep her from falling. “Slow.” I offer, and she nods.
She sinks to her knees before the bucket, and I wish once more that I could get her out of this place. Offering her a bucket and bar of soap is pathetic, but it’s all I have for now.
Dale begins sobbing, with each pass of the soap and sponge, her cries growing louder and louder. And even though I know we’re alone, I can’t help but fear. In the end, if we’re caught, itwon’t be me who’s hurt. Marco knows me well enough that he knows hurting Dale would be more punishment than anything he could do to my own body.
Still, I need to fix this for her. No human should have to experience what she has, and I can’t live with the knowledge that she’s suffering. As she sobs, I quickly pour another bucket of soapy water onto the chair, mopping around it to clean away the filth that’s gathered.
Shame fills me so completely, I’m damn near bursting at the seams from it. And I should feel that way—this entire thing is as evil as it comes.
A broken cry fills the room, and I quickly move back to her, grabbing her elbow. “That’s enough. You’ll have no hands left if you continue,” I beg, afraid she’ll make herself bleed if she doesn’t stop.
“Can I…can I wash my face?” She doesn’t look at me. The fact that she feels like she has to ask is a knife through the heart.
I release my hold on her and nod. After she finishes washing at her face with the same ferocity as her hands, I extend a towel to her. She stares at it for several seconds and then shakily raises it to her face and wipes away the water. When she pulls it away, she looks at it again before breaking into a fresh wave of sobs.
Not knowing how long I’ve been down here, I whisper, “We have to hurry, princessa. I brought you water and some food.”
Dale quickly stands, wobbling back to the chair, staring at it for only a moment before obediently sinking back into it. I extend a plate of food toward her, hating that it’s not something better. Instead of taking the plate quickly, she stares at my opposite hand, the one extending a set of silverware, and another wave of guilt crashes through me.
What have we done to her?
With tremoring hands, I set the plate and silverware in her lap before taking several steps back. There’s no way she’scomfortable being around me—I’m not even comfortable being around me.When she begins eating, I let out a heavy breath.
“Why’re you guys doing this to me?”
My gaze snaps to hers, my mouth opening, but I don’t know what to say. There’s no justification that seems remotely worth the crime. Still, she deserves something, so I sigh. “They have to pay for what they’ve done to my family.”
“Who?”
In my soul, I know she doesn’t know; she’s not just not involved. She’s innocent in every way. We’re not only doing something evil, but we’re doing it for no reason.
I grab her nearly empty plate, feeling the need to get away from her gaze crawling over my skin like a thousand spiders. Without thinking, I say, “The innocent shouldn’t pay for the sins of others, and yet, she didn’t take mercy on him. Marco and Javier feel that we can’t either.”
Surprising me, Dale asks, “But you don’t?”
I shrug. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll suffer regardless.”
The words are barely a whisper, and yet, we both feel their weight.
“Aren’t you going to ask what I did to deserve this kind of punishment this time?” she hisses, and I’m grateful for her hate and anger. It’s the least I deserve. And if she can hold on to its heat, then maybe she can make it through the storm that still awaits her, to see the other side.
No matter what, I’m going to get her out, even if its the last thing I do.
“No one deserves this.” And then, I run from the basement and my demons who lurk there.
September 30th, 2025
If I have to sit in this sweat box a second longer, I might just die. Weak moonlight filters in through the small window of the bunkhouse, made weaker by the thick film of dust caking the glass. I stare as it dances across my naked chest, over the firm ridges of my whitened knuckles where I fist my hands on the bedsheets. Rage burns through me, making the heat of the late summer and the un-air conditioned bunk feel like the fiery pits of hell.
Valentina Reyes isn’t as viscous and simple-minded as I expected. She’s complicated and sad and desperate.Where I thought I’d find an evil bitch, I’ve found a broken one.
And I despise her for it.
I have to get revenge; if I don’t, I’m as weak as my brother always said I was. But it seems far less sweet when the revenge is against someone as complex as Valentina Reyes.
Just when I feel like I’m making progress, she surprises me.
