I might be a damn sucker, but my instinct is telling me to believe her. There are many things that people can fake. But this level of desperation? The fear in her eyes? No one can fake that. She is an Avery, though. So, I need to handle this as cautiously as possible.
“Why me? I’m sure you’ve had plenty of other captives you could’ve asked.”
“They’ve watched you more the others. I didn’t understand why, but then I found out about your family’s history with them, and it made more sense. I’ve seen your work, and how ruthless you can be. No one else was up for the job. Plus, you practically have an army behind you. You’re my best bet,” she admits.
“Ah. So, this really has nothing to do with helping me,” I say more as a statement than a question.
“Well, you can’t really help me while you’re all tied up and drugged, can you?”
We lock gazes, trying to figure each other out. She does seem very determined, and her paranoia is obvious. Perhaps she is telling the truth. Maybe she can get me out of here and back to my wife. Ashia’s dissociated stare continues to haunt me. I’m constantly worried about her. I know her mind, and the tricks it plays. The words that constantly linger in the back of her psyche, and her past trauma, swing over her like a scythe ready to lash out. I can’t put all of my trust in this, but if there’s even a slim chance that she’s telling the truth, I have to dig deeper.
“How do I know this isn’t some kind of trick?”
She looks around the room again, and then she walks away to grab a remote off the tray. As if she were in a fit, she stomps around me and grasps my hair again, forcing me to look at the screen as she turns it on.
My spine twists as images of the Attic come into view, and I try to thrash again, but she yanks me back lightly, reminding me to listen.
“The feed they showed you last week? It wasn’t live, but it was a couple of hours old. This, right now, is live.” She points to the screen. “They had to show you older footage, because they can’t reach your wife while she’s at your base. It’s too fortified. Their equipment can’t penetrate the walls, and unless Sette wants to try and storm inside, he can’t get to her there.”
A wave of relief floods my chest, but she yanks again, making me wince. I’m assuming it’s to make sure whoever is behind that camera thinks I’m in pain. Which, I am, but she’s notcurrentlytorturing me.
“She did really good up until two days ago. Before then, she hadn’t left. I want you to be prepared, because they will use this against you, and as hard as it may be for you to wrap your brain around, theywillkill her. You cannot give them any reason to think that they’ve broken you. Do you understand? You need to find whatever fine line there is between doing what they tell you to and giving up. Because the moment they think they have you? They’ll kill her to ensure you have no will to escape. Do you understand?”
I blink once again, just a little bit longer, so she knows I’m listening. Her hand with the knife reaches around to press against my throat, and I stiffen.
“They’re going to test you soon, and tonight is going to be brutal. You need to mentally prepare yourself.”
“Just get me out of here,” I whisper through my bared teeth.
“I can’t yet. We have to wait until both DeLuca and Saconne are gone. Otherwise, there will be too many of them, and they’ll kill us both. The two of us couldn’t possibly take them all on, especially in your condition.”
“Too many of who?”
She stands and walks around to face me. The temperature in the room drops, and the look on her face is so grim that my throat tightens.
“There are a lot of things about Saconne and DeLuca that you don’t know about. Things even your father never discovered. If you think this is bad? Then you have no idea. The Society has more in it than just trafficking, and you’ll find out more the longer you’re here. Just remember what I said…” She reaches over to the table and grips the electrical prod they love to use. “I’m sorry…”
Without hesitation, she thrusts the stick forward and shocks me. The same burning, electric feeling shoots through my body, and the flashes come and go before fully fading to black.
Chapter 20
Ashia
‘Novocaine’ – Too Close To Touch, Bad Omens
“I still don’t understand what the hell we’re doing all the way in Williamsburg,” Zeke complains and crosses his arms over chest as he leans back in the passenger seat. It is pretty late, and we’re all tired. Well, except for Daisy. She’s sitting next to me in the back seat with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, enjoying the ride. It’s been a long day between searching for leads and renewing the contracts with the side businesses. I got to visit Emmett at home, and while that was nice, it only made me feel guilty. He had asked another one of the barbers to take over Cut Me Down’s operations, and while I feel bad that I couldn’t fulfill my promise to Emmett, I’m grateful for it. There’s no way I would have time to run the barber shop and look for Damien as intensely as I need to.
When I heard John was heading out to interrogate someone, I demanded to come. That pretty much volunteered Zeke to comeas well, because he won’t let me go anywhere without him. At this point, I’m lucky I can go to the bathroom without someone glued to my hip.
John turns to look at Zeke and scowls.
“Are you daft?”
“Well, that’s hateful,” Zeke retorts sarcastically. John then turns a little more to look at me before looking back at the road.
“How is my son friends with him?”
I just shake my head.
