Page 7 of Brutal Captivity

“Yeah… well what would makemehappy is chopping off your hand and sending it to him with a bow,” I respond, picturing his pretty hand with his priceless rings in a nice little box post stamped to his daddy.

“You w- wouldn't,” he stammers, his entitlement slipping a little bit. Maybe it’s finally getting through to him that he has been kidnapped. He’s not at some five-star resort ordering room service. He is in a warehouse where we keep prisoners and torture people. He is among killers.

“Do you want to try me?” I ask, looking at the door as if he can somehow see me.

There’s a pause. I can almost hear him recalculating who I am and how dangerous I can be. His formula better be right, because the only thing keeping him alive right now is his money. Figures.

“Maybe I do,” he says, finally, softer now. His voice lacks his normal bravado. It’s more analytical, with a touch of fear and defiance.

Fletcher snorts under his breath, and I seethe.

I hold out my hand, not taking my eyes from the door. “Knife,” I demand through gritted teeth. I don’t actually wanna carve up the golden goose, but he needs to remember where he is. Who I am.

“Leo…” Fletcher breathes, hesitating as he looks between me and the door.

“It’s an order.” I stare at the door, my nostrils flaring.

“Sure thing,” he finally responds, and the firm handle of a knife presses into my palm a moment later.

“Are you gonna use it to chop my salad?” he asks, the bravado in his voice back and stronger than ever.

“No, I’m going to use it to carve out your voice box so you can no longer speak,” I hold the knife in line with the window at the very top of the door. Then I use my card to unlock the number pad next to the door, fully intending to follow through with my threat.

“I-if you cut o-off body parts, then you definitely won’t see a dime,” he says. There it is. Fear. Clear and sharp beneath the bravado. I want to sink my teeth into it. Consume it like Callisto seems to be consuming my control.

“We just have to return you alive. We won’t say anything about one piece.” Callisto doesn’t have some witty response or entitled request. For once, he says nothing. Not because of restraint. His silence is because ofme.

four

“I’m sort of a nobody.” - Callisto

Tuesday Afternoon...

“Aretheygoingtokill us?” Nico’s voice is tinged with fear, and his eyes are shiny with unshed tears.

“If my father doesn’t pay, they will,” I respond, my tone as melancholy as my mood.

When they first kidnapped us, I still had hope. I still had dignity. Now I'm considering using a toilet in the corner of a room with zero privacy. In front of my assistant of all people.

Something about Leo’s last words deflated me. Made me realize that maybe we aren't going to get out of this unharmed or even alive. Until he said that, I had never considered my own death. Then he just… left. Left me with my thoughts and nothing else. Death is lonely, but so is life. I’ve filled my life with objects and a body that I can’t take with me.

Nico is with me, but that doesn’t feel less lonely. I have lived my life as a good person. It still doesn’t matter. I am almost obsolete in the world. Do I even exist if no one notices I’m gone?

“Will he pay?” Nico’s voice breaks through my spiraling thoughts. I pull my shaking hands away, my throat tight. Death is cold and lonely. I am obsolete in the eyes of death. Everyone dies eventually.

“I don’t know.” It’s a lie. He won’t, but I still try to put a bit of hope in my tone. I don't succeed, the words coming out dark and stilted.

Earlier, when I spoke to Leo through the door, I acted brave for Nico’s sake, but now I’m scared. Well and truly scared. I know Leo was surely going to make good on his promise and mail my hand to my father. I couldn’t stop goading him. If I am going to die. I’m going to die telling my killer exactly what I think of him. It won’t make a difference in it anyway.

That conversation feels like hours ago, but I can’t be sure. The room we are in doesn’t have a clock, and there is no window, so I can’t even tell what time of day it is. I look around the room again, searching for anything that might change. We were brought in by the other two guys who are Fletcher and Evan.Fletcher searched us both, even though it wasn’t necessary. We were taken in the middle of the night in only our pajamas and our robes. They barely gave me a chance to put shoes on.

The room they placed us in is spacious with two cots and a small table. Not much else. My stomach grumbles every few minutes, having skipped breakfast and maybe even lunch. I wasn’t kidding when I told Leo I wanted a salad.

“I doubt they’re going to just let us walk away,” Nico says, and I snap back into reality. I glance at him, then look around the room, noticing cameras in each corner. We are being recorded.

“Probably not. You heard them. They want money from my father. I can maybe offer them money, though. Probably not as much, but he won’t give them any.” I have money. I probably have enough for a small family to live off for the rest of their lives in my trust fund alone.

“Do you think they will agree to that?” Nico’s dark brows are drawn in thought.