Page 41 of Ricochet
No defiance.
No anger.
And, no pain.
She wanted a fight? I would give her war.
Time.
We always think we have time, but that’s just a lie we keep telling ourselves in order to feel better about wasted years behind us. I thought I had time to fix the shit I got myself into, to get Ava out of there, but life had other plans. Time is a fickle bitch. It tricks you into believing you have a bright tomorrow, but it never comes. The only thing you get is misery and years filled with regrets.
Even now as I was lying on the bed in a darkened room, my wrists tied together to the bedpost and my legs spread apart, chains on my ankles, I still thought I had time. Just enough time to do what I had to. I wasn’t afraid of them, at least not in the way that most people would be.
I was afraid of what being this close to Kieran would mean for me. I was scared the emotions I kept buried would erupt, and that the avalanche would swallow me whole.
I was fucking terrified that for the first time in my life, I wouldn’t be able to do the job I had to do.
The human body is an easy thing to break, but our minds are what keep us going, what keep us strong. I was afraid they would finally break my mind, and I very well knew that that was Kieran’s plan. He wasn’t going to let me go, not unless I was rolled out in a coffin. What they showed me yesterday was just the beginning of what they had planned.
The last four years have been like a walk through Hell for me, but the demon tormenting me didn’t have claws and bright red eyes. My demon was a ghost of a girl with a human face, a kind smile and an exuberant laugh.
We had an angel connecting all of us, and we failed to protect her. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one whom she haunted every night. It was there, visible in the eyes of her brothers.
The last four years gave me time to think. When you’re running away from your past and from the punishment they wanted to inflict on you, the only things you’re really doing are running and thinking.
But no matter how hard I wracked my brain about that night, I would always come back to ground zero. I had more questions than answers.
I started pulling on my restraints, but I knew it was futile trying to get myself out of here like this. I needed a plan, and if their bloodthirsty looks were anything to go by, I needed it fast. I didn’t have enough time to mess around.
Get myself out of these chains, get some sort of a weapon, and do the job.
I had no idea what time it was, but my bladder was screaming at me, and if somebody didn’t come soon, I’m pretty sure I was going to pee my pants. People seriously had to stop putting me in dark rooms knocked out and start facing me properly.
Oh no, wait. I know.
This was probably one of their lovely little mind games. I mean, they tried, I had to give them that. Isolated me, left me alone, I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to starve me.
“Fuckety fuck,” I grunted. The skin of my throat was burning, thanks to Cillian’s choking session earlier. I was still freezing from my little stunt outside, but I had no regrets. That was funny as hell, and thanks to that, I now knew that they had guards placed along the fence. Alejandro seemed like a cool guy, though.
Now if only somebody would come and get me, so that I could pee, it would be brilliant.
“Hello!” I yelled with as much strength as I could muster, but the only answer I got was the buzzing of the air conditioning and my shallow breaths. “Are you fuckers just going to leave me here? If this is your brilliant plan, I am highly disappointed.”
Come on. I was getting bored, and I actually wanted to have some fun. I didn’t haul my ass all the way to the East Coast for nothing. Their behavior yesterday—wait, was it yesterday?—was promising me a good time. Now they kept quiet. I didn’t like it.
“Seriously? Is this all you’ve got?” I huffed, the chains on my legs rattling with every movement. “Cillian!” I chuckled. “Don’t you want to play?”
I could bet on my collection of knives he wanted nothing more, but the party pooper, or well, Kieran, was probably stopping him. Cillian wanted me dead more than any of them, and I was counting on it.
He had a strong body but a fragile mind, and I wanted to pick it apart.
“Cillian! I know you want to see me bleed,” I continued taunting. I wasn’t a patient person, and I was pretty sure they knew it. Why wait? If they were going to fuck me up, they should’ve started already.
“You guys are all bark but no bite!” I wanted to feel their teeth on my skin. I wanted them to cut through, because when I got my hands on them, I wouldn’t be waiting to attack.
I was starving, freezing and if I fainted again, I would be extremely pissed. My stomach growled, and I had a feeling I would kick an elderly lady right now if she stood between me and food.
Just as I braced myself for another cheering-squad tryout with my yelling, the door slammed open, and I could see the dark shadow standing there. He was much shorter than the brothers, so it definitely wasn’t any of them. With quick strides, he came inside the room, crouching right next to me.
