Page 52 of Eden's Joker

Even my dad’s face in my visions isn’t all good any more after hearing how Tyler had to witness his parents’ murder at the hands of my dad and the Devils.

I’m not naïve. I know who the Devils were before I was born. And who they have become again since this war started.

Stone cold killers for hire. I never liked that about them. I understand Tyler’s hatred and I don’t. Because I’d never use an innocent to get my revenge.

One thing no one told me happens when you’re being held captive is the swirling your mind does. Especially chained up as I am in a dark room. I’m also very hungry and thirsty, my head is starting to pound, and I doubt I could even fall asleep with my body all contorted in this weird sitting position.

Couldn’t he at least keep me on a longer leash?

And what’s he planning to do with me? Starve me to death?

I yank on the chain, but the pole he tied me to is solid wood and totally unyielding and the movement only makes the chain wrap tighter around my neck.

I’m not one for sitting still. The fact that I’m forced to is starting to drive me crazy too. No one tells you about that part either.

Or maybe I just haven’t been listening. Maybe I just haven’t been imagining being abducted properlywhen I heard victims talk about it or read about it in one of my books.

But frankly, who the hell would want to imagine this terror?

The door opens and my stupid, traitorous heart actually flutters in happiness.

“What do you mean to do? Starve me to death?” I bark at the door. “Or just bore me to death?”

The overhead light comes on and it’s not Tyler standing in the door. It’s some guy I’ve never seen before, with messed up blond hair atop a very handsome face. He’s only wearing jeans and a cut, no shirt, no boots and all the fear and panic that somehow didn’t come today floods me to the point of making the room spin and breathing become painful. I watch him approach, seeing him as though through a sheet of water.

This is it. The first rape of many. Just like Tyler promised. And there’s not a damn thing I can do to stop it. But I’ll try anyway.

I move as far away from him as the chain lets me, which isn’t very far at all.

“Not much breaking going on in here,” he says in a surprisingly un-threatening voice. I’d prefer it if he growled. It’s the same guy who carried me from my apartment and sort of answered my questions then. “Just as I thought.”

“No one’s gonna break me,” I say and I mean it, but I don’t know if I’m telling the truth.

“Who are you?” I added, belatedly remembering that I’m supposed to be friendly with these monsters. According to Roxie’s advice. But I don’t know if that’s gonna change anything. This guy probably hates me and what I stand for as much as Tyler does.

He reaches for the chain I’m bound with and I yank it out of his grasp. It makes him laugh.

“What? Do you want to stay chained up here like a dog?” he asks, showing me two lock picking sticks that shine gold in the overhead light.

“You’re just gonna chain me up some other way,” I say.

At least in this position I have the chance to get a few good kicks into his groin before he tries to rape me. Hopefully that’ll be enough to stop him.

He’s carrying a white plastic bag which I only notice as he tosses it on the bed beside me.

“I brought you some food and water, and thought you might like to use the toilet,” he says. “But if you’d rather stay chained up and wait for Joker, that’s fine by me. He could be a while though.”

He turns to leave and for a few moments I’m too stunned to speak. The movie playing in my mind, the one where I kick him in the balls repeatedly as soon as he gets close enough, is still playing in my head and I’m having trouble changing the channel.

“Yes, I do need to use the bathroom,” I manage to say before he reaches the door. “Please… please unchain me.”

He laughs at that too, but thankfully turns and comes back. “OK, but only because you asked so politely.”

He’s still chuckling as he makes short work of picking the padlock, then unfolds the chain from around my neck and wrists. But in the next moment, his face is dead serious as he jangles the chain in front of me, piercing me with a hard gaze. His angular jaw, aquiline nose and chiseled everything else makes him look like one of those pretty Greek statues. A blue fire burns in his eyes, but it’s a cold fire. His arms and hands are covered with tattoos, which doesn’t quite fit with his clean and cold demeanor. The tattoos don’t quite cover the old scars on his wrists. They look like he’d been bound once too. Maybe that’s why he’s untying me now, because he knows how it feels.

“Don’t do anything stupid like try to run,” he says. “This is a privilege. Abuse it and you’ll end up in the basement. And you won’t like that at all.”

I swallow hard and nod, which makes him chuckle again.

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