Page 6 of Saviors

“She wasn’t willing.” I growled. “I thought we were done with this shit.”

We’d pushed Craig McCabe out of our city months ago. We might be criminals, but we had a line. He crossed them all with a smile on his face. I knew we should’ve executed him.

Ivette closed the door behind us as we stepped into Reid’s office. Connor placed the girl on the couch. Pieces of her black hair clung to her soft cheek. They were stained a light pink like her lips. Her dark lashes made shadows over them.

She looked serene now. But I knew the anguish would come. As soon as she woke up, the world would shatter around her. If it hadn’t already.

The sudden urge to protect her roared up inside me. I’d do anything to take away her pain. To reverse what had been done to her.

Connor stared at her with an expression that mirrored mine. “I have a feeling we’re just getting started.”

4

Violet

My head pounded with enough pressure, it felt as if my eyeballs might explode. The sounds floating to me seemed like a drum roll bouncing along my skull. I couldn’t distinguish if they were coming from my brain or something else.

Everything was always fuzzy. I was in a constant state of drifting in and out of consciousness. Waking up to my worst nightmares, then falling into fantasies of freedom when I slept. The line between reality and dreams blurred completely.

I liked to pretend none of it was real. That the horrible things done to me were a hallucination I could escape. But they weren’t.

I’d never be able to invent the torture I’d gone through. Before this, the worst figments of my imagination had been about dying. That was like a vacation compared to what I was living.

I was safe when I slept. When I opened my eyes, that’s when the real horror began.

So I kept them closed tight; hoping it would stop what was coming. Wishing I’d wake up back home in my studio apartment. Praying for a delay in the inevitable. Just a tiny moment of peace.

“I still can’t find her name.” A female voice filtered through the noise.

My eyes popped open. It had been so long since I’d heard another woman. My body was the next to jerk alive as I shot up.

“Oh.” She gasped, stumbling back. A hand flew to her chest as if I’d scared her. “You’re awake.”

My gaze bounced around the room. It wasn’t my closet with its bare beige walls and tight corners.

The space of this office felt like a football field to me. There was deep red carpeting, a sleek black desk and two armchairs. On the walls were shelves full of black sculptures and books. In front of the burgundy leather couch I sat on was a black coffee table that matched the desk.

Dim lights were visible through the wall of windows, but I couldn’t see what was beyond. “Where am I?”

“A club.” My heart plummeted as a deep male voice spoke.

Sweat broke out along my body as my head whipped to the side. Three men stood like sentries by the door, leaning against the wall. My mouth went dry as I tried to remember if I knew them. If they were a part of my captivity.

If they were, then I couldn’t speak to the woman. I couldn’t beg for her help.

The oldest wore a suit, no jacket. He had dark swept back hair that was a stark contrast to his piercing blue eyes. They were so clear it gave the illusion of looking into a crystal ball.

Next to him was a guy who looked younger, close to my twenty-eight. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. His blonde hair was messier, as if someone had run their fingers through it. He was leaner than the first, but with enough muscle to make my throat tight. His eyes were hazel, but only slightly less intimidating.

The third one was the youngest and largest. He didn’t wear a shirt, so it was easy to see the thick muscles rippling under his tan skin. His thighs were like tree trunks visible under his nylon shorts. His shaved dark hair and tattoos fed the image of someone reckless.

“Who are you?” My scream came out like a croak. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, telling me to run. If I’d listened to that instinct before, I might not be in this situation.

I scurried further back on the couch. The armrest hit my spine. Goosebumps broke out on my skin as the fabric covering me slipped with my frantic movement. My fingers shook as I tried to grab it.

The familiar effects of the drugs wearing off slid through my body. I’d been in a state of high or withdrawal for so long I’d lost track of time. Of place. As far as I knew, we were in another country. Another life.

“The owners.” The older one said. “I’m Reid. These are my brothers; Connor.” He nodded towards the blonde. “And Maverick.” He indicated the shirtless guy with tattoos, “And this is our manager, Ivette.”

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