Page 57 of Brutal Savior

“It’s okay. They’re a fucked-up thing Jacob put on me because he doesn’t want me touching myself. An alarm goes off, and they vibrate hard enough to give bruises if I keep my hand down there longer than ten seconds.”

Eve’s mouth drops. “Oh God. Don’t tell Gabriel. He’ll get a set for me.”

We both stare at each other, then burst out giggling. I’m not sure why, though it feels amazing to let go and really laugh. Maybe it’s a joint realization of how messed up this conversation is. To anyone in the outside world, it would sound insane.

Eve wipes at her eyes. “Sorry. You get used to weird things like this here.” She shakes her head. “I’ve seen some crazy sights in the refectory.”

I’m tempted to ask what they were, but Gabriel could be back any second. I glance at the door. “So, can I ask what’s the deal with you two? Are you just faking it, or do you really love him? And what’s with the collar?” I squint at it, looking at it properly. “Has it changed since the other night?”

Her eyes widen. She’s probably surprised by my bluntness—people often are, even in the real world. Here, people seem even more inclined to bullshit and talk in half truths.

She chews her lip. “It’s real. Me and Gabriel, I mean. I wasn’t sure at first if it was just a kind of Stockholm syndrome. But I wouldn’t leave him even if I could. I love him. When he first put the collar on me, I wasn’t sure about it, but now…” She touches the circle, running her finger along the edge. It shifts from silver stars to pink hearts. “I love it, too. He made it specially for me.”

Fuck. Well, that settles that. I’m tempted to ask how the color change happens, but another question pulls at me. “Don’t you miss being free, though? The outside world?”

She nods slowly. “I do. I’d love to be able to go back, even just for a few days.”

Her face falls, and a guilty lurch hits my stomach. She’s found happiness here, and I’m fucking it up by reminding her of what she’s lost. Maybe the reason Wards don’t talk about their captivity isn’t because they’re cowards. Maybe it’s because they’re too kind to keep reminding each other of it.

She brightens with what looks like an effort. “I get to do amazing things here, though, like working with Jacob. I’d never in a million years have been able to do the sort of work I’m doing here outside. To work directly with someone like him…it’s a dream come true.”

I frown. “Is he really that much of a big shot? Like that famous scientist guy, the one in the wheelchair?”

“Stephen Hawking?” I nod. “Not as famous as him, but in the biochemistry world, not far off.”

Well, shit. And he’s chosen little old me, who flunked out of chemistry in ninth grade. Why? If he wants a science buddy, he’s way off base. All that stuff puts me to sleep.

I want to ask more, but Gabriel pushes the door open. Eve frowns as soon as she sees him, seeing something on his face that I don’t. “What is it?”

Gabriel sighs. “Jacob’s had some bad news. His sister’s been in an accident and lost a leg.”

Eve gasps, and my heart lurches. Accident? After him being shot at? No. It’s too much of a coincidence. “Bullshit. Someone did it on purpose, didn’t they?”

Gabriel’s lips thin. “We’re not talking about this. Talk to Jacob when he gets back.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s gone to his grandad. He’s in his eighties and really upset, so Jacob is going to stay the night.”

Am I disappointed? Every logical bone in my body says I shouldn’t be. A quiet night free of any sort of sexual torture or punishment? Yay!

Except the heavy feeling in my gut says otherwise. Some stupid part of me had been looking forward to him getting home. To needling him and trying to get a reaction. Do I have a death wish? Maybe.

Sleeping without him is going to be weird, though. His big, solid presence has come to mean safety, even though he’s anything but.

"What will happen to me?" I blurt out. "Do I… Did he tell you to…" I can't even get the words out. I try not to, but I glance toward the bedroom where the cage awaits. Surely he wouldn't want me in there for the night. Not after what happened, especially if he wasn't nearby to help me. But I haven't exactly proven myself trustworthy either.

“He’s giving you another chance. You’d better not mess it up.” Gabriel’s face is set in hard lines, stern again. “He’ll call you later.”

The heavy silence is uncomfortable, the relaxed mood of the day shattered. Eve puts the movie back on, but the scares don’t seem so funny anymore. If someone is hunting Jacob and people he cares about, we could all be in danger.

After a takeout burger and fries that taste better than ninety percent of the food I’ve ever eaten, Gabriel and Eve wish me a good night and leave me alone. It’s too quiet without them, so I turn on Spotify on the TV and laugh at Jacob’s playlists. He’s into dad-rock, boring old bands from the seventies and eighties. Why am I not surprised?

I need to drag his taste in music, and home decor, into this decade. Maybe I’ll start with…

My thoughts screech to a halt. What am I doing? I’m making long-term plans, that’s what I’m fucking doing. Planning how to furnish my cage so it’s more comfortable instead of looking for the door. No. I can’t let myself fall into that trap. As long as I stay on my game, there’s hope.

I try the front door. Locked, of course. The windows next, though we’re on the third floor. Locked too. I force myself to keep looking, to search every inch of the place for a maintenance hatch or an air vent. The sort of thing people always seem to find in movies. Nothing.

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