Page 92 of Breaking Matt
"I wouldn't spend too much time thinking about Matthew. If I were you, I would think about what we're going to do to you. Your death will be slow and painful. I want your father to know how much you suffered."
With one last creepy, cold smile he left with Frank following closely behind.
My throat tightened and burned. The door shut and they locked it. I touched my hand to the aching part of my face as I slid my tongue over the cut on my lip. I hissed, feeling a sharp pain before I dropped my hand from my face.
I stumbled back and my back rested against the wall. This time knowing more about my situation made me feel afraid. The knowledge that I would soon meet my end was difficult to process.
Eliminated.The word kept repeating in my mind as I tried to catch my breath. I slid down the wall and sat down with my legs crossed.
The physical pain from the blow was nothing compared to the numbness inside. It crept through me, making me feel hollow and empty. It was as if the light inside me had been extinguished and now there was a darkness there that made me shiver.
I struggled to make sense of it. Images of Matthew smiling at me, kissing me slowly and hugging me, filled my mind. I remembered the feeling of being loved by him. It was like the tingle of the sun against my skin, warming my heart. He couldn't be gone.
I fisted my hands as my memories of him were tainted by images of him lying on the ground. Blood everywhere. I dug my nails into the palms of my hands, needing the physical pain to keep me together.
I inhaled sharply, trying to stop my emotions from suffocating me from the inside. The danger had brought him into my life and had taken him out of it.
I exhaled an emotional breath as a wrenching pain began to seep into me. Feeling the sting of tears, I put my fist to my mouth to stop myself, but I couldn't. They were powerful emotions needing to break free. One tear escaped down my face as I bowed my head, my hand still tight against my mouth to smother my crying.
I wouldn't be the only one to mourn his loss. An image of his family at the hospital appeared in my mind. My grief was made worse by how they would react to the death of their son and brother. It was the only consolation my own death would bring: I would not be alive to see them suffer.
I had tried to keep him safe by cutting him from my life but I had failed. Maybe I should have tried harder, but there was no use punishing myself over that. I couldn't go back and change things. What was done was done.
My parents would be devastated. I closed my eyes as more tears slid down my cheeks. It would be much harder for my mother because we'd been so close. She would miss me every day. My father would grieve but he wouldn't feel the same loss that my mother did. Or maybe his grief would be worse, knowing he was the reason why these guys had targeted me in the first place.
I still couldn't regret my decision to save Matthew. I could not have stayed at home and done nothing to find him.
Mark would be doing everything possible to track down his friend. He would take Matthew's death hard.
I bowed my head when I felt a wave of pain wash over me, leaving every part of me aching. Breathless and exhausted, I shifted slightly and lay down on the thin mattress, putting my hands beneath my head to pillow my uninjured side of my face.
I stared out into the darkness of the room as I wrestled with the fear of the pain and death that was to come and the loss of Matthew. While I lay there trying not to think about the threats from Leo and what was going to happen to me, I lost track of time.
Eventually, after what felt like hours, I drifted off to sleep.
Iwoke up with a start. Frank loomed over me. I pushed my hair out of my face and touched my bruised cheek. I winced. Despite having slept I still felt tired.
I was still disoriented when Frank pulled me up to my feet. Leo stood there, watching in an expensive suit. Crime clearly paid well.
I rubbed my neck, trying to get rid of the stiffness in my body. There was a wooden chair that hadn't been there before. The sight of the furniture did nothing to ease the growing fear I was feeling.
"Sit," Leo commanded. I refused. There was no incentive to cooperate. He had already made it clear I was going to die and it would be a slow, painful death, so there was no reason for me to go along with what he wanted.
Frank pulled me toward it and shoved me down. I glared at him, making it clear I wasn't happy with being shoved around, but he ignored me. My hand instinctively rubbed the area he had been holding. There would be bruises.
Leo paced a little in front of me. I had expected him to instruct Frank to beat me like he had before but this time he wouldn't tell him to stop. I was scared but I wasn't going to let them see that.
"I have a few questions for you." He stopped and turned to face me.
What on earth could I tell him? I remained tightlipped as I frowned, trying to figure out what he wanted to know.
"I need some information," he started. "If you cooperate, I'll ensure your death comes quickly."
Even without knowing what he wanted to know, I already knew I wouldn't tell him anything, no matter what he offered.
"I need to know the security setup at your parents' home."
My mind was already racing ahead with possibilities of what he would do with the information, and none of it was good.
