Page 33 of Stay Awhile
She crossed her legs, then leaned back in her chair with a smile. “I’m glad you asked. Honestly, you were never part of my immediate plan, but you sure know how to pick ‘em, honey. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I definitely had plans on scooping you and your siblings up later, but only if your parents stepped a toe out of line. They’ve been pretty good lately. It sucks that you’ve been dragged into this, but what’s that saying again? One bird, two stones, or something like that.”
I rolled my eyes, already exhausted from this shit. “The saying is two birds with one stone, but I’m still confused. Whatdo my parents have to do with anything pertaining to you or Knox?” I asked.
“I’m glad you asked—I do love telling stories,” she said. “You must be wondering where you are.” She swept her arm around the room with mock grandeur. “This is the Void. It’s where your beloved Knox was shaped into who he is today. Your parents created this place, turning unwanted children into warriors. While you were enjoying a normal childhood, these kids were sacrificing theirs to protect the liberties you enjoy today.
I shook my head. “No, you’re lying. My parents would never knowingly create a place where children were treated like this. Please don’t tell me this is the room they were forced to live in?”
Patricia rolled her eyes and waved me off. “Cut the dramatics. See, that’s what I’m talking about. You’ve been given so much that it’s easy for you to look down on others. They were built to survive. You couldn’t last more than a day in here before you would go out of your mind. Lucky for you, you don’t have a full day in here.”
“They shouldn’t have had to live like this! I know you weren’t sleeping on a thin ass mattress and concrete floors. You sit in a chair in front of me, wearing designer pumps, top of the line makeup, and your hair done, trying to lecture me, but honey, you benefited the same way I did. For you, it was worse. You knew whose backs you were getting the luxury from and didn’t give a damn. The smug smirk on your face lets me know you even enjoyed it. Being over children tormenting and controlling them gave you a sense of power. You’re nothing more than a sick ass old woman kicking her feet because the control she took years to build is slipping.”
The smug smile she once held dropped, and a scowl took its place. She hopped up from her chair so quickly it slammed against the concrete floor. Patricia reached back and backhanded me, causing me to hit the mattress. My musclestrength still a thing of the past as she gripped my now coarse hair, lifting me until my eyes met hers. I smiled, knowing I had finally rattled that little play of power she was trying to put on.
Soon, the lights in the room went out, giving my eyes a break from the constant blaring, as an alarm sounded, bouncing against the concrete walls.
“Ma’am, we have company!” the guard shouted.
I laughed aloud, causing Patricia to tighten the hold she had on my hair, pulling me into a standing position. My knees buckled from the sudden use of them, forcing her to help me back up. Red lights flipped on, and she was now staring at me with the deepest frown, but my laughter couldn’t be contained. It didn’t matter that she held a tight grip on my hair. The stinging from the hair I was sure she pulled out in anger didn’t change the fact that this was all ending soon.
“It’s not just one person, ma’am, it’s a team of six, and our guards are falling rapidly. We need to get to the helicopter pad now,” the guard instructed.
“No! I am the headmistress of this place and I will get them in order.”
“I guess those kids you trained to be warriors are back to hunt you. How funny is that?” I asked, then laughed.
She tightened her grip on my hair and turned to face me. “You won’t be laughing when this is all over. I will have order!”
I shrugged, no longer worried. Knox was coming for me. “It’s not my fault I got good pussy. He is coming to get me. You might as well just run like your guard is suggesting.”
Her jaw tightened as she turned to face the guard. “Lead the way to the playroom, then send the helicopter the place to meet us. It has an opening right above that room. Now!” she yelled.
I said a silent prayer that Knox got to me in time and that whatever she had planned for them failed as she pulled me toward the room.
BEFORE THE BLACK OUT… BACK TO THE VOID
The tripto the void was quiet, which was fine with me. I just wanted to get my mind stable and prepared to be in a place that brought me nothing but pain and turmoil. I was sure VC was thinking the same damn thing.
I always thought The Void was out of the country or a far distance away, mainly because any time we went on missions they would make sure we couldn’t see. I realized now they drove or moved us more than necessary, so none of us could retrace our steps.
After a three-hour plane ride and another hour drive, the sun still hadn’t risen, so it appeared as if it was night, although it was about three in the morning. Our twenty-four-hour window was still some time away. We didn’t plan on wasting a second of it.VC parked the car beneath a brush of trees along the long road that would lead us back to our past. I was willing to face anything to save Skye. She didn’t deserve to be a pawn in a game she didn’t understand.
We got out of the car and made our way to the trunk to get ready.
“You’ve been quiet this entire trip. You ready for this?” VC asked.
I snickered and then looked over at VC. “I could say the same thing to you. You know what we’re walking into.”
He smirked and nodded. “Touché.”
“Where the hell is all this backup you so called got in touch with?” I asked.
When one branch moved behind us, it caused us to turn around quickly with our guns drawn. Raven and Shiloh to step out of the brush, followed by Makena and Red Eye, each sporting a smirk, all but Red Eye.
“Did I hear the great Knox asking for backup? Hell must have frozen over,” Raven said.
We holstered our weapons and slowly walked over to them in greeting.
“Man, gone head. My question is, how the hell did he get y’all to come out here for my mess?” I asked.
