Page 6 of Shadow's Heart
The problem is, even if they changed vehicles, I can’t pinpoint which one leaving that fucking area is likely to be the one holding Wreck, because in the time frame I need multiple fucking cars left that area, all heading in different directions.Sure, if we don’t find something else, I’ll track each car so we can send people to all the various locations they go, but that’s a lot of work that could lead to nothing. I don’t want to take myself away from searching for other information that could be more helpful. I’m only one person, and even as talented as I am, I can’t do hundreds of things at once. Some things can’t just be run in the background; they require me to actually do something, whether it’s watching, tracking, or hacking.
Hearing my cave door open, I glance over my shoulder and see Eagle and Rock entering. I’ve been waiting for someone to show up here again since they all left with Shadow earlier. I know they’ve all been dealing with the hissy fit Megan has been throwing since Shadow walked out. I may have been in here working away, but I could fucking hear her from here, so I may have looked on the cameras at what was going on.
I honestly couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Megan was screaming about how Wreck being missing shouldn’t be Shadow’s priority; she should. Like how self-absorbed can a person really be to not understand the impact her boyfriend’s best friend being abducted was having on him. How Wrath managed to not throw her out on her ass is beyond me. I’d have lost my ever-loving mind with her. Somehow though, he achieved what looked impossible and managed to make her understand just how selfish and unreasonable she was being. She needs to put Shadow first right now and support him. Hopefully Wrath’s words actually sink in, and she does just that. Shadow fucking needs it right now.
“Anything?” Eagle asks as soon as he’s standing directly behind my chair. Glancing at him, I see him run his hand over his short black hair, a sign he’s just as agitated and worried as the rest of us.
“Just the area where the van disappeared. It’s a camera blind spot.” I explain as I pull up a map and circle the area so they can see.
“They definitely had to have another vehicle waiting; there’s fuck all there.” Rock states as he stares at the screen. As always, his massive build seems to dwarf the size of the room, which is a feat considering my technology cave isn’t exactly small, but I suppose when you have a man built the way Rock is, what do you expect? After all, he is six foot six and as wide as he is tall. Yeah, no wonder he makes whatever space he’s in seem ten times smaller than it actually is.
“Yep, exactly what I thought too.” I say, agreeing with Rock’s thoughts.
“We’ll head out at first light and see what we can find out there, but I’m not hopeful.” Eagle says, sounding annoyed. Which I don’t really blame him for; we were all hoping and praying I’d be able to find a hell of a lot more than I’ve been able to.
“I wish I had more for you, but whoever took him is good. Like really fucking good.” I say, feeling fucking useless. I’m not used to failing at finding something to help.
“You’re doing everything you can, Tech. We know that.” Rock says, and I can’t help but feel relieved that they all see that. I hate not being able to give them more to go on.
“Right, we’ll leave you to it. Let us know if you find anything else out.” Eagle says, ruffling my hair before turning and heading out Rock directly behind him.
God, I don’t envy any of them right now; I’m having a hard enough time here using my systems to find information. I can’t imagine being out there searching physically and coming up with nothing. It all just fucking sucks. We’re all hurting from Wreck’s abduction; he’s a good friend to everyone, and we all care about him and his wellbeing, but I honestly can’t evenimagine what Shadow is feeling. It’s got to be one of the worst, if not the worst thing he’s ever felt. Knowing Wreck is out there somewhere, going through God only knows what. Yeah, it’s got to be driving him mad. I don’t even want to ever be in a position to know what he’s feeling.
Chapter Eight
Wreck
The sound of metal grinding on metal startles me from my sleep. I have absolutely no idea how I even managed to fall asleep tied up this way, but somehow I did. Or maybe I passed out; either way, I’m awake now and am once again face to face with the man claiming to be a member of The Khaos Group.
He stops in front of me, a sadistic smile on his face that I know means trouble, well, at least for me. I don’t even want to think about what he has planned for me. The look on his face right now is one I’m familiar with but have never been on the receiving end of. It’s the look Blade gets when he’s about to cause someone who deserves it a boatload of pain.
“Have you thought about why you’re here?” He asks, even though I can tell he isn’t really interested in what I have to say. He’s asking just for the sake of it, or maybe to play with me. Who the fuck knows what’s going on in his mind?
“It’s all I’ve done, but just like before, I have no fucking clue. So why don’t you tell me, What the fuck could I have done to gain the attention of The Khaos Group?” I ask, sounding just as aggravated as I feel. Probably isn’t the smartest thing I could do in my situation, but I can’t seem to help myself.
“You know, if I wasn’t absolutely disgusted by what you’ve done, I’d be impressed with your bravado.” He says, his voice hard.
I watch on as he opens a bottle of water that I didn’t even realize he had, taking a sip. Making noises to let me know just how refreshing that water is. So that’s his plan; start with the mind games. He’s got to know how desperate I am for a drink by now; it’s not like I’ve been given anything to eat or drink since I’ve been here, but fuck if I’m going to give him the satisfaction of begging for one. If he wants to keep me alive, he’s going to have to give me one eventually. He fastens the lid and smirks at me, and I wish I could get my hands free and slap that look off his face.
“I’ll help jog your memory. You fucked up when you went after someone I care about. See, while I may be a member of The Khaos Group, this isn’t official business; it’s personal. Not like that really matters though; personal or not, I’m still going to use everything in my arsenal to make you pay for what you’ve done.
“I haven’t gone after anyone.” I start to say. I’m not sure why I even bother, though. He clearly doesn’t believe me; his eyes flash with rage, and before I have a chance to speak again, he punches me, only this time when he unleashes his fists on me; he’s wearing brass knuckles and doesn’t stop at my face. He’s raining down punches wherever he can reach.
He clearly believes I’m guilty of what he’s accusing, and he isn’t going to believe my protests. No matter how true my words are. I have no clue who could have lied and told him I went after them. It’s all total bullshit, but it doesn’t matter what the truth is; whoever this guy is, he clearly believes I did something to someone he cares about and is determined to make me pay.
I fucking hate not knowing all the facts, especially when I’m on the receiving end of this man’s rage. He doesn’t fucking hold back. Every punch he’s throwing at me, he’s using his full power.Attempting to cause as much damage as he can. He pulls back after a few minutes and smiles darkly as he takes in the injuries he’s caused. Clearly he enjoys what he does, which I suppose is a good thing for his job with The Khaos Group but bad fucking news for me.
“Don’t worry. I’m just getting started with you. There’s a lot more pain to come. You’ll soon be confessing all your sins.” He says, patting my cheek condescendingly before stepping back and leaving the room. I hear the grinding of metal as he locks the door behind himself.
Everywhere fucking hurts. Taking brass knuckles to most of the body will do that. There’s no way I don’t look a total mess right now; I’ve got to be covered in bruises, cuts, and blood. This is just the start, though; by the time this man has finished with me, I’m going to be in a fucking state, if not dead. No, I need to be realistic. I will be dead because I’ll never confess to what he wants me to because I didn’t do it.
I swallow hard at that thought. I don’t want to fucking die in this place and never see my chosen family again. It’s not just Shadow; it’s everyone. When I joined Devil’s Inferno, they became my family, the family I chose. Yeah, I still had Dre, but I cut the rest of my family out for being flaming pieces of shit, more bothered about appearances and money than their children. I felt nothing when I learned they’d died in a freak accident when I was twenty-one. Honestly, I was relieved they were out of my life for good. They weren’t good people.
This isn’t the time to be thinking about them, though. All that is in the past, I made a new life for myself. I’m a successful tattoo artist who sometimes helps those who’ve been failed by the system. All things considered, the way I live my life should make all these men who’ve taken me potential friends. Ha, if only someone hadn’t told a bunch of lies.
Once again I hear the locks disengaging, only this time the door opens to reveal a different man than before. He is smaller and looks fucking young. If he’s older than eighteen, I’ll eat my left shoe. He looks like a goddamn baby. Like no joke, you know the people you see on the street and automatically think they have a baby face; that’s this guy. He’s tried to make himself look older by having his dark hair short in a standard military cut, but it really doesn’t help. Even though he looks and is clearly young, this isn’t a new experience for him; his face is totally blank, and he’s not at all affected by my state or the damage that’s been caused by who I’m guessing is his boss.
I watch as he brings in a tray with a bowl and bottle of water on and places them next to a mattress on the right side of the room. God, I hadn’t even realized that was there; clearly, I was too distracted by all the weapons on the other side to notice something as simple as a mattress. Once he’s done that, he heads towards me still showing no feelings and unlocks my chains, pulling me up from the chair and dragging me across the room towards the mattress. I don’t even try to fight him; I heard the lock on the doors engage once he entered. Even if I managed to fight this guy and win, I’d still be stuck in here; I might as well bide my time and save my strength. No doubt I’m going to need it in the future.
