One of Annabeth’s shoulders raised and dropped. “My dad’s parents live in Wisconsin, but I was never close to them. I only visited them once when I was a child before my dad had a falling out with my grandfather. I don’t even know where they live or their phone number.”
“We will find them,” I pronounced, her gaze met mine. “I promise I will get you out of here.”
A flash of hope glinted in her eyes before her head dropped, and she went back to finish what she was doing. With what little movement I could manage, I helped her put fresh leggings on me.
“Thank you, again. I will not forget this, and I never make promises I don’t intend to keep.” A thin empty smile curved her mouth at my words. “Can I ask you one more thing?”
She nodded.
I gulped, forming my dreaded question. “What does Duc have you here for? You are clearly not a fighter.” Please, don’t let it be what I think it is.
Her lips pressed together, folding her hands in her lap. “Duc wants to have girls at the fights walking around and serving. He said my role would be more of an ambassador.”
The knots in my belly folded over themselves. Duc could sugarcoat it all he wanted, but I knew exactly what it meant. They were there to satisfy whomever Duc wanted to please in whatever way they desired. He was prostituting all of us one way or another.
At first, I’d thought coming back here was a mistake, but what if Annabeth was my reason?
I knew I couldn’t do shit tied up in this room. I wasn’t even sure I could do much from the inside, but I needed to try. But even if I could convince everyone to escape this warehouse, where would they go? Duc wouldn’t simply let them go, and they wouldn’t be able to hide at the Red Cross. The police had too much on their plate to do anything. Some of the girls might not even want to go. Their lives might be better and more comfortable here than they were before.
If I could get a few to safety, the ones who had families, who wanted to be free of this life, it would be good enough.
When Annabeth left and my legs were once again restrained, I knew what I had to do—let down my walls and release Ryker’s powers. The dream of arguing with myself rang through my memory. I was the one blocking them. I had to change not only my fate, but every girl’s here.
TWENTY-ONE
Sweat poured down my face, my concentration wobbling. Come on, Zoey. Try harder! So far I only was able to give myself a crushing headache. There was one moment I felt myself jump. I stayed inside the cell, but I jumped to the other side of the room then snapped back. It happened so briefly I was starting to doubt it even transpired. Still, it gave me hope to continue.
Deep down I understood what was really blocking me. I cared about Ryker. A lot. No matter how I tried to talk myself out of the fact or denied it, it was true. I would not let myself give it a name. I’d never experienced anything like this. It felt different from Daniel. This was the exact thing blocking me from taking Ryker’s magic completely. When I first met Ryker, I would have taken his powers from him, no question, no matter what it caused him. I could no longer do that.
Somehow, I was going to have to do it, and it killed me to know what the consequences would be after I did.
The room was perpetually pitch black, so I had no concept of time. But when my stomach gurgled past growling and my eyes grew heavy with sleepiness, the door to the cell unlocked and flew open. Generated light streamed in behind the figures, outlining them. Flashlights flicked on, blinding me.
“Get up,” a man’s voice barked at me.
The guards didn’t even wait for me to respond before they grabbed me and yanked me to my feet. Between the torchlight and the light outside the room, I could make out Duc’s slight form walking toward me. He looked exactly like I remembered, down to the suit he was wearing. The fabric was thinning from incessant wear. Threads hung from a few buttons, and it was wrinkled, but the man in the suit still held himself like he was in Armani. He had thick dark hair, small dark eyes, and a thin mouth. His face was strong, his cheekbones defining his angular face. Power and ruthlessness pulsed off him, instilling fear in those around him. I pinned my shoulders against the wall and kept my head up. I would not show I was afraid.
Maria stepped in the room after him. She also tried to hide her fear, although it seemed etched in her stance and her wringing her hands. “See, Duc? I got the Avenging Angel for you. I was not lying.”
He grabbed my face, his nails digging into my chin. His eyes ran over me critically. He had seen me at least once before—in the fight with Marcello—the one when I almost killed his star fighter. That night I had been adorned with wings and heavy black makeup.
“Yes, I remember you now.” His lips pinched. “You will compensate for the girl I lost.” Duc’s eyes drifted over to Hiro’s, giving him a nod. Hiro’s hatred for me grew in his expression as he clenched his jaw. “Your name will bring me money.”
It didn’t seem I was really needed in this conversation, so I kept my mouth shut.
He swung around. “Maria, announce her return at tomorrow’s event. She will fight in Friday’s match. I want flyers all over this town. Pictures of her if we can. Let’s increase the excitement and up the bets.”
Maria nodded obediently. “I have photos of her from the last fight.” She shifted from foot to foot, not looking at him.
“If you lose or throw this fight...” Duc grabbed my face again, letting the unsaid threat hang in the room. He did not need to continue on. I understood perfectly. The rumors of the types of torture he delivered would make men trained in combat weep. “You will be reprimanded. If you try to run, there is nowhere you can go I would not find you.” Duc motioned to the guard next to him. “Release her.”
“What?” Maria bolted forward. “Sir, I don’t think that is wis—”
Duc shot her a look, slamming Maria’s mouth closed. A creepy smile grew on his face as he stared back at me. “I think she comprehends what disobeying me would entail. Don’t you?” His fingers nipped at my chin. “Keep the monitor on her if it makes you more comfortable. But she will eat, sleep, and train with the others... and do everything I say.”
A guard unlatched my restraints. Then Duc swiveled around and proceeded to the door. Maria glared at me before following Duc. The sound of the group marching down the stairs echoed in my chest as I fell back against the wall and slithered to the floor.
Every moment I could spare, I was going to work on getting out of here. It felt like the moment I stepped into the ring, Duc would truly own me.
I would forever be lost.
I peeked through the curtain at the hordes of people packing the warehouse, chanting and cheering at the two girls in the center of the fighting ring. My legs trembled as the shouts of the crowd escalated.
Training filled almost every waking hour till the night of my fight, leaving me exhausted. I could barely focus on trying to jump, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. Whatever was blocking me held firmly in place.
Another roar of the crowd skated over my skin, giving me shivers. The energy all around pumped against my spine, dancing my legs about. Screams and bellows of the enthusiasts vibrated against the walls of the abandoned warehouse. Duc had taken the fights to an industrial area by the railroad tracks, a good forty-five-minute walk south of Seattle. From the unrelenting line still flooding through the door as hundreds of bodies and shoving themselves into every free space around the ring, the distance hadn’t deterred them.
It wasn’t the fight causing my nerves, but the sensation of human energy drenching me, like I had electricity coursing through my muscles. Getting a high off energy was normal for humans. What I felt wasn’t. Like the night Ryker’s powers were hurled into me, I could feel my body absorbing the force coming from them. There were fae around too. Their multicolored auras blinked constantly through the mass of people. I shouldn’t have been surprised; many dark fae lived off energy like this. Wrath, greed, pride, envy, and probably lust dangled in the air like dust partic
les.
Even in a month, the fight scene had tripled. At first people thought the devastation in Seattle would be temporary, but hope was dwindling, and the worst in human nature was taking precedent. More people were desperate for an escape from the life here in Seattle.
Fae were probably having the time of their lives, loving this new turn of events, which created even easier victims. I could no longer exclude myself. I was also sucking up the human energy, like a sports drink powering my adrenaline. I could now see why fae were addicted. It was an unbelievable high. Maybe I should have been shamed by my thoughts, but things were not cut and dry to me anymore.
The crowd gave up a final cheer or hiss, the fight in the ring coming to an end. Energy circled, tumbling nervously around in my stomach.
The opening fights were over, now it was time for the headliner to come on stage.
“You’re up.” Maria pulled me away from the curtain, placing the mask on my face, letting the bands snap on my ears. Carlos stood guard at the doorway. The crowd on the other side of the curtain chanted a shortened version of my moniker.
“AN-GEL!” The pounding of feet and hands set the rhythm of my heart.
“They are riled tonight.” Maria came around, straightening the wings on my back before kneeling down and releasing me from my charged ankle shackle. “You better not fuck this up. And if you try to run. He will hunt you down and kill you.” Her threat would have meant more if the real fear for her own life didn’t break through, flooding her demeanor. She stood and walked over to the table, grabbing something out of her bag.
She tilted the needle up, tapping the air bubbles out of the syringe with her fingertip.
“No.” I stepped back.
“It’s merely vitamins.” A smirk rolled her mouth.
“Vitamins, my ass.”
My feet struggled to maintain their ground as she walked to me. Whatever she injected me with last time had caused withdrawals, nausea, and a fever.
“You will thank me later, when you are numb to the pain.”
I shuffled back. “No, I don’t want drugs.”
“It’s not heroin.” She advanced toward me. “We don’t want our girls becoming junkies. This merely gives you energy and dulls the pain.”
A set of hands came behind me, pinning my arms against my body. Carlos locked me in place. Maria was fast, jabbing me with the needle before I could wiggle out of Carlos’ hold. I sucked in a hiss, my eyes narrowing on her. She patted my arm with a cotton ball and flashed me a smug grin. The heat in my veins was instant, working down my arm and across my chest.
“Ladies and gentlemen...” The room filled with the announcer’s voice. It was the same guy who introduced me last time. His words rose and fell with emphasis, rallying the audience and teasing them. “Descended from the heavens above, our own fallen messenger has come back to fight for us. Let’s all welcome... THE AVENGING ANGEL!”
“Okay, it’s time.” Maria swung away from me and opened the curtains.
The rush of blood to my ears almost drowned the cheers. Hundreds and hundreds of people jumped up and down, creating rolling waves. Signs and hands jostled around, making me nauseated with adrenaline.
This was all for me. Well, not for me, but for the hope I gave them.
The poor girl they had me fighting stood to the side, adorned only in a red cape and mask, in some pathetic excuse for a superhero. She was tall, lean, and fit, but her body didn’t look like being this thin was natural for her. Her sharp cheeks protruded as if malnourished. She pinched her mouth together and raised her shoulders with determination. But there was no denying the terror in her eyes as she watched me walk toward her, my green eyes ringed with black kohl and my wings flapping behind me like I was about to take off into the air.
I had seen her around the warehouse. Duc owned almost all the underground fighting girls. We ate, slept, and trained together. Some becoming friends. Then we would have to turn those feelings off and become machines, tearing each other apart in the ring. In this modern day, we were no more than gladiator slaves, fighting for the money and amusement of our “owners” and the masses.
This girl, whose named I never learned, was nowhere near my league. It was exactly how Duc wanted it. My first fight was merely pageantry. Over time he would build up my opponents, wringing money from the spectators as excitement grew.
Duc walked to me with his two henchmen who kept their eyes roaming for any sign of a threat. “You make this fight last.” Duc tugged at his shirt cuffs, keeping his voice low and threatening. “People paid good money to see you fight, and I want them to keep paying.” His dark gaze took in the hordes. “Next week I will introduce my companion girls for the top donators. Give them a show so this crowd and the bets will double.”
Annabeth. My fists clenched until my nails cut into my palms. Biting words rolled around on my tongue. What he was doing to all of us was bad enough, but I was disgusted by his attempts to groom naïve, sweet girls like Annabeth into escorts.
Duc walked away.
The light around the warehouse from the generators darkened as the spotlight on the ring intensified, and I stepped inside. Maria came to my side, liberating me from my mask and wings.
The ground shook as people pounded their feet on the cement, crying out as I stepped into the ring.
Then the tall brunette strode to the opposite side, bringing up her arms in defense.
The two of us circled each other. The adrenaline from the crowd, now running in my blood, bounced my feet excessively. It took all my concentration not to take her down right away. She had several weaknesses, which were like beacons. Comparable to a bad poker player, she did a double bounce and hesitated every time she went in for a hit. To keep the fight going, I let her get in a few strikes. Never fun, but it was something I was used to.
The crowd gasped when she clocked me in the eye and then split my lip. My retaliation caused her ass to hit the floor with a thump.
“Get up,” I mumbled to her when she didn’t jump back up immediately.
She slowly climbed to her feet, the fight gone from her shoulders. She put her arms up, with little effort to block me. “Hit me,” her soft voice pleaded.
My gaze turned to her. “What?”
“Hit me.” Her expression held a sadness. “Just end this. I am so tired of fighting.”
My gut wrenched. Something in her demeanor told me she wasn’t merely talking of this match.
“Just end it. Give them what they want and Duc a good show. Make sure it’s a good hit.”
I heard a lot of talk, excuses, taunting, threats, but never had someone’s words knocked me off my game. Staggering back, I let my arms drop.
The girl glanced around nervously. “What are you doing?”
Low booing hummed in the air.
“Come on. Do it. Now,” she hissed. Her forehead lined in frustration. “Hit. Me!” She stepped into my face, shoving me.
“No.” Normally I would have no problem, but her sorrow ripped the bloodlust from my chest. It felt wrong.
“Come on.” She pushed me again, her brown eyes narrowing. Then she did something I wasn’t expecting. She grabbed the back of my head and pulled my face into hers, our heads touching. “Pleeease!”
The desperation in her voice tapped at my heart. “Okay.”
“Thank you,” she whispered and pushed off me. The crowd’s boos turned to cheers as the fight looked to be resuming.
While she bobbed around me, I shut my eyes and swallowed before I lifted my lids. I didn’t have it in me to truly hurt her. I never “professionally” fought someone this far below my level and who didn’t want to be in the ring. This entire fight sat wrong with me.
My punch was light and only knocked her to the side. I dug my elbow into her gut, crumpling her to the ground, and leaped down, looking like I would continue to hit her.
“I’m sorry,” I leaned over and whispered into her ear.
She snorted, blood pouring from her nose. “
One more. Duc won’t be happy until you knock me out cold.”
I bit down on my lip and nodded.
I was about to strike one last time when I felt a sensation come over me. The awareness of one pair of eyes, among masses, on me, like the last fight when I looked up to see Ryker standing there, still alive. My head jerked up, my gut twisting with hope. Did Ryker find me?
My gaze locked on a pair of familiar green eyes.
Oh God.
I blinked, wiping the blood and sweat from my face. Please, no. But there was no denying it. Garrett stood across from me at the edge of the ring, his gaze fastened on me, a rolled flyer in his hand.
Of course. How stupid of me to think it was only Duc and Maria I should be afraid of here. Flyers adorned with my picture filled the city. Even with wings and a small mask, it was not hard to make out my face.
The redheaded Irishman worked for Vadik as his lead henchmen. No one had met Vadik in person; he used Garrett and his men as his face and muscle. It had been more than a month since I last saw Garrett searching for me at a Red Cross. I’d gotten away only by luck and glamour.
Both of those had run out...
Finding me was surely Garrett’s big break. Now he could locate the Wanderer. Ryker might not be physically in Washington, but if Garrett captured me, he would find a way to let Ryker know he had me. If Garrett caught me, it was all over.
A slow smirk twisted Garrett’s lips; his eyes ignited with delight. There was nothing that would get in his way of acquiring me. Not even Duc could stop Garrett. No human could.
He nodded and his men stepped to the boundary of the ring. My skin prickled as fae surrounded me.
“Finish her!” some of the crowd barked at me. The other half were chanting, “Angel.”
Their words fell off me as I blocked out anything but the fae coming for me. It was now or never. They would only wait until the fight was over to grab me, so I had to move immediately. I took one last breath, then bounded up off the girl and darted into the throng of onlookers. The disbelief at my irrational behavior only lasted a beat before the place broke out in chaos. The slight advantage was not something I could waste. I shoved and elbowed my way through the first layer of bystanders. Most stood in shock, but I felt Garrett’s men moving, propelling quickly toward me.
The Barrier Between (Collector Series # 2) Page 22