A buzzed echoed in the room. He quickly hit the button on his phone once more. "Yes?"
"It's ready for you, Sir. Interview room 1."
"Excellent."
Silas stood from his desk and checked the monitors once more. Hailey was still out. He suspected she would be for a few hours longer. After his workout he might be able to grab an hour or two himself.
After closing down his computer, he left his office to see who his unlucky victim would be tonight.
*****
Hailey woke to a deep purring echoing in her ear. Her head was pounding as it always did when she ugly cried, and her eyes were so puffy she could barely open them. A hollowness filled her. There were no feelings or thoughts, those things just couldn't exist inside her any longer.
The source of the purring shifted on her head and she caught a mouth full of fur. Pushing the animal off of her she sat up. It was a cat posed in such a way that made him seem somewhat regal. His ebony fur had a slick shine on all but the small white patch of fur on his chest. Hailey closed her eyes and rubbed a hand over them. Somehow this cat had made its way into her locked and guarded room to sleep on her head. When she opened her eyes again he was chiding her for moving with his yellow eyes. The cat looked at her as if she was an inferior species, and at that moment, she almost believed it.
"Um…sorry?" she told the cat. It blinked in what she could only guess was acknowledgment of her apology. Hailey patted the bed until she found the remote and opened the blinds she shared with Alex. He was awake and surprised to see her. The surprise quickly moved to pity as he took note of her appearance.
"What is that?" Hailey pointed at the cat who glared at her finger.
"Heh, that's Boo," he laughed and tapped the glass. Boo's eyes moved from glaring at Hailey to choosing which murder plan he would go with for Alex. "Boo doesn't like me, but I don't think he likes anyone unless they have food in their hands." At the mention of food, Boo's tongue slid out and gave a lick around his mouth.
"Boo? Really?" she asked unimpressed. "That's the most unoriginal name for a black cat ever." The cat swished his tail in agreement. "Why not something like Dark Lord or Batman. Hell, Mr. Skittles would be a better name than Boo."
Alex chuckled. "I think if you called him Mr. Skittles he would disembowel you in your sleep."
Hailey glanced back at the cat. The death stare was now directed at her. "How did he get in here?"
"He comes and goes as he pleases. Not really sure how he gets in, but he does. I personally think there is something a little supernatural about him, but Silas assures me he is just a normal house cat." The feline in question narrowed his eyes at the statement. Hailey wasn't so sure he was just a cat either. Those eyes held more than thoughts of catnip, like world domination. "No one really knows if he is even Silas's. We all just put up with him when he decides to show himself."
Hailey held out a hand and Boo looked as if to say, "What do you expect me to do with that?" She gave him a scratch under the chin and the purring began again.
"Huh, seems like he does like someone after all," Alex commented in awe as Boo stepped in closer to Hailey. After the novelty wore off of seeing the unofficial dungeon master get petted, Alex asked, "You ok?"
"If by losing all sense of emotion is ok, then yes, I'm peachy."
"They could be wrong, the pictures that is. Maybe they were taken out of context."
Hailey picked up the picture of their first date that was on her nightstand and showed it to Alex. "He was kissing his ex-fiancé. There is only one context there and it was pretty fucking obvious."
"You're right." He held up his hands in defense. "It just smells like a setup to me."
She didn't want a guy's point of view at the moment. She wanted a girl who would insult his manhood and feed her chocolate. Boo nudged her hand when she had stopped petting him and gave her a look of "you're done petting me when I say you're done."
Instead of a girlfriend, she had a Y chromosome and a cat with plans of world domination to sympathize with. Oh lucky her.
"Heads up," Alex said before a brief knock sounded at her door. Silas walked in and Boo immediately jumped from the bed and pranced out the door between his legs. Silas shook his head in wonder as the cat left.
"I'll never understand that cat. The other day I found a partially dead mouse in my shoe. It was still twitching when I had gone to slide my foot in. I looked up and there was Boo in the middle of the room looking pleased at the gift I found. I would have gotten rid of him months ago but we have a strange understanding." Silas turned back to Hailey with an apologetic smile. "Know why we call him Boo?"
She shook her head. Hailey should care that she looked like the elephant man after her previous night of crying, but with that no feelings thing she had going on, she just couldn't find a shit to give. "Why?"
"Because he just sneaks up and scares the shit out of you."
"Makes sense." Hailey caught a glimpse of his hands that were bloody and raw. She tilted her head slightly trying to figure out when that had happened and who had been on the receiving end of his fists.
"Just releasing some energy," he said when he caught her looking. "I actually came by to tell you I'll be out for a day or two. There is some business I need to attend to."
"Ok, have fun." She really couldn't care less even if his business was with Cher.
"I won't be long. We'll see about getting you better accommodations when I return. Be well, Hailey." After a long look of regret on his part, Silas turned and left.
About an hour after Silas had gone, a banging sounded at her door. She ignored it and settled further into the comfort of the bed. She hadn't been sleeping, only staring at the opposite wall. Her mind deliriously blank of everything. The pounding came harder a second time, enough for her to flick her eyes to the door and back to the wall.
The blinds opened on the wall with the door. Outside stood the one guard who seemed to hate her and he was holding a tray of what must be her breakfast. In his other hand he held a controller that looked an awful lot like hers. The door swung open and he strolled inside. She rarely saw the guards since her blinds were in a constant state of fuck off. But this particular guard was the one she bit during her first day at Casa de Silas. He had the slimy smile that made her skin crawl and made sure to use it on her daily. This time, she looked past the smile and saw the man it was attached too. He was big, but all of Silas's guards were big burley men. There was a large scar that started at the corner of his left eye and curved out following the contour of his jaw, it ended right under his square chin.
He walked forward and put the tray on the desk. At this point most guards would have walked right back out, but he stood for a second and stared at her.
"Awww," she said accusingly, "you touched the thermostat. Daddy's going to be mad." It wasn't until after her mouth shut that her brain told her not to taunt the guard with the sociopathic smile.
"You're boyfriend has left me in charge." He paused to gauge her reaction. When there was none to be had he continued. "I know you're numb now but we'll change that later tonight. I'll make sure you feel everything I give you." At that, he turned and left her room.
Chapter Eleven
"Why didn't you call me sooner?" Darby barked as she came in the door. "This could have been solved days ago." She dropped her bag on the ground and began the process of unbundling herself. Dacea smiled a little at her. She was so tiny under all those layers. As Hailey had pointed out to him, she looked like a pixie with her ebony hair sticking up in every which way.
"We thought we could handle it."
"Well you thought wrong," she shot back. "Do you even know what he could be doing to her?"
"Darby, calm yourself." Dacea led her into the living room and made her sit. He noticed her hair was dull when she took off her hat; it had lost the luster it normally held.
"Let's focus on the spell," he said because he didn't want to get started on the pain he had felt earlier and what that mea
nt for Hailey. "Do you need anything for it?"
"No," she snapped.
"Ok," he spoke calmly. "When can we do it?"
"Not until nightfall. I need to cleanse this place. Smells like harpy whore in here." She gave him a pointed look. Dacea ran a hand through his hair.
"Lia told you, huh?"
"You should have told me, Dacea."
He nodded in agreement and sat on the coffee table across from her. "You're right, I should have but I've had a lot of other things on my mind." Like getting his Mate back, he thought bitterly.
Darby deflated. "Ok, now that that's over with, how are you?"
He gave half a smile. "Ready to end this."
"I understand. In a few hours we will know where she is at least." Darby opened her purse and pulled out a mangled piece of metal. "I brought you something." He smiled as he recognized it to be the cuffs Hailey had melted off at a motel back when he was stuck inside her.
"You found them."
"Yes. Took a little bit of searching but I found them." She dangled them from her finger. Dacea grabbed them knowing exactly where in his collection they would go.
Darby patted his shoulder as she stood and used him to help her stand. "I'm going to get started cleansing."
She disappeared around the corner, leaving Dacea with his thoughts. There were preparations he needed to make before they found her. He had already decided that she was moving in—no matter what her thoughts were on the situation. He would sleep on the fucking couch if it would ease her mind, but she would be here.
He pulled out his phone and called his security team. "Yeah, Boss?"
"Duncan, you up for a project?" He hadn't cared who answered the phone, any of his men would do, but he was relieved for it to be Duncan. The man was a little green but showed promise. This was a good job for him to do on his own.
"I'd love one."
"I need you to go to Hailey's apartment and pack it up. Call some of the guys and have them help you lug it all back here."
"I can do that, but Sir?" he said sheepishly. "I'm probably overstepping, but I don't think Ms. Holloway is going to like this."
"I don't really care what Ms. Holloway thinks at the moment. Get it done, Duncan." Dacea hung up and ran his hand through his hair. He was right, Hailey wouldn't like it. That was something he would deal with after she was safe.
Sage was already beginning to drift through the rooms. Darby wasn't wasting any time. Although, the faster they got Hailey back, the faster she could go back to her cabin and continue wasting away. He'd seen it, and she knew he had seen it. Darby was dying. Her connection to Lennox was killing her. There was no use in talking to her about it. He knew she would give up eventually, he just thought they had more time before that day came.
*****
As it turned out, Hailey still did have feelings inside of her. Anxiety clung to every inch of her mind. She passed the day between fits of tears that came from nowhere and staring at the door. She kept the blinds cracked so she could see when someone was nearby, and jumped at every sound. By the time her digital clock said it was 6pm, she was exhausted. Hailey was torn between passing out and never blinking again.
Alex checked on her every hour or so. He hadn't heard the guard earlier so his assumption was that her mood had everything to do with Dacea. That was only half true. Her mind was the Super Dooper Looper rollercoaster at Hershey Park. Every curve and turn was the guard, every loop was Dacea, and she desperately wanted off the ride.
Mr. Smiley had let her know he was coming. His boots stomped with more force than was necessary down the hallway. Her heart sped up with each echoing footfall. The other prisoners all looked up at him as he walked slowly down the hallway. They knew something was up. The energy of the place had changed.
It was unusual for a guard to make so much noise. They tried to be as quiet as possible when Silas was around, but Silas was gone till at least the morning. That left her completely open to whatever the guard had in mind for his feeling therapy. Panic began to override her body as it had her mind. She ran to the wall separating her room with Alex's and pounded on the glass.
"Help!"
"What is it?" he asked alarmed.
"The guard. Please Alex, don't let him take me."
Alex was on the other side of the wall confused as hell. "What are you talking about?"
She saw him outside Alex's cell. The corner of his mouth curled upwards at her obvious panic. "He's here! Oh god, what do I do?" Hailey turned from the glass, ignoring Alex's stream of questions. She ran her eyes over the room. It was still pretty bare, even with the additions Silas made. The only thing she could think to grab was the lamp. Pulling the plug out of the wall, Hailey turned at the sound of the door opening. She gripped the lamp in both hands so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"Come nicely or I'll tase you," he said calmly.
"You think I'd willingly go anywhere with you?" The lamp rattled in her shaking hands.
Alex was banging on the glass with both fists. She knew there was nothing for him to do; wards prevented him from changing into his dragon, and the glass was built to keep people contained within. Hailey was on her own.
The guard pulled out his taser. If she hadn't known what it was she would have thought it was a gun. "Last chance," he said as he aimed.
"Fuck you," Hailey spat.
The prongs hit her in the thigh. A gurgled cry immediately came from her open mouth as her body ceased up. Every muscle became rigid as electricity pulsed through her from head to toe. She fell forward but there was no way to catch herself with her legs completely straight and stiff. The floor was a mere bump compared to the current of the taser. When the charge stopped, her body relaxed all at once. Only an all over ghost vibrating feeling remained.
The guard kicked the lamp which she had been holding away from her and used Hailey's hands to drag her limp body out of the room.
Everything trembled, she couldn't stop it. Pounding followed her as she was drug. Was it her heart? Her head? In between the black spots in her vision, she saw Alex screaming and hitting the walls.
God, her head hurt. Feeling began to come back into her limbs. Her mind yelled at her through the aching for her to fight back. Sluggishly, her body complied. She twisted and turned trying to slip her hands from the guard's grasp. This only made his grip on her wrists tighter and the smile on his face wider.
The room he hauled her into was one of Silas's forceful interrogation rooms. Alex had given her a rundown on the rooms around them when she had first arrived. Making sure he stayed as far from her flailing legs as possible, the guard fastened metal cuffs and clamped them around her bruised wrists. She was pulled by her arms from the ground. His grunts coincided with each jerk she felt as she was lifted. Between the clumps of hair stuck to her face Hailey saw him in a corner of the room by the open door pulling on a rope that hoisted her up. When her feet all but left the ground, he stopped.
The trembling became so bad that the chains above her rattled, accentuating her fear. She dangled, unable to do anything more than try to keep a toe on the floor. Hailey moaned in pain, her arms were beginning to ache already.
"I told you I would make you feel again," he spoke from behind her. His hands running over her like the curves on a car. "I need to remove a few things before we begin." The glint of a knife was caught in the reflection of the one way mirror on the wall across from her.
She was going to be sick.
He brought it to her back and sliced the top of her t-shirt. The ripping of fabric was followed by a chill on her bare skin. "Now the front," he said coming around the side of her. The procedure was repeated until her shirt fell in scraps to the floor. She hadn't worn a bra since she had no plans on being seen without her shirt today. The guard took her braless state to be something more of a present from her to him.
"Ahhh, now that's a good girl. You gave me something the first day we met. Do you remember?" He held up his hand where a perfect imprint of her teet
h arched around the fleshy part of his palm. "I want to return the favor."
She twisted her body as his hands began to roam. "The question now is where to I place my gift, my mark?" Across her cheek and down her neck his finger trailed. When he reached the top of her left breast the finger stopped. "Here." He tapped twice. His head lowered and she could feel his hot breath on the flush of her skin. Slowly his teeth sank into her flesh, biting just hard enough not to break the skin. His jaw was a vice, slowly clamping down until all she felt was the throbbing sting of his teeth. He held his grip so long she forgot to breathe. It wasn't until he released her that air flowed through her lungs again.
"Now a kiss before we start." His hand gripped her jaw and held her still while he assaulted her mouth with his tongue. She did what any self-respecting woman in her situation would do and kneed him in the balls.
He responded with a punch so hard her neck cracked.
"Don't," he began in a pant of heavy breathing, "do that…again."
Hailey had a little proud moment when he hobbled over to the wall adjacent to them. Then she saw what was on the wall. Lines of knives, whips, canes, and chains hung in a mosaic of torture and pain. He surveyed his options, hovering multiple times over the largest knives at his disposable. He ultimately decided on a whip. Cracking in the air around her, she flinched with each pop.
"This here is my favorite toy; it's a four foot single tail bullwhip. When used properly it can arouse, but when in my hands it will slice you open from end to end." He cracked it over her head again.
"Ready?"
Without warning the end hit her in the upper back between her shoulder blades. She arched forward as much as she could but her feet could only go so far with the little hold they had on the ground. It stung like a dozen bees. Hailey breathed through her nose trying to contain the pain. This time she caught his movement in the mirror and braced herself for the hit. The muscles of her back strained with tension as she waited.
The Hailey Holloway Complete Series Page 25