Relinquished

by K. A. Hunter

  Standing up, he handed the open laptop back to one of his goons who flipped the screen around to show us.

  The screenshot was of my father and Dante.

  Holden and I began to fight against our chains, screaming as Sam and Raymond laughed their asses off.

  Holden lost it, shouting, “What’s your game, you demented fuck?”

  I blinked hard, trying to clear the tears away as I took in the sight of my father and my brother, strung up just like Holden and me, except they looked like they’d been beaten and left to hang there for hours.

  Raymond walked toward me, reached behind and ran his finger up and down the bump on my shoulder blade.

  I flinched as Holden barked, “Get your fucking hands off her!”

  Raymond only smiled. “I love technology. Not only has it allowed me to keep track of the two of you through these chips I had inserted, but we all get to watch this show without being too close to the mess.”

  Holden looked at his bicep. Oh shit. I’m the one who told him it was probably just a calcium deposit. Fuck, I should’ve listened to him.

  Raymond looked back at the screen. “These two are not part of our deal. I just want to watch your faces when I give the go ahead to kill them because you said it. I guess I am a demented fuck.” He shrugged. “I really do thrive on this.” As Raymond stepped up to the laptop just feet away, I tried to lift my legs to kick him, but I was too weak to raise them very far.

  “Don’t do this!” Holden shouted, over and over again, spit flying from his mouth with those desperate words.

  Glaring over his shoulder, Raymond exhaled a tsk. “I already told you they aren’t going to be a part of our bargain.” He pointed his thumb at me. “She is.” Turning back to the laptop, he spoke into what looked like a microphone. “Okay, we’re ready. It’s time to show me where your loyalty lies. Remember what’s at stake.”

  What the hell does that mean?

  From the corner of the screen, I saw a large hand raise and point a gun at my father. Frantic, Holden and I both thrashed at our restraints, screamed, cried. All for nothing. We knew we could do nothing.

  On the screen, Dante screamed for him to stop when the pistol abruptly went off. The sound echoed through the warehouse, and I froze. They were somewhere in the building. Then the gun turned toward my brother, who was still in a state of shock over witnessing our father getting shot in the chest. Another loud bang rang out, then everything went silent, filling the air with death and despair.

  The walls began to close in, and my blurred vision narrowed on the sight of the only family I had, speckled with blood, their heads hanging lifelessly.

  No, no, no, no, I cried in my head. At least I thought it was in my head, but the look of glee on Raymond’s face told me I was crying it into the rag shoved in my mouth. Holden was still in shock.

  I couldn’t look at it anymore, but I couldn’t look away. I was going to be sick. Blood pumped loudly in my ears as nausea swirled around in my stomach.

  With a snap, Raymond slammed the laptop shut like he’d just done his business for the day. No big deal. He hadn’t just shredded me.

  He spun around as Marcus appeared at the top of the stairs, gripping the metal handrail and looking intently at me like he was trying to send a message. An apology maybe?

  Closing my eyes, I let my whirling head hang low, like I’d just seen my father and brother do, allowing my sobs to take control. Sweat dripped down my back while the weight of my legs began to pull me down. My wrists and hands were completely numb.

  Raymond’s smug words addressed Holden. “So, about my proposition. If you don’t want your little girlfriend here to end up the same way, both of you are going to come work for me.”

  “FUCK YOU!” Holden’s hoarse voice roared as the veins in his neck pulsed.

  Sam reacted before I had a chance to. “Wait. What the fuck, Raymond? You said I could have her when you were done today.”

  With a dismissive attitude, Raymond raised his shoulders slightly. “You screwed up the first time I told you to take care of her, so I changed my mind. And besides, you should know more than anyone that plans can change.”

  Sam punched the wall next to him. “No, this is bullshit.”

  Raymond sounded disinterested as he asked, “And why is it you have a vendetta against her again?” I lifted my head in time to see Raymond tapping his lips. “Oh yeah, because your father asked me to have your mother killed and blame it on the stress of the trial.”

  “What?” Sam reeled back. “No, she killed herself because this bitch couldn’t keep her mouth shut.”

  Raymond rolled his eyes. “Oh, my boy. You’ve always been so easy to manipulate. Your father didn’t want your mother to be free to share all of his deep dark secrets. She was one of my first girls, you know. Beautiful woman too. It was a damn shame I had to get rid of her. I would’ve rather sold her to someone else. Oh well.”

  Enraged, Sam charged for him when Raymond flicked his wrist at Marcus. Another shot rang out, and I screamed as I watched Sam’s eyes close, blood oozing from a wound in the back of his head. I felt something on my face, something sticky and gooey, causing my stomach to churn. My arms shook violently above me, and I didn’t know how much more I could take. I forced myself not to look at Holden until I’d be able to stomach seeing the spatter on him.

  “You’re welcome,” Raymond said like he’d just given us the biggest fucking gift imaginable. “That guy was so damn whiny. Good thing his father can’t stand him either.”

  I heard Holden’s chains rattling, drowning out the sounds coming from my own, and I could no longer fight the urge to glance over at him. He didn’t look right. He was staring off blankly, his pale skin sprayed with as much blood as mine. I watched as he took in shallow breaths and licked his chapped lips over and over. I sensed he was in the same state of shock I was attempting to fight off.

  No, Holden! Stay with me!

  I wanted to reach out, comfort him, beg him to remember that all we had was each other. Desperate to grasp on to the fight I knew he had deep inside, I silently begged him to defend us. We both needed to stay present, to focus on us, our plans for the future. I needed Holden to not give up. Together we could win.

  “Cut those off and take him to the office. I prefer to conduct business in a more—” Raymond frowned in disgust at the gory mess around us. “—sanitary atmosphere.”

  One of the guards pulled out a switchblade, sliced Holden’s zip tie, then stepped aside as he tumbled to the floor, landing in Sam's blood that had pooled on the ground.

  “Stay with me,” I begged Holden. Though the words were muffled, I hoped he could still hear me, still hear that I had fight in my voice. That I would go down blazing and not give this motherfucker an inch of what was left of me.

  Holden turned to look at me over his shoulder like he’d heard my plea, and I saw the resolve on his face before he was yanked up by the guards.

  “I love you,” he mouthed, sending an eerie chill down my spine. Oh my God, what’s he going to do?

  Raymond let out a patronizing, “Aww, isn’t that sweet? Were you ever given a ballsack, son? Looks like we’re going to need to toughen you up.”

  Just as I was about to let my head hang low once again, Holden rolled his shoulders and arms back, breaking free from the guys’ grip. He spun around, punching one of them in the throat with all he had, then lifted his leg and kicked the other in the chest, throwing him a few feet away. The one he’d punched was still gasping for air when Holden ran up to Raymond, dug his fingers in his chest and held him backward over the flimsy balcony railing. One forceful shove and Raymond would’ve fallen to his death.

  I couldn’t see Raymond’s face but saw Holden’s profile as he held on and shook him. “Like this, motherfucker? Huh? You wanna toughen me up? You have no fucking idea what I’m capable of.” Spit flew out of Holden’s mouth as he snarled. The fragile railing looked like it was going to give at any moment. If it did, then Holden
would fall, too.

  Raymond ignored Holden and barked out, “Get the girl.”

  I braced myself for what was about to happen.

  Holden kept Raymond’s upper body suspended over the railing as one of the guards drew his gun and held it up to my temple.

  I watched Holden’s jaw clench and his eyes close tight before he glanced over his shoulder at me. I didn’t want him to stop, but this gag kept me from telling him to kill the motherfucker. My head jerked up and down as I motioned for Holden to toss Raymond over. But my heart sank when he let out a long, frustrated growl, then pulled Raymond up and shoved him until he fell backward.

  Raymond’s face was red. “Put some fucking restraints on him. Now!”

  That was the first time I’d seen him lose his cool. If it wasn’t for the barrel against the side of my head and Holden being pushed to the floor and shackled, I would’ve relished in the fact that Holden had gotten to him.

  Jumping to his feet, Raymond motioned for his goons to drag Holden down the stairs, leaving a large trail of Sam’s blood behind. Seeing him covered in bright red gore made me feel faint. If they didn’t cut me down soon, I was gonna pass out.

  Raymond adjusted his shirt and glared back at me before he even hit the first step. “Looks like my son really will do anything for you. I can’t wait to watch his face as we listen to the beautiful sound of your screams while Marcus breaks you in. The things he has planned should get you in shape to make me money in no time.”

  By this point, I didn’t give a shit about Marcus’s plans, though I was shocked. All this time he’d been betraying us. Story of my fucking life.

  Excited energy vibrated off his body, similar to when Travis had me run my fingers through the dirt in our backyard.

  As I watched them take Holden away from me, I felt all my spirit leaving with him.

  That, and Holden’s protests from below, were the last things I heard before everything darkened around me, and I finally succumbed to black.

  I felt a large hand patting my cheek, determined to bring me back to consciousness. A thousand images sped through my throbbing head as my eyes moved quickly back and forth under my closed lids. Raymond’s evil smirk, chains, gunshots, Marcus’s pleading eyes, blood everywhere, Holden being hauled away.

  Oh, my God.

  Holden…

  I tried to open my mouth to call out to him, but only managed to mumble, Holden…

  Finally, I found my voice. “Holden!” I screamed his name, praying he could hear me.

  “Jules, I need you to open your eyes and look at me. We don’t have much time.” Those words sounded like something Holden would say, but that most definitely wasn’t his voice.

  Marcus.

  My lids flew open, taking in the man who’d watched over us for months now. I’d trusted him with my life and the lives of my loved ones. Had he really just been playing us that whole time?

  “No!” I screeched. “Get away from me, you bastard.”

  “Shh, shh, shh,” he whispered. “I won’t hurt you. Listen, we don’t have time.” He placed his fingers on my neck like he was checking my pulse. It was then that I realized I was laying on the floor, and my gag had been taken out.

  He worked frantically around me, pulling my shirt up and tearing the material. Then he ripped the collar and tugged on the waistband of my yoga pants, attempting to stretch the elastic.

  “Stop it!” I yelled, really starting to feel how weak I was. Pain shot straight from my shoulders to the base of my skull when I tried to lift my sore arms to hit him, but I had no strength left.

  I shook my head back and forth, fighting tears. “Please don’t do this, Marcus. I don’t know how he got to you, but I won’t tell him you didn’t follow through, please.” I attempted to sit up, but the room was spinning. I could practically taste the metallic tang of the blood and whatever else drying on my lips. Thankfully, I didn’t throw up and add to the putrid smell.

  Lifting my calves a little, he explained, “Stay down for a minute, you passed out. I need to elevate your legs before you’ll be stable enough to get up.”

  He was helping me?

  “Think back to what I said last night, things are not always as they appear,” he reminded me. “I’m not going to do anything to you, but you have to make it sound like I am.”

  I didn’t know if he was playing a game or what, but if my bogus struggle kept him from actually acting out his orders, I was all for it. Moving my head from side to side, I scanned the area as I screamed, pleaded, and begged for him to stop. I didn’t need to fake the tears and sobs because not only had I witnessed my father and brother die, but Holden was somewhere close, listening to my desperate pleas.

  “Let me know when you’re feeling better so we can put the plan into action,” he whispered, tilting his head to listen for any other noises.

  “My dad, Dante...Hol...Holden,” I cried out.

  Marcus just looked at me, his remorseful eyes saying so much with no words.

  I started weeping. “You knew what he had planned for us, and you did nothing.”

  His face was suddenly in front of mine. “Please, you have to trust me right now, or we’re not getting out of here alive.”

  “Don’t you get it? Without them, I couldn’t give a flying fuck if I lived or not.” I laid back, so ready to give up when I spotted the holstered gun on his waistband.

  The same one I’d seen on the computer screen.

  Holy shit!

  “You killed them!” I screamed, coming completely undone. “You! It was you! You killed my family!” I screamed so much my throat was raw as I scrambled away from him, backing myself into a corner.

  Marcus charged toward me and grabbed me by the upper arms. “I’m not the one that hurt them,” he growled.

  “Fuck you,” I spat in his face. “I see the gun right there. You killed them, you fucking killed them!” Breaking free, I darted around him and slipped on the edge of the gooey mess on the floor, leaving a skid mark behind. But I didn’t stop. I ran like a bat out of hell down the stairs. It didn’t matter what they did to me, but I had to find Holden.

  Halfway down, a powerful arm wrapped around my chest like a vice and a strong hand cupped my mouth. With gritted teeth, Marcus uttered, “You’re going to get everyone killed, including Holden if you don’t stop this bullshit and start doing as I say. You don’t have the first clue what’s going on here. Listen to me and trust that I have a plan to get us all out of here safely.”

  After a second, he loosened his grip. “I’m going to let you go. He’s supposed to call me after they’re done talking. Are you gonna be quiet?”

  I nodded, still unsure of what I was going to do.

  Stepping in front, he motioned for me to follow. I crept hesitantly behind him down the hall and came up to a closed door. Marcus placed his finger on his lips, reminding me to be quiet as we leaned our backs against the wall and concentrated on the voices inside.

  “Son, after everything you’ve seen and heard today, you still doubt my intentions? I’m sure your girlfriend can handle a little more, and these guys would be happy to oblige, especially now that you’ve pissed them off.”

  My stomach rolled at that thought, I just wanted this fucking nightmare to be over.

  “Do we need to go back upstairs and see firsthand all the despicable things they’d like to do to her?”

  A chair scraped against the floor, almost as loudly as Holden’s infuriated growl. As strong as I wanted to appear, I couldn’t help but cringe thinking about Raymond's threat.

  Holden’s grunts came quickly between what sounded like clenched teeth. I took a step forward, overwhelmed with the urge to run inside and let him know I was still alright. Marcus was quick to grab me before I made that stupid mistake.

  “She’s a survivor.” Sorrow could be heard in Holden’s raw voice as he cleared his throat. “I have faith in her, and neither of us will ever agree to work for you!”

  “You are delusional. We�
�ll have to change that, won’t we?”

  I heard the squeak of an office chair and pictured Raymond relaxing back, his hands locked behind his head as he explained his fucked up plan.

  “You’re the delusional one,” Holden said coolly. “You’ve watched her all these years and still have no idea what she’s capable of.” He chuckled then, and I heard the strength, resolve, and confidence in his tone increase. “I promised her I’d do anything to keep her safe, but I know her. She’d never want me to compromise in order to save either of us. That’s where you fucked up, old man. We’d both rather die than work for you.”

  Oh, Holden.

  Though I feared for his life, he was right. Overcome with emotion, I placed my hand on my chest. My entire life, nobody had ever had faith in me, but this man—who I’d fallen in love with, who I’d do anything for—did. He knew me inside and out, that I’d rather die and suffer any punishment than give into Raymond’s sick demands. I had no choice when it came to Casey’s torment, but I refused to ever be responsible for another person’s devastation.

  “I love a good challenge.” Raymond goaded.

  Marcus pulled his vibrating phone out of his pocket then motioned for me to come follow him. Once we got to the open reception area, he answered, allowing his echoed voice to fill the space. “Yeah, she’s ready.”

  He pointed to the stairs, silently telling me to go back to the upper floor. I shook my head. That was the last place I wanted to be.

  Moving his phone from his ear, he insisted, “We have to go back upstairs, or this’ll never work. He has to believe something happened.”

  Looking between the door and Marcus, I took a step toward the exit as Marcus cleared his throat disapprovingly. I really didn’t have a plan, and something in my gut told me to follow Marcus. I just prayed I wasn’t making a mistake.

  “I only want one damn thing from you. Do you hear me? Promise you’ll protect Holden. He trusted you, he told me to trust you. I’m used to people lying to me, but I swear to God if you betray him, I’ll make sure you’re haunted every fucking day for the rest of your life.”