“That is none of your concern.”
He looks steadily at me. “Yes, it was. There should have been more specifications about her care and such.”
My eyes narrow. “I asked you to go easy on her, did you?”
“Yes.”
“Then that is all you needed to know.”
Matias mutters something under his breath in Spanish, and I don’t care to know what it is.
Kai moves and positions himself at my side, his eyes alert.
We all look up as the guard comes back with another man walking beside him. He seems quite willing, so he must have no idea he’s about to meet his death.
The man looks between me and Matias with confusion, and asks a question in Spanish.
Matias responds, and I watch as the man’s face whitens.
I don’t bother waiting for him to try to run. I simply lunge forward and grab his shoulder while striking out with the knife I’d already had drawn. I like to keep my knives well-sharpened, and I gut him from side-to-side. The man’s eyes widen as he screams, and I stand there and watch him without remorse. He stumbles backwards as blood pours from the gaping wound, and I can see his insides as he falls backwards onto the ground. His bloody hands clutch at his stomach before he twitches and goes still.
I step forward and wipe the blade on the fabric of his pants. I would have enjoyed drawing his death out longer, but I’m feeling oddly anxious to retrieve Arista so I can take her away from this place.
Matias is silent as he gazes with regret at the dead man. His eyes then lift to the two guards that had silently watched, their expressions grim. “Take care of him,” he orders. He turns towards the steel door and looks at me with cool eyes. “She’s unconscious, so no need to put on a show.” He holds up a hand before I can interrupt him. “I could tell she was in pain, and the near assault just frightened her further. I felt it was best to drug her water so that the rest of her stay wasn’t so traumatic. I don’t mind torture—in fact I enjoy it, but she’s done nothing to me.”
“Just what all did you do to her?” I demand. She shouldn’t have been drugged in order for her to escape pain. The deal was that she’d suffer discomfort and a little soreness, but nothing too extreme.
He gives me a chilling look. “You, my friend, left out very important information. For that, you only have yourself to blame. What happens next is on your hands, not mine.”
Kai stiffens at my side.
“Start talking,” I snap as my blood once again begins to boil.
Matias glances at the men who are trying to drag Pablo’s dead body away. “Leave us,” he clips out. They leave the bloodied body and promptly walk away.
I glance at the retreating men, and then quirk and eyebrow at Matias. “Very brave considering how unhappy I am right now.”
His lip curls. “I’m quite certain I can handle myself if I should need to. However, I doubt you’re willing to start a war with my men over your lack of detailing when I agreed to ‘scare’ her senseless.”
“I wasn’t aware that you needed further specifications. I thought I’d made myself perfectly clear at our meeting.”
“Your exact words were ‘scare the fucking shit out of her, but go easy.’ I was under the impression that she’d done something dire and this was to be her punishment.” He gives me a look. “You should know by now that with my line of work, our definitions of ‘go easy’ greatly differ.”
I go still as his words sink in. I’m usually thorough when it comes to details. I hate being disappointed or having to repeat myself a second time, but when I’d met with Matias, I’d been short on time. The meeting had been hasty, and I’d thought that I’d made myself clear enough with what I wanted. Knock her around a few times and then lock her up. That’s what we’d agreed upon.
Fuck.
He’s right.
We should have sat down and detailed everything that would happen to her. For all I know, beating defenseless women might be a common occurrence for him. Kai’s right, I was a fool for entrusting Arista’s safety to Matias.
“You’d better fill me in, because I have a feeling I’m not going to like what’s been done,” I say grimly.
Matias shakes his head. “You’re better off seeing for yourself.” He turns and opens the steel door, and the scent of blood and feces assaults us.
“What the fuck is this?” I ask as we step into the long, darkened hall with only a few blinking florescent lights here or there. There are doors on the left side of the hall every so often.
“This is my dungeon. Where else do you think I handle all the killings?”
Christ. I’d had no idea.
Matias leads us down the hall past numerous closed doors until he comes to the seventh and pulls out a key. After he unlocks it, he swings the door open and stands back, his expression grim.
I step over the threshold, and the scent of piss greets me. The room is barren except for an annoyingly naked bulb that keeps flickering on and off. The reality of what I’d had Arista subjected to sinks in as I take in the dirty room. Then, my eyes fall upon her. Arista’s huddled on her side in the far corner. Even from here, I can see that her clothes are dirty and wrinkled, her dark hair dull and matted.
Dread settles in my gut, and I slowly walk over and kneel beside her. I find myself almost reluctant to touch her, because I’m uncertain as to what I’m going to find. As gently as I can, I touch her shoulder and carefully ease her onto her back. She is completely limp, and when my eyes fall upon her face, my breath hitches. Both her eyes are swollen and bruised. Her cheek is no better, and I can see more bruising marring other areas of her face.
I did this to her.
It might as well have been my own fists hurting her, and my chest tightens. I’ve fucked up badly. I know that some men are more than willing to brutalize women, but I hadn’t thought Matias was one of them. He’s always been incredibly respectful of the women at my club.
I hear a footstep behind me, and I stiffen.
Matias clears his throat. “I’m sorry, my friend. This was my ‘going easy.’”
My lips tighten. “Do you do this often? Beat women?”
“I do more than that,” he says simply.
“I was wrong to bring her to you. It was my mistake, not yours,” I tell him, admitting my fault in all this as I gaze at her bruised face.
“She will heal. I was careful not to harm her body, I only bruised her face as you had probably expected.”
I make a disgusted sound. “I expected a bruise or two. This is…”
“More than what you wanted. I am sorry,” Matias says quietly.
I nod, knowing not to take his apology lightly. “It’s done and can’t be changed.” I draw Arista’s slim body closer to my chest, and she feels much more delicate than she had just a few short days ago. She might piss me off to no end, but no one is ever going to lay a hand on her again. I carefully rise with her in my arms, and I walk past Matias and head for the doorway.
Out in the hall, Kai gets his first look Arista’s damaged face, and his eyes visibly widen.
I feel like a bastard, and I am more than ready to get the hell out of here. Without a word to Kai, I begin walking down the hall, Arista’s matted hair falling over my bicep as her head rests in the crook of my shoulder.
When we pass by the area where I’d gutted Arista’s attacker, I see a man with a mop trying to clean the bloodstains that are still visible on the floor. He glances at us and steps aside as we walk past.
In the foyer, we’re given back our guns, and then we’re escorted out of the compound and straight to the SUV. Kai climbs in the driver’s seat, and I am careful as I set Arista in the backseat. I had planned on riding up front, but now I change my mind as I climb in the seat beside her. As careful as I can, I bring her back into my arms so that she’s resting comfortably.
Kai glances at me in the rearview mirror before starting the SUV. Soon, we’re driving away from the compound and headed back to the warehouse.
I
shift Arista’s weight slightly and pull my phone from my pocket. I call Anton. “I need you in the medical room,” I tell him without preamble.
“You ran into trouble?” Anton asks.
“No,” I clip out.
There’s a heavy silence.
“I see,” Anton says quietly, obviously realizing that he’s needed for Arista.
“We’ll be there in ten.” I disconnect the call and slide the phone back in my pocket.
I stare silently out into the night as Kai drives. I would sacrifice anyone to save Davina, and I’d done just that with Arista. If I’d known how this would have turned out, would I still have put my plan in motion? Probably. Except I would have been more specific on what was to be done to her. How the fuck could I have been so damned careless?
It’s because she’d pissed me off the night that she’d gripped my dick in her hand and had threatened me. I’d wanted to find a way to punish her that very night, but I had known that any retribution on my end would just complicate our precarious situation and worsen it. Had I been hoping that Matias would take things further when I’d given him my orders? No. But I hadn’t worried over what she’d endure more than I should have.
Kai is grimly silent as he drives, and I know he’s disturbed by what has happened.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” I finally say, breaking the tense silence.
Kai’s eyes flicker in the rearview mirror as he glances at me. “Matias kills and tortures for a living. That right there was a red flag,” he says in a flat tone.
“I needed her to fear for her life, and I knew he was capable of drawing it out of her.” I just went about it the wrong way, and it’s a mistake that I’ll never make again.
“She’ll be traumatized,” Kai murmurs.
I glance down at her swollen features. Her fiery greenish-gold eyes flicker in my mind, and I meet Kai’s gaze in the mirror. “Maybe a little, but she’s a fighter, and she’ll get over it,” I say with certainty.
“This plan of yours may backfire,” he warns.
“It won’t. Matias showed her what life is like unmated and without protection. She’d be a fool to want to venture outside the warehouse again. If anything, her stay at his compound will have shown her the reality of her situation.”
“You seem quite certain of this.”
“I am,” I say confidently. “It’s why I did it in the first place.”
“If she ever finds out that you set her up, you’ll lose her for good, Lethe. She’ll want nothing to do with you,” he cautions.
“She’s never going to find out.”
Kai drives around to the back of the warehouse and pulls out his phone. He types in a code that will trigger the freighter door that leads down into the garage. The large door begins to open, and we drive forward and down a ramp where we’re confronted with another door. Kai calls in a second code, and then we’re pulling into the underground garage.
I exit the vehicle and walk around to the other side, opening the door so I can pick up Arista. Her head rests limply on my arm, and Kai quickly strides ahead of me so that he can enter the elevator passcode into the keypad.
The next hour or so is going to be a real bitch. The entire clan is going to look at me with new eyes—and it won’t be because I put the fear of God into them. No, they are going to look at me with disappointment, and it’s going to piss me off good.
The elevator doors slide open when we reach the first floor, and I step out into the hall and walk towards the medical room. Kai opens the door for me, and I step inside with Arista in my arms.
Anton is standing there, waiting as I’d requested. When his eyes fall upon Arista’s face, they widen with horror before he drags his gaze to mine accusingly.
I walk to the hospital bed and carefully set her down. “There was an issue of miscommunication,” I say tightly.
Anton says nothing, and he ushers me out of the way as he begins looking over Arista. “Is she drugged, or does she have a head wound?” he asks brusquely, not bothering to look at me as he takes her pulse.
“Drugged,” I reply. My arms feel awkwardly empty, and I rub the back of my neck.
“With what?”
“I didn’t think to ask,” I admit.
Anton pauses and looks up at me.
“I just wanted to get her the hell out of there,” I tell him broodingly.
He nods and turns away from me.
When I hear movement in the doorway, I look up and see Maverick standing there, his brown eyes locked on Arista’s face with shock. He visibly swallows, and his eyes slide towards me, anger shining brightly within their depths. “This is what you call having the situation handled?”
I’m not in the mood to deal with him, so I remain silent as I steadily stare back at him.
“You’re more of a bastard than I thought,” he says darkly before he turns and disappears down the hall.
Kai sighs. “You’ll have to explain to him what happened,” he says to me.
“It can wait,” I tell him. I turn my attention to Anton. “How is she?”
Anton doesn’t look up as he carefully examines Arista’s swollen eyes. “She looks exactly how she is. I’m going to assume she’s malnourished and dehydrated, so I’ll get her on an IV drip. It would be wise to get her on some type of pain regimen until the worst of the swelling and pain has subsided.”
“Do what you have to in order to make her comfortable,” I say simply.
Anton glances at me, his eyes cool. “You both are distracting me. There’s nothing either of you can do, so let me concentrate on Arista without you two hovering,” he suggests in a light tone.
I’m about to pull rank and tell him where to shove his attitude, but Kai touches my shoulder and gives it a warning squeeze. Now isn’t the time to get into a dispute with the man that’s trying to help my future mate.
With a curt nod, I turn on my heel and leave the medical room.
Twenty-five
Arista
As I come back to consciousness, I feel groggy and a bit nauseous. My head aches like a bitch, and my eyes throb horribly. I recall that I’ve been kidnapped and beaten, and I have flashbacks of the man in my cell, trying to rape me. My heart begins to pound as my body stiffens. Somewhere, I hear a beeping that seems to be rapidly increasing with the thundering of my heart. A mattress is beneath me, and I am horrified to realize that I might have been assaulted while I’d been unconscious.
Movement sounds from somewhere, and my head turns towards it. “Don’t!” I say hoarsely, my throat parched and scratchy.
“Easy, you’re safe,” I hear a familiar male voice assure.
I try to pry my eyelids apart, but all I can see is just a crack of light. “Anton?”
A warm hand carefully touches mine. “You’re in medical,” he explains to me.
Am I dreaming? God, don’t let me dreaming. I lick my dry lips and try to sort out what happened. The last thing I recall is the attack in the cell. “I don’t understand…” I say with confusion.
“Lethe was able to track you down. You were brought back to us late last night,” he tells me.
“The man that hurt me…? Is he dead?” I ask, knowing that I will never get the sound of that rough, accented voice out of my head.
“I wasn’t there, so you’re better off asking Lethe. How’s the pain?” he asks.
“Hurts,” I mumble.
“If I increase your dosage, you’ll likely sleep more. Is that what you want?” he asks kindly.
“Yeah, sure.” I’m in no shape to be moving around, so sleep would be preferable over just lying here until I’m well enough to see again. “Will my eyes be okay?”
“You’ll recover,” he assures. “It’s just going to take some time for the swelling to go down.”
I fall silent, and for the first time since I’d been sold to the clan, I feel relieved to be back. I’d rather be here than back in that cell, listening to the screams of the tortured. I think those sc
reams will haunt my nightmares for a long time to come.
“Are you thirsty?” Anton asks, cutting into my dark thoughts.
“Yes. Please.”
I hear movement, and his footsteps fade, and the sound of running water reaches my ears. His footsteps make their way back after the water is turned off. “Want me to raise the bed, or would you prefer to rest completely reclined?”
“You can raise me.”
A second later, I hear a soft buzzing sound as the bed begins to rise behind my back, and slowly, my upper body is raised so that I’m still halfway reclined. Anton touches my hand and gently wraps it around the glass. It’s weird not being able to see, and I carefully raise the glass to my lips and sip the water. It tastes wonderful, and I take several more sips as I savor the cool liquid on my dry throat. When I’ve had enough, I hold it out in the direction that I think Anton is standing. “Thank you.”
After he accepts the cup, I run my hand over my left wrist and feel the underside. I have an IV attached to me. I frown, and as it pulls on the bruised skin around my face, I wince.
“The IV is for pain management,” Anton explains.
“How long do I have to stay here?”
“I’ll release you to the women’s quarters once you are able to see. I wouldn’t want you tripping over anything.”
Guilt sweeps over me as I think of Tenley and Evie. “I left Tenley and Evie unprotected,” I tell him softly. “I knew that Cassius would regain consciousness eventually, but I still left them.”
“They’re fine. Cassius brought them back up into the warehouse once the danger had passed,” he reassures.
I’m relieved, because I would feel awful if something had happened to Tenley because of me. Evie on the other hand…
There’s a brief knock on the door, and I hear it open. “Hey, how’s our girl?” an unfamiliar male voice asks.
“She’s awake for the time being,” Anton responds. I hear footsteps move closer. “Arista, I’d like you to meet Maverick,” he introduces.
A warm hand lightly gives mine a squeeze. “You should be relieved that you don’t have to rest your eyes on my ugly mug,” the voice teases.
Captive (Igniting the Flame Book 1) Page 15