“Gentlemen,” he announced, drawing attention to himself, “I thought we would enjoy a bonus tonight. As you can see, I have brought in my own private collection for your viewing pleasure as I bring in a new initiate tonight. I would like you to meet my latest acquisition to my collective.”
The men began to clap as strong hands took control of Olivia’s arms, removing the chains that held her captive. Her heart raced as she was lifted and carried into the pit. No matter how hard she tried to fight against them, the bite of fingers into her flesh held her in place.
“I thought this would be a good time to remind our dear Ruby of her place as well,” the Recruiter said with a hint of laughter in his voice.
“No,” Ruby cried as the doors opened and another young girl was led into the room. Ruby screamed and fought against the men.
Olivia stared into the face of her opponent, a face almost a mirror image of her own. The woman was thin and looked as if she had seen a ghost. The fear in her eyes could only be a reflection of the terror Olivia felt. The woman looked wild, as if she stared into the eyes of the devil.
“Don’t do this,” Ruby yelled. Olivia looked up to see Ruby being dragged from the room. “Don’t hurt her.” Olivia wondered which one of them Ruby was talking about.
Someone shoved Olivia from behind, pushing her forward. In an instant, the other woman unleashed a barrage of blows, her fingernails tearing through Olivia’s flesh like razors. Olivia did her best to block the flurry directed at her face. It seemed the girl wanted to erase every likeness between them.
Out of desperation Olivia grabbed the girl, pulled her against her, and buried her face in the girl’s shoulder. It was the only way she could protect herself from the worst of the blows. Surely if she couldn’t reach her, she couldn’t hurt her.
Wrong. The woman pounded her fists against Olivia’s back and twisted her body, managing to wrap her arm around Olivia’s neck. The girl tossed herself sideways and slammed Olivia to the floor.
Olivia found herself face-to-face with the woman on top of her, punching wildly at her face and chest. Olivia pushed against the girl’s shoulders, trying to get her off her.
The woman sat up, grabbed Olivia’s hands, and opened her mouth in a scream. She let out a guttural noise that sounded like a dying animal.
Olivia peered into the woman’s gaping mouth as the horror hit her. The woman had no tongue. Olivia’s fear surged, giving her more strength than she knew she had. She lashed out with her hands and kicked her legs up, managing to wrap a leg across the girl’s shoulder, kicking her away. Olivia managed to get free. Still on her back, she kicked wildly at the girl, as if trying to escape the wrath of a tiger. Her exposed wounds ground into the dirt, and the debris on the floor cut into her back. Unexpectedly her foot connected with the woman’s jaw and she crumpled to the floor.
Olivia gasped in fear and relief when the girl didn’t move. What the hell just happened?
* * *
Rough hands held Olivia tight as she was tossed into a large room with several rows of beds. She fell to her hands and knees on the floor and gasped at the sight of Greyson lying crumpled on the floor. Olivia crawled to her, gently calling Greyson’s name.
“Greyson? Greyson, can you hear me? Are you okay?”
Greyson seemed to try to move but moaned in pain as she did.
“It’s okay. Just be still for now. I’ll try to figure something out.”
Olivia looked around the room. She needed to get Greyson off the floor, but how? Greyson outweighed her by at least thirty pounds.
“I need you to help me get you to a bed,” she whispered to Greyson. She took Greyson’s arm, but Greyson flinched in pain. “Damn it, I’m sorry. Is it your ribs?”
Greyson groaned again.
Olivia was frustrated. There was no way she could do this alone.
“I thought you two were mortal enemies,” a cold voice said from the back of the room.
Shit. Ruby. The last person she wanted to see right now. What else could happen in one night? Olivia closed her eyes and hoped for a miracle.
Ruby stepped out of the shadows, her gaze focused on Olivia. Olivia could almost feel her gaze sliding over her face, taking in the claw marks and bruises on her skin.
“What happened to the girl?” Ruby asked coldly.
“I don’t know.”
Something flashed in Ruby’s eyes, making her look as if she was on the brink of insanity.
“What did you do to her?” Ruby demanded.
Olivia shook her head. “I tried to stop her. She was on me, clawing my face, hitting me. At some point, I kicked her. I think I knocked her out. She didn’t get back up.”
Olivia swallowed hard, trying not to think of the dark, empty cavern of the girl’s mouth, her violence, her primal scream.
Ruby closed her eyes and sat down on a bunk. The color seeped from her face and Olivia detected a slight tremble in her hand as she reached for the bed frame for support.
“Who was she?” Olivia asked. “What happened to her?”
Ruby shook her head. “I don’t know everything. These Employers have ways of punishing the girls if they don’t obey or if they believe they’ve been betrayed.”
“They cut out her tongue?” Olivia gasped.
Ruby’s shoulders slumped. She rubbed her eyes as if trying to shut out the image.
Olivia waited, although she already knew the answer.
Greyson groaned and stirred next to Olivia. Olivia pushed the hair away from Greyson’s face and trailed her fingers across her swollen cheek. She looked up at Ruby.
“Help me move her.”
Ruby stared at her, unmoving.
“What’s your problem?” Olivia snapped. “Are you enjoying her suffering? Haven’t you already hurt her enough?”
Ruby flinched and Olivia saw the faint stab of guilt cross her face. Reluctantly Ruby helped Olivia lift Greyson from the floor and place her onto the cot.
Olivia covered Greyson with the wool blanket. She looked up at Ruby, more angry than afraid. “Why did you have to hurt her so badly? You knew she was injured and you used that to your advantage. How could you?”
Ruby’s face turned red with anger. “They know of her injuries too. If I hadn’t taken advantage of that weakness, we both would have paid the price. They want to see pain. And why do you care? I thought you hated her. She’s the reason you’re here, remember?”
Olivia shook her head. “That’s what I thought. Now I don’t know what to think.”
“You might want to figure it out before you get her killed.”
Olivia flinched at Ruby’s cold, hard tone.
Ruby walked back to her bunk in the back of the room, as far away from Olivia as the room would allow. Olivia hated that Ruby was right. She had blamed Greyson unfairly. Greyson was trying to survive, just like all the others, and Olivia had made everyone doubt her. Whatever the connection between Greyson and this mess, she couldn’t imagine Greyson would do anything to hurt anyone.
She seemed to have a pattern of blaming Greyson for things in her life. First it was the coffee, then this terrible nightmare. Greyson was just as much a victim in all of this as she was. She had been unfair. She had taken out her anger on the one person who was trying to help her. Guilt washed over her. She had been selfish. And despite all that, Greyson had defended her. Why? She had once compared Greyson to a superhero, but in this case she really had been her champion. Olivia sighed. She was determined she wouldn’t let Greyson down again. She glanced over at Ruby. Greyson was hurt and vulnerable. The least she could do was watch over her. Olivia curled up on the cot across from Greyson. No one here was safe, but the least she could do was lessen Greyson’s pain.
Chapter Eleven
Greyson cursed the root or rock that had buried itself against her rib cage. She heard birds singing and the undeniable smell of coffee. She rolled over and slipped from her sleeping bag. As expected the withered old woman sat on a log next to a fire.
The old woman held out a steaming cup of coffee to Greyson and smiled.
“What are you doing here?” Greyson asked, becoming aware that this must be a dream.
“Best I can tell, you’ve gone and gotten yourself lost,” Lucile answered.
Greyson frowned. “I’m not lost.”
“Hmm, even worse to be lost and not know it.” The old woman winked.
Greyson’s head hurt, and no matter how she shifted, she couldn’t ease the pain in her side. Something was happening, but she couldn’t sort through her thoughts and memories to put it together.
“I think I’m in trouble, Lucile.”
Lucile nodded. “I’d say so.” The old woman tossed the remains of her cup onto the fire and gathered up her things.
“Don’t go. I don’t know what to do. I need help.”
Lucile stepped close to Greyson, her weathered skin like a roadmap to her life. Her gray eyes were like beacons shining through the mist.
“There is beauty in the rosebush, and a field of clover, but there’s also beauty in the dandelion growing in the sidewalk.”
Greyson frowned. “What does that mean?”
Lucile smiled, cupping Greyson’s chin in her hand. “My sweet little flower, you’re looking for the garden. What you need to find is the crack.”
“But—” Greyson started to protest.
“Even the smallest pinpoint of light brings hope in the darkness. Follow the light.” Lucile leaned in and kissed Greyson’s forehead.
Greyson felt the tender lips brush across her skin, featherlight but solid as a promise. The tenderness was like the sun itself touching her skin.
“Don’t leave me,” Greyson murmured as the tender lips pulled away.
“I’m right here,” a voice said.
Greyson frowned. This voice was different. She opened her eyes and met the gentle gaze of warm brown eyes. “Olivia?”
“Welcome back,” Olivia replied, sitting up as she smoothed her hand down Greyson’s arm.
Greyson was confused. “What’s going on?”
“You were dreaming, I think, and talking in your sleep. I was checking to see if you have a fever. It’s something my mother used to do when I was sick.”
Greyson studied Olivia’s face, taking in the fresh bruises and scratches that seemed so wrong against her otherwise smooth, creamy skin. Greyson reached up a hand to Olivia’s face. “What happened to you?”
Olivia sucked in her breath as Greyson’s fingertips grazed her cheek, tracing the line of a scratch across her face. She shivered as goose bumps ran down her arms and her skin warmed.
“Initiation. I had a fight of my own last night after you—well, you know. Thank you for that, by the way. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d had to face Ruby.” Olivia glanced over her shoulder to where Ruby sat slumped on her bed.
Greyson followed her gaze. “Is Ruby okay?”
Olivia shrugged. “Best I can tell. She isn’t really talking to me.”
“Why are you helping me?” Greyson asked. “I thought you hated me.”
Olivia sighed. “Maybe you are the enemy and I’ve lost my mind, but I saw what she did to you in that pit. I know you’re hurt, and right now you aren’t as scary as she is.”
Greyson smiled.
“But don’t think that means I trust you,” Olivia said quickly.
Greyson shook her head. “Of course not.” She took a deep breath and took a mental assessment of her injuries. She ran her fingers along her side and winced.
“What is it?” Olivia asked, her eyes growing wide with concern.
“My chest hurts.” Greyson pulled at her shirt.
Olivia grasped the edge of Greyson’s shirt. “Here, let me help you.” She gently lifted Greyson’s shirt revealing the taut muscles along her stomach. Olivia’s breath caught as her fingers grazed the smooth skin and hard muscle. She cleared her throat trying not to give in to the effect Greyson was having on her. Her heart raced. She licked her lips to pull back the moisture flooding her mouth.
The bruise to Greyson’s side emerged, wiping the carnal thoughts from Olivia’s mind and bringing reality back into sharp focus. “Oh God, that looks awful.”
Greyson looked at her side and probed the area around the wound. “It was a lot worse last time. I guess Ruby went easy on me after all.”
“Jesus. You’re lucky your ribs aren’t broken. She could have killed you.”
“Exactly,” Greyson agreed. “But she didn’t.”
Olivia scowled. “Now you’re going soft on Ruby? Have you lost your mind?”
Greyson smiled. “No, just taking the advice of a friend.”
Olivia frowned. “Well, you’re crazy, and you’re going to get yourself killed if you let her do that to you again.”
There was movement in the hallway, and the sound of footsteps approaching. Someone was coming. They both sat staring at the cell door, waiting for the next monster to appear.
Uncle Dan stepped out of the shadows, his face still bruised and swollen. Greyson started to get up but sat back when Ruby ran to the door.
“What the hell happened up there? What did you do to her?” Ruby demanded.
“Back off, Ruby,” the old man warned.
“Like hell I will. We had a deal. I’ve kept my end. I want to know what happened to her. Where is she?”
“Nothing happened to her. She’s in lockdown.”
Ruby’s shoulders fell and she shuddered, letting her head fall against the metal bars. “You have to let me see her. She can’t handle being locked away like that. She’ll break down.”
“That’s not my problem. And what makes you think you can have any favors after that little stunt you pulled? Your owner could have had you put down for that, but I guess you’re still worth the trouble. But not Nikki. No one needs Nikki.”
“Don’t hurt her. She can’t help it,” Ruby begged.
The old man held out his hand. “This is the best I can do for now.”
Ruby slipped the piece of paper from his hand and clenched it in her fist.
The old man stepped closer to the bars. “The death match is coming. You need to be ready. There won’t be any more fights until then. Everyone needs to be in good shape when the time comes.”
Ruby shook her head. “No. I won’t fight again. Not until I see her.”
He glared at Ruby. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Ruby nodded and walked back to her bunk clutching the scrap of paper.
The old man turned his gaze to Greyson, then to Olivia, as if assessing them both. He nodded and tossed something to Greyson. She caught it with her good hand.
Greyson looked down at the small package of cookies, then back to the old man. Before she could respond, he turned and walked away.
“I’ll be damned,” Greyson muttered.
“What is it?” Olivia asked.
Greyson shrugged. “Progress, maybe.”
“Progress?” Olivia asked, obviously confused by the interaction.
“It’s a long story.” Greyson nodded toward Ruby. “What do you think that was all about?”
Olivia shrugged. “Before you woke up, she asked me about the girl they put in the pit with me. I think that may be who she was asking about. The girl wasn’t right. She seemed a little out of it, you know, like she was crazy or something. I think she’s been tortured. Ruby said they did things to her to punish her.”
Greyson frowned. “Torture? What kind of torture?”
Olivia shuddered. “She’d had her tongue cut out.”
Greyson recoiled. “What the hell?”
“It was awful,” Olivia said, closing her eyes to shut out the image.
Greyson’s anger rose. “Jesus, these guys are sick.”
The mist of newly formed tears shimmered in Olivia’s eyes. “Do you think that will happen to me?”
Greyson clenched her jaw. She couldn’t believe the depths of evil these men were capable of, b
ut she couldn’t let Olivia see her fear. She shook her head. “No.”
Olivia searched Greyson’s eyes, her gaze desperate for truth.
Greyson took Olivia’s hand. “We won’t let that happen.”
“We?” Olivia’s voice sounded weak and uncertain.
“Yeah, no one should be alone in here. We have to stick together. We have to look after each other until we can figure a way out.”
Greyson felt Olivia’s grip tighten around hers. Greyson offered a reassuring smile. She had to find a way out soon. She didn’t want to think of what horrors were to come.
* * *
Greyson lay on her cot watching Olivia sleep on the bed across from her. Olivia wasn’t exactly the fireball she had first met. She had an innocence about her that Greyson felt was slipping away with every day they were subjected to this prison. What had Olivia’s life been like before everything went to hell? Greyson had believed her own life was complete, full of the adventures and accomplishments that drove her. But what about Olivia? What were her dreams? Where would she be right now if she hadn’t run into Greyson on that fateful day?
Greyson imagined Olivia in a classroom surrounded by children looking up to her with innocent wonder. She imagined Olivia laughing with friends. She even considered the two of them together, picking up where they left off after that one special good-night kiss.
Greyson shuddered and tried not to think of her own unwitting part in the destruction of Olivia’s life. She clenched her jaw in anger. She might have been careless, but she had nothing to do with getting them here. The Recruiter and his web of hellions were the reason, the evil behind all this.
Movement across the room drew Greyson’s attention and she shifted her gaze to find Ruby watching her. She held her side protectively and slid out of bed.
Ruby watched her approach, her eyes solemn pools of despair.
“Mind if I sit?” Greyson asked.
Ruby nodded her head toward the cot across from her, offering permission.
Greyson eased down onto the bunk. “What’s going on? You know more than you’re saying. You were crazed in that pit the other night. Is this a game to you too?”
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