Billion Dollar Vengeance

Chapter 20: Say Nothing

My face getting roughly patted by a gloved hand slowly brings my foggy mind back to consciousness. My head throbs with agonizing, pounding blood surging through my brain.

"Where's your bat friend, girl?"

The growling voice makes me plummet into fight or flight mode. My body jolts, escape the only thing on my mind. But when I try to move, I can hardly wiggle before I meet resistance. My eyes refuse to focus in the dim space that spins around me, but I make out a masked man standing over me. His shoulders are so broad that his arms don't lay flat to his sides. The black ski mask over his face is decorated with white symbols in paint that spin and swirl before my blurry eyes.

"I know you hear me, bitch."

A cold shot of fear snakes down my spine. My swollen lips are parted with heavy breath, looking around at the room. I'm zip tied to a chair in half a dozen places, shoved up against the wall. In the far corner is a small card table with my phone, everything from my pockets, a swiss army knife, and a Leatherman. The makeshift metal walls barely attach to the industrial ceiling full of wires, ducts, and metal structures.

A harsh slap to my cheek makes me whimper, my neck snapping to the side as the sting grows over my face. I clamp my teeth together and glare at the dark face swimming above me.

"You know what we want from you. Name, locations, accomplices, phone numbers. You know where he is right now, don't you?"

I frown, then flinch from the pain of it. "Sorry, who?" my voice cracks.

His beefy arms cross over his chest. "I wouldn't if I were you. You're already lucky you got stuck with me. I'm patient."

My heart pounds in my chest, but I keep the tears from spilling over. "I certainly feel lucky."

He chuckles darkly. "You sure you want to be this loyal to a grown man in a costume? Ready to lose fingers, get electrocuted, stabbed in the shoulder, shot in the head?"

He'll come for me. He'll get me out of here.... Right? I swallow the lump in my throat and try to ignore my heart beating every last bit of life through my aching body. "Who are you talking about?"

"The Batman. Now stop playing dumb, bitch."

My mind hazes over with panic. I might very well die here. "I don't know who he is. Isn't that the point? No one knows."

He shrugs casually. "If you insist."

As if he's bored out of his mind, he saunters over to the table and picks up the swiss army knife, pulling out a small, double edged blade. My muscles tense, preparing for pain. I tug against the zip ties, flinching away from the searing pain where they rub against my skin. Ignoring my struggling, he wraps a vinyl gloved hand around my right pointer finger.

"No," I breathe.

My mind clouds over, all rational thought shrinking away from the situation. Surely, this isn't really happening to me. I didn't really get kidnapped. Oh God, Jenna!! She has to be worried sick!! I have to find a way out of this. He might not be able to save me. I need to save myself.

The knife blade digs up under my fingernail. As soon I feel a pinch under my nail, beads of red spread around the area. My lungs seize. "No, no, no!"

I'm really going to lose my finger for this fucking man who I'm not even with anymore. I could so easily blame my predicament on him. He did drive us straight into this trap. But this would have happened to me sooner or later. I was seen with Vengeance. The Batman. Now I'm a target. I'll always be a target.

Agony rips up my bloody finger into my entire arm. His grip tightens around my finger as I thrash violently.

"Okay! Okay!!!" Tears stream from my eyes, blinding me. The sharp pain turns to throbbing. And the blade remains dug into my flesh under my nail.