Rise [Bruno Mars]

Chapter sixteen

Chapter sixteen

A woman so large appeared in the door frame she obscured the other side from view. Utter disgust rose in me like vomit at the sight of her lab coat, the buttons threatening to burst. “You.” She indicated me with a sausage finger. “Come, and with no trouble, or your friends will benefit from it.”

Her tone was monotonous, as if she were reading from a prepared statement. I turned to a terribly frightened Ris. Her fingers clung to my arm. I managed a smile of reassurance, gently prying them off one by one before shrugging on Bruno's hoodie which I'd taken off so my smell wouldn't rid of his. I slowly drew myself up, meeting the stranger's blank gaze. Ris followed uncertainly.

Come with no trouble, she'd directed me. The hatred in my heart pumped fiery through my blood but I was in control of it. I hushed the questions screaming in my head. Where's Bruno? What have you done to the rest of them? I was a quiet storm.

It took only three steps for me to be directly in front of her towering figure.

“Turn around.”

I did so. I caught Ris' eye and gave her a nod. She ignored it, enfolding me in her bony body. For a second, I stilled. Then, just as I raised my arms, she launched herself away, turning her back on me as if she couldn't stand to watch. A lump built in my throat. My arms fell. 

My sight went black as I was blindfolded; the thick knot digging into the back of my skull. I thought my wrists would snap from the strength of her grasp, and backwards, she dragged me from the room.

I was urged forward. Frantic, I strained to hear anything besides the woman's heavy breathing and our footsteps. I couldn't. My heartbeat was too loud in my head and too in sync with our steps. We stopped. I heard five, quick beeps, followed by a sliding sound. We continued on.

Stop. A jangle of keys. She held both my wrists easily in one hand as I heard a lock turn and click. I was shoved and stumbled when the blindfold was viciously yanked down to my neck. My jaw dropped at what laid before me.

A room fit for a queen. A gilded chandelier dangled above the foot of a massive, lavish, bed, and gave the room a soft golden glow. Drawn over the tall windows was long, velvet silk, and I fought the urge to throw them apart, to see the sky. . .

“Sit,” the woman ordered.

Dazed, I perched on the edge of the bed. My body sighed at the contact of plushness, my muscles sore from sleeping on hard floor. I stood back up.

“Why are you recording me?” 

A video camera stood on five spidery legs that was comparably minisculed to the enormous size of the woman behind it. “Sit,” she repeated. “Or else.”

I sat, wanting to take one of the spidery legs and shove it up her—

She cleared her throat, her chin wobbling a little, and asked, “Have you been with Joseph for the past four days?”

*

“What? No!” Adrian yelled, shooting to her feet so her head was cut off, no longer visible in the camera lens' range. The tiny screen then went blank. 

“Well, there you have it.” Ryan leaned away from the video recorder. “Mr. 1950's hasn't been with Adrian. He's just not behind this, B. No matter how much you want him to be.”

I continued to stare down at the empty screen.

“Does that put all your worries to rest?” asked a sweet voice to my left. The woman who gave me the camera was stunning, like the rest of the women here, thick curls running down smooth, olive skin. Her fingers appeared on the camera. I opened my mouth to snap at her, Put my worries to rest? I've been fucking kidnapped but in that moment I realized she was trying to get the camera back.