Iron To Arrows

Chapter 24: Victimized

"Grant don't do this!" I pleaded desperately as he came into the room and ordered the guards to leave. I had been in there for a while myself. The room was like any standard bedroom, large with dresser, mirror and king sized.
The guards placed a shock collar around my neck and chained one arm to either side of the head board. I could feel tears forming in my eyes as he placed a few things on top of one of the dressers. He removed the dressy, button up, shirt he had been wearing and tossed it to the side. Underneath it was just a simple, fitted, black t-shift.
"Ward please!"
He continued ignoring my cries as he glanced down at the iPad he was now carrying. He grabbed a chair from the corner of the room, flipped it around and placed it at the base of the bed. He punched away at the device as he sat down. I could numbness starting emerge within my shoulders and triceps. My chest heaved up and down quickly as I resisted the urges of a panic attack. Never show weakness, I reminded myself, don't break; you can do this. You'll survive.
Ward looked up at me after a few moments of silence,
"Are you going to behave yourself?"
What kind of dumbass question was this. The fire in me wanted to curse and fight but the anxious side was what seemed to be in control now. Instead of mouthing of like I normally would, I remained silent. My jawline tightened as I glanced away from him, swallowing down a few harsh sentences that I so desperately wanted to speak. He gave a smirk and I didn't like it.
The next thing I knew there was a large screen appearing beside him. My eyes widened at the image and a small gasp escaped my lips.
It Oliver. He appeared to be in some sort of dreary basement or cellar. Chains were bound around his wrists as he hung, shirtless, from some large metal pipe. Two guys surrounded him. One had a horse whip and the other stood near jumper cables. Ollie was dirty, wet, bleeding out onto the concrete floor. I, myself, could've started crying but as soon as the gasp escaped my lips, I recognized the mistake I made in revealing attachment and emotion. Wards expression got a bit hard before he smirked again.
"That's what I thought." Was his reply after smirking at me, "You see that?" He questioned the obvious and quickly caught on to the idea that there was, most likely, cameras in every room here. There were probably cameras where Oliver and I were at before; which meant Ward saw and, even, heard everything that happened. I felt more weary as he paced around the large screen. He whispered something into the watch and the next thing I saw made my entire body go limp. One man through a large bucket of water on Oliver while the other attached the jumper cables to the chains above him. Ollie cried and deeply and I clinched my eyes, slightly, as the sound of his screaming echoed in my ears. When the sound stopped I reopened my eyes firmly and maintained a serious expression as I gazed at Ward. He gave me a sweet smile as I glared back coldly.
"What do you want?" I scoffed immediately as a more longing and lustful expression fell over his eyes. He smiled again and nodded his head a few times, taking a moment to glance from me to the screen. This time he all he had to do was snap his fingers and it happened again.
"Open your eyes Anastasia." He told me as my gaze drifted down again but I didn't listen.
"Watch!" He command got louder. I suddenly felt waves of electricity shoot out from my neck it spine. It relinquished when my eyes made contact with the screen again.
"I wont do what you want me too!" I spat bitterly. The chains clinching tighter against my skin, my chest leaning forward as I spoke. I felt my muscles wince beneath the tension of the chains.
"Or will you." The words came put as more of a statement or order than a question.
"If you want to keep him alive."
I knew the exact type of manipulation he was trying to use against but I wasn't that weak. Not like him. I wouldn't cover before him the way he did to Garrett. I had no master or leader. I did things on my own and I enjoyed that.
A sudden chuckle from his lips broke through my sturdy thoughts.
"Have you learned from your experiences in the Red Room Anastasia?"
My eyes flashed bitterly as he spoke of my best associations. It was an undercover assignment. A sealed case and private matter. No one was supposed to know I was there but Coulson or Fury. Ward only found out because he and his team were the ones that had to remove me; make sure I got out alive. My cover got blown by a leak of intel, still never discovered who or how that happened but Ward was sent in after me; too find me. That's how he and I met before he turned into a giant douche and sociopath.
"Do you think loves you?" The questioned started off as semi-sarcastic but I could tell their was specks of genuine curiosity in his voice.
I didn't answer. I wasn't going to give him anymore than he already had.
"Enough to die for you?"
My eyes flashed up to meet his as his hand slowly rose and fell in the air. More screams echoed from the screen and into my mind. My heart ached at the sights and sounds before me. I couldn't look away because of the remote he held in his hand that controlled my collar.
"Leave him be!" I cried out after a few agonizing moments. The shouting stop and the screen had suddenly disappeared.
"It be a shame for something like that too get out. Billionaire gallivanting as some vigilante hero. Though the world is already diminishing the blow on that concept, still, what a story to find. Sacrificing ones life to save the priceless daughter. Who turns out to not to be everything her family assumes....is she."
"If you put your hands on them I swear I'll-!"
"It's amazing the kind of damage a little information leak can have on one's mission can't. One slip up; results in many casualties."
His eyes changed from dark and into a knowing kind of stare.
"Moscow." I muttered the words out breathlessly. He smiled.
"Fury's case files weren't buried as deep as he portrayed them to be."
"You were there." The realization hit me like semi-truck. My brow furrowed and my jawline clenched. Bitterness began too drip from my lips.
"You knew!" I spat.
"Shocking isn't it." He had the never to plaster on a light hearted grin.
"Is nothing sacred to you!"
He didn't respond but only starred at me unimpressed.
"You lying a$$hole! People died because of that operation. You ratted us all out."
Tears of memory streamed down my cheeks at the thought of those caught and convicted underneath the Red Rooms eyes. I wasn't the early girl sent it but few of us actually made it out alive.
"Has anything you've said to me ever been the truth?!"
Tears rolled down my cheeks a bit harder now as my heart squirmed inside my chest. Fiery pain shot through my arms as I heaved against the iron chains and collapsed back into the headboard.
"One." He glanced away as to ponder the only time he ever uttered this truthful thing.
"And what's that." Half chuckled and spat, my lips dripping with spite and pain.
"I love you."
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I think I would've been shocked by his words, even tempted to believe them, if the truth had not revealed itself like it just did.
He didn't love me. He was demented from the start. Garretts been poisoning him since he was a child. There's no amount of humanity left in him because there was none to even start with.
Ward was destined to die from the beginning. To turn into this beast like creature. Even at the times where he had freedom and truth presented too him, he didn't leave. He didn't take it. Like they say, you don't bite the hand that feeds you. Even if that hand has poisoned you your whole life.
"I hate you!" I spat out as cold heartedly as I could.
"But do you." His words came out slightly seductive as he eyed me up and down.
"Don't even think about touching me!" I spat again and heaved against the chains a few times.
"Remember the consequences." He gave a slight warning before his lips turned into a small smile.
"I don't what you do to me! I'll kill myself!" I shouted back and squirmed against the chains more.
"Ah, see, that's just the thing." Slowly he rose from his chair and approached one side of his bed. Bringing his face just inches away from my ear, "I'm not coming after you anymore."
My gaze held to the either side of the room but immediately shifted when the screen popped up again. Oliver still hung in the same spot, same position. He seemed weaker now; more exhausted but I could tell by the light heaving of his chest, he was still breathing. Though the Lord only knows how. I crossed my fingers together in my mind and prayed that we'd make it out of this but my faith was starting to waiver.
"Tell me about his love for you again, Anastasia."
Pain, fear, anxiety and heartbreak all struck through me at once. I wanted to scream; cry, over what I knew would become of me. I wanted death to take me as much as I wanted to live my life again. See my family and friends again. I wanted Oliver alive and with me. With me like he used to be. To touch me the way he used too that seemed so warm and genuine. To look at me the way he did months and years ago before life became complicated. Things appeared so simple and petty then in comparison to now. I hated myself for all the loathing and grudges. Time I waisted b**ching about total nonsense. The question at hand, wasn't if Oliver was willing to die for me but if I was really willing to let myself die for Oliver.
I felt knew I always had the answer to this question in the back of my mind but it didn't reveal itself to me until now.
The answer to this question and all things that have had to do with Oliver, is yes.
I hated that about myself for so long! That was the one part of me I could never seem to shut off or disconnect completely.
Yes, he'd been in love with me for quite sometime
And Yes, I'd be willing to die. To do anything for me.
The only question now is would he still love me?
More so, Can I still love myself?