Warning: Strong Language and Sexual Content!
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It had been three days since Ary had disappeared and Rave wasn't functioning very well. He was having a hard time not reverting back to his old ways and going out and threatening anyone he could get his hands on. Even knowing that Ty was sticking around to help out wasn't enough to calm him down. He hadn't realized how grounded he had been with Ary around. Without her he felt like a drug addict going through withdrawals.
"Where the hell is she!?" Rave shouted at the bloodied man in front of him.
The guy was barely conscious, slouching in the chair. He would have been on the floor if not for the ropes tying him to the chair. Rave had tied him up as an after thought. After the guy had already gone to the floor a couple times, from Rave hitting him.
"That's enough, Colt!" Ty said, pulling him away from the bloodied man.
"You're not the boss of me anymore!" Rave shouted, pushing away from Ty.
"This isn't about who's in charge, Raven." Ty used his first name once they were in the hallway and away from the others. "This is about your friend stopping you from doing something stupid."
"Finding Ary is stupid?" Rave demanded.
Hatred and anger were evident in his expression, but so was something else. Fear. Fear that he might lose the one person that had ever meant anything to him. Fear that he was losing himself. He didn't know how to be without Ary there to coach him. She was always reminding him about protecting people who couldn't protect themselves and doing it in a way that saved lives on both sides. Rave didn't know how to do any of that. He only knew his enemies and how to successfully end their lives so they wouldn't be a threat to him anymore. He hated that part of himself and he hated how easily he could succumb to that part. He always tried to convince himself that he could be a better man, if the circumstances were different, but now he wasn't so sure that he was capable of rising above it.
"Raven, do you really think Ary will care that you saved her if you killed people in the process?" Ty asked him. He was treating Rave like he were a child.
"I don't care," Rave snapped. Talking to Ty was just diminishing his anger and that was not what he wanted.
"Yes, you do. I know you care about Ary's safety, but I also know you care about what she thinks about you. Don't deny it," Ty ordered.
Rave was about to reply when their captive began to laugh hysterically. Rave and Ty shared a look before stepping back into the room.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Ty demanded.
"Christian is going to get free and he is going to get your bitch. He is going to fuck her up real good. Maybe he'll let you watch while the whole gang screws her, you traitor!" the Bloodbath flunky laughed in Rave's face.
Rave was so shocked by his words that he couldn't even move, let alone kill the bastard in front of him. Ty wasn't too shocked to move. He knocked the guy out with one punch, sending him and the chair tipping over backwards. The silence in the room was deafening after that.
The only thing Rave could think about was Ary, and what was happening to her. He was too weak to move. He knew what Christian was capable of, what any man was capable of. He started to panic as thoughts of Christian raping his sweet, beautiful Ary took over. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything, except stand there and let Christian hurt the woman he loved.
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"You know I'll be released from rehab within the day once they drug test me and find out that the strongest thing I'm on is Tylenol," Ary told Garrett from the backseat of the SUV.
They were 'transferring' her to the rehab center. Kane was sitting in the front seat with Garrett; no one really trusted him to be near her. They'd gotten into quite a few fights while she was tied up and not all of them were just screaming matches. Then Nichols and Graff, the old guy, were sitting in the back on either side of her. They had to be well prepared since they couldn't exactly bring her in with handcuffs on. Although the bruising around her wrists would be a fun one to explain.
"You seem pretty sure about that," Graff commented as he gazed out the window. He wasn't much for looking someone in the eye.
"Well, unless you assholes shot me up with something, I am sure," she stated, her eyes catching Garrett's as he watched her from the rearview mirror.
"Why would we shoot you up?" Kane laughed, as if that were the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.
"Your boss seems pretty adamant about locking me up and I'd hope at least one of you was semi-intelligent enough to realize I'm not an addict," she shrugged, coolly.
"Druggies lie," Nichols said, squirming around next to her. It was obvious he didn't like being crammed into a backseat with two other people.
"Don't be even more stupid than I already think you are. Please," Ary said, giving the young man next to her a disgusted look. "I've been with you guys for three days. If I were heavy into drugs I'd be going through withdrawals right now. I'm not. That has to at least make you think something is up. Or I was wrong and you guys are stupider than you look," she grumbled, leaning back against the seat.
Ary expected more argument from the men, and Kane looked like he was about to say something, but his words were cut off by Garrett jerking the SUV onto the side of the road and slamming on the breaks until they came to a jarring stop.
Ary had flashes of scenes she'd seen on TV where someone in the front seat shot someone in the backseat and then disposed of the body at the side of the road. She quickly glanced around at her surroundings. They were in a populated part of the city. There were houses nearby. Gunshots could easily be heard and a body easily seen. Not that it would matter; she'd already be dead by the time someone realized what was happening. If they tried to kill her, which was still a possibility.
"I'd like to have a word alone with my daughter," Garrett said, glancing around at his men.
"Seriously?" Nichols exclaimed.
"Seriously." And Garrett sounded dead serious.
Graff got out of the vehicle without a word, but Kane and Nichols grumbled the entire time. Kane made it a point to slam his door shut a little harder than was necessary. Garrett didn't bother to look over at Kane; he was too busy watching Ary through the rearview mirror.
Ary could see both of their reflections in the mirror and she once again found herself comparing the similarities. There weren't a lot. Maybe around the mouth and jaw line they were similar. The way he was frowning, narrowed eyes and all, did remind her of herself. Especially that suspicious look in his eyes. He didn't trust her. He thought she was lying.
"We're alone now. What did you want to talk about?" Ary asked, glancing down from the rearview mirror. She couldn't look at his eyes anymore.
"You're not a drug addict," Garrett stated, turning around to face her. She raised an eyebrow, wondering about his change of heart. "But you have done drugs?" This came out as more of a question. She didn't answer it. "Well?" he prompted.
"Does it really matter what I say? If I say no, you won't believe me. You'll think I'm lying. You don't care about the truth. You want me to be messed up on something," she said, giving him an even stare.
"That's not true," Garrett objected.
"Yes, it is," Ary said, giving him an even look. "I know how people see me. It doesn't usually bother me...until people start kidnapping me over it!" she snapped at him.
"Why have you been hanging around with Raven Colt!? He's a cold blooded killer," Garrett said, changing the subject.
Ary wanted to defend Rave. She was about to, but she held herself back. It would only look like she was a stupid, naive woman if she defended him. She'd be just like Scar. Someone so in denial about a guy that they would blame themself before they blamed the guy.
"I'm working as a consultant with the Chicago PD," she answered, reluctantly.
She hadn't wanted to use that excuse. Not only because she wasn't sure Wilcox would verify her words, but also because she didn't want to lie about her relationship with Rave. She wasn't ashamed of him or her relationship with him. She'd seen a lot of crappy relationships, her parents' and sisters' included, and despite their constant fighting she and Rave weren't half as bad as any of those. She didn't think it wise to admit that she was willingly sleeping with one of Chicago's most notorious gang leaders and just stuck with whatever would get her out of Garrett's clutches.
"Really?" Garrett looked hopeful.
"Yes. Do you honestly think I would willingly join a gang, just for the hell of it?" That part was true at least. She wasn't much for rules and if she actually wanted to infiltrate a gang she'd have to follow rules or suffer the consequences. Even she wasn't trigger happy enough to stroll into a gang's lair and announce herself as separate from them.
"Juliana-" Garrett began, but Ary stopped him.
"Juliana cheated on her husband with you and then she proceeded to lie to him about me being his child." Ary still didn't believe that Garrett was her father, but Garrett believed it and that's all that mattered in this situation. She had to get him on her side and the best way to do that was to let him believe that he was her biological father.
"She was so sweet and kind," Garrett mumbled, sadly.
"She can be kind," Ary conceded. She felt bad for the guy. He honestly seemed to love Juliana. Too bad Juliana didn't have the capacity to love him back. "But trust me when I say that she's only ever kind to you when she wants something," Ary gave the older man a sad look.
If she were half as compassionate as she pretended to be, Ary would be seeking out help for her mother, like Garrett was trying to do with her. But Ary wasn't like that. She believed that all actions had consequences. Juliana never had to face any of those consequences. She always managed to turn things around so that it seemed like someone else was to blame or that she was actually a victim. Sure, she needed help to fix her sick and twisted mind, but she also needed to be punished. Ary was honest enough to admit to herself that she was out looking for revenge, and she knew enough about herself to be completely okay with that.
"I'm sorry about this. Your mother sounded so convincing, and I-" he looked away for a moment.
"You what?" Ary pressed.
"I had a sister who overdosed when she was about your age. She looked just like you," Garrett said, sadly.
Ary stared at him, a blank look on her face. Oh, it wasn't because she was shocked or felt bad for him. Well, maybe a little bit of shock. No, her complete brain melt was because she was being unfairly judged because of some person she had never even met, and had probably died before she was even born.
"Oh great! So, just because somebody you know was a druggie, that automatically makes me one?" she laughed, without humor. At least now she knew why everyone thought of her that way.
"I didn't mean to-" Garrett tried to apologize.
"Do not make assumptions about me based on someone else's actions!" Ary shouted, angrily.
"I'm sorry," Garrett apologized, lamely.
Ary had calmed down quite a bit after screaming at Garrett. It cleared her head. "I'm sorry, too," she returned the apology.
"You don't have to apologize. I deserved it," he assured her.
"I'm not sorry I yelled at you. You deserved it. I'm sorry about your sister. I'm sure she was a decent person before she made the stupid decision to take drugs." Ary and her award-winning apologies. "I'm also sorry about this," Ary gave him a sad look before she leapt into action.
Ary wasn't going to pretend that she was stronger or better at hand-to-hand combat than Garrett and his friends were. She most likely wasn't. But she did have a feeling that despite everything she had done to defend herself and keep them on their toes, they were still inclined to underestimate her. That was truly her greatest strength. Grown men thinking a scrawny young woman couldn't do more than swoon at the sight of danger. Well, she would just have to prove them all wrong.
Ary balled her hand into a fist and gave Garrett a sharp left hook to the jaw, throwing as much power into it as she could. Both her knuckles and Garrett's jaw made a cracking sound. Her left hand went numb and Garrett's head smacked into the steering wheel.
Ary didn't take the time to survey the damage to her hand or to make sure that Garrett was still alive. She shoved the door open and jumped right into the middle of traffic. Horns blazed as she heard shouts from behind her. She nearly got ran over twice, but she kept going towards oncoming traffic. She wasn't going to get tackled by Kane again.
When Ary thought she was a safe enough distance away and in a reasonably decent neighborhood, she stopped running. Her sides ached and her throat bburned. She had never ran that hard or fast in her life. Her body wasn't used to it, and just to prove it, she hacked up the cheeseburger and fries Garrett had given her for lunch. It didn't taste as good the second time around.
She limped across the parking lot of some gas station and quickly ran inside to use the pay phone. The clerk gave her a weird look. She hadn't really looked at herself lately, but she imagined her clothes were all rumpled and dusty, and her hair was bound to look like a matted tumbleweed by now. That's what happened when she wasn't allowed a proper shower in three days.
Ary tried calling Rave. Of course the idiot didn't answer. It's not like she had been kidnapped or anything. Was he even worried about her? She felt a moment of sadness, imagining that Rave didn't even care if she was gone or not. She shook the thought from her head. Rave went ballistic when she was gone for an hour. He'd be at least a little concerned when she didn't show up after three days.
After three failed attempts at calling Rave, Ary was feeling hysterical again. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs.
"Damn it!" she growled, smacking her first against the pay phone. "Oh shit!" she yelped in pain, tears appearing in her hands. "Broken hand, broken hand." She clutched her injured hand to her chest. She should really go to'a hospital.
Hospital. That gave Ary another idea of who she might be able to call. She quickly re-inserted her coins and dialed a new number.
"Who is it"? a grumpy voice asked on the other line.
"Mads, hey, it's Bella," Ary greeted her sister, awkwardly. It was like she was speaking to her sister for the first time in ten years.
"What do you want? I'm on my way to work," Mads sighed, sounding annoyed.
"I, uh," Ary fumbled for words. How could she get her sister to believe her? By lying, of course. "Oh Mads, I'm in so much trouble," she sniffled into the phone.
"What's wrong?" That peaked Miss Madeleine's interest.
"Can you come get me? Please? He's after me," she sobbed into the phone. She was trying to sound terrified, but for some odd reason her sacred voice had a slight Southern twang to it.
"Who's after you, Bella? What's going on?" Mads was freaking out more than Ary was pretending to freak out.
"Just pick me up! I'll tell you everything later. Just please come get me!" Now Ary sounded angry. Hopefully Mads wouldn't notice.
"Okay, okay. Tell me where you are."
Ary rattled off the address and then hung up on her sister, mumbling that she had to be quiet. Now all she had to do was think of a believable lie for her sister. She couldn't tell the truth. No one would believe her. Especially someone from her family.
She had been kidnapped. By someone claiming to be her real father. A kidnap attempt that was organized by her mother. This was Jason Bourne crap. Even having spent the last year following a psychopath as he covertly killed off his brother, and then she, herself, having to fend said psychopath off, Ary found the past three days hard to believe.
All Ary wanted to do now was to fall into Rave's arms and just forget about everything else. She felt safe with Rave, she trusted him. Despite all the secrets she knew he was keeping from her, she trusted him. They had only known each other for a few short months, but out of everyone Ary had ever known, Rave was the one person who believed in her. And he hated her family. Those two things were enough to make her shout for joy.
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Okay! I re-uploaded the chapter! It looked just fine on my laptop, but when I used my phone it looked like I had a seizure and just hit random letters. Hopefully it works now! Sorry!
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