Behind me, I hear Josephine call my name again. In front of me, one of the guards is moving slowly toward me, measuring his steps and eyeing me like one would a wounded animal. I dart forward and sidestep him, ducking into Daniel’s cell before he can recover and grab me.
The scene inside the cell is the last thing I expect.
Linc is here but not as a prisoner. He has Daniel pinned against the far wall and his fists are pounding into Daniel’s body, his face, his stomach, his ribs. Over and over, he lands punches. Each time, Daniel grunts, but he looks like he’s past the point of fighting back or even blocking the blows. There is an open cut underneath his eye. Blood streams steadily from the wound and down his face, soaking into his shirt. His nose is crooked and also bleeding.
I gag a little at the sight of the blood trickling into his mouth and down his chin, mixing with saliva as it drips to the floor. Linc lands another punch against Daniel’s jaw and a mouthful of saliva and blood spews sideways from Daniel’s swollen lips.
“Linc!” I scream because nothing about this makes sense. Where is Titus? Or Alton?
Linc turns at the sound of my voice and our gazes lock. The skin underneath his left eye sports a bruise a horrific shade of purple and there’s a small amount of blood trickling out of his ear, but he doesn’t look nearly as bad as Daniel. I breathe in relief, but then I see Daniel cocking his arm back and my mouth tightens.
“What are you doing?” Linc asks at the same time I yell, “Watch out!”
Daniel’s fist lands with a cracking sound across Linc’s jaw. “No!” I scream as Linc’s head is flung sideways with the force of the impact. He stumbles back, putting distance between himself and Daniel. I take a step, intending I don’t know what. To get between them. To make them stop. But a rough hand closes over my wrist and another wraps around my shoulders and I’m yanked back.
Linc rights himself and glares at whoever’s behind me holding me in place. “Let go of her,” he snaps. The grip loosens but doesn’t release. I twist, trying to free myself.
“Deitrich, let her go,” Linc repeats, this time venom coating his words.
“Boss says she can’t interfere,” Deitrich says. There’s a pause and I can hear a faint trace of a voice in his earpiece before he adds, “He says finish it. Then I can let her go.” Daniel lets out a groan.
Linc’s fury is tangible. I can taste the bitterness in the air as he crosses to the guard. I have absolutely no doubt what will happen if this man’s arms are still restraining me when Linc closes the distance. With one final yank, the collar of my pajama shirt rips and I am free. I meet Linc before he can reach the guard.
“Don’t,” I say, my hands braced against his chest. I don’t have the physical strength to hold him but he stops the second I touch him and glares past me at Deitrich.
“It’s okay. I’m okay,” I say.
Behind me, Deitrich mumbles into his earpiece and waits for instructions. When he doesn’t move to restrain me again, I relax a little. Linc isn’t so easy.
Eventually, he breaks his stare and looks down at me. He blinks as if seeing me for the first time. Regret, sympathy, rage, and a thousand other emotions wash across his features. His face pales and he raises a hand to the knot on the side of my face. His fingers stop short an inch from my skin and hover there as if he’s terrified to touch me.
“What are you doing down here?” he asks in a choked voice. He casts a nervous glance sideways, his eyes not quite reaching the mirrored wall, but I take the hint. I might not have seen Titus or Alton but they can see me.
“I could ask you the same,” I say, keeping it strictly business when all I want to do is throw myself into his arms and never let go. If I could speak freely in this moment, I would beg him to take me away. I would run and never look back.
He shifts his hand to my unmarred cheek and brushes his bare knuckles over my skin. “I … I’m—” He trails off and his eyes squeeze shut. He leans forward until our foreheads touch, his head hanging. He blames himself. He doesn’t have to speak the words for me to know it.
“It’s not your fault,” I whisper. He looks like he might argue so I add, “You saved us.”
He nods, eyes still closed, and exhales a deliberate breath.
“Your kisses are that good,” I add, low enough I hope no one else hears.
Linc’s eyes crack open and his mouth curves into the barest hint of a wry smile. It makes my own curve in victory. For now, he isn’t torturing himself about my face.
“Why are you hitting Daniel?” I ask and his amusement fades into a dark glare. He aims it at Daniel, who is still against the wall but has slumped to a sitting position as he watches the show. Without a word, Linc’s gaze sweeps away and he gestures with his chin.
“Her.”
It takes me a minute to see who he means. I blink into the shadows and then I see it. Wedged into the impossibly narrow space between the cot’s metal frame and the concrete floor is a body. I can hardly make out the face behind the rat’s nest of hair that half-covers it. Clothing is torn and the only thing that alerts me to gender is the remnant of a pink robe that hangs off one dark-skinned shoulder. Just above that, a pair of terrified eyes blinks back at me.
“Is that Sofia?” I ask, finally placing the face within my memory. I haven’t seen her since our tennis match weeks ago.
“Yes.” Linc’s answer is short and full of fury.
“Why is she here?” I begin to understand, though my brain tries to shove it away and deny the possibility of the scene before me until there is no other option left. “Did Daniel—?”
“No.”
I am sick with relief.
“Not for lack of trying,” Linc adds.
“I don’t understand.” I shake my head in an attempt to dispel the renewed ache in my temples.
Behind me, Deitrich steps closer as if readying to grab me again. Linc gives him a look so fierce, he backs away again and whispers something into his earpiece. We probably have only seconds before we’re separated, no matter what Linc says next. I’m surprised we haven’t been yet.
“It was my punishment for earlier,” Linc explains. He swallows. “To watch.”
My insides curl and burn with the poison of what he’s just said. I understand enough of the “why” that I don’t want to know any more. I shouldn’t be surprised at the length Titus has gone to punish Linc while still honoring our deal, but I am. Maybe it’s my own naiveté, but his evil has reached new heights for me today.
There is a commotion at the door and Deitrich moves aside. Titus stares back at us, his stony expression giving away nothing. Behind him, Alton is like an obedient statue.
“Raven,” Titus greets me. There is no surprise in his voice and I have no doubt he’s watched and listened to our entire exchange. Underneath my fingers, Linc’s arms flex and tighten. I drop my hands to my sides when I realize I’m still touching him in front of Titus. Not that it matters now.
“Linc,” Titus says and somehow the name sounds distasteful falling from his lips. He glances at Daniel and then back again, his blank expression unchanged. “You were supposed to stand and watch.” He doesn’t sound angry that Linc broke the rules, though, and somehow I know this was his plan all along.
“You knew I wouldn’t,” Linc says evenly.
Titus shrugs as if he couldn’t care less either way. “You and I have an understanding now.”
“And what understanding is that, sir?” Linc says, sarcasm heaviest on the last word.
Titus steps closer. Anger flashes. “The next time you want to put your hands on my daughter, you’ll remember the price is an eye for an eye. You touch her, Daniel touches someone else.”
Linc doesn’t respond. I don’t have to touch his arms to know the muscles underneath are flexing and bunching as he imagines ripping Titus to shreds. I know because I am doing the same, though Linc is far more capable. I understand why Titus didn’t physically attack Linc in any way. One look at Linc’s face and I know
this is a far worse punishment than physical injury or even death. Linc cannot stand the anguish that comes from knowing someone was hurt because of him.
At that moment, I don’t care if Titus is standing over us. My heart aches to comfort him. And maybe to defy Titus in some small way. I reach out and slide my fingers into his palm. Before I can intertwine them in his, he shakes me off and shoves his hands inside his pockets.
Titus smiles and it’s the worst kind of smile I’ve ever seen. It’s victory. “Good choice,” he tells Linc.
I want to claw his lips off his face.
There is movement in the doorway and then another face joins the crowd. Josephine slips in behind Alton and stops just behind Titus, speaking low in his ear. He nods and she makes her way to Daniel, crouching beside him as she begins to examine his wounds.
The sight of her is my undoing.
I remember the loosening feeling left behind as she stroked my hair earlier. The piece of me that relaxed against the soothing affection she gave me. And the way it evaporated when I realized she’d lied. She knew exactly what was going on here. Was probably on call for when it was over to treat whoever was most wounded in the end. That knowledge, combined with the horrific way everyone present acts like it’s normal to assault girls and beat men senseless for fun, unravels me.
In this moment, I am empty except for the rage. It is consuming and numbing. The pounding in my head is gone. The taut pull of my skin around my engorged cheek vanishes. My vision clouds with red. I imagine it as blood pouring from Titus.
I don’t realize I’ve moved an inch until I feel the fabric of clothing underneath my hands. I blink down and realize it is the same color as the shirt Titus wears. I look up—into his face. His surprise mirrors my own. Neither of us expected my attack. But then I’m moving again, using my nails to grip into his eye sockets and rake downward.
Titus screams.
I shiver in satisfaction and let go long enough to reach up and dig in again.
“It’s happening again,” someone shouts. “Grab her.” Hands close over my body. Linc yells to let go. I don’t see any of it. I only see the blood from the skin I’ve separated with my fingernails. I want to do it again and again. For Linc. For Melanie. For all of the Ravens.
But the hands won’t let me. They push and pull, finally using my hair to yank me clean away. It is a pain that finally reaches me and, at the sharp stab in my scalp, I scream. The sound doesn’t reach my ears before my back slams against the wall and my breath is stolen.
“Do you want me to dose her again?” Josephine asks.
“Not yet,” Titus says.
Alton’s face swims in front of me, the right edges of his chin and hairline blurred. The left side of his face is completely blotted out behind my swollen eye. His expression is densely blank. He doesn’t say a word, just stands there, his hands pinning me.
Linc yells but Deitrich and another guard stand in his way, forming a wall around me. They move to allow Titus through but somehow manage to keep Linc back. I blink but nothing focuses completely. Air refills my lungs and I wheeze as I inhale.
“You have attacked me for the last time,” Titus says quietly. His eerie calm is different with me than it was with Linc. It takes me a moment to realize what has changed and even then I doubt the realization. Maybe I’m imagining it or wanting it to be true, but the confidence he used when dealing with Linc is gone. Or lessened. I’m not sure the reason for the change, but it makes me braver.
What did he mean, it’s happening again?
“So have you,” I shoot back. His eyes flash and I wonder if he’ll hit me again just to make me a liar. But he doesn’t. His lip curls back, revealing even, white teeth. I want to spit on him I hate him so much.
“We’re going for a ride,” he says.
I blink. It’s not what I expected.
No one moves right away. It’s not what they expected either.
“Alton, bring the car. Crawford,” Titus snaps. The guards part and Linc approaches. Tension lines crease his forehead. I know he’s still considering retaliating against Titus. I shake my head “no” at him, hoping to send a message. He doesn’t acknowledge it other than to inspect me. But we both know Titus didn’t lay a hand on me just now. If he did, there would’ve been no hesitation on Linc’s part.
“Rogen,” Linc says simply, his eyes trained on me.
“Your services won’t be needed for the rest of the night.”
“If you’re going out—”
“Your services won’t be needed,” Titus repeats. “Go back to your room.”
Linc snorts. “My cell, you mean?”
“No. You’re free to go. Just get out of my sight. Report to the tower in the morning.”
Linc doesn’t move. Silently, I plead with him to obey. This night, horrible as it has been, could still be much worse. Blackmailing Linc into keeping his distance is one thing. Hurting him in front of me would be another.
“I’ll be fine,” I say, ignoring the noise Titus makes at my words.
Linc nods slowly. “All right then.” He glances back at where Josephine still crouches in front of Daniel. Then to where Sofia huddles beside Daniel’s bed. I’d almost forgotten she was here.
“I’ll walk Sofia to her room on my way out,” Linc says. It isn’t a question.
“Fine,” Titus says.
Linc extends a hand to Sofia. She rises and quickly crosses to his side. He wraps his arm around her shoulder and tucks her in against him. She looks tiny and lost beside him. My heart pings in sympathy at what she must be feeling. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Linc tells me.
“Yes,” I say, though I realize how little control I have over that possibility.
Still, it seems to satisfy him. He makes his way to the door, pausing to let Sofia go first before slipping out after her. Then, they are both gone.
I’m escorted to my room and Maria hovers, helping me change into street clothes. I am grateful for the thick sweater and comfortable pants she provides but I keep my thanks to myself. Partly because my headache is back but mostly because I’m terrified of what’s about to happen.
Titus said we’re going for a ride. I have no idea where. Or for how long. Or if I’ll even return. The last thought leaves a lump in my throat, and no matter how many times I swallow, it won’t go away. Maybe I was wrong before about Titus wanting me alive. Maybe he intends to finish it somewhere else. Somewhere he can leave the mess behind. It paralyzes me and Maria has to tug hard on my arms to get the sweater over my head. It jolts me into motion again but only the minimum effort required to assist her in dressing me.
My hair is brushed into a semblance of order and then Maria disappears into the closet in search of some hat she is muttering about. Something on my dresser catches my eye while I wait. My phone. On impulse, I palm it and slide it into my pocket seconds before Maria returns, a soft blue hat in her hand.
By the time I’m ready, Alton is already there to escort me to the door. Every light in the house is on, as if it isn’t fast approaching the middle of the night. Maria, still in her dressing gown, hurries ahead of us to help Titus with his coat. He stands in the tiled entryway, his suit jacket and winter coat melding into a sea of grayish blue. I can smell his cologne from here and his black shoes reflect the light above. He is pressed and polished and again, I am struck by how normal it seems to all of them to be venturing out in the middle of the night to who knows where.
Maria helps Titus straighten his coat collar. He barely looks at her as he lets her adjust his scarf and hand him his gloves. I wonder if he’s ever really seen any of his staff, unless they’re doing something wrong. For the first time in my memory, I wish I was invisible again, like I had been in the City. Invisible in the way that I wasn’t constantly walking from one attack to the next. Alton dons his coat and shoves his thick finger against the call button for the elevator. The access door to the stairs opens and three more guards appear, all wearing thick black jackets.
; “Let’s go,” Titus says when the elevator door pings and opens.
I am sandwiched between Alton and Deitrich. From where I stand, I can just barely see the black ink peeking out from underneath Alton’s sleeve. It makes my veins hum with adrenaline, although I still have no idea what to do with the knowledge that he is like me. It didn’t help with Gus and I suspect it won’t help now.
The elevator doors open, revealing at least a dozen more guards. The moment we step into the lobby, we are engulfed in a full security escort. I have no idea why Titus needs so many men or if this is a good thing that to have so many witnesses to wherever he’s taking me. Not that a single one would lift a finger to help me.
The car waits just outside the revolving central door of the lobby. I follow Titus and Alton into the night air, glad for the warmth of the sweater and pants Maria gave me instead of Raven’s usual skirts and dresses.
Six steps later, I am climbing in the backseat of the car whose midnight paint job blends in with the moonless sky overhead. Around and above us, white lights wink at me from the streetlamps. The high-rise buildings of uptown surround us. No one is about on the streets. Farther up, I can see red taillights stopped at the intersection. The light turns green and it revs away, spitting a cloud of warm exhaust in its wake. Otherwise, the streets are deserted.
Titus settles himself on the bench seat across from me and I’m shoved aside so that Alton can slide in beside me. I move toward the far window but the car door opens and two guards slide in so that I’m stuck in the middle. I slump back, hating that I have to brush against either man. This sort of closeness unnerves me and makes my skin crawl.
I can feel Titus watching me but I don’t look. I don’t want to see his face in case he’s wearing that smug smile again. I concentrate on touching the men beside me as little as possible while I buckle my seatbelt. When it clicks into place, I lean back and rest my head on the leather seat. The doors close and Titus taps the partition to signal we’re ready. We ease forward and I shut my eyes, pretending I don’t care whether I live through the night.
Deviation Page 13
