My captor pulled me up roughly, and I began to struggle again. I couldn't let them take me away from Ali, but I soon realized I couldn't stop them. The man holding my wrists let go long enough to punch me in the back of the head, dazing me instantly. My head jerked forward, and I stumbled back down to my knees
It took me a few seconds to recover from the blow. By the time I knew what was happening, my wrists had been pulled together behind my back again and were being bound. Once again, I struggled to free myself, but I was pushed down to my belly and the big guy straddled me. That made it quite easy for him to finish tying me up. I couldn’t hold back the sobs.
Even though my face was smashed into the old, moldy carpet, I could see Russell pull Ali's body off the ground and easily throw her over his shoulder. She was still out cold from his blow, and I hated seeing her limp body defenseless in his hands. His arm still dripped blood from the gash she had given him. I hoped it hurt like hell.
Once my captor was finished binding me, I was pulled to my feet by the cords and it felt like my arms were going to pop out of my shoulders. I grit my teeth against the rag, trying to hold back the whimper of pain. Now I was much more willing to cooperate as I followed the man carrying Ali out the door.
I looked around in shock as we stepped into the cool night air. There were cars and trucks everywhere. How did they have so many running vehicles?
A group of men were going through the Murano, but all I could do was watch as I was dragged along. Ali was tossed into the back of an old, covered truck-bed and I was thrown in behind her. Any thought I had of finally being able to get to her quickly vanished as my captor climbed in back with me and continued to hold me down.
The truck started moments later. I wished I could have been able to see the landscape as we drove but my head was firmly being pressed down. Ali had known these men were monsters right away, and I wondered if she'd ever met men like this before. I wondered if she had ever had to kill anyone before.
I shuddered and choked back more tears.
By the moonlight coming in through the dingy windows, I could see the bruise on the side of Ali's face already starting to form. It angered me and made me hate the man that had hit her. I came to the conclusion that I would kill to protect her, just like she had for me. The thought terrified me as I felt the conviction, but I knew I would do it if I had too.
I was surprised when the truck stopped only a short time later. My captor roughly jerked me from the back of the truck and I fell to the ground, landing hard on my shoulder. Ali still hadn't shown any signs of waking up, and I growled my protest through the dirty rag, but to no avail. I was barely a nuisance to the big man that was dragging me around.
Glancing about, the moonlight was enough for me to make out the unfamiliar shapes around me. A barricade of cars lined the edges of the parking lot. In other places, I could see where the concrete had been dug up to plant what looked like crops. I also heard the bleating of sheep and possibly other livestock. In the center of it all loomed a huge building. A hotel.
A ton of men circled us, their figures moving in and out of the shadows to the point I couldn't count them all. As I took it all in, my thoughts of escape began to dwindle into defeat.
A few seconds later, I was yanked from the ground again, and my rough handling continued as the big man towed me along. I strained to look behind us, desperately wanting to see what they were going to do with Ali, but the cruel man didn't relent. We continued walking forward towards the dark hotel that loomed before us.
"Take them to my room. I would like to speak with them both." I heard the one-eyed man's voice but was unable to make out which figure was his. Knowing that they were going to keep us together at least a little while longer relieved some of the panic I was feeling, but only slightly.
"Breck, you stand guard." The voice continued and the man that was pulling me along grunted his reply.
"I've still got business to attend to with this bitch." Russell's whiney voice protested from behind me, and I hoped he wasn't the one carrying Ali.
"No, you'll let Mona patch up that arm first. You'll get your time later." One-eye said coldly. "Once I'm done."
I felt a chill run down my spine and my growing fear of this one-eyed man momentarily surpassed my anger and hate. I no longer felt relieved at the notion of being in his room, even if Ali was there.
Into the hotel and down a short corridor we went, to room 102. There were lanterns lit, and it looked like every old hotel room I'd ever been in. I was dumped against a wall, and I glared at Russell who soon threw Ali's limp body down beside me.
I struggled to get to my knees but didn't quite make it before Russell gave Ali a quick, hard kick in the ribs. She groaned as her body doubled over but went still immediately after. Russell spat on her before looking at my horrified expression. The grin that spread across his face was evil.
"I'll make sure your little ginger gets her due." He said and chuckled as he walked out of the room.
My stomach filled with knots, and I made it to my knees in time for my captor, Breck, to push me back over as he leaned down beside Ali. I was once again scrambling to get up and saw that he had a good length of rope in his hands. He began to bind Ali's wrists behind her. She remained limp the entire time. Once Breck was finished, he moved to stand guard at the door.
I was finally able to get beside Ali, but wasn't able to do much. The dirty rag was still shoved deeply into my mouth and I began trying to work it out without gagging. I just hoped Ali would wake up.
Long minutes passed before the one-eyed man finally came into the room. He glanced at me first, picked up the rag I had finally been able to spit to the floor and shoved it back in my mouth. I couldn't even protest at this point, I just let it happen. His attention turned to Ali, and he took a little bit more time inspecting her and the dark bruise that was growing on the side of her face. He snorted as he stood.
He made a quick, shooing movement towards Breck and the big man slipped from the room, closing the door behind him.
I fearfully watched the man as he went about his tasks, seemingly ignoring both of us. He removed a gun from his holster and set it on the desk, then pulled up his chair to take a seat. A notebook lay on the desk before him. He opened it up and began to write, like he was the only one in the room.
It felt worse being alone with One-eye than it had with Breck. I leaned over Ali, resting my forehead on her shoulder and did my best to stifle the tears. I didn't dare try to spit out the rag again.
~ ~ ~ ~
The ticking clock was my only distraction. I watched the pendulum swing back and forth as the hands slowly made their way around. Over an hour had passed, and the only other sound in the room was One-eye's constant scribbling in his notebook and his occasional huffs.
The adrenaline rush from earlier was now taking its toll. With nothing else to occupy me, exhaustion was slipping in. As hard as I tried, I was unable to keep my eyes from slipping shut from time to time. Whenever I nodded off, I would wake back up almost instantly, glancing at the clock to see only a few seconds had passed.
This game continued until Ali finally groaned, shifting slightly until she winced from the pain of her new injuries. I sat up straighter, my exhaustion vanishing immediately. One-eye paused in his writing, glancing over at us, and I involuntarily winced under his passive stare.
Ali's eyes opened slowly, blinking groggily, as if she was struggling to find her way back to consciousness. She tried to move, flexing her arms against the bonds. A second later and her eyes shot open wide, the shock of our situation finally setting in. She struggled to sit up but failed.
I mumbled through the rag in my mouth, and she rolled back to look at me. Relief flashed in her eyes, quickly followed by concern.
"Are you hurt?" She asked. I shook my head. That was when One-eye finally set his pencil down on the table and turned to face us. We had his full attention, as grim as that was. Ali tried to turn her body to see him but the pain restricte
d her movement.
She tried again and finally succeeded in twisting around enough to get the man in her view. One-eye simply watched her, considering her as she struggled. He finally stood and grabbed her by the shoulders. She protested, but all he did was help pull her to a sitting position and then moved back to his chair.
Ali immediately shuffled against me, protectively putting her body between One-eye and me. She spoke softly, the sharp edge of fear evident in her voice. "What's going on here?"
One-eye stared down at us, not making any move to answer. Ali didn't bother asking the question again. Instead, we both waited. The fear was back in the pit of my stomach, growing larger with each passing minute. After he allowed the fear to fully set in, One-eye spoke.
"Here's what's going to happen," he stated coolly. "I'm going to ask questions and you're going to answer."
His statement brooked no disobedience. He didn't have to speak the threat, it was already there. I hoped Ali obeyed.
One-eye rolled the chair in front of us and easily reached past Ali to pull the rag from my mouth. I sighed with relief, trying to lick my lips with my dry tongue. It felt like wool.
"What are your names?" He said as he leaned back in his chair again. I watched him drop the rag on the floor, and I hoped it stayed there. When Ali didn't answer for a few moments, I finally did, not wanting to do anything to cross this man.
"Joss." I said simply but I realized with a sinking feeling that Ali was going to be stubborn.
One-eye leaned forward, glowering at her with his single green eye. His voice was so deadly cold and uncaring that it flushed a new wave of panic through me. "I don't really care what your name is. You can tell me or I can name you myself."
"Ali." She said, finally giving in. One-eye went back to his notebook briefly, scribbling something down before he turned back to us.
"Okay, Ali and Joss. My men noticed you were able to skirt the insane quite effectively where it took us a good hour to make it in to you.
I was shocked to silence. I knew he had to know we were immune, just like he seemed to be. There was no mistaking the vivid green of his remaining eye. I assumed that was what he had been checking on back at the house when we were taken prisoner.
Ali answered for us both. "If you're quiet enough, you can sneak anywhere."
That provoked mocking laughter from him. "So you were able to walk right in where my men had to kill at least thirty of those fuckers?"
"That's just it. It was just Joss and me, not a dozen men making all kinds of noise." She covered quickly, bluffing with her information. I recognized how dangerous of a game she was playing and decided it was best if I just stayed out of the conversation.
One-eye drew quiet again and leaned forward to peer at her intently, then turned his gaze to me.
"You share the same eye color. Very striking." His eyebrow arched over his one good eye as he questioned us. "Does it run in the family?"
"Yes." Ali stated quickly.
"I see. Let me tell you a story." He said as he reclined in his chair, his demeanor letting us know he didn't believe her lie. "Before I came here and created this little sanctuary, I had brown eyes. Both of them. Brown."
One-eye held up two fingers in front of his face, pointing each one toward his eyes, or at least where one of them had been. He then tapped the claw-like scar marks that covered the right side of his face. "But then I had a bad run in with a red-eye, and he took one of my eyes. He clawed it right out. I killed him for it, but that didn't get me my eye back.
"After I got sick, my wife and brother-in-law left me for dead. But that wasn't the end of me. I woke up, fully recovered." He leaned toward us again, his expression intense. "I bet you won't believe what else happened."
I heard Ali swallow as she leaned back against me, trying to put as much space between herself and our captor. He chuckled, apparently enjoying how he was able to make her squirm. "The next time I saw my reflection in the mirror, my brown eye was green. Just like yours. And do you want to know what else is different?
"Since then, I've been able to," He paused for effect as he once again leaned back in his chair, "sneak anywhere past these red-eyes. You know, provided if I'm quiet enough."
That was confirmation that he was immune, just like us, and knew that we were also immune made me shudder. The silence that followed didn't help my nerves any.
Ali spoke, her voice shaky. "I was born with green eyes."
"I see." He said as he continued to scrutinize us. "And you've never been bitten by one of the insane?"
This time, Ali didn't reply. I couldn't reply for her either. I just wasn't able to find the courage to lie to this man. He terrified me.
His gaze moved back and forth between us for a few moments before he continued, seeming content to let us leave the question unanswered.
"I decided it would be best to keep this particular skill a secret from my men." One-eye said. Although it sounded like a statement, I knew it was a command. "I think it best you also not let them know just how sneaky you are."
Before I knew it, I was nodding my compliance. Ali made no move, but she didn't speak out against him either. Her stubbornness drew his attention, and he leaned forward. When she tried to press away from him again, he reached out and caught her by the neck, pulling her face in close to his.
Ali gasped and I scrambled up to my knees, but I was very aware of just how defenseless I was. It was a horrible feeling, knowing there was nothing I could do to help her. I was forced to watch.
"I'll make this real simple then." He hissed, his eye glowering down at her. Then he slowly raised it to meet my mine, and I coward. "Joss, you are going to be a good boy and Ali will be just fine. If you're bad..." He shook her roughly, her whole body rocked and she made a strangled sound, gritting her teeth against crying out. Then he dropped her to the floor and she doubled over in pain. He finished by saying, "Ali might have a rough go of it."
Then he leaned over her, whispering in her ear loud enough for me to hear. "And if you're a good girl, little brother is going to be okay. If you're bad..."
"I got it." She hissed, moving slightly to meet his eye. One-eye stared at her for a long while, until an evil smirk curled the corner of his mouth. He stood, towering over us both.
In his cold, emotionless voice, he gave us one last warning. "I've found that when we get new guests, some of them need to be reminded of my rules. There's no need to worry if you're the forgetful sort. I won't mind delivering a reminder or two."
I couldn't look at him. Instead, I kept my chin to my chest as I fought back fearful tears. The fear wasn't for me, but for Ali. I couldn't begin to imagine what was in store for us here. Worse, I couldn't imagine a way to get us out.
"Breck!" One-eye called out to his guard. I heard the door open and close as the man entered the room.
"Yeah, Boss?" Breck said as he entered. Someone followed him in, and I cringed as I looked up to see Russell.
"Why don't you take Joss up to Anna. I think we need to get these two separated so they can acclimate better, don't you?" One-eye said, and my stomach sank even further.
"Yeah, Boss." Breck nodded.
"No!" The panic was evident in Ali's voice as she pulled herself upright again. She winced with the pain but managed to stay sitting up straight. "Please."
"How's the rib, Red?" Russell sneered down at her. The pleasure he took from her pain was obvious, and it sickened me. "That shiner's looking pretty good too. I got a matching one for ya."
One-eye barely moved, taking a step in front of Russell, instantly grabbing his attention. One-eye stared down at him coldly, and the smirk disappeared from Russell's face. Before anything was said, there was a loud knock at the door, adding to the tension.
"What?" One-eye finally snapped, and the door cracked open.
"Reed, Mona's having issues with the gas again."
"Old bitch," One-eye spat. He focused on Russell and, it seemed to me, the shorter man actually winced away fr
om his glare. "She is not to be touched. Not by you. Not by anyone. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Boss," Russell nodded, straightening his posture in front of the intimidating man. As soon as the one-eyed man named Reed turned away from Russell, the scowl was firmly back in place.
With Reed leaving us alone with his two goons, Ali glanced back at me and I could see the terrified look in her eyes.
"C'mon boy." Breck said as he leaned down to me, reaching for my arm but I slipped away from him, not wanting to leave Ali. He snorted and glared. "Not this again, kid. Just make it easier on yourself and come along all nice like."
"Let him stay and watch." Russell said as he knelt in front of Ali, obviously not too concerned with me. "I don't know if you're worth the trouble or not, Red."
"Nah, man." Breck protested. "You heard Reed. I ain't getting on his bad side for this shit."
Time seemed to stand still as Russell considered Ali. The look in his eyes gave me chills, and Ali must have had the same reaction. Despite her limiting injuries, she managed to pull her knees up, blocking Russell's leer.
"I could kill you right now and tell Reed you were a bad girl. But then what fun would you be?"
"I ain't taking the heat for your bullshit, Russell." Breck said a bit more sternly this time, but he was backing away even as Russell ignored him. I watched as if everything that happened next was in slow motion. Russell's arm slowly extended, reaching for Ali's thigh, but he never succeeded in making contact.
Ali waited until he drew closer to her, biding her time until she had the perfect opportunity to strike. Both her legs extended quickly in a powerful show of force, kicking her feet out to collide with Russell's jaw. Russell's head shot straight up as he toppled backwards, landing hard on his ass and barely catching himself on his elbows.
"Reed!" Breck bellowed loudly as he ran to the hall, leaving us alone with a very pissed off Russell. I wasn't sure if Reed would be back in time. Ali may have already sealed our fate.
The Phoenix Curse (Book 2): After Page 8
