P.S. You’re still an asshole.
-Heath
He and I weren’t ones for exchanging lots of words, for explaining our feelings down to the bone. He would read between the lines and know what I’d done, and by the time he read the note, I’d already be dead.
And he wouldn’t retaliate…because he would understand that Catalina was still important to me.
And by extension, her brother.
I promised her I would never hurt him, and I would keep that promise.
I stepped through the double door entryway and entered his luxury home, seeing the older lady who halted when she saw me standing there, her eyes wide.
She looked terrified.
I winked. “Name’s Heath.”
Damien pushed me forward, shoving his palm right between my shoulder blades. “Move.”
I stumbled forward, my hands tied behind my back. “Where? This place is three floors.”
He stuffed his gun into the back of his jeans and grabbed me by the arm so he could escort me forward.
I didn’t say it, but I could get out of this if I wanted to. His men didn’t tie the rope tight enough. I could slip out of the restraints and bash his head into the wall.
But I didn’t.
For once in my life…I gave up.
He took me down the hallway until we reached a large wooden door. He opened it, revealing stairs that traveled deep underground. The lights were on, so I watched my step as I moved farther underground. When I reached the bottom, I took in the sight of the large basement, which was made of concrete and had stored belongings piled in the corner. There was a large cage against the opposite wall.
I turned to him, a grin on my face. “This is starting to look like a porno, Damien.”
He punched me in the face.
I staggered back, keeping my balance despite my wrists being restrained.
He opened the door and stared at me.
Now I understood he would torture me until he got tired of me. Only then would he kill me. It was disappointing because I’d hoped to have a clean death. But I still lived on the wild side, remained sarcastic, because I had nothing left to lose anymore. “It’s definitely not the Marriott…”
“You put my sister in a cage.” He shoved me inside and shut the door. “So, I’m going to do the same to you.”
Now that I was locked behind the metal bars, I loosened the rope and tossed it on the ground.
Damien’s eyes narrowed in surprise.
“Does that mean you’re going to let me go, too?” I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms over my chest. “I also brought her bagels, cream cheese… But she did attack me with a plunger. Funny story…”
Damien stared at me through the bars, not the least bit amused by my jokes. “I’m going to wipe that smile off your face very soon, asshole.”
I didn’t know how much time had passed. There were no windows down here, so I only had the fluorescent lights for illumination. I leaned against the wall and thought about the last time I’d looked her in the eye, the last time I’d held her.
She was repulsed by me.
That made this so much easier. When I saw nothing in her gaze, I lost all hope.
Gave up.
I’d expected to die young, but in a different way. I’d expected to be murdered by my enemies, wounded in a shootout, dead on the spot with only minutes to suffer. I never expected to be thrown into a cage like an animal.
And to put myself there.
The door opened, and Damien came down the stairs. He was just in his sweatpants without a shirt, like he expected to get dirty, expected my blood to splash everywhere. He approached the cage and stared down at me.
He hadn’t given me food or water.
I didn’t ask for any.
He pulled out his key and unlocked the door. It creaked as it came open.
I continued to sit against the wall, staring at him with no interest. “If you think beating me and torturing me will give you satisfaction, it won’t. I won’t make a sound, won’t beg for mercy. I’ll just wait until you finally give me the sweet release of death.”
“And if I don’t?”
I stared at him without blinking. “I can give it to myself, if it comes to it.”
Damien didn’t scream at me. He didn’t say anything at all. But the look on his face showed his rage, how the past still weighed heavily on his shoulders, how my relationship with his sister tore him up deep inside. The vein that ran down his forehead was fat and vibrating, and the red tint to his face showed how hard his heart was beating, how the blood was circulating everywhere. “Get your ass up.”
I held up my forefinger. “Say please.”
That was when he snapped and came at me, fists flying with powerful punches that seemed to come from fury, not muscle.
I took it—hit after hit.
He grabbed me by the front of the shirt and slammed his fist into my face over and over.
Until I blacked out.
Blood was on the floor of my cell. My shirt was torn clean in two.
My head throbbed like a horse had kicked me in the skull.
I opened my eyes and looked at the meal he’d left behind. A glass of water and a sandwich.
I was in so much pain I didn’t even want to eat.
I rolled onto my back and groaned, my face still dripping with blood from his fist. I stared at the ceiling through swollen eyes, unsure how much time had passed, if it’d been days or just a few hours.
I felt like a pussy taking that beating, but I had no other choice. If I retaliated, I would break my promise to the one person I would always keep my promises to. My chest and ribs hurt too, like he got me there after I blacked out.
I could tolerate a lot of pain, but I hoped death was coming soon, because I didn’t want to feel this way for weeks or months.
The door at the top of the stairs opened, and his footsteps sounded as he entered the basement. He reached the ground floor and slowly approached the cage. “Don’t like your lunch?”
“I’m just too comfy to get up,” I said sarcastically.
“Really?” He stopped at the bars of the cage. “Because you look like shit.”
“I don’t know, Patricia might like it.”
His eyes narrowed in annoyance.
I continued to stare at the ceiling. “You can break my body, Damien. But you’ll never break my spirit.” I grabbed the water and drank all of it, letting it soak my dry throat. I could smash this glass into pieces, hide a shard in my pocket, and then stab him in the neck the next time he came after me. He was careless, or maybe he realized I wouldn’t fight back for any reason, and that made him feel invincible. I grabbed half of the sandwich and took a bite. “Wow, if Patricia fucks as could as she cooks…”
“You just want to fuck over anyone I care about, don’t you?”
I finished half of my sandwich before I turned my head slightly and looked at him. “It’s a joke, Damien.”
“I can read between the lines.”
I turned to the ceiling again. “I didn’t fuck with your sister. I loved her. Still fucking do.”
He said nothing.
“Your men are idiots who don’t know how to tie a knot. I could have taken you down the second we stepped inside your house. But I didn’t. This glass you just brought me? I could have shattered it and hid a shard in my pocket. Sliced your neck the second you came after me. Damien, you think you have the upper hand, but the only reason you do is because I allowed it. The only reason you have me in this Ritz Carlton resort is because I allowed it. I promised Catalina I would never hurt you…and I’ll keep my word, even if it claims my life.”