“What the fuck was that?” I stare at the deep scratches I left on his face. One is bleeding. Eli wipes the blood off with the back of his hand and chuckles.
“A little show, kitten. Something to convince Mack I’m doing what I’m supposed to do.”
“You asshole! Why didn’t you warn me?”
“I didn’t know how good of an actress you would be. I didn’t want to take any chances. Don’t worry, this was very believable. It bought us some time. Plus, I wouldn’t have to do any of this if you had listened to me and kept your mouth shut.”
He is frustrated with me, and looking back at it, I guess I couldn’t blame him. I was dumb to think this situation was similar to the one I’d gone through with Enzo. My defiance will win me nothing with Mack.
“I won’t do it again,” I say, sounding completely defeated. What happened to the strong woman I once was? Am I finally considering I might die? I’m not weak, but staring down the barrel of a loaded gun. I don’t want to die.
His bright green eyes shine back at me. His face holds no emotion, and I wonder if I’m safe with him.
“You’re right, you won’t. There won’t be a second chance, Amara,” Eli says, blowing a breath and sitting down next to me.
I wrap my arms around myself. Cold air hits my chest with only a piece of fabric draped over the right side of my boob. My shoulder and upper arm are completely exposed. The room is cold, and a shudder runs through me as the air settles deep into my bones.
“What do we do next?” I’m hesitant to even ask, but knowing seems better than not knowing.
“Nothing. You sit here and pretend like I’m hurting you. If he thinks I’m lying in the slightest, he’ll kill both of us,” Eli warns. “You got that?”
“Yes,” I say, wanting to cover up. I feel too exposed, but more than anything else, I’m scared.
“He’ll come, Amara. He always does.” The way he says it makes me feel like he knows Enzo more than I give him credit for.
“How do you know? What’s your past with him anyway? And whose side are you on?” I pepper him with questions.
He stares at me blankly for a moment before smiling.
“There is no side, kitten. Just the winning and losing. I go with whoever has the best fighting chance.” As his words enter my mind, and I repeat them to myself, I slowly understand what he is saying.
“You traitor. You fucking, lying traitor,” I yell, my voice full of fire and rage. He isn’t choosing a side, he’s playing both. The fucker is playing both teams until he knows who is going to win.
“Shhh…” he whisper-yells, placing a hand over my mouth to shield any further yelling on my behalf. I glare at him with the need to slice him open.
“I’m not a fucking traitor. I work for myself.”
Slowly, he removes his hand from my mouth, and the need to throw obscenities in his direction is almost as strong as my curiosity.
“So all that talk about Enzo being family, about you hating people who don’t value that bond, that was all bullshit?”
“No, I won’t kill Enzo, and I won’t hurt you unless I think I have to. I’ll still try my best to get us out of here alive. But, if Enzo ends up getting killed today, I have no problem working with Mack in the future.”
“If Enzo gets killed…” I can barely say the words out loud. “If he gets killed today, what do you think Mack will do with me?” I don’t even know why I ask, it’s obvious he doesn’t care about me. He doesn’t care if I die.
“I already told you, I’ll protect you the best I can. Now relax, and shut your mouth before Mack hears this.” He gives me a cold stare and motions for me to lie down.
I want to protest, but something tells me he won’t budge on this. He’s made up his mind, and I don’t think I can change that.
Defeated, I lower myself to the grimy mattress and try to relax. Of course, that’s impossible, given the situation. I can’t stop my heart from banging against my ribcage, nor can I stop the dread that’s filling every vein in my body.
Fear settles deep into my bones, but when I hear footsteps approaching, that terror takes on new heights.
“He is coming,” Eli whispers before grabbing me and flipping me on my stomach.
“Wha–” is all I get out before the rest of the word is caught in my throat. Eli rips my jeans and panties down my legs and pushes my face into the mattress.
I try to push myself up, but he straddles my legs and holds my upper body down with his arm, rendering me completely helpless. I hear him opening his own pants, unzipping the zipper, and my heart sinks in my stomach. Is he really going to do this?
“Eli…” I beg, whimpering against the mattress.
“Shut up!” he yells, just as I hear the door being unlocked and opened.
My face is turned away from the door, so I can’t see, but I know it’s Mack. I can feel it. Disgust and bone-crushing fear have my body shaking like a leaf.
“God, put your dick back in your pants, I don’t want to see that thing,” Mack orders.
“Then don’t come in here while I’m fucking her,” Eli quips like he is simply being reasonable. “I’m not done. I’ve waited a long time for this, now let me have my fun.”
“Fine, take your time. I just wanted to make sure you’re doing your part… And text Enzo to come now.”
As quickly as he entered the room, Mack leaves. The door falls shut, and the clicking of the lock fills the room.
I don’t realize I’m crying until I feel the wetness on my cheek and a sob rips from my throat.
“Shhh, you’re fine,” Eli soothes, his voice suddenly comforting. What the fuck is this? Does he have multiple personalities or something?
He pulls my panties and pants back up before turning me around.
“You okay?” he asks, studying my face.
I shake my head. I’m not okay. None of this shit is okay.
“You will be, though, just trust me.” I want to laugh. Did he seriously just ask me to trust him, after he admitted to basically double-crossing us?
“Mack knows… he told you to text Enzo. You’re setting a trap…”
“Just trust me,” he repeats as if him saying it twice will suddenly make me believe him. Turning away from him, I curl up on my side, trying to get warm.
That’s when I feel it. As I pull up my legs, I feel the stiff metal pressed up against my calf. Fuck... the knife. I still have the knife in my boot. How the hell did I forget about the fucking weapon I have on me?
Cursing myself silently, I contemplate on what to do next. I could pull the knife out right now, threaten Eli to let me go, or at least let me call Enzo, but the chances are he would overpower me. Plus, he technically hasn’t hurt me. He only pretended to, that doesn’t mean he won’t, he already said so.
Damn, why can’t he just pick a side? How am I supposed to trust him?
I finally decide to keep the knife hidden for now. Hopefully, I get a chance to use it on Mack. At least I’ll have the element of surprise.
Minutes pass, maybe even hours, and slowly but surely, my eyelids grow heavier. For a while I keep myself busy by fighting sleep, but when Eli moves, my eyes fly open, and I feel wide awake for a moment.