Page 54 of A Game of Survival

“Well aren’t you two just fucking adorable.” A familiar voice shocks me awake from the darkest corner of the room. Marcus creeps forward carrying a small first aid kit and a bottle of water. “You should patch him up before he bleeds to death,” he suggests, throwing the kit and bottle of water at my feet. I carefully untangle myself from Cole’s arms, managing not to wake him and reach for the kit, only pausing slightly as I pick up the bottle and wonder if it’s laced with drugs. Marcus must notice my hesitation as he chuckles, crouching down to my eyeline with only the metal bars between us. “It’s safe.” he smirks as if he’s able to read my mind.

“Why should I trust you?” I whisper, gazing into his all too familiar face. A face I learnt the hard way not to trust.

Marcus huffs a small breath, the corners of his lips curving up, turning his face into something deadly as he puffs out his shoulders, standing to his full height above us.

“Because if I wanted you dead sweetheart, I’d have already made it happen. That goes for your boyfriend, too.” He declares, nodding his head in Cole’s direction. I swallow the dry lump scratching in my throat, following the direction of Marcus’ gaze before I move back to Cole with the first aid kit and water and get to work.

It doesn’t take long for Cole to wake after I start cleaning the wounds on his hands. Starting with the worst hand first, I manage to gently wash away most of the blood with some of the water Marcus gave me then stitch what I can before applying some disinfectant spray that was packed in the first aid kit and wrap them tightly with gauze and bandages. I notice, now that I’m closer, the savage wound where Cole’s missing finger is and it takes all of the remaining strength I have not to cry when I look at the raw brutality of his wounds. Wounds that have been inflicted because of me. I work as tenderly as I can, clenching my jaw to distract myself from the person behind the pain, though if this is hurting him, he doesn’t show it. His eyes burn into me the entire time but he stays quiet while I work. It’s a rough job by the time I’m finished, and he most definitely will need medical intervention if we get out of here, maybe even surgery to repair the worst of the injuries but with the tools I have, it’s the best I can do right now.

“Mio topolino, look at me,” Cole whispers, his voice low and hoarse. I glance up to meet his eyes so full of pain though he tries so hard to hide it. He can’t hide it from me, not anymore.

“I’m here,” I whisper, placing my hands against his face. “I’m not going anywhere.” I pull him into me, crushing my lips to his in a desperate need to be granted with equal brutality as he kisses me back with the same force. I groan into his mouth, parting my lips, allowing his tongue access to mine as we collide. Our hearts. Our souls. Our bodies. We come together as one and in that moment, I know I can’t live another day without this man knowing how I truly feel.

“I love you,” I gasp against his lips. He freezes for a heartbeat before I feel him smile as he kisses me again.

“I love you, Lucille. I’m in love with you. I have been since the moment I found you. You have always been mine, and I will always be yours,” he whispers back so tenderly that my chest seizes at the feelings that flood my body.

“I hope you know you have to share,” I giggle, and the playful smile he returns me with lets me know he knows exactly what I’m referring to but before he can respond the cellar door crashes open and Ronan comes barreling in, closely followed by his men in arms.

“Touching, really it is. Now you can call me impatient but I really couldn’t give a fuck. Get her out and stand him up. I’m ending this now!” he barks out his orders, narrowing his eyes at Cole and I.

Without needing any further instruction, the two garish brutes from earlier stride towards the cell, grinning maliciously as they unlock the door and drag me out. I kick my legs frantically, screaming for them to let me go but all it does is entice them more.

“We like it more when you fight us,” one of them snarls while the other pulls at my hair, yanking my head back to look in Cole’s direction while dragging his tongue along my neck to my jaw.

“She tastes so good,” he taunts. I recoil at the stench of alcohol on his breath, trying desperately to breathe through my mouth to stop myself from screaming.

Cole has already been hoisted to his feet. “Get your fucking hands off her!” He roars, his rage fuelling him as he shoves against the two men holding him back. He succeeds, his strength catching them off guard and knocking one to the ground but Ronan strides forward, gun raised to his face and Cole freezes.

“NO!” I shout. My voice is barely recognisable, even to myself. “Please. I will do anything.” I beg. “Please don’t hurt him anymore.” I’m desperate now as a white hot fear ignites my chest. I can’t lose anybody else. I can’t be the reason for anybody else to die, especially him. “Please. I’m begging you.”

Ronan keeps his gaze narrowed on Cole. “Get her on the floor,” he snaps and before I can process his words I'm being shoved to the ground. Their rough hands are on my body but I’m already disassociating. I know what happens next. My arms are pinned above my head and my feeble attempts to get free are worthless against their strength.

“Don’t fucking touch her!” I hear Cole growl. “I will fucking kill you, you sick mother fucker.”

I can’t look in his direction as violent hands tear my pants down my legs and claw at my exposed skin.

“I wonder if she tastes as good down here,” somebody snickers, I can only imagine it’s the one who licked my neck but as Ronan walks into view with his gun still pointing at Cole, I repress any thoughts of right now and tune it all out, projecting my mind as far away from this place as it will go. Back to when my life was simple. But when was that, exactly? Could it have been when I was young, striving daily for my mothers affections? Doing everything I possibly could to get her to even say the words I love you. Or when I was struggling to get by with my shitty job between classes? Or when I was scared of my abusive husband? Was it after I ran away and birthed his child in secret? Always looking over my shoulder for him to find us…Or was it when he did eventually catch up to us and Teddy got kidnapped? When has my life been simple?

A sharp pain across my cheek brings me straight back to my reality. I can taste the blood as it floods my mouth, swallowing it down, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing the damage he caused. “I said you wanted to beg, you whore. Now I'll give you something to beg about.” Ronan snarls just inches above my face. “Let go of her hands. I want to make sure he has an unrestricted view on what I’m about to do. There are no rules when it comes to survival Cole and for my legacy to survive, there must be an heir.”

I can hear Cole’s relentless protests but he sounds too far away as Ronan positions himself above my body. I brace myself for what's to come, turning my head away from the room, staring directly into nothing. To blackness. To the gun Ronan had held to Cole’s face, sitting on the floor next to my head. I blink away the tears, focusing my vision, thinking at first it was a figment of my imagination, I was sure I could hear Max but surely not, as the blurriness clears so does my mind.

At the same time, a loud explosion shakes the room, plastering the space in a thick layer of dust as three familiar figures force their way through the wreckage. A deafening silence rings through my ears and my soul seems to leave me while I lay beneath the man who was once a father figure to me. In and out of body experience, my hand moves quicker than I can think of what to do next as I reach for the gun. Ronan scrambles at the sudden explosion around us as he tries to retreat but he won’t get away. I wrap my fingers around his gun, the coolness of the metal pulling my mind right back where it needs to be. I aim and squeeze, watching as Ronan’s body visibly flinches as the shot rings out, his eyes bulge in his head and an animalistic squeal escapes his throat. Blood immediately gushes from the single shot wound in his neck, soaking through his crisp white shirt, staining it a deep shade of crimson as he stumbles forward on his knees, clutching his hands to his throat desperately trying to quell the bleeding. I watch, fixated on the blood that covers his body the more that he struggles to cling to life. He gargles on the blood pooling at the back of his throat, spitting scarlet droplets over my bare legs as he sways, before collapsing on top of my frozen body. An inhuman scream rips from my chest as I realize what I’ve done.

Chapter 28

Lincoln

Silas, Zack, Marcello, Sully, Quinton and I huddle together on the perimeter of the property, the rain beats down heavily against our backs as we run over the blueprints Felix emailed over to me on our drive here. I can barely manage to stand still to listen to Silas as he gives his orders. My skin feels as if it’s physically crawling with anticipation and anger. I shift my weight continuously from one foot to the other, caressing the hilt of my knives sheathed inside of my bulky bullet proof vest, doing a mental stocktake of every weapon concealed on my body. I throw my head to the sky, letting the rain fall across my face, as the sound of loading guns filters through the group and I know the time to move is fast approaching.

“The video call puts them in the cellar.” Silas states, holding the phone in his palm so the group can see the layout of the building on the device. He continues, pointing out the path we will take on the screen as I turn my attention back to him and the group of men we handpicked for occasions exactly like this. We are few but we are strong in our ability and by the end of the night, none of our enemies inside that building will be left breathing. When I let myself think of Lucille, and the torture Ronan has undoubtedly subjected Cole to, white hot anger burns beneath my skin, threatening to split me open.

“We will work our way through the building, quickly, quietly and efficiently. We cut down anyone in our path, is that understood? They have taken too much and we will make them pay.” Silas’ voice thunders through the impending storm. His eyes are dark and blood thirsty as he stares at each of us one by one. “Ronan will be finished at my hand, nobody else’s.”

I raise my head as his eyes fall to mine. “Cogliere la notte!” I smirk, with him nodding his head in agreement.

“Cogliere la notte!” the group call in unison, raising their guns above their head towards the moon.

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