Chapter 11

She tore her eyes away from him, shutting them and clenching her jaw hard, but every word that came out of his mouth got to her. It felt like tiny daggers were being dragged across her heart.

Blaze straightened, still incensed, then he pushed the chair back with a rough shove. The wood screeched against the floor as he stood over her, towering. Every attempt he had made to control his anger was futile, and he feared that if this bashing went on for a few more minutes, he would be really tempted to put a bullet or two in her brain.

"You're useless," He spat, hands shaking as he glared down at her. "So fucking useless!"

Quickly reaching down to his pocket, he pulled out his phone, before pressing his thumbs hard against the screen as he dialed a number. When he put the phone to his ear and waited for her to pick up the phone, the silence was broken by the sound of her sobs. It didn't take long before the call finally connected.

"Nicole," he said in that deep, commanding voice. "Come here."

It didn't take long. Two minutes later, Nicole walked into the room, not bothered a bit when she saw Lucy sitting there, bawling her eyes out and shaking. But she was heavily aware that it could have been her on that chair. She knew this was going to happen, she knew giving Lucy the book would ultimately lead to her getting caught and tortured or even killed. And that was why she had done it- to exonerate herself of the punishment. Blaze wouldn't have cared about their history if she'd been caught with the ledger. He would have put a bullet in her brain, which made her wonder why Lucy was still alive. Her eyes flicked from an incensed Blaze to Lucy, and then she smirked. To her, Lucy deserved it all. She was useless, and killing her would be good riddance.

Blaze didn't waste time before he delivered the verdict in that cold, flat tone. "Starve this bitch. Lock her in a room for at least two days and I repeat, make sure she starves. Don't even give her water."

Nicole's smile widened. She gave a satisfied nod before turning to Lucy. "As you wish." She said, before striding to Lucy, still smiling. She reached out to hold her jaw in place and as she kept looking down, Nicole grabbed her jaw forcefully and forced her face up to meet her eyes. Lucy was on the verge of totally breaking, near her breaking point. And when Nicole looked into her eyes, she saw it all, and she was more than prepared to make it worse. She yanked Lucy up by her arm with a vicious jerk right after, causing her to cry out softly as she stumbled to her feet.

And despite the fire of pain that was tearing through her body, despite the humiliation and terror, there was a tiny flicker of relief in her chest. At least the gun was no longer aimed at her head. At least she was alive, and had a chance out of this. A chance to rewrite the story and make everything right again. But she would soon find out just how wrong she was.

Nicole leaned close the whole time she dragged Lucy to the narrow room where she would be locked up in the darkness for two days, at least. And the whole way, she spat cruel names in Lucy's ears- worthless slut, stupid bitch, pathetic little rat.

Lucy didn't resist. She didn't even have the strength to. Her body moved where Nicole pulled her, her heart hammering as if it wanted to leap out of her chest. And when they reached the room, Nicole shoved her inside with a force so hard she hit her head on the floor and spent the next few minutes feeling so disoriented and dizzy. And before she could recover, Nicole had already slammed the door shut behind her with a deafening bang, leaving her in total darkness.

But it was just the beginning of her suffering and agony.

Lucy had stopped counting the hours. By the second day, the walls of the room seemed to be breathing with her- hot when she was burning and freezing when her body was cold. She had no idea when it was night or day because of the total darkness.

At that point her lips were dry and cracked. Every time she swallowed, it felt like sand scraping her throat. Her body was starting to shake with small constant shivers from the cold and hunger and the weakness that had enveloped her. Her ribs also ached like hell when she breathed. One side in particular that had hit the ground when Nicole pushed her throbbed with a sharp pain every time she tried to move or shift against the floor. She had pressed her palm there numerous times, feeling the deep stabbing ache that made her wonder if something was broken inside. Maybe a rib. Maybe more. But it terrified her.

Lying on the floor, she curled in on herself, hugging her thin arms to her chest while whispering. "God... please... I don't want to die here."

But the silence was the only answer she got.

At some point, the pain became too much that her body gave up fighting and she fell unconscious. And when she woke up again, her ribs were burning with so much pain she couldn't breathe. When she saw Nicole standing over her, it dawned on her that the evil ogre had kicked her in the ribs and that was what brought her back.

Her arms were folded and she looked so enraged, like she'd done something wrong.

Lucy tried to push herself up, but her body was so weak that she only managed to sit halfway before slumping back against the wall.

Nicole tilted her head, clearly enjoying it all. "Well? How are you enjoying your stay here?"

Lucy's throat burned as she forced out words. "Please.." her hoarse voice cracked. "I need... water... food... anything. Please... I-I need help. My ribs are hurt. I think they are broken. Help me, please I'm begging you." she paused to breathe and when she tried to speak again, it felt impossible because her side was throbbing again.

"I have no idea," Nicole whispered as she stepped closer and crouched in front of her prey before snarling. "why Blaze didn't put a bullet in your head the first time. Honestly. But don't worry..." her smile widened into a sick grin. "That won't be a problem for long because I'll kill you myself and when they ask what happened, I'll tell them you suddenly went to sleep and never woke up."