Chapter 87

***~Riley~***

The commotion outside was indicative of that move my father warned about. I breathed as shallowly as possible, my ear pressed to the freezing iron of the door in hopes that I could ascertain the number of men in his arsenal by the voices. I counted at least four. That was still a tricky amount to distract for Talia to make her escape. I was determined regardless.

“You’re making me nervous with all this silence.” Talia crept up behind me and I jumped upright, turning to look at her swollen eyes and dirty clothes. She’d gotten calmer over the last couple of hours, perhaps, due to not finding herself completely alone.

“Good, because I’ll need your self-preservation to kick in when the time comes,” I answer, moving past her to search the room for anything that could be used. The room gained some illumination from sunlight streaming through the boarded-up window at the far end and I prayed to find anything that could be used as a weapon. I considered pulling apart the boards to escape through the window but a quick observation revealed bolted burglar-proofing with no space for a body. I judged it to be about midday, based on the intensity of the waves and if I was right, we’d be moving soon.

“Do you really think we’ll be able to outrun those men?” Talia followed my movements, “We are severely out-numbered and out-skilled.”

Encouraging. I grimace at the obvious flaws in our situation.

“We don’t need to do anything. Just you.” I went to the floor, scanning the section but coming up short. Was there really nothing we could use? “Besides, the only real skills those men have are firing guns. Fighting back might shock them into a lag and that’s when we have to capitalise.” These weren’t trained assassins; they were just scum.

“Riley.” Talia grabbed me up by my elbow, guiding me to my feet. “I am not leaving you here. Not when I know what his plans are for you.” Her voice dropped. We hadn’t spoken much last night but I was certain she’d heard quite a lot.

“And I won’t be responsible for you getting caught up in my mess.” I answer. “I’ve grown up with him, I’ve escaped once, I can do it again but not if I have to worry about you.” I squeeze her hands as the words leave my mouth, hoping she didn’t feel the truth.

“I’m really sorry, Riley.” She exhaled. “I didn’t know about any of this, about what you’ve endured.”

“You have nothing to apologise for.” I pat her hands and return to searching. Ideally, I would have liked to send her off with a weapon of her own but it seemed the room was bereft of sharp objects.

The door rattled and I move to the front, shielding Talia behind me. I knew it would do no good if they tried to take her but it was instinctive. My father appeared, and two men flanked him, their eyes hungry and animalistic as they roamed us. God, I wanted to pluck their eyes out.

“At first I thought I was being targeted randomly, I hadn’t pieced the puzzle together but now…” My father’s eyes were cruel, his eyes frenzied. Something scared him and I found myself marvelling at the fear woven in his every move and word.

“Speak plainly. I’m still dazed from being drugged.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glare at him. He reached his hand out, and his cell phone dangled from his fingertips, a silent command for me to take it.

“Read.” He growled and I did. My brows furrowed deeper with each word that echoed in my head.

“What is this?” I hand the device back to him, none of the words made sense to me. Should it?

“Don’t play dumb, girl.” He stepped closer, eyes flashing red. “You’re the reason the Mutilator was set on me, aren’t you? How did you manage this?”

“The what?” I felt Talia stiffen behind me. My instincts tingled but I couldn’t understand the hidden message. I’d find time to question her later.

My father scoffed, “This time I’m prepared.” He ignored my confusion or rather, it seemed he wasn’t convinced by it. “Our move is cancelled, little bird,” a sinister grin tugged at his lips and my heart sank.

No. No. No. The little control I hung onto slipped away, far from reach.

“We have a change of plans.” He ghosted the tip of his fingers over my neck and I steeled myself, warding off flashbacks of nights he’d choke me into unconsciousness while he defiled me.

“I’ve invited your admirers to our location and they’ve accepted, being teased with the prospect of destroying the Mutilator. He’ll be outnumbered and then, my little bird, you’ll be enjoyed over the corpse of his body and I will be returned to my previous position.” He boasted but most of the information went over my head. There was a missing piece to the puzzle.

“But for now, the Declan’s have sent a representative to get you ready for their arrival.” He beamed and I shuddered. Randall’s family. They were a significant crime family that dealt with mostly illegal weapons. I was on their radar, in the worst way possible.

“Well bring him in to collect you in a few minutes. I wouldn’t want you to be overwhelmed.” He chuckled as he backed out of the door frame, the door shutting behind him.

Talia reached for me suddenly. Her movements were frantic, “What did he make you read?”

“A text message,” I shrug, an instant headache formed as I willed my brain to find some other alternative to getting her out of here.

“The actual words, Riley.” She persisted and I shove off her hold, “I don’t know something about someone’s work and their next masterpiece.” I flay my hands in the air. What the fuck did this matter.

“Riley. What about the name your father used? The Mutilator?” There was a strange eagerness in her eyes that wiped my mind clean of thought.

“I don’t know anything about it? Do you?” I question cautiously, instantly reminded of her silent reaction to it earlier.

Talia huddled closer to me, her lips almost brushing the outer shell of my ear, “That’s Draven.” My heart woke up with a frightening vengeance at the mention of his name. “He acquired that name because of the grotesque way he leaves a corpse.”

Holy shit. I’d never known or even considered it. My mind ran back to when Todd accosted me in Draven’s office, he mentioned an alias and that Draven had been murdering men in my father’s circle.

I began immediately replaying the conversation with my father in my head, replacing ‘the Mutilator’ with Draven and the words made more sense.

“Draven knows we’re here.” I voice the realisation, my chest ready to collapse in on itself.

“And my father is setting a trap for him.” I thought I was out of tears but the blurred vision told me I was wrong. I could not bear the thought of him killed, especially not because of me.

The door opened again and this time a different person entered, my father at his back.

“Come now, ladies. We haven’t all day, I have to get you cleaned up for the arrival of the Declan’s.” His voice carried a rich baritone and while he scanned Talia and then me there was no malice in his eyes. I could only hope he hadn’t had other ideas once alone. I knew what ‘getting cleaned up’ meant and it usually involved these representatives being handsy.

We were led to a room with the most basic of necessities, my heart hopeful for the lack of a bed and the filth on the floor. There was, however, a doorway to a shower and some clothes hung up.

The windows were boarded up here too and I pitied not knowing the layout of this place, it was just walls and more walls, if I had attempted to attack someone while being led here, there was no guarantee Talia would have been able to make it outside.

The door shut behind us, locking us in with the stranger. He moved forward and we took a step back. His hands came up in front of him.

“There's no need to fear me,” He consoled. “You’ve heard of me before, I presume, my name is Thomas Lynne.”

That name. Talia's gasp sounded behind me

“You know him?” I questioned, not wanting to say Draven’s name just in case.

“Know him? Who do you think trained him?” he grinned, but I remained stoned-faced, not sure what to believe. Did I dare have hope?

Seeming to sense my hesitance, he continued. “This is not how I expected to meet you for the first time, Riley and perhaps, Austin should have been the one here but his expertise is better served with Draven.”

“My father plans to have him killed. He’s setting up a trap, you must warn him.” I said more at ease that he mentioned Draven and Austin by name.

“We know,” He nodded. “We intercepted the Declan’s representative and extracted the information. I took his place to ensure our enemies are blindsided.”

I exhale a sigh of relief. Draven wasn’t alone. Those odds were better.

“Draven wanted to be the one here but we benched him. The boy’s been really erratic since you’ve been gone, couldn’t risk him mucking up the plan.” Thomas ran his fingers through his hair as if some memory of Draven frustrated him, meanwhile, I was stumped that he referred to Draven as a boy.

“I’m sorry you’re all here risking your lives for me.” I even turn to throw a glance at Talia, who’d begun crying tears of joy.

“You are family now, Riley. We’d risk everything for you.” Thomas patted my shoulder and before I could say another word, he pointed to the clothes.

“You two get cleaned up. I’ll remain right here. When you’re finished the show will begin but don’t worry, nothing will happen to either of you.”