Chapter 10

"You know who you remind me of?" Devlin asks me, cutting through the silence of the still room.

Great, here we go again. Any time she opens her mouth, it's full of trash. This shouldn't be much different.

"Who, Devlin? Who do I remind you of?" I reluctantly ask.

"Gollum."

Her over-the-top cackle rings in my ears, making my skin bristle. Emiliya giggles, too, so I throw her a harmless glare. She slams her hand over her mouth to hide her childish grin.

"Ignore her," Eden groans, opening one eye. So, he's not asleep. It's nice of him to join the party.

"You're a real bitch, you know that, Devlin," I grumble.

Over the years, I've perfected my death stare, and right now, Devlin's on the receiving end of it. Maybe if I glare hard enough, laser beams will shoot out of my eyes and slice her in half. One can dream.

I'm usually less snappy, but she's been winding us up all day, desperate for attention.

"Rather a bitch than bald," she says, glowering right back at me.

"Hey, Devlin, I was wondering. Did Dr Evil use scissors or a chainsaw to achieve that particular look?" I childishly ask.

Eden's broad chest shakes as he chuckles.

"Fuck you," she growls, teeth out like a rabid dog.

I smile, knowing I've won this battle if all she can do is revert to profanities.

"Kai, come here now," Eden demands in a seductively deep voice.

Yes, sir, you don't have to ask me twice.

"Yeah, listen to your boyfriend," Devlin whines.

She acts like calling Eden my boyfriend is an insult, but honestly, I can't help feeling a bit smug about it.

I lay down on my side, facing him with my back to the girls.

"She's fucking annoying," I whisper, loud enough for Devlin to hear.

She huffs, which only makes my smile grow wider.

"Stop it, you little shit," Eden says, forcing down a chuckle. He reaches up to pinch my earlobe firmly as if to reprimand me. Seconds later, his touch lightens to a tender stroke, tracing the line of my ear.

I inhale quickly at his soft touch. He knows full well what that little gesture does to me. Goddamn him for making me feel things I've never allowed myself to.

"I wish we were alone," I say in an actual whisper this time, only for his ears.

"Me too, Kai, one day," Eden replies with unwavering certainty like we're not on our eighth day of imprisonment with little hope of being rescued. But I can't help the warmth that spreads through my chest at the concept of ‘one day.'

He leans closer, delicately tracing the tip of his nose over mine. The touch is as light as a feather and painfully intimate. My stomach does somersaults, and I'm sure I hear the pitter-patter of my heart as it increases in speed.

I close my eyes because it's too much as he kisses the tip of my nose, making my chest heave.

"Are you ok? You're breathing funny."

"Yep, I'm fine. The damp air in this mouldy room must be giving me a tight chest."

"Is that so?"

His shoulders bounce as laughter rumbles through his wide chest.

"Yes, so don't get any ideas, alright?" I reply with a playful scowl, making his charming smile double in size.

Eden brings his forehead against mine and whispers, "I love how you react to me. It might be my favourite thing."

His hands frame my face, and it takes everything in my power to keep my eyes open and not combust as his olive eyes seek entrance to undiscovered parts of my heart.

"You're always so sure of yourself and ready with a snarky comeback, but when I give you these tiny touches, you come undone."

Fuck me sideways. How does he even come up with this shit? If we didn't have company, I'd be jumping his bones.

"Damn, Eden, you can't say stuff like that," I murmur.

"Why not? It's the truth."

He frowns at me, leaning back to take in my face.

"Cause it makes me feel things."

The faint sound of footsteps approaching kills the moment.

Rapidly pulling apart, we sit up. Jeremy enters with a blank expression and obnoxiously waves a piece of paper in my face.

"Take it," he commands.

My eyebrows scrunch together as I reach for it.

"What is it?"

Eden's chest heats my back as he tries to read over my shoulder. My eyes dart across the paper, making my jaw drop and eyes bulge as I take it in.

"Derrick fucking Smith," I scoff. "This has got to be a joke, right? What 22-year-old is called Derrick Smith?"

"Shut up and learn the information on it, alright?" Jeremy snaps.

It's a photocopy of a fake passport. My stomach contorts at the photo of my bald head and bloodshot eyes. Forcing my gaze away from the image, I keep reading. Apparently, my name is Derrick now and I've shaved a few years off my age.

"No one is gonna believe this, and where the fuck am I going if I need a passport?"

Eden snatches it and frantically scans the page.

"What, where are you taking him?" Eden stutters.

Jeremy ignores us, walks over to Devlin, and shakes another piece of paper at her. She yanks it from his gentle grip, then scoffs and tears the paper into tiny pieces. Jeremy lets out a deep sigh as he watches the pieces of paper flutter to the ground.

"My name's Devlin and will always be Devlin," she spits.

"No one will believe I'd have such a hideous name, Jezza," I complain, snatching the paper from Eden to scan it over again.

"Where are you making him go?" Eden asks again, more sternly this time.

"I don't know, alright? France or Holland, maybe. That's all I can say right now."

"And what will I be expected to pack, speedos, sun cream, a block of cocaine maybe?" I mock.

"Stop asking questions, just memorise it, ok?" he yells with a wobble in his voice.

When Jeremy shouts, it does nothing. I feel no fear. From what I've observed I don't think Jeremy has it in him to hurt us unless he was forced to do so.

"Fine, goodbye Kai Ellis, hello Derick Smith, such a vanilla fucking name." I huff.

"Get over it," Jeremy replies like we're squabbling siblings.

"Jezza, I know you're not happy about this. You don't want to be here any more than we do. Why do you let those bastards control you?"

"It's not that simple," he mutters, fiddling with the cuffs of his hoodie.

"Listen, Jezza, if you help us escape, we won't report you. The police won't find out that you had anything to do with this."

He scoffs. "You think it's that easy? I don't think you realise who these people are."

"Then tell us, please. At least let us know who we're dealing with and what's expected of us."

"No, I can't help you. Drop it."

My shoulders sag. There's no getting through to him. He's in too deep. Jeremy has shown us kindness throughout our time here. Well, as much as you can while forcibly keeping us chained up. But he's too scared to help us escape, and I see how he reacts to Dr Evil's demands. His body is always tense, and there's a constant look of fear in his eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if he's been a victim of Dr Evil's wrath before.

* * *

Hours pass and I begrudgingly memorise my new identity. I'm not happy about having such a hideous name, but doing a job may be my only ticket out of here. My plan is to alert the police at border control. Screw it. If it puts me at risk of being arrested for possessing a shit ton of drugs, at least I can tell them where the others are, giving them a chance of being rescued.

I jump out of my skin as the door swings open, clattering against the wall behind it. Dr Evil barrels in with a look of pure disdain aimed at Devlin. Jeremy follows, hanging close to the door with his eyes cast down.

Dr Evil reaches into his pocket, grabs Devlin by the back of her neck, and then tries to shove a folded piece of paper into her mouth. She splutters and lashes out, but he steps back just in time to avoid her sharp claws.

Devlin climbs to her knees, sucking up spit from the back of her throat and unleashes it at his face. Eden's hand shoots to my thigh, squeezing it painfully tight like he's bracing for an inevitable tsunami.

Dr Evil uses the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the spit dripping down his face.

"You better fucking learn every detail on that piece of paper, or I'll fucking end you." His twisted voice bounces off the empty walls.

"Not a chance!" she screams, more spit flying out of her mouth. Devlin's eyes darken like she's possessed.

My nervous system kicks in. Every cell of my being is on high alert. It feels like thousands of tiny needles are trying to penetrate my skin. I twist my face into Eden's chest and breathe in his soothing scent.

"Please just do it, Devlin," Eden pleads.

Emiliya moves to the very edge of the mattress and tucks her knees up, wrapping her arms around them.

"Fine, how about I give you some incentive."

My eyes shoot to them as Dr Evil grabs Emiliya by the scruff of the neck, whips out his gun, and pushes it against her temple. Emiliya's face pales, and her haunting cry feels like a dagger to the chest.

"Ne, molya," she begs as tears glide down her soft cheeks.

"Please don't hurt her," I implore in a high-pitched voice that doesn't sound like mine.

"You either do as I say, or I'll blow your friend's brains out," he hisses.

Devlin maniacally laughs, making goosebumps erupt all over me. What the fuck is wrong with her?

"Devlin, do as he says, for fuck's sake," Eden barks. His body vibrates against mine, and we hold onto each other like a lifeline.

Devlin cockily crosses her arm and casually lounges against the wall, taunting him with a deranged smile.

"This is your last chance. You do as I say, or she's dead."

"I don't care, kill the bitch."

Her frenzied cackle that follows makes my blood boil. At that moment, I fucking hate her for playing with fire.

It's like watching in slow motion as Dr Evil cocks his gun. A shrill scream escapes me and I squeeze my eyes shut, unable to watch any more. The earth-shattering bang pierces my ears. It's louder than I ever imagined and sends a spike of pain to the front of my skull.

Eden curls into me, our bones rattling against each other. Neither of us can look up and face this hell. A burnt metallic smell hits me first, and the sound of gurgling makes my stomach churn.

"Ne, ne, ne." Emiliya's voice forces our heads up. My eyes dart to her, then Devlin, and that's when I see it.

Devlin clutches a gaping hole in her stomach as blood dribbles down her chin. Her eyes bulge and her face is deathly pale.

"Fu-fuc fuck you," she forces out as her body convulses.

Blood gushes out of her gunshot wound, painting her joggers crimson. Dr Evil watches her with sick satisfaction and a quirk on his lips.

"I did warn you, you stupid bitch."

I can't speak and can barely breathe. My mind feels like it's had a factory reset, and I need to learn how to function as a human again.

Eden's fingers dig into my sides like he can't hold me tight enough. Fear hits me like a tidal wave as I watch the life leave Devlin's eyes. She tries to force out more words, but it's indistinguishable as her mouth overflows with blood. Her eyes droop as she loses consciousness, and a coppery smell fills my nose. Devlin chokes her last breath, and then her whole body deflates. All traces of life gone. It happened so quickly it doesn't seem real.

"Jeremy, over here," Dr Evil commands, shoving his gun back into his jeans.

Jeremy jumps and stumbles over, looking almost as pale as Devlin's corpse.

"Take the rubbish out." He grins while patronisingly slapping Jeremy on the shoulder.

Dr Evil leaves the room with a skip in his step as if he didn't just end someone's life. He acts like murdering someone is a fun midlife crisis hobby he picked up on the weekend.

Emiliya swings her head over to the side of the mattress and vomits through her gut-wrenching sob.

Tears distort my vision and my nose runs. I finally release a painful cry that had been trapped in my parched throat. I feel like I'm outside of my body observing this hell from above. Eden's chest heaves against me, and he shakily strokes my head.

"Shhhh," he coos over and over, choking on his sobs.

Eden's tears land on my forehead and travel down my face, mixing with my own. I slam my eyes shut again, unable to watch as Jeremy removes her limp body. The sound of him dragging her across the floor makes my stomach tangle into complicated knots and bile climbs up my throat.

The door slams shut, and I eventually risk opening my eyes. The dark trail of thick blood that leads from the mattress to the door haunts me. Thinking of how they might dispose of her body makes my temple throb. I close my eyes again, and Eden rocks us back and forth as we crumble in each other's arms. I don't know how long we stay like that, but the room goes from light to dark, just like our hope of survival.