1. Cal

1

CAL

Her dark hair is tangled around her face as she makes a fruitless attempt to push it behind her ears. She could roll the window up, but she seems content with the consequences of unruly hair, even if it means getting an unobstructed view. I squeeze my hand once on her thigh before removing it. Releasing my hold on the steering wheel, I remove her hair elastic from my wrist and hand it to her wordlessly. I don't understand the look in her eyes as she takes it from me and wraps it around her hair.

I return my hand to her thigh, which she covers with one of her own. The car is silent and it's a kind of silence I could live the rest of my days in. Roadside landmarks become more familiar to me as we head further north. My stomach twists at the thought of being in my hometown in just a few short hours. I haven't been back since Chase and I hunted down my father. The time before that was for my mother's funeral, so I don't have many positive feelings associated with the place. I didn't have many positive feelings about it as a kid either, but for some ungodly reason, I got the idea in my head to show Ava around.

I wanted her to see the place where I grew up, but the closer we get, the more I regret the decision. She was already watching me when I glanced at her, her amber eyes warm in the early evening light.

"Watch the road," she scolds, but she says it with a laugh. "I'd rather not die before I get to see your hometown." I roll my eyes at the insinuation.

"I'm not going to wreck the car. Have some faith, Viper." She scowls at the name, her humor well and truly gone. It's my turn to laugh as her scowl deepens. Regardless, I oblige her and turn back to the road, resisting the urge to look at her again when I feel her eyes on me.

"What?" I ask, my voice softer than I intended. She's quiet for a moment, but she doesn't move her focus.

"Your hair must have a red undertone. It looks almost auburn in this light." I cut my eyes to her.

"My hair is definitely black." She rolls her eyes.

"Nothing is ever just one color. It all depends on the lighting when you perceive it. On a cloudy day, your hair may seem darker, but something about this evening sunlight emphasizes the undertones." I'm moved as I realize how differently we see the world. She sees such variation of color and light, whereas my world is very black and white. I tell her as much and she squeezes my hand.

"I happen to like the way you see the world," she whispers, and I can't help but look at her again. Her hair is already escaping the hair tie, small strands whip around her face.

"God, I love you," I whisper back, and she grins. I hit the rumble strips, making her shriek.

"Watch the road, Cal!" She's laughing again. I feel all of the anxiety from earlier melting away. I'm watching for a gas station, and take the exit when I see a roadside advertising one nearby.

"Oh great, I really have to pee," Ava says, looking out of the window again.

The station is right off of the exit, and she starts unbuckling as soon as I'm parked. I grab her forearm before she can open the passenger door, hauling her toward me. My lips crash into hers. Her lips part, and her breath intoxicates me. I thread my fingers into her tangled hair, pulling the elastic free. Sliding it back onto my wrist, I kiss my way down her neck.

"Wait," she pants. "I'm down, but I really have to pee first." She giggles, and there's no way I'm letting her out now. She groans when I grip her waist. "I want you to fuck me, but I really don't want to pee on you when I do. I'll be five minutes tops." She's breathless, but I force myself to let her go.

"Five minutes, or I come in there and fuck you in the bathroom." She grins devilishly as she opens the car door, giving me a quick kiss before racing inside. I pull up to a pump to start filling my tank. Glancing at my watch, I see a minute has already passed.

Four minutes later and my tank is full. I take a look at the other travelers and find them all watching me. Three people at separate pumps are all turned away from their cars, their eyes not leaving my vicinity. I glance over my shoulder and see two more men leaning against a parked truck, watching. Ava has less than a minute left, but I don't wait for her timer to be up. I race inside. Shelves and racks have been upturned, scattering snacks and candy all over the floor. The soda fountain lays discarded on the ground, liquid spreading across the cheap linoleum.

I nearly slip as I rush to the back of the store in search of the bathroom, but there's nothing there. Running back to the front, I see a back door that I hadn't noticed at first. There's a sign with an arrow saying: ‘Bathrooms out back'. Cursing,

I rip open the door.

The women's bathroom door is locked, and I pound on it several times with no response. Panic rises in my throat when all I hear are muffled sounds from inside. Forcing it down, I slam my shoulder into the door, ready to break the hinges. On the third try, I hear wood splintering as the hardware gives way.

Inside is a sterile room with an observation window. The light is bright white, and I have to blink a few times at the harshness. It's at that moment, I realize I can see something through the window. There's a hospital bed and Ava is strapped to it, naked. I sprint toward her, pounding on the glass. She starts screaming for help when she sees me. Tears pour down her face. As she cries, wounds seem to open all over her body, the streams of blood flowing with her tears. My own face is wet with tears as I realize the glass won't break.

"Ava, sweetheart, I've got you. I'm going to get you out." Her face twists with hatred even as she continues to cry.

"You did this to me," she wails. A figure walks into the room.

...

I wake with a start and nearly throw up at the pounding in my head. I try to pull my arms to my face but realize that I can't move. The dream, and my reality, suddenly catch up to me. I'm bound to the same chair and, when I look up, I see Ava through the observation window. She's awake, but doesn't seem aware of her surroundings.

Her naked body is covered with wounds. For a horrible moment, I'm nearly glad that she's been drugged. I pray to anyone that might be listening that she doesn't remember what he did to her, even if she has the scars to remind her.

I pull at my restraints again, but they won't budge, so I try to take stock of my surroundings. My vision blurs as I turn my head from side to side. The nausea climbs up my throat again, and I have to take a few breaths. My room is mostly empty, aside from the door that connects me to Ava. I'm only a few feet away from her, but I've never felt more helpless in my life. I try to scoot the chair forward, but the legs are bolted into the floor.

I'm debating other ways I could escape when someone walks into Ava's room.

She's still confused and just stares at Kiel with a frown as he slowly walks toward her. The room must have a microphone, because I can hear his footsteps amplified into my room. When he's only inches away, he places the palm of his hand against her forehead, pushing back her hair.

"Are you in pain?" Kiel whispers. His eyes never leave her face as she nods. Her brows are furrowed, but she doesn't look away either.

"I can make it go away," he whispers again and walks to a metal stand behind her. He draws fluid into a syringe and looks into her eyes as he depresses the plunger, emptying the contents into her veins. It only takes moments to hit her system. Her face instantly relaxes, and Kiel places a hand on her wrist as he studies the effects of his drug.

Kiel touches her face again before he walks away from the table. I'm fighting to control my rage as he stalks toward my door. I know I can't show him how I really feel or else risk him hurting Ava even more. By the time he's through the threshold, I've contained myself.

"She's so pretty when she bleeds, isn't she?"

I'll kill him. As he grins at me, eyes too wide and bright, I make that promise. I will kill him.

"I know you agree," he continues. "I remember that night well. You took her into your bed and drove the blade into her skin before driving your cock into her cunt." I fight to keep my face neutral, and his smile broadens like he knows it. "I can still hear the noises she made that night. Even outside your bedroom window, I could hear how much it hurt, and how she loved it. Do you think she loves my blade as much as yours?" The insinuation nearly causes me to lunge forward, but I remember my restraints in time, and I make myself sit still.

"I remember the way you cut up my wife. I do not remember those noises as fondly. You butchered her right in front of me. Do you remember that, Callum?" I close my eyes as the memories flood my mind. I try not to think of that time. I'm not proud of everything I've done, and even though it was a part of my assignment, I often regret what I did during those years.

"To your credit," he continues, "You kept your cock away from my wife. I'm not sure I'll be able to show the same restraint." I bare my teeth before I can stop myself. He chuckles, his eyes still open wide as he laughs. "Enjoy the view, Callum." Kiel turns his back to me and pauses in front of the window into Ava's room. He watches her for several long moments before leaving me alone in the room. Ava doesn't stir.