25

Dispose of my body

and keep the truths buried with it.

Her breath stilled. The sounds around her became muted and she couldn’t hear Elise calling her name.

All Khalani could focus on were the words sprawled before her, summoned from a forgotten dream.

Prometheus Inc.

It was the first time she’d encountered the name outside of Apollo.

The only clue Timothy Talbot gave to Project Helix’s whereabouts was that the path started at Prometheus. His journal also mentioned that half of the families involved in Project Helix resided in Hermes.

That couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Where did your dad get this?” Khalani frantically asked.

“I don’t know,” Elise stated. “I’ve never seen him without it.”

“But have you asked him what these words mean?”

“Of course, but he never answers me.”

Khalani brought the ring up to her face, trying to will more words to appear. Anything to give her a clue of what Prometheus meant.

“Why do you have that look? Do you know what it is?” Elise straightened, a faint glimmer of hope stirring behind her eyes.

Khalani hesitated.

The only other person who knew about Timothy’s journal was Winnie, and she promised to keep it a secret.

“I don’t know,” she swallowed, handing it back. “I can’t remember.”

Elise’s shoulders drooped, and she slowly gave the silver ring to her dad. He reverently slid it back onto his finger, whispering, “Key. Ring. Save. Key. Ring. Save.”

Khalani’s eyes sank to the floor, confusion and chaos weaving through her like intricate braids.

Maybe the original owners of the ring knew where Prometheus was. Or Prometheus himself was the man who created the ring, and he held the key to Project Helix’s whereabouts.

Or Prometheus didn’t mean anything, and she was clinging to a false hope that a long-dead entity would save the world from ruin.

Khalani leaned her head against the cold stone, hating that she was still no closer to answers. She felt Takeshi’s eyes slide to her from a distance. As if her frustration was a beacon to him.

She needed space to think.

A shower. That’s what she needed.

Khalani had avoided the communal showers up to that point, but she was covered in grime and sweat, and her nose wrinkled when she discreetly sniffed under her arm.

She glanced over at the grey building, and there didn’t appear to be any line. Perfect.

“I’m going to shower,” she told Elise, rising to her feet.

Elise’s brows furrowed, but Khalani marched forward without another word.

A prickling sensation of being watched crawled over her skin, but Khalani ignored it as she made her way to the showers, convincing herself it was just paranoia.

Stepping into the grey building, she let out a relieved sigh when it was empty. A row of shower heads stood along a white wall, completely open.

She quickly undressed, hesitating only briefly before sliding off her bra, but she kept her white underwear on.

After placing her clothes on the bench, she ran barefoot to one of the shower heads. She turned the knob, and her body went utterly rigid as icy cold water streamed out.

Taking a deep breath, she ducked under the freezing stream, teeth chattering as her hands instinctively crossed over her chest. Spotting a tiny bar of soap on the floor, she snatched it up and quickly scrubbed her skin clean.

All she could hear was the spray of water as she worked to untangle the jumbled knots in her hair, each pull tugging against her scalp.

Dirt streamed down her legs and swept toward the drain. A part of her wanted to stay longer, but she couldn’t risk someone walking in.

With her hands covering her chest, she shut off the water and hastily shuffled to her clothes.

But Khalani stopped dead in her tracks when she got to the bench.

Her clothes were gone.

“Looking for these?”

Khalani turned to the door, her heavy heart sinking into her stomach. In front of the exit stood the male prisoner who’d walked by her and Elise earlier, a sinister grin spreading across his face as his eyes roamed over her exposed skin.

He dangled her clothes in the air.

“G-give them back,” she stammered, trying to cover as much of her body as possible.

To her surprise, he tossed her clothes just out of reach. But he didn’t leave. He crossed his arms, watching as she scrambled to put the white jumpsuit on as quickly as possible.

“Where did you say you were from?” he asked, a sadistic gleam in his eyes.

“I didn’t.” Her heart raced as she zipped up her uniform with trembling hands.

“You have a strange accent.” The man cocked his head, focusing his startling grey eyes on her.

“I’m from the slums,” Khalani replied in a panicky rasp, getting her arms through the sleeves.

Get out of there.

Get out of there.

“The slums, eh?” The prisoner took another step forward, invading her space. Her thoughts. “Can’t say I remember seeing you. And I know everyone in Hermes.”

“Well, you know what they say. Big place. Easy to get lost in.”

“Not really.”

Finally managing to pull on her uniform, she straightened, looking for the exit. He stood directly in her path.

“Get out of my way.”

“Why?” The prisoner tilted his head as if he were genuinely confused.

“Because I’m leaving,” she declared, eyeing the door he was still blocking.

“I saw the way you were looking at me earlier. I’ve been down here so long, and I know you want this just as much as I do.”

“You’re insane,” she hissed, inching ever so slightly to the right.

“Don’t worry, darling.” He smiled gently. “I have my men guarding the exit. No one’s going to bother us. I can make this quick and easy for you.”

Her chest heaved rapidly as the edges of her vision narrowed, honing in on the door.

Just a few more steps.

The prisoner moved a fraction closer, his gut nearly touching her.

That was when Khalani bolted around him.

She raced to the exit, yanking on the door handle. But it was locked.

She braced her right foot against the wall, gripping the handle with both hands as she pulled with all her might. But the door refused to budge.

Sickeningly twisted laughter echoed off the tiles behind her.

“Help!” She banged her fist against the door, praying someone would hear her.

Terror washed over her as the man just stood back, letting her scream. Like he enjoyed watching his prey, savoring their fears before they realized escape was impossible.

“TAKESHI!” Khalani screamed at the top of her lungs in a last-ditch effort.

Suddenly, a rough hand clamped around her mouth and yanked her backward. She was thrown to the ground and gasped as her left wrist bent awkwardly in the fall.

But she didn’t have time to focus on the pain. The prisoner shoved her shoulders down, pinning her beneath him.

Khalani bucked her hips wildly. “Get off of me!” she yelled ferally. She tried pushing him, but he tightened his legs around her, refusing to budge.

The excitement shining in his eyes was the thing nightmares were made of. He leaned forward, putting his meaty hands on her shoulders, holding her down as she struggled.

“Stop fighting and it won’t hurt as much,” he whispered.

He shifted against her, trying to take off his uniform. But when he lifted his hand, she pounced.

Khalani put the full weight of her fury and rage into her fist, and punched him in the throat, just as Takeshi taught her.

The man clutched his neck, choking on his next breath.

Using the distraction, she slid out from under him, but his hand closed around her ankle, yanking her back. With her other foot, she kicked him square in the face.

His head whipped back, and she scrambled to her feet, running toward the door, planning to crash into it with her body to break it open.

But a rough hand seized her bicep, spinning her around. All she could focus on were his furious grey eyes before he punched her square in the face.

The force sent Khalani crashing into the wall. Her vision grew hazy, blood dripping down her lip, but she couldn’t register the pain. All she could focus on was the incensed prisoner charging at her again, his teeth clenched in a snarl.

Khalani wobbled on her feet, holding up her fists.

If this was to be her final moment, she wanted to be found with her knuckles bloody and nails sawed off because she fought to her last bitter breath.

He was one step away—

Bang!

The door slammed open.

The prisoner halted, eyes widening in shock when a large figure barged in, looking like death himself.

Takeshi’s apocalyptic gaze immediately centered on her.

At first, his eyes softened in relief, but he slowly took in the rest of her. From her still-wet hair to her swollen, bleeding lip, to her trembling arms and uniform that was half undone from the assault.

Takeshi’s expression morphed into a face you’d imagine the devil might possess—a cold and terrible beauty. The air around him grew frigid. Perilous.

His head swiveled toward the prisoner, who crossed his arms.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” the man asked.

Takeshi took a measured step forward, blocking Khalani from his view.

Despite his words, the prisoner backed up, sensing the menacing void surrounding Takeshi.

“This has nothing to do with you, man. Just turn around and walk out.”

Whatever expression Takeshi wore made the man pale further.

“Nothing to do with me?” Takeshi’s voice was so deep it was unrecognizable. “The moment you laid a hand on her, you chose death.”

The prisoner scrambled for the door and Takeshi lunged. He grabbed a fistful of the prisoner’s hair, driving his knee into the man’s stomach.

The prisoner doubled over, heaving before Takeshi gripped his neck and slammed the man’s head into the floor with enough force to crack the tile beneath them.

The prisoner’s head lifted, the front of his face completely smashed and broken. Takeshi flipped him over and straddled him, just as the man had done to Khalani.

Takeshi proceeded to punch him in the face. Over and over.

He took his time between each hit, relishing the blood that splattered across the white tile, studying the areas on his face that hurt the most and relentlessly attacking those weaknesses.

Between punches, the prisoner twisted his head to find Khalani standing in the corner, frozen and completely hypnotized by the scene before her.

“Help…me,” he rasped through missing teeth.

His words only served to stoke Takeshi’s fury further.

“You don’t deserve to look at something beautiful before you die,” Takeshi growled.

With chilling detachment, he bent forward. The prisoner’s whole body flailed as Takeshi plucked out his eyes.

Khalani found her back sliding down the tile as screams echoed around her. Her vision blurred, and the ache in her head intensified.

Three Dealers suddenly barged into the building, their eyes widening as Takeshi went back to savagely punching the prisoner into a bloody pulp.

“Stop!” one of them yelled, but Takeshi ignored the newcomers, continuing to inflict his deadly punishment.

The Dealers scrambled for their pads and Takeshi immediately started seizing as they shocked him. But Takeshi’s upper lip curled and he kept hitting the prisoner on the floor, ignoring the pain.

“What the…” The Dealers cranked up the voltage. Takeshi shook uncontrollably but his fists remained clenched as he fell to the floor. Khalani’s heart raced in sheer panic as they kept shocking him.

Watching Takeshi suffer stirred something deep within her. She thought she was vulnerable to pain before, but this hit her with the strength of a mountain.

“Don’t hurt him!” she yelled, but the Dealers ignored her.

“Get them to their cells!”

A hand wrapped around her arm, hoisting Khalani to her feet.

The Dealer motioned her toward the exit, and she wobbled, holding her hands out to steady herself. The guard grunted at her slow pace and shoved her forward.

Takeshi snarled something behind her, but she couldn’t make out the words as she was escorted out of the building.

She reared back when she saw two prisoners lying on the floor right outside the door. Their chests moved, so they weren’t dead, but they must’ve been the ones guarding the door for the man who tried to rape and kill her.

Judging by their unconscious state, they encountered the menacing Captain of Braderhelm Prison.

“Big fucking mess,” the Dealer snarled, tightening his grip around her arm as he pulled her toward the barracks.

The pounding in her head intensified, and she leaned into the officer’s grip to keep moving. A flash of blonde hair appeared in her vision, and her heavy gaze flickered up to see Elise with her jaw hung open.

“Are you okay? I heard a shout from the shower building and got worried…Khalani?” The lines contorting her face deepened as Khalani’s head tilted.

All she wanted to do was lie down—

“Here,” the Dealer grunted, unceremoniously shoving her toward Elise, who caught her with a huff. “Both of you get to your cells,” he snapped, uncaring of her physical state.

Elise immediately wrapped an arm around Khalani’s waist, helping her shuffle awkwardly toward the barracks. Khalani groaned as her eyelids didn’t want to stay open.

She was reduced to motor function, only able to focus on placing one foot in front of the other.

“What happened to you?” Elise grunted.

“Took shower…broke in…punched…Takeshi saved…” Her words came out slow and garbled.

Elise made an angry noise when she got a better look at the nasty cut on Khalani’s lip and began to piece the story together.

Her brain felt like the bowl of soup they’d eaten every day.

One moment, they were walking through the barracks hall, and the next, she slid down the white walls of her barren cell. Elise helped ease her head down, her face chalky pale as she stared at Khalani.

“Into your cells!” one of the guards yelled, and Elise hesitated.

“Isss okay. Not want you…in trouble,” Khalani whispered, embracing the cool tile on her cheeks.

Elise frowned, but Khalani’s eyes started to drift closed as she heard footsteps exiting her cell. She fought to keep her head up, but her entire body felt like someone was pressing down on her.

No.

She needed to stay awake. She needed to wait for Takeshi.

To see if he was okay.

Without concern for his own safety, Takeshi had leaped to her defense, meting out justice the only way he knew. The least she could do was remain conscious when they brought him back to say…thank you.

She just needed to stay…

Awake…

Her eyelids fluttered.

Before blissful unconsciousness stole her away, Khalani was gathered into strong arms and held close.

Like she was the most important being in the universe.