I drag my eyes back up to hers and she steps back, her hand on the gun in her holder.
“Thank you,” I murmur, walking past her.
“Don’t fucking thank me.” Her hand presses on the center of my back and she shoves me forward. “Hurry up to the fucking cell.”
I meet at the door and she unlocks it. I walk in, side-eyeing her once before dropping down in my corner. She locks it up behind her with her eyes on me, shaking her head slowly before walking off.
When I know she’s gone, I sigh. “I couldn’t get it,” I whisper to Ronaldo.
“Don’t worry about it. Maybe tomorrow.”
Chapter Six
Day 5
“You have to make a scene this time. Test your limits.” Ronaldo slides closer, looking me hard in the eyes. “It’s the only way he’ll take you seriously.”
“What should I do?”
“Demand something from him. Act like they owe you…”
“Won’t they kill me for doing that?”
“If they had the option to kill you, you’d be dead by now. My guess is that the boss has told them to leave you alone until he sees you for himself.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he has to know what he’s dealing with…and probably find out what you know before he makes a final decision. He’s a fucking maniac, but he’s no fool.”
“Well, what should I demand?”
“Think of something you want right now. Something to eat that they could easily get but you know they won’t.”
I drop my head, staring down at the gray floor. “Okay,” I whisper. “I’ll try it.”
When the sun is about to set, a door slams shut and footsteps are coming down the hallway. My hands are shaking violently, my pulse accelerating. I’m terrified to do this, but I have to if I want to get out of here.
Axe Man appears with a foam cup in hand, his eyes trained on me. When he walks in, he places the cup down on the middle of the floor and says, “Drink up…or don’t. I don’t really give a fuck.”
I frown at the cup, standing rapidly. “I don’t want water! Give me something fruity to drink! Juice or soda. Something!”
He looks at me as if I’ve lost my damn mind. Perhaps I have. His eyes grow wide, and his shoulders square up.
“What the fuck did you say?” he growls.
“I said give me something fruity to drink. Now.” I’m so glad my voice doesn’t tremble, but my entire body is shaking.
Axe Man looks around the cell, laughing dryly. Ronaldo hasn’t made a move.
Before I know it, Axe Man puts on a deep scowl and then charges my way, gripping me by the hair and slamming my head against the wall.
“What a dumb fucking one you are.”
As he holds me, I haul him closer, pretending to put up a fight, but really my hands are on a search. I pinch some of the fat on his side, scratch at his back. He doesn’t budge. His hot, smelly breath runs past my nose. It reeks like shit.
When I grunt and pinch his nipple, he brings his other hand up and slaps me with it. The sting is crucial, so crucial that I crumble a bit, my ears ringing. As I fall, I strike him with one hand, the other yanking on his pocket.
“BITCH!” He releases my hair and tosses me on the ground. I collapse on my side, landing roughly on my right arm. I squeeze the prize in my hand though, and take the blows he gives me as he kicks me in the stomach and the chest.
Something feels like it cracks inside me but I’m not even sure where it is. When he reaches down again to snatch me up by the hair, he gets close to my face, seething before whacking me across the cheek with his large, rough hand.
I groan, feeling a chill cloak my body as he drops my head on the ground again.
I hear a loud BOOM and then there are heavy footsteps rushing our way. Several men come rushing in, yanking Axe Man away and tossing him outside the cell.
The white haired man grips him by the front of his shirt, furious. He speaks to him in their native tongue. I can tell he’s pissed at him, not proud. I hear the words Jefe and muy furioso in one sentence and I know what that means.
The boss will be angry with him for what he’s done.
“He’ll be here soon so calm the fuck down. You know we can’t fucking kill her,” he hisses in Spanish. “We aren’t even supposed to be near her, you fucking dumbass! You better hope she isn’t fucking bruised later.” He pushes Axe Man forward, down the hallway. “Get the fuck out of here!”
The men follow after him, but the woman is last. She locks the door behind her, giving me a thorough look over before walking off.