Damon looked at her, his face seeming to tense as if he had a question. “You are foolish.”
“Let me go.” He could call her all the names he wanted, but she wasn’t going to give up the fight to be free.
“Anyone else would have killed them.”
Milah froze and looked at Damon.
She had never even thought about killing them. She hated violence. One of the reasons she had hated learning how to fight was the fear of hurting someone, but her mother had demanded it. Forced her to learn. She had no choice.
The guard she had shot had only been doing his job. Shooting him was an act of survival on her part, but no one deserved to die.
“Let me go.”
“This is starting to sound like a broken record. After three weeks, I figured you would have started to learn your place.”
“Fuck off, you piece of shit. I will always fight. I will find a way to get out of here. I will be free. You and my father can go fuck yourselves.” For the first time in three weeks, Milah felt good.
She’d surprised Damon.
He gave it away with the slight widening of his gaze. It was a subtle change, but one she had seen. He hadn’t expected her to say something like that.
“Sir?” the guard who had reported what she’d done spoke.
Damon didn’t look away.
“I think it’s time to show our guest her place in this life, don’t you?” Damon asked.
Fear raced down her spine, but she didn’t show it. Her mother had taught her the value of constantly wearing a mask.
Damon moved, and she was about to get to her feet, but his hands went around her neck, pulling her to her feet. She had no choice but to follow his grip, otherwise, she would have been choked.
She grabbed his arms, trying to get him to ease up. He wasn’t squeezing to the point of no air, but the threat was there. She didn’t want to die, but there was no way she would beg Damon to let her live. There was no way she’d beg him for anything.
He smiled at her. “You will learn your place, Milah Russo. You have had it easy up until now, but let us see how well you fare in the fucking gutter.”
Damon tossed her toward the guards. Cuffs were placed around her wrists, and she stared at Damon, not caring if he saw her defiance or not. He would learn one way or another that she wasn’t to be messed with. She might not land a killing blow, but she would do whatever it took to be free.
The guard wasn’t kind as he marched her across the gardens. They didn’t go to the house, but instead, he took her toward the left of the property, past several large trees, going up a slight incline, and she saw what appeared to be a crumbling building. It wasn’t. A hidden gate waited within, and the guard opened the lock.
Milah didn’t say a word as they marched her inside the cave. The stench of earth and death met her senses. She didn’t see any skeletal remains, but the sound of scurrying rats unnerved her.
She refused to show fear.
The guard dumped her onto the floor. She splashed in muddy water and tried to contain her wince. She heard a metallic rattle and then the cuffs that were on her were replaced by chains, binding her wrists. The guard tested each chain, tugging at it, to see if it would give way. It didn’t.
No one spoke.
One look at the men, and she saw they were happy to see her like this. To them, she was a Russo. Not worthy of being cared for.
He had locked her in a cage, close to a gutter. The stench repulsed her. She felt sick, but she didn’t beg them to let her go.
She watched as they left the room one by one. With no one to see her, she flinched at the sound of the gate being locked. Alone, outside, in the dark, Milah tested how far she could go. There was nothing to protect her. No bed to offer her comfort.
Nothing.
She was all alone.
The chains only allowed some movement. Her feet were bare, and she couldn’t contain her scream as something furry brushed past her feet.
Rats. He’d put her with rats.
Sickness swirled in her gut at what this could mean. Death by … what? The rats? The elements?
She sank to her knees and stared toward the small pitch of light.
Milah was afraid of the dark. Always had been.
She stared at the light, watching the hours tick by. No food or water was brought to her. This was her punishment.
The rats didn’t come near her after that first one.
Tears filled her eyes as the light slowly began to ebb away, making way toward the darkness. With the dark, she had no choice but to close her eyes, to try to send herself to a happy place.
Bad shit always happened in the dark.
Her mother had always told her to take long, deep breaths and to try to think of all the good things in life. Right now, there was nothing good. Only fear.
The night was closing in, and with it, fear clawed its way within her chest, threatening to take over.
****