“I’m going to have to hit you,” Jacqueline says the second the door shuts. “You get that, right?”
“Don’t worry, it’s part of the plan.” I move in close to her, wishing my hands weren’t cuffed behind my back. “Spread the word. We’re getting the fuck out of here. The girls need to be ready to fight.”
She snorts, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “How’s that supposed to work?”
“Divide and conquer,” I explain. “They’ve been using it on us since I got here, and probably long before that, no? It’s time we use it on them. All I need from you is a good beating.”
“What?”
I nod. “You heard me. Kick my ass.”
Jacqueline smiles. “I can do that, but how’s it going to help?”
“I can’t tell you any more, in case we get caught,” I lie. Telling her any more would mean divulging Reed’s involvement — as much as he deserves credit for helping us, I just got Jacqueline to trust me. Being in league with Reed might jeopardize our newfound alliance, and I need them both for this to work. “Convince the other women to hold on because the end is in motion. Convince them to fight back when the time comes. That’s all I’m asking.”
She steps up to me, staring me down. “And if your plan doesn’t work?”
I don’t flinch. “Then we go down fighting.”
Jacqueline nods slowly, weighing my words. Then she rears back and punches me in the gut.
Fuck!
Alliance or not, she doesn’t pull her punches. That hurt!
This had better be worth it.
“Like that?” she says.
“No,” I cough, doubled over. “It has to… look good. I need one… in the face.”
Maybe this plan isn’t as smart as I thought.
Jacqueline obliges, nailing me right in the jaw with a closed fist. She follows that up with several hard slaps. It’s painful, but at least I don’t think she’s going to give me a concussion.
“That good?” she asks, keeping her fists in the air.
I turn to look at myself in the bathroom mirror: my face burns red from the slaps, and there’s a bruise on my cheek from the punch. It definitely looks like I got roughed up, but it’s not enough.
“No, keep going. Make me scream.”
She keeps going, punching me in the side a few times. I howl as pain sparks throughout my body, and not in a fun way.
Jacqueline yanks my hair, pulling my head back and exposing my neck.
“Let me go!” I shout, loud enough that Edwin should hear outside. “Choke me,” I whisper to Jacqueline.
She doesn’t have to be asked twice. She grabs my neck and starts to squeeze, maybe a bit too hard. I try to inhale, but can’t. Gripped by exploding panic, I try shaking her off, but she’s too strong. I scream again, but nothing comes out.
Then Edwin bursts inside and pushes Jacqueline off me, pinning her against the wall. I fall down to the cold bathroom floor, sucking in air with a deep gasp.
“What the fuck, bitch? What the fuck were you doing?” he asks, cuffing her back to the urinal.
“Byron!” I cough, thrashing on the ground, kicking my legs out and rattling my restraints.
Edwin turns to me. “What’s that?”
“Byron… I want to… see Byron.”