Atlas - Roberts Alyne - Страница 5

"I brought food. You’ll need to eat," he told me as I pulled my knees to my chest.

"Fuck you," I said. "I won't eat anything you give me."

Atlas tilted his head and watched me curiously. It looked like part of him was trying to guess if I was going to try and run. I was wondering the same thing. Part of me knew I wouldn't get far. My limbs felt like they would buckle under my own weight, and Atlas was probably far faster than I could be even in my best health.

"Come. I'm going to show you something," he said to me.

I glared at his outstretched hand like it was poison, which I'm sure it was.

"Stella." I heard the warning and threat in his voice.

I scrambled to the edge of the bed, refusing to let him help me up. I didn't want to feel his skin on mine again or give him any more power over me. I had spent months hiding in the shadows and keeping my head down. It no longer mattered because my monsters had found me anyway. At least I could spend whatever time I had left as a fighter. It was what Dad would have expected from me.

"Stella. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Atlas told me with a glare. His fists clenched at his sides and his shoulders tensed.

"Do what?" I dared to ask.

Atlas closed the space between us in just a few long strides. I gasped when his fingers wrapped tightly around my arm. His grip was firm, but just short of painful. In just my bra and panties, I could feel his body heat on mine, making me want to pull away. Atlas wouldn't allow it, pulling me toward the door and out into the hallway.

There were a series of closed doors, but I couldn't see much else before he yanked me to the right. We came to another closed door at the end of the hall and Atlas dug in his pocket for a key. I could feel myself shaking as he pushed the key into the door and twisted it. The door was wider and heavier than a normal door and my stomach sank when I saw the steep steps leading down.

"Go," he demanded as he gave me shove forward.

I obeyed and took the steps slowly down into the darkness. Atlas held my arm and stayed close but didn't rush me. Every thud of our feet made me feel sicker with fear. I had always known someone would come for me, but I had hoped it would be quick. I felt like I was walking into a torture chamber.

When my feet hit the bottom, a light flicked on, illuminating something I did not expect. The room was empty. Completely empty. There were no chains or bars. No cage or metal spikes like I had expected. It was nothing more than a normal basement with a single pillar in the center of the room. Atlas led me to the pillar and turned me to face him, pushing my back to the cold metal.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking up into his calm face with panic as he wrapped my arms behind the pole.

"Just remember, I never break a promise I make," he whispered as the metal clicked around my sore wrists.

I opened my mouth to scream, maybe to beg for my life, but the words were caught in my throat. The sound of the door opening echoed in the empty basement, followed by several pairs of heavy footsteps. Atlas shoved a rag into my mouth, quickly covering it with tape. I cried behind my gag as he wrapped another black cloth over my eyes.

This was the end. I was going to join my mom and dad now. They were going to drag this out as payment. They made my dad beg for his life, so I really shouldn't have expected anything different. I was foolish to think that my silence was enough to save my life. I cried quietly as the footsteps stopped in front of me.

"You got her," a deep voice said.

"Obviously," I heard Atlas answer in a bitter tone.

"No one saw you?" the deep voice asked again.

"No. I don't make mistakes," Atlas said.

“Of course not. You always do as you’re asked.”

My entire body was tense with anticipation. I could feel them watching me as my life hung in the balance. If I had to guess, I would have said there were three men who came down the steps. I could feel the danger hanging in the air with their silence. I could hear my own pounding heartbeat and shuddering breaths.

"Good. Kill her."

I started to thrash and scream but the gag and handcuffs kept me in place and muffled. A large, warm hand pushed on my stomach and I froze. I didn't know whose hand was on me, but I wanted to think it was Atlas's. The feeling was familiar and softer than I would imagine the others would be.

"I will. When I'm ready," I heard Atlas say near my ear. "I want to have a little fun first."

His hand trailed down my stomach and over my panties. I bucked away but the pillar wouldn't let me move far enough. The men laughed and my stomach rolled.

"Very well. Just end this for good," the man said. “Quickly. We don’t have time for little whores like her.”

Atlas's hand left my body as the footsteps sounded again. I listened as the door opened and closed at the top of the steps. It was then that I noticed how violently I was trembling. I was cold, petrified, and confused beyond belief. The tape was pulled from my face but I ignored the sting. It was probably the least amount of pain I would experience. The gag was pulled from my mouth and the blindfold fell from my eyes.

"I'm not going to kill you right now, Little Star," he whispered. "I still need you."

"For what?" I choked out.

"I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. I also have a job to finish, and I hate leaving things uncompleted."

"What promise?"

Atlas reached behind me and released the cuffs from my wrist before tilting my head up to look at him. I stared up into his dark eyes and tried to see the evil in them. I knew it resided in him and what he was capable of. I just couldn't understand how I had missed it the night before. Maybe because I had been searching for it all around me for so long, I couldn’t even see it anymore.

"If you cooperate and behave as I ask, then you may stay upstairs in that room," he told me.

"And if I don't?"

His lips tipped up in a sinister smile, and he started to circle me. He was like a shark, circling his prey before going in for the kill.

"Then you will stay down here. Alone."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want to know where Ace is."

 My heart stopped with the mention of my brother's name. It hurt deep down inside more than I imagined to hear his name spoken aloud. I missed hearing it. I missed seeing him. I tasted the salt of my tears as they dripped over my lips. Atlas's large hands framed my face, forcing me to look at him.

"You know where he is," I hissed in his face with hatred so strong and sudden. "You fucking killed him."

Atlas's eyes flared and his lips pressed in a tight line. I tried to jerk away when his grip tightened on my cheeks. I lashed out at him, trying to pull out of the hold he had on me. Desperately, I screamed and kicked at his legs.

"Stella," he grunted and reached out for me. His thick arms wrapped around my waist and he pinned me to his chest.

"No! Fuck you!" I shouted. "Let me go."

I tried to kick and twist away from him. In my anger and pain, his arms were almost comforting. He was warm and strong; something I needed. It had been too long since I had been hugged or touched at all. That only made me hate him more.

"It's all your fault," I cried while trying to punch.

"Stop," he demanded as he grabbed my wrists to stop my hitting.

"You took everything away from me. You killed him."

I clamped my teeth around his shoulder, getting a mouthful of his shirt. I bit down as hard as I could.