Four-leaved clover

Chapter 7 - Dead-end

Ice cold water was splashed at her, making her gasp from the cold awakening. Her body already covered in goosebumps and yet it wasn't that what made her groan, it was the aching pain that seared through her body. The aftertaste of metallic filled her mouth, and slowly did she open her eyes, taking in the dark room which was only illuminated by a tiny light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

"Fresh as a daisy," a dark voice chuckled, having Olivia on full alert as she jolted up to sit but man did her body ache.

Right, it slowly dawned on her that she had taken quite the beating before she had passed out.

Footsteps shuffled closer even if she attempted to slide backwards on the concrete floor but once she felt the coolness of the wall, she glanced up at the man.

"Where am I?"

"Vacation, sweetheart," he retorted whilst he grabbed her by her hair harshly, which had her yelp in pain as she struggled to get to her feet. She wanted to fight back but her body wouldn't cooperate. All she could do was grasp onto his hand, trying to get him to loosen his grip.

"Let go of me!" Her body gradually started to attempt fighting back as the adrenaline rose within her.

"No can do, darling. Boss wants a word since you weren't cooperative earlier."

He dragged her out of the room and down a dark hall to a metal door where he slammed his fist onto the surface two times before the door opened. Olivia could not remember anything, only the beating that she took. When the door opened, she swallowed hard. She had been here. That much dawned on her but she couldn't remember that table. She remembered the chair - her eyes travelled to her wrists and she saw the burn marks from the ropes.

"I see you cleaned her somewhat nicely," another male's voice stated while he took his time to look at her properly. Olivia felt a shiver run down her spine. He looked familiar.

With a nod from him, she was yanked over to the table and thrown on top of it. Her feeble attempts on fighting back were rewarded with several punches before two other guys emerged from the hallway.

"Hold her still," the familiar man ordered while he grabbed a cloth from a duffle bag. The three men grabbed her and pressed her against the table, trying to hold her still. Two men held her arms on each side of the table while the third man held her legs in place.

"We can do it the easy way where you tell us who you are and who you work for or me and the guys will have quite a joyful time," he flashed her crooked smile when looking down at her. "So, what is it going to be?"

Olivia gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes at him. "You are Alexander Santi Jr.'s men, aren't you?"

The man sighed and shook his head. "Figured that she would be feisty." He threw the cloth over her face and bend down, grabbing a bucket full of water. Olivia's body started to struggle, her limbs spasmed in the grasp of the men while the water was poured over her face. The cloth made it impossible for her to properly breathe. Her mouth got filled with water and she felt like she was suffocating.

He kept up this torture for a couple of minutes. Continuously letting her have a small break before pouring more water onto the cloth on her face. Finally he stopped and removed the cloth, the men at her arms jerked her upwards so she could cough and spit out the water. The much needed oxygen painfully filled her lungs and she felt dizzy and nauseous.

"I'm going to ask you again," the man grabbed her by her hair and pulled her harshly closer to his face, "who the hell are you? And who are you working for!" he yelled in her face.

Olivia still had trouble breathing properly, the coughs kept coming as she struggled to compose herself. Her eyes were hard when she finally focused enough on the son of a bitch, her jaw clenched, "Your mother," she managed to hiss.