The Strays

Chapter Twenty

I shook the chains behind my back with a sarcastic grin. “This seems a bit excessive.”

“Not to someone that knows what you’re capable of.” Ratchet retorted.

“Last I checked you weren’t that person, after all you and Raz were the ones that told me on numerous occasions I was always an underachiever, that if I took the time I could achieve so much more. I’m pretty certain the only person that knows what I’m capable of is Azrael and I was told she was dead. What happened to her? Did she not agree with your schemes anymore, did she get cold feet?”

“Don’t talk about her.” She hissed.

“Ah, it was more personal than that, did she finally realise she could do better than a heartless, soulless bitch like you?”

Ratchet put the gun to my temple and I could feel her getting ready to pull the trigger.

“Just fucking do it already.”

Before Ratchet could take things any further, though, Delilah intervened. “I thought you’d know better, she’s trying to get under your skin so you’ll shoot her and take away the only leverage we have over her brother. We eliminate her and he no longer has a reason to cooperate, which means our plan would be a failure; even in death she would ultimately win.”

My smile remained. “It was worth a shot.”

Delilah grabbed a rag and tied it around my mouth. “There, much better.”

I scowled at her, thinking some rather insulting word in my head that I couldn’t voice out loud as the pair left. 

"Do not remove that gag or release her under any circumstance, is that understood?" Delilah instructed the guard on duty as she left, and the young girl left to watch me promptly nodded her head. "Yes ma'am, understood."

"Good. Caelyn is to remain here until we return, and nobody is to unlock the door to Sean's lab. He needs some time alone to think."

I continued to scowl until they left, slumping backwards into the seat as I tried to fiddle with the chains around my wrist, trying to find a way out of them. The sun started to set, and I realised I'd been failing to break free for a good few hours before I finally started to lose hope, deciding to give up.

That's when something quite unexpected happened, the girl who was assigned to guard me quickly took a cautious look around before walking over to me and removing the gag.

I spat the remaining fibres out of my mouth, trying to get rid of the terrible texture and aftertaste that had been left behind as the young girl just stared at me. Now I was able to get a good look at her, something seemed startlingly familiar, but I couldn't quite understand why. "Who are you, and are you helping me?"

The girl rolled her eyes and loudly laughed. "I guess I'm better at makeup than anybody gives me credit for."

I found myself having to do a double take as she peeled off her wig and removed her contact lenses. "That's twice I've saved your arse now, Cae."

"Mac, what the hell are you doing here and what's with the disguise."

"If you must know, I've been undercover for months, spying on Delilah trying to work out what she was planning and when you came to ask for help, this is why I was quick to agree. I've known for a while that this girl is unstable, but I had to know how dangerous she was, how much of a threat she posed. Now I do and whatever it is she's planning is locked up with Sean, who's apparently the key."