Falling Up

52. Fight

Being pushed back through the corridors and into the open warehouse was embarrassing, causing her white cheeks to turn a rosy shade of unwanted pink. But the embarrassment was the least of her issues even though the exposed outfit she was wearing caused more than a few heads to turn in her direction. As she walked barefoot over the dusty concrete flooring, her lacey outfit swaying against her legs, she felt lucky that she hadn't cut her foot open yet. The scattered mess on the floors included boxes, pens, broken glass, and other random office supplies left over from the previous owners.

However, the closer she got to her place of confinement, the more her stomach churned in unwanted anticipation. The bright lights overhead were hurting her eyes as the exhaustion of today's events set in, and she couldn't help but think that she was in for more mental strain once Jason saw the state she was in.

Her cheek felt numb and fat from the fist that Vincent sent her way and the pain in her stomach had only enhanced the nerves that were churning around inside of her. To add to all of this, her pace had slowed from the physical and mental exhaustion, which caused the guard to grip her wrist tighter as he dragged her down the blinding white corridor.

Coming to a stop a few minutes later, the sound of jingling keys alerted her to their location. They had reached the door of the holding room in which Jason and Kain were in. She swallowed hard past the nervous lump in her throat.

Taking a deep breath, a wince escaped her lips, a sign of the pain in her stomach and the realisation that perhaps Vincent did more damage to her stomach than she would have liked. The door unlocked with a click and the guard pushed it open, slamming the steel door open with force. It took only a moment for her to be shoved inside as she went stumbling over her feet before the door closed, locking again behind her. As she turned her head she realised the guard was already gone.

The first instinct she had was to shut her eyes and hope for the best. She didn't know why. It wasn't like she did anything wrong, but she knew Jason was going to have a fit and probably let his anger take over. It was his normal response in every single conversation that evoked any sort of emotion.

But the second she closed her eyes, she felt the powerful arms of Kain wrap around her like a tightly woven blanket, warm and safe. In that instant, she let out a sigh of relief. That subtle woodsy smell, his strong arms and rock-hard chest, the way his fingers crept slowly through her hair. It was just what she needed right now, and she didn't even realise it.

When they broke away a couple of minutes later, she took a glance over the room, her eyes locking on to Jason. This was the first time she had seen him since they were in the truck together. He didn't look any better than he did then, and she didn't even know why she was expecting it. Perhaps it was because it had already felt like months had passed in this place when really it was less than a day. The only thing she noticed was different was the complete look of despair and horror on his face. He wanted to say something, but it took him longer than a few minutes to finally open his mouth.

"Did he..." Jason croaked out as his sentence trailed off into nothing.

She knew what he wanted to ask. He wanted to know if Vincent had touched her again and considering the way she was currently dressed, no wonder that was the first thought on his mind. It was sitting there on his tongue, but he was afraid to say it. Afraid of what the answer would be and all of those emotions were in clear view across his face and down to his trembling arms.

Riley pulled herself out of Kain's arms and walked over to Jason, encasing him in a hug that was firm but gentle, considering both of their current battered states.

"No, he didn't. It's okay Jason. He didn't touch me." At least not in the way that Jason was asking.

The way Jason's shoulders slumped in relief, she would have thought that she had just him the world wasn't about to end. But she wasn't about to tell him it almost happened. It was only sheer luck that they were interrupted at the last moment.

She knew Vincent would try again, and sitting here waiting for it to happen was the last thing she wanted to be doing. Unfortunately for her, escape would have to wait as her body decided at that moment to collapse underneath her. Her shaky legs gave way, but luckily Jason was already there to catch her fall.

"Fuck!" said Jason as he caught her now dead weight in his arms. "What the fuck did he do to you?"

"A little punch here, a little slap there. You know, the usual," replied Riley with a tiny chuckle as she winced again from the pain. "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired."

Jason eased her gently to the ground as he placed her head on his leg for support, sitting down beside her on the cold, harsh floor. "I'm going to kill him," he said, running his fingers through her hair.

Riley felt Jason's body shake with anger underneath him. "I'm going to fucking kill him," he muttered again under his breath as the rage and anger came through enough for him to slam his fist against the floor.

"Don't go all Hulk on me now." This was exactly what Riley was afraid of. When Jason got angry, it lashed out in all directions. And right now, Jason was furious.

"Take her," said Jason to Kain as he gritted his teeth.

"Come on Jason, I'm fine," said Riley, sitting up as Jason switched places with Kain on the floor. She pulled herself to a seated position and propped herself up against the wall.

"I hate this. I fucking hate this!" Jason kicked over some nearby boxes, scattering the contents across the floor. The room looked very similar to the room next door, but with fewer boxes and no windows for natural light, which meant they relied on the one pendant light hanging from the ceiling. There was an adjoining bathroom, at least of which she was thankful for.

It must have been hard for Jason to be stuck in here for so long, with no semblance of time. No wonder he was so worked up. And on top of that, seeing his sister dressed like a beat up whore would make anyone pissed off.

"We need to find a way out of here," said Jason as he paced back and forth across the room. "I'm not having him touch you again. I just won't let him..." He trailed off, muttering under his own breath.

"How many guards are on duty? Do you know the schedule here?" asked Kain as he wrapped his arm around Riley, rubbing his hand up and down her arm to keep her warm.

Jason paused in contemplation. "It's hard to tell. Time here is... different. I'm not even sure if it's night or day. But they bring food maybe once a day. There are two guards outside at all times. The changeover is quick, a few minutes or less. But the only time they open the door is to bring in food or if Vincent wants to have another go at me, which is more frequent than I would like." Jason paused, rubbing the side of his stomach as if in memory of the pain that had been inflicted on him.

"Any weapons?" asked Kain.

"A couple of guns but usually shoved in their waist. I don't think they see me as a threat. At least not in this condition." Jason waved his hand in the general direction of the cuts and bruises that littered his body.

"Then we'll use that to our advantage. I think we should jump them next time they come in. There are three of us against two. It's risky, but it's riskier than staying here and doing nothing."

"No," said Jason. "Riley is not a part of this. She stays in the bathroom and out of sight."

"Jason," said Riley, knowing that this was hard for him to hear but necessary. "We need all of us if we have a shot at this. I can fight. I know I can."

Even though she was weak she knew that if given the chance she would show these guards some hell. She would do everything in her power to not go back into Vincent's hands. She needed to get out of here, and she needed to do it before anything else happened to her.

"Riley's right." Kain gripped her harder. "Trust me, I don't like this as much as you do, but we need as many distractions going on as possible if we have any chance of this working."

Jason looked over at Riley and paced again as he thought it over. She was sure he would protest again, but when he looked back in her direction, he sighed as though defeated.

"Fine. Next time, this door opens. We fight."