Dalliance - Z.M. (An Exquisites Original Story)

63; I Wanna Be Yours

Chapter 63

"Secrets I have held in my heart are harder to hide than I thought.
Maybe I just wanna be yours."

(Raine's POV)

"I won't ask you again, what did Moon have you doing for her?"

Ana stays silent like she has been doing for the past three hours. Wrong move.

A bucket of cold water is tossed on her as she hangs from the chains mounted in the ceiling. Her hands are above her head, her hair damp, her wound still very painful and her entire body completely weakened. Although I prefer not to torture her, she is not as trustworthy as others may think so letting her roam free like a civilized human being is out of the question. Besides, I am mirroring the torture method Moon tried on me- sans drugs- which, if I recall correctly, was all because of her.

"You really think I'm gonna tell you shit?" She sneers, laughing coldly as she blinks back the water in her eyes. "You're a fucking joke."

There she goes again, striking a nerve that I don't particularly prefer be struck. She knows exactly what to say to grind my gears because she was my trainer and arch rival for a huge duration of my time here, but I refuse to let her get to me. I have a job to get done and by the time I leave here today, I will have flipped her to my side completely. If not with negotiation, then with fear.

"Alright," I shrug, nodding to the two men Apollo sent in here with me. They were both Christian's trainees, which means they are particularly fluent in the art of torture. If she won't talk to me, I suppose she will have to speak after they're done with her. "Give her your all, boys."

With that, I spin on my heel and walk out of the room. The air is warm when I step outside, indicating the long-awaited arrival of spring. I hardly know where the time went, though I suppose I haven't had much time to stop and notice the green leaves turn into burnt orange.

Inhaling a deep breath through my nose, I look up at the bright sky and smile, lighting a cigarette. I shut my eyes and allow the warmth of the sun burn down on me, enveloping me whole. My heart feels light after my first exhale, the silence in the presence of nature a welcome feeling amidst the chaos of the afternoon.

It almost seems serene, almost, until I hear the sound of a very angry man calling my name.

"Raine!" Zayn's voice echoes through the silence. With a harrowing sigh, my eyes open and I'm dragged back into the harsh reality of my life. He's standing in front of me by the time I'd refocused, raging and confused in one look.

"How was the meeting?" I ask before he has a chance to say something else.

"What did you fucking do?" He sneers, gripping my forearm as he pulls me towards him. "Where the fuck is she?"

"Why are you so worried?" I whisper, exhaling a calm breath of smoke in his face. "You got a crush on her or somethin'?"

He presses his teeth together so hard I fear he may chip a tooth. "No, you fucker, I told you not to be impulsive and here you are, being fucking impulsive!"

"I'm not being impulsive," I smile, remaining level-headed because if I go off on him, Ana is going to be on very thin ice. "It's been a long time coming for Ana, wouldn't you say?"

All the playfulness that had previously existed in him vanished without a trace as he stands in front of me now, infuriated. "Did you kill her?"

"No," I nod towards the den. "She's in there. Got some guys making her talk."