Evanesce (The Darkness #2) (7 page)

Marcus nodded his approval at the Doctor and hauled Brooke to her feet. Unsteady, her knees aching from being ground into the cold, tiled floor—she had no choice but to grip Marcus’s arms for support.

Dr. Daniels leered at her, his gaze travelling down over her body as she stood trembling in Marcus’s arms. His newfound interest in her was apparent, his desire sending waves of disgust flowing through her veins.

“Have you had your fill, Doctor?” Marcus’s question cut through the air. Terrified, Brooke stiffened. If he said no…

“For now. I’d be happy to assist in future lessons though, boss.” He licked his lips. “These instructions take time, after all.”

Brooke’s temper rose at the way the horrible men were treating her. Whether it was the lack of injections she’d had that day, or she had finally found her courage again—she didn’t know but her usual fire returned.
Fuck this.

Shoving out of Marcus’s arms, she launched herself towards the long row of stainless steel countertops. Seizing a needle, she whipped around, raising it like a champion swordsmen in battle.

“You’re going to open the door,” she spoke quiet and clear. “Open the door and let me the fuck out of here, or I swear to God I will pump both of you full of what-ever-the-fuck this shit is.” She raised the needle higher for emphasis.

Neither man moved to comply with her demands. Marcus glared at her, clearly furious and in the back of her mind, she knew if she didn’t get away, the consequence for this disobedience would be steep. Shoving that thought aside, she focused on her task. Escape. Survive.

Marcus huffed out a breath and strode towards her with purpose. Stopping in front of her, he raised his arms wide. “So, beautiful girl, you’re ready to kill? You have the guts to end a life? Well, come on then—show me these balls you think you have.” Enraged, she thrust her arm forward, intent on stabbing him in the eye. Marcus knocked her wrist with ease, knocking the needle to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, she took off for the door, adrenaline giving her added speed.

Reaching her destination, she tugged on the handle in desperation. It was locked, and wouldn’t budge no matter how hard she tugged. Remembering the keypad, she chanced a look behind her, yelping when she saw how close Marcus was. Darting to the left, she narrowly avoid his grasp. Knocking over a chair, a cart, a tray of test tubes, she sped around the room, frantic to find an exit. Her hair stuck to her face, pushing it aside she spotted a knife on a nearby table. Eyes widening, she ran towards it.
Fuck. I need that.

Just as her fingers were about to close around the handle, she was grabbed from behind by strong arms pinning hers to her sides. “Nooo!” she cried out, assuming Marcus had captured her. Squirming and spinning, she looked up into the infuriated face of Milo. Fear filled her, this was the one man she needed to avoid at all cost. Marcus was vicious, but he made it more than clear that she held value to her, that she wouldn’t truly be harmed with him. Milo, on the other hand, was unpredictable and volatile. A dangerous combination that left her breathless in fear.

His hands moved down to mould over her body, feeling every curve in a rough manner. Cupping her ass, he pulled her tight against him and leaned down to bite down hard on her ear. “Girl, you are either going to end up very dead or very fucked. Keep up this game, it turns me on like you wouldn’t believe.” He pressed his erection into her to further drive his point home.

“Let her go,” Marcus appeared behind them. Holding up a pair of shackles, his expression was dark. The monster lurking behind his eyes had been revealed and she had just earned herself a one-way ticket straight into the depths of hell.

Knowing where she was going, Brooke hung her head. Milo yanked her arms up behind her back and then the cold shackles locked into place. Dr. Daniels held up a needle, tapping on it with his forefinger. Feeling the prick in her upper arm, she closed her eyes in defeat and let the darkness take her.

*     *     *

Dull gray light
spilled through the bars of the high window of the cell. Sitting on the cold, concrete floor, Brooke moved the shackle as far up her arm as it would go and rubbed her raw wrists. Her attempt to escape had been a failure, she recognized she had been rash in her decision to make a stand in the lab with no proper route in mind.

“Girl. You wanna get dead or you just really got shit for brains?” Red’s voice floated over to her in the darkness. Puffing out her cheeks, Brooke ignored her.
Now she wants to talk.

“You ending up back down here so quick means you either ain’t good enough to please the boss or you tried some stupid scheme. Either way…is only gonna cause you pain.” Red didn’t seem to get the hint that Brooke didn’t want to hear a fucking thing she said. Even though she was right.

“Just shut up.” she snapped. “At least I have the guts to try something. I’m not just sitting down here in this filth waiting for whatever the fuck is coming.”

“You think you the only one that tried? Fucking shit for brains you got, girl.” Red’s voice finally showed some emotion. “This place…it has been here a long time. There have been others brave like you…” Red’s voice cracked.

Brooke’s heart broke at the sadness in Red’s voice. Sighing, she pushed aside her anger. It wasn’t this woman who it should be directed at.

“Tell me what happened,” Brooke implored her. Any information she could learn about this place was a tool. Tools were imperative if she wanted to get the fuck out of there. As the days had dragged on, it became obvious that the police weren’t having any luck locating her whereabouts. She was going to have to rely on her wits to secure her freedom.

“’Ain’t nothing to tell. They come, they work. Then they go.” Red’s cryptic answer did nothing to reveal anything useful.

“They go? What do you mean they go? He lets them go?” Hope bloomed in her chest. Maybe there was a way out of this nightmare.

“Not like you’re thinkin’. There’s only one way out of this place.” Red didn’t elaborate more than that.

Pondering her situation, Brooke made a decision. If her plan was going to work, she would need all the help she could get. With Greta’s unwillingness to be her partner or help her in any way beyond her duties—it only left her one choice. Red. They would need to become allies if either of them had a chance at getting out alive.

“I will not be leaving here in a body bag. And if you’re smart, Red, you’ll fucking listen to me and cut the fucking shit about not caring.” Rustling sounded from the other side of the cell and Brooke could picture Red shifting her weight towards her.

“Just what you thinkin now, girl?” Her question was the only agreement that Brooke needed. With Red on her side, she just might be able to pull this off.

“I have a plan.”

G
reta opened the
door to the cold cell slowly. Juggling the trays on her left arm like a skilled waitress, she took a hesitant step inside—nodding at the guard in the hallway before securely closing the door.

The temperature in the cell was frigid, the light scarce. Making out a shape across the room, she headed in that direction. “Miss? I have something for you to eat,” she called into the darkness.

“I don’t want it, Greta. Anything from that man is toxic,” Brooke replied. Sighing, Greta shuffled closer and leaned down to set both trays on the ground.

“This isn’t from the boss, it’s from me. You need to eat to keep your strength up, miss. You both do,” she cast a glance in the general direction that Red was sitting.

“Strength? Strength for what? To be used and defiled whenever the fuck he likes? To deliver a child to him like a good little worker bee? Like fuck. I’m getting us out of here and since you refuse to help us, just leave me the fuck alone.” Brooke’s temper threatened to boil over. Friendship with Greta was the last thing she needed. She needed an ally that was ready to fight, to stand up to the men that held the control over their fates. Red grunted her approval from across the room, her only acknowledgment of Greta’s arrival.

Greta wrung her hands and shifted her weight from foot to foot. There was no way to explain her reluctance to assist Brooke in her attempts to break free in a way she would understand. She had been here too long, a prisoner in her own way. Trapped in an existence that unless she played her role to perfection; the repercussions would be steep for the ones she held dear.

“Please, miss. I’ll just leave the trays here, but you must eat. If not for me, than for yourself. You will need the strength,” she implored her.

Brooke studied her in the darkness of the cell. Greta was not the enemy and she knew that in the back of her mind, but she was also not on their side. There was nothing that she could do to help them fight their way to freedom if she was unwilling to even try.
Unless…
Brooke scratched her head and tried to sound casual. “Okay. Leave it and I’ll make sure we
both
eat it,” she added the last part with a pointed look across the room. “Will you come back and bring something in the morning?”

Greta nodded, happy she got through to her. “Of course, miss. The boss has given permission for me to bring your meals each day.”

Brooke did a backflip of excitement in her mind. “Thank you, Greta.” Nodding, Greta offered a small smile in response and left, the lock clicking loudly into place behind her.

Brooke waited a few moments before springing into action. Grabbing both bread rolls off the dinner tray, she flattened them between her palms until they were smooth as a pancake. Standing, she headed for the door of the cell and placed the cylinder-like rolls on the floor, close to the door frame. Satisfied that they would serve as a silent doorstop, she turned back to Red.

“In the morning, I’m making my move. You’ll be good to go?” This whole plan counted on Red coming through for them. There was no way Brooke could get them out of the cell, and the fucking madhouse they were trapped in alone.

“Girl, you’re stupid, but this plan of yours just might work. I’m wit cha in the mornin’.” Brooke grinned, her first true smile since she’d been captured.

“These fuckers don’t stand a chance.”

*     *     *

Brooke got no
sleep that night. The anticipation of their pending escape danced across her skin, leaving a trail of jitters in its wake. Standing, she locked her fingers together and raised them above her head for a stretch. Her wrists finally had feeling back in them since she’d removed the shackles. Red had been skeptical at first that she could accomplish it; but the little screw she had liberated from the door was their saving grace. It worked like a charm and both their hands and feet were now free. Rubbing her neck, she tested her muscles. She was ready. Her plan was a genius one and it was going to work. Failure was an option they couldn’t afford.

“Girl, sit down. You’re drivin’ me batty,” Red’s annoyed voice called out to her. Brooke sighed and reluctantly sat. The last thing she needed was for Red to change her mind.

“You’re sure you know the plan? I’m going to take Greta down and then we’re both out that door. I know the way to the main entrance and the code. We need to be fast, Red. If they spot us or realize Greta hasn’t come back before we get out, we are going to have one hell of a fight on our hands,” Brooke reviewed the plan one last time.