Fragile Truths (10 page)

I snorted. Was he for real?

“Hey, thank you but I’m good, or I will be when I wake from this stupid dream.”

He sighed heavily and I turned towards the noise, hunting in the darkness across the many shadows from the window light until I got a location on his position. I couldn’t see him but I could make out a figure huddled to one side. It looked like he was stood with his legs together and his arms out to the side. I sustained the manic giggle when I pictured him as Jesus on the cross.

“I would love to tell you that you’re right, that everything will be okay when you wake, but I can’t.”

“Are you for real, Jesus?”

I could sense his confusion with my label when he stayed silent but then he snorted with understanding. “You can see me, huh?”

I squinted as I watched the outline of his head tilt to one side. “Well, a little, just your shadow. Who are you anyway?”

“I’m…. just someone stupid who made it worse instead of better, babe.”

I frowned at the cryptic answer but shook it off. “Where are we?”

“Wish I knew. Never seen or even been aware of this place.”

I shrugged and tried to roll my shoulders against the strain from the manacles. “I am never drinking anything my dad gives me again. That stuff’s lethal if it makes you dream this realistically.”

He sighed in annoyance and I could literally feel his irritation with me, “Frankie.”

“What,” I hissed back, also annoyed with his manner. He was coming across as rude and if I wasn’t strapped to a bed I’d have flung something at the arrogant arse.

“You – are – not – dreaming!” he spat out slowly.
“This,”
he hissed out the word, “is real – very fuckin’ real - Unfortunately.” There was something in his tone that made me alarmingly aware of his need for me to believe him but none of it made sense.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked quietly as a figure slid past the window, causing us both to stiffen apprehensively.

“Uhh,” I thought back to last night. “Well, Gray came round to talk. He said…”

“He said what?” Jesus pressed when I hesitated.

Why I was confiding in this guy was beyond me but I guessed it didn’t matter, what with it being a dream and all. “Well, he told me he was in debt, badly.” I squinted as I replayed the conversation back in my haze. “And…” My eyes widened when it all came back, hitting me with the effect of a wrecking ball, crumbling my lungs and forcing their contents out with a harsh wheeze, “Oh shit.”

The panic set in then as I started to flip and tug at my bonds. This wasn’t a dream after all. It was real. Very, very fucking real.

Tate

I could hear her breathing speed up as the memory of the previous night caught up with her. The outline of her body bucked and jerked on the bed as she frantically tried to free herself from her restraints. “Frankie, calm down.”

She either didn’t hear me or ignored me as she continued to yank and tug on the chains, her desperate attempts to release them would be futile and painful, the harsh tightness digging into her and maybe ripping her skin, or at the very least straining the fragile bones in her tiny wrists. “Frankie, STOP!” I exclaimed as a violent panic attack raged through her. Her huge gulps for air morphed into tiny pants of hissing and wheezing as her lungs constricted severely in her terror.

Shit.

 “FRANKIE!”

She was losing it. Her breathing was quiet, too quiet and too fucking slow. I pulled harshly on my own bonds but it was impossible to break free, they’d strung me up stringently and I knew no matter how much I pulled and yanked on them that they wouldn’t budge.

“Shit… FRANKIE!”

She was still now, the wheezing becoming slower and fainter as her body slumped heavily against the bed. She was gonna die if someone didn’t get the fuck in here quickly.

“HELP HER!” I shouted angrily to anyone or no-one. I wasn’t even sure if the room was rigged but I presumed it would be.

Just as I spoke two women and a bloke scuttled past the window and the door flew open. Lights in the room blinded me and I squeezed my eyes tight against the obtrusive harshness. My forehead shrieked in pain as my retinas shrivelled and stung.

Forcing them open I finally got a glimpse of our prison as they worked on Frankie.

Oh Fuck.

My own breathing sped up when I saw how the room was kitted out. Now I understood why Niko had been there, stood next to Yard in the window. Shit, shit, shit. This was bad. I refused to look at the
equipment
and concentrated on the group of people bringing Frankie back round.

Two women, both youngish and wearing what looked like nursing outfits injected Frankie with a couple of random fluids and slid an oxygen mask over her face. I relaxed slightly as I watched the mask fill with condensation, a sign that she was still breathing. The big guy just stood to one side and watched them work, obviously only there for either protection to the women or to knock either of us out if we played up.

“She okay?” I asked as I watched them work quickly and efficiently.

The nurses ignored me but huge guy turned to me. His piercing blue eyes narrowed on mine as he tilted his head to regard me. “I asked if she’s okay.” I repeated more firmly after he snubbed me and turned his attention back to Frankie.

He sighed with irritation then poked one of the nurses. She turned to him and he flicked his head in my direction. She frowned then turned to look at me, her eyes expressionless but alert.

“He’s annoying me,” huge guy stated as if explaining his reason for prodding her. She nodded simply then picked up a syringe from the small trolley she’d wheeled in.

“Oh no, no, no.” I protested as she walked over to me casually, the syringe in front of her face as her eyes narrowed on it as she removed the excess air with a tiny squirt of the plunger.

“No!” I growled at her as she approached. She shrugged nonchalantly then stabbed the fucking thing into my upper arm.

12
^th
January 2014

Frankie

“Jesus?” I whispered as I turned my head in his direction.

“Mmmm,” he mumbled as though I had just woken him.

“I need to pee.”

He sighed and I grumbled under my breath at him. “You’re gonna have to pee then.”

“What?” I asked in both outrage and shock, “No way.”

“Frankie.” He sighed again and I started to worry about him. His voice was barely a whisper and I could hear the effort he was putting into each word. “They aren’t gonna come in here, set you free and let you use the bathroom.”

“But I really need to go.” He blew out a tired breath and I frowned again. “Are you…”

“SHE NEEDS TO PISS.” He shouted out suddenly, causing me to jump and jolt my ankles against the new bonds.

“Are you okay?” I asked again once he’d quietened.

“Hunky-dory, babe.”

“There’s no need to be rude” I hissed, annoyed with his behaviour and attitude towards me.

“I know,” he ground out. “Sorry, I’m just a bit tired of hanging around.”

I paused and scowled over his way in the dim light, “Is that supposed to be funny?”

“Yep,” he said resignedly, “but I gather you didn’t find it funny.”

I sighed and closed my eyes then let out a small chuckle. “If I wasn’t in such a desperate need to use the loo,” I whined as I rolled my hips to provide some relief on my distended bladder. “If my hands and legs hadn’t gone so bloody numb and if I wasn’t frightened shitless about what is going to happen to us then yes, it would have been funny.”

He was silent for a moment and I had the feeling he wanted to say something, I could even sense his mouth opening and closing as he tried to free the words, but I jolted when he yelled out again. “SHE NEEDS TO TAKE A FUCKING PISS FOR GOD’S SAKE!”

“Ssshhh,” I hissed, “Don’t make them angry.”

“And what difference is it gonna make if they’re angry or not?” he shot back heatedly. “Frankie, these people aren’t fucking about, they are mean bastards that will hurt you to get what they want.”

I nibbled on my lower lip, wincing at the dryness as my action split the sore skin. I knew what they wanted but they had a shock if they thought I was gonna give it up.

The door opened and I winced as a light flipped on. “Fucking woman,” a male voice grumbled and I prised my eyes open, blinking at the light blindly.

The blonde guy stood over me and gave me a pained look as he fiddled with my cuffs. “I’m warning you Doe Eyes, any funny business and you’ll regret it.”

My eyes widened on him as my jaw dropped, “You!”

“Mmmm,” he growled harshly. “Me.”

Once my ankles were free I leapt up to hit him but crumpled back to the bed as blood rushed to my legs and my tender unused muscles screeched in agony. “Shit!” I murmured as I rubbed at the pain scorching through my veins.

He rolled his eyes as if bored. “Yep, that’s what happens when you jump up after being on your back for a long time. I thought a woman like you would be experienced to that.”

I cringed as I dropped my hand after I’d brought it across his cheek and slapped him harshly. It had been instinctive but now I was cursing my instincts when his eyes flashed angrily at me. His chest heaved intensely as his hard eyes fixed on me fiercely. His hands shot out and his fingers curled around my upper arms as he yanked me forwards and closer to him. “Do – that – again, and I will fucking hurt you.”

“Niko!” Jesus suddenly said from the back of the room.

I turned my head to look at him and my legs gave way for a second time. “You!” I repeated as I took in the man actually nailed to a cross. His head was limp as his bleary tired eyes watched me. Huge nails protruded from his open palms, dried blood and flesh gelled around the nail head. His crossed ankles were held tight to the wood with rope and I couldn’t help but notice his bare feet were tinged with a slight blueness that didn’t look at all healthy. Now the Jesus nickname seemed rather lame and guilt surged through me.

“Oh my God!” I exclaimed as I tried to crawl off the bed to get to him.

A hand gripped at my hair and yanked me back forcefully, “Uh-uh.” Niko lifted me up with a fierce grip on both of my upper arms and pushed me towards a door at the back of the room, my deadened feet dragged limply on the floor as he propelled me forward. He kicked at the door forcefully until it flung open then bounced back under the strength. “You wanted to piss, so take one.”

He parked me on my feet then groaned as my weak knees gave way. His hands once more circled my arms as he perched me on the edge of the surprisingly clean and large bath.

“What is this place?” I asked as I peered around the immaculate bathroom. It seemed harshly white and clinical generating a ripple of unease to tickle my senses with something quite ominous.

“Toilet,” he barked out as he took a step back and rested his backside on the edge of the large porcelain sink.

I stared up at him, my eyes wide. He lifted a brow in question and I huffed. “Surely you don’t expect me to go with you stood there watching.”

“That’s exactly what I expect,
Princess
.”

I knew he wasn’t kidding, his nickname a derisive ridicule and far from a pet name, so gritting my teeth I struggled to stay perched on the edge of the bath and pulled my leggings down. I accepted that I was still in the same clothes from… well, however many days I had been here but the thought of wearing the same knickers for that amount of time coiled my stomach slightly.

“Can I get a drink?” I asked quietly when I had managed to struggle across the bathroom to the toilet.

Niko stared ahead at the shower cubicle whilst I pee’d. “I’ll see what I can do,” he answered simply.

I cringed at the world’s longest wee, the sound of it loud in the harsh quiet. I almost wished he would strike up some conversation just to cloak the embarrassment heating my cheeks. “Are you going to help that man? You can’t leave him like that for much longer.”

He sighed and I watched his jaw clench, “Do you ever shut up?”

“But he’ll die.”

“Not my problem,” Niko shrugged as he lowered his eyes to me. “Are you done?”

I nodded as I wiped myself and pulled everything back up. Niko grabbed my arm again and I scowled at him, “I need to wash my hands.”

“Jesus Christ!” he mumbled in frustration at my pestering but stepped back and waved his hand to the sink.

I kept my back to him as I ran the hot tap and eyed the small cup containing two toothbrushes and toothpaste. Who the hell were these people? Most of all, what the hell was this place? Who kidnapped someone and provided them with a clean bathroom and oral hygiene products?

I glanced over my shoulder and found him staring at the floor as if bored. My eyes flicked to the cup again, then to the steam curling around the sink, then back to the cup. I picked it up slowly, my nerves initiating little bubbles of nausea in my stomach and held it under the stream of water until I could barely hold it with the scorching heat soaking through the cheap thin plastic. I turned around quickly just as Niko looked over at me and flung it in his face.

Without waiting for his reaction I ran from the bathroom. My footing stuttered when I caught sight of the crucified guy while Niko screamed a string of profanities from the bathroom. “I’ll get help,” I cried to him as I shot towards the door. His jaw dropped as he stared at me in shock.

I grabbed the handle and pulled… and pulled again then slammed my fist into it angrily.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Of course the door would be locked. As if professionals like this would leave a door open for someone like me to just waltz through.

“No, no, no…”

I squealed when an arm came around my waist and I was flung backwards, my back thumping the floor brutally and a severe pain charging up the centre of my spine. Niko growled loudly and I squinted as his fist came hurtling towards my face.