She felt guilty. She was meant to be strong, but she had let herself get captured, somehow. Now she was helpless, unable to do anything but wait for Roman and the others to save her. Ruby hated feeling helpless. She hadn’t trained with the militia, or hunted Adrenalites with Roman, just so she could die a prisoner. No way. She was going to escape.
Yet, her hands were tied, she had no weapon, and she was alone. That didn’t leave many options.
“She’s a pretty one,” the thug carrying her said.
“Aye. Better than most of the girls we get around here,” the other said. What had Gavin said his name was? Mark?
The first man grunted in agreement. “I can see why Roman hired her.”
Roman. That idiot was probably already planning some suicidal attempt to get her back. She had seen the look in his eyes before he left; it was the same determined look he had when he announced he was going to be a bounty hunter.
Roman was a fool, but a damn stubborn and passionate fool, at least.
She heard a door opening, and a moment later she was out of the rain. She cracked one eye open to find herself in a large room. It was too dark to see the far walls, but the pillows on the floor implied this was where Gavin’s men slept. Another strong hint was the stench.
She was dropped ungraciously onto the ground. “Stay here,” the thug who had carried her told Mark. “I’m going to grab a bite.” His footsteps left the room.
Ruby’s stomach rumbled at the thought of food. She was starving. How long had it been since she had eaten? Too long.
It was time to see what she was up against — she opened her eyes. Mark leaned against the wall opposite her, a machete in his hand. He was thin and lanky, with a nose bent so far out of shape it was practically sideways.
Mark noticed her staring. He grinned. “Good morning, love.”
Ruby cringed. “Don’t call me that.”
“I’ll call you what I want.”
“Then I’ll bite your ear off.”
Mark pointed his machete at her. “And I’ll cut your tits off.”
Ruby bit back her response. Mark’s expression suggested it wasn’t a hollow threat.
They fell into silence, during which Mark just stared at her. It made her uncomfortable. She looked away, but there was nothing else to look at, so she rested her head on the nearest pillow and closed her eyes again. After what felt like forever, the other thug returned. Something landed on the ground next to her. She reopened her eyes to find a strip of dried meat. It tasted foul, but she was hungry, so she devoured the whole thing.
Ruby looked up, and what little confidence she had in escape plummeted. The second thug was a giant, twice Ruby’s size, with thick arms, a broad chest, and a heavy-set face that looked more animal than human. Ruby shrunk back at the sight of him.
“So she’s awake,” the thug said.
Ruby didn’t respond.
He stepped forward and crouched in front of her, leering. His breath reeked something horrid. “I ain’t had a woman like you in a while.”
Her skin crawled at the thought of him touching her. She couldn’t help struggling against the bonds holding her wrists, but they were bound tight.
The thug grabbed her face. She jerked back, squirming away from him. “Don’t touch me,” she spat.
“Who’s gonna stop me?”
Panic seized Ruby. This couldn’t happen. Not to her. She twisted away, trying desperately to get as far away as possible. But it was futile. The thug followed, his hand reaching for her.
“Cut it out, Higgs,” Mark said. “You heard what the boss said.”
With a grunt of annoyance, Higgs moved back to stand next to Mark, still leering at Ruby. Overwhelming relief flooded through her. She quickly hid her hands so the thugs couldn’t see them shaking.
There must be a way out of this, Ruby told herself, just think! There was no way she could overpower both of them, especially not with her hands tied. She had to make one of them leave. It would have to be Higgs.
The door flew open with a crash and Gavin entered. “Ah, the fair lady has awoken.”
Ruby glared at Gavin with all the defiance she could muster as he walked over to her, arms folded. He stopped when his boots were inches from her face.
Snarling, Ruby pushed herself into a sitting position and leaned against the wall. She lifted her arms to display the rope around her wrists. “You really know how to treat a lady,” she said, forcing her voice to stay calm. I won’t show weakness. Not to him.
Gavin laughed. “A lady? Is that what you are?”
“You’ve never seen a girl before? I guess it’s hard for a man like you to get dates. Considering your face, and your body, and your… everything else.”
Gavin kicked her in the gut. She doubled over, clenching her teeth and refusing to make any sound. She had to let him know that pain wouldn’t get to her.
“Well, what the fuck do you want?” Ruby demanded.
“I want answers.”
“Maybe you should ask some questions then.”
“Why did you leave the ministry?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Call it morbid curiosity.”
Ruby shrugged. “It’s not a secret why I left.”
“Ah, yes. Everyone knows the story. Your brother got killed by a mutie, then you and Roman began your own personal vendetta against the Adrenalites.” Gavin chuckled. “That’s it, right? I think it’s bullshit.”
Ruby didn’t bother hiding her confusion. “Why would I lie?”
“You and I both know you’re a lying bitch. It’s part of who you are.” Gavin bent over, sticking his face close to hers. “I can believe that all Roman wants is revenge — he’s a simple-minded man like that. But you? You would need a real reason to leave the ministry.”
Ruby told him the truth. “Roman asked me to leave. So I did.”
“Because you love him?”
“Because he would have gotten his stupid arse killed without me.”
“Heartwarming. But again, I think that’s bullshit.”
“Why?”
“Because you left, and then Ashton Spencer left. And it’s not just you two. I know of a dozen Ministry workers who vanished after they got promoted to work personally with Juliette. She’s hiding something. Something that inspires disloyalty in some of her people. I want to know what it is, and how I can use it against her.”
Ruby screwed up her face in puzzlement. Where had Gavin got these ideas from? Aside from herself and Spencer, she had never heard of anyone leaving the Security Ministry. As far as jobs went, it was far better than anything else in Legacy.
“I’ve never even met Spencer,” Ruby said honestly.
“Lies!” Gavin shouted, backhanding Ruby across the cheek. “Tell me why you left!” He grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt. “Why Spencer left?”
Ruby’s mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. She no longer had to hide her fear; her anger did that for her. How dare Gavin even touch her. “Were you too stupid to ask him yourself?” she retorted.
“Spencer was full of shit. Just like you.”
“What did he say?”
“You don’t understand how an interrogation works, do you? I ask the fucking questions. Why did you leave?”
“I fucking told you: Roman asked me to.”
Gavin punched Ruby in the side of her head. She fell flat on her face, ears ringing, vision blurry.
Gavin stood. “I’m a patient man,” he said as he walked to the door. “We’ll see if you have any more answers tomorrow. Until then, I’ll leave you in my men’s care. Don’t worry, they’re not gentle.”
Ruby made her decision. She sat up and called out: “Wait!”