AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fuck.” I gnashed my teeth.
But there was no time to dwell on the pain. Hallow was on me again in an instant, his hands closing around my throat, squeezing with a desperation that was as much about exerting control as it was about inflicting harm. I gasped, clawing at his hands, the edges of my vision beginning to darken.
My survival instincts kicked in. With a surge of adrenaline, I managed to roll us over, reversing our positions. Now on top, I pinned Hallow’s arms above his head with one hand, while the other found its way to his face, delivering a series of rapid, punishing blows.
Each hit was a release, a way to channel the storm of emotions raging inside me. But with each blow, I was also aware of the futility of our fight, the wasted energy and time as Eve and Sky remained in danger.
Finally, Hallow’s resistance began to wane, his attempts to break free growing weaker.
I leaned in, my face close to his, spitting in his stubborn face. “Hallow, this ends now,” I growled. “We’re wasting time. Eve and Sky need us. Are you with me, or are you against me?”
The fight drained out of Hallow like air from a punctured tire. His eyes, which had burned with rage, now reflected a different kind of fire, one fueled by concern and fear for Sky.
Finally.
He nodded, the motion barely perceptible. “I’m with you,” he rasped, the words barely audible over the sound of our labored breathing.
Releasing him, I stood up, extending a hand to help him to his feet. Battered and bruised, we forged an uneasy alliance, born from the recognition of a shared goal.
“Hallow, we need to end this. Not for us, but for them. Help me rescue the girls. Help me take down Fond.”
The fight, the anger, the hatred, all faded from him, replaced by a focused resolve. “I’ll help,” he rasped, taking my hand and pulling himself up. “But when this is over, I’ll kill Fond. No one takes from me and lives. Not anymore.”
That last line was about me, and I knew Hallow wanted me dead. None of that mattered.
Our agreement was struck not with a handshake, but with a mutual understanding of the stakes at play. We walked out of the barn, side by side. The dawn of a precarious alliance started. Our fight was far from over, but for now, we had a common enemy, and that was enough.
Chapter 19
Eve
The cellar Sky and I were confined in felt like a forgotten chapter of a horror story, its damp walls whispering tales of cruel deaths. It was dark, save for a sliver of light that managed to sneak through a small, barred window near the ceiling. We’d been given food and water, but not enough to even keep the edge off our hunger and thirst. A half of a French loaf and one bottled water split between us was just brutal. It was as if Noah Fond planned to starve us to death.
Still, I found the strength, moving cautiously around the room, my hands brushing against the cold, rough stone, searching for anything that could be used as a weapon. The mustiness tickled my nose and throat. My thoughts often wandered to my babies, their faces clear in my mind. Were they okay? Were they with Kingpin? Did they understand why mama wasn’t there?
The sound of the cellar door creaking open broke my reverie. Noah Fond stood at the threshold, his silhouette a dark blot against the harsh light from above.
“Time for a trip,” he announced, his voice carrying a chilling hint of amusement.
Panic surged through me. A trip? Where was he taking us? Fear and determination tangled into a knot in my stomach. As Fond’s henchman descended the stairs to fetch us, I made a split-second decision. I couldn’t let them take us. Not without a fight.
The moment the man laid his hands on me, I twisted away, my elbow connecting with his midsection. It was a futile attempt, born of desperation rather than any real hope of escape. The guy recovered quickly, his response swift and brutal. His hand hit my cheek as he backhanded me, causing my neck to whip around. Pain exploded in my head like a bomb going off.
He snatched me again around the waist, his hold like steel, dragging me out of the cellar. I struggled against him, every fiber of my being screaming for freedom, but it was useless. His strength overwhelmed me, his determination to subdue me evident in every harsh tug and pull. My fight only fueled a hatred within him.
Although I’d not gained an inch, the man lifted his fist and hit me again, but he didn’t stop there. And for the first time in my life, I was beaten. I’d heard about women being beaten from my mother and my grandmother. Through the movies, I’d seen it. Hell, I’d been hit before. Once, by my father when he was drunk. It hardly even stung and was over before it began. This, however, was something entirely different. The fight, my will to survive, was being beaten out of me.
As the man’s fists connected with my body, each blow was a shock, a brutal introduction to a level of violence I’d never before experienced. The pain was immediate and overwhelming, radiating out from each point of impact, like waves in a turbulent sea. His hands, hardened by cruelty, left a map of red-hot agony across my skin. I imagined bruises blooming in dark purples and sickly yellows, as my skin split in places where his rings cut too deep.
Metallic and thick, I tasted blood in my mouth. I felt the swelling around my eye where his knuckle had made mincemeat of my face. Breathing became a chore, each inhalation a stab of pain, as if his fists had not just bruised my flesh but reached in and smashed my insides.
Lying there, on the cold, hard ground, the horror of the beating settled in, an understanding that my body was nothing but a setting for his violence. The fear that this might not be the end, but just a beginning, was a cold chain around my heart, pulling me into depths of despair I’d never known existed.
Eventually, it was over. He’d been stopped, so he didn’t kill me. That gave me no comfort like it should’ve. We emerged into the bright light of dawn, and the fresh air washed over me abruptly, a cruel distinction from the stale, suffocating cellar. But my relief was short-lived. They threw me into the back of a waiting vehicle, beside Sky, my body aching from the assault.
Bruised and battered, the reality of our situation settled in with a heavy finality. My fight didn’t do anything to save us. We were at Fond’s mercy, pawns in his world. The fear for my kids, for Sky, for myself. It all swirled into a dark cloud that threatened to smother me. The vehicle pulled away, taking us to an unknown fate, and I had absolutely no hope.
Chapter 20
