Page 28 of Straightjacket

“I don’t know the exact location; I just know that we were both taken from cells. I was brought here, but I have no idea where Silas is.”

Pain strikes its deadly claws across my heart at the thought of where Silas could be, of what he’s being put through. I know he’s strong with a scorching flame inside of him, but I’ve no idea how long that flame is going to last. Every moment he spends here, the more pieces of himself he loses and I worry by the time that we’ve finally got out of here, there’s going to be nothing left of him.

Dolly’s tight grip on my hand pulls me out of the harrowing thought. “Are there steel bars between you both?” She asks with a glint in her eye and I nod, “yeah... why are you asking?”

I expected her to answer me back, instead she looked over her shoulder again, probably discussing something with Polly. “Yeah, have you seen the woman? Of course, Silas is gonna want to do the downward tango with her!”

My brows raise and my eyes widen. “Erm, what are you talking about?”

“Oh, Polly was telling me that those bars in that cell can easily be lifted up, just takes a little wiggling and boom, one big open cell!” She releases my hand and waves them around, imitating an explosion.

I should fear this woman and her friend, but the more time that I spend with her, the quicker she’s growing on me. Sure, she’s a little strange but she’s nice, and that’s something I haven’t seen in here.

“You’re quite the character, aren’t you?” I tease with a grin on my face. She shrugs her shoulders so innocently.

“Look, a woman has needs and if she can get her kicks in a place like this with a man like Silas, I’m gonna help out. Soo... the next time you’re in there–”

I lift my hands up. “Okayyyy, I’m picking up what you’re putting down.”

The both of us burst into a fit of laughter, and regardless of the aching pain in my ribs I welcome this feeling, even if it’s just for a moment. I can almost imagine us giggling over thirst traps online or showing her some of my favourite books, to be able to give her the chance to see what life is like outside of these prison walls.

Dolly wipes the tears out of her eyes then lays her head on my shoulder, our hands clasped firmly together. “Thanks for accepting me, Iris. Not everyone does.”

I chew on my bottom lip and swallow the lump in my throat. “Thank you, Dolly, for saving my life.”

We sit there in silence for a short while, the both of us grateful for each other's company until a green light above the door I came through flashes on, signalling that it's unlocked. Quickly I let go of Dolly’s hand and scramble across the floor, ignoring the agony that I’m in, for the shiv and shove it into my shoe underneath my foot, just before the door opens.

“Well, it seems my little experiment worked.” Thorne says, his tone dark and wicked as he walks into the room. He clasps his hands together in front of him and looks over at Riz, his brows raised in amusement. “You really did a number on her, didn’t you?”

“I had no choice,” I bite back. “She was gonna kill me, so I killed her first.”

“I can see that, though you did just murder an innocent woman.”

My blood runs cold at his words, the palms of my hands growing clammy. Dolly whispers at the side of me, her gaze firmly locked on Thorne. “Don’t listen to him. He’s lying, Riz was far from innocent. He’s just trying to get under your skin.”

“You’re lying. I can see it all over your face.” I say, firmly standing my ground. He chuckles and cocks his head to the side.

“Am I? Who are you going to believe, a certified doctor or the loony bitch over there?” He extends his hand, gesturing towards Dolly. My gaze flicks between the both of them, confusion clouding my mind.

“I’m not lying, Iris. That I can promise you.” She pleads with me and I can hear the truth behind her words. She has nothing to achieve by lying, but Thorne does. He wants me to feel guilt for what I’ve done, to push me so far that I’ll break for him.

“I think I’ll take the loonies word over yours. It’s just shit that comes out of your mouth.” I throw sarcasm at him like blades, my words aiming straight for the throat. He scrunches his nose up for a split second, a small sign that he’s getting irritated with me.

“How long do you think you’ll last here, Iris? Another week maybe? I’ll put my money on a couple of days.”

Releasing Dolly’s hand, I pull myself up from the floor and carefully wipe my nose with the back of my hand, blood smears across my skin but I make no effort to remove it. I want Thorne to see the bloodshed I’ve created, the vicious monster he keeps poking at.

“You can shove your money right up your ass,” I throw back with a wicked grin. “And I’ll last here just long enough to watch you die, that’s if Silas doesn’t get to you first.”

Thorne grins at the mention of Silas’ name, a deep-rooted fondness for the man I love. “Ahhh, my boy Silas. By the time I’m done with him, I highly doubt he’ll have two brain cells to rub together, never mind kill me. He’ll need me more than ever, and you’ll be nothing but an afterthought to him. A distant memory blowing away in the wind. Poor Iris, all alone again. No home, no family, just your own sad thoughts to keep you company.”

I bite down on the inside of my mouth until I can taste my own blood pooling on my tongue. Thorne is doing exactly what Dolly said he would do; get under my fucking skin.

“What have you done with him?” I grit, a fizzling anger burning through my veins. He starts towards me and the guards behind him ready their hands on the police batons around their waists, ready to jump into action in case I step out of line.

Stopping just in front of me, Thorne slips his hands into his pockets. “I only did what needed to be done, which is more than what you could ever do.” He sneers, a dark cloud washing over his face.

I don’t know what comes over me in that moment, maybe I’m finally going insane or I’m just done with being a fucking punching bag for this creep. Whatever it is has me rearing my head back and sending it straight into his smug face. Tears immediately spring to my eyes from the pain in my nose but I remain standing, it’s just a shame that I can’t say the same for Thorne.