Текст книги "Atlas"

Автор книги: Alyne Roberts

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III

Stella

Atlas left me tied to the bed for hours. I could see the sunlight fading on the walls as time went by. The straps were fastened to the iron headboard and I tried without luck to release them. The leather cuffs were tight on my wrists and ankles, keeping me immobile. My skin was chilled and my stomach rumbled with hunger. I hadn't heard a sound inside the house since he had left me. There were no footsteps, no city sounds or voices. Only my own breathing and occasional sniffling.

The room was simple with a plain dresser and a reading chair in one corner. The bare walls were a light cream color. There was nothing I could use to escape and nothing I would be able to reach. I was stuck helplessly waiting for Atlas to return and do whatever he had planned for me.

I had plenty of time to think about the situation I had gotten myself into. I trusted a guy I had just met and had let my guard down when I knew better. I thought I would have one last night of fun, flirting and dancing with the hot stranger whom I would never see again. My brother used to tell me never make assumptions about people. People would either disappoint you or impress you. No one was who they seemed to be.

My imagination was running wild. So while I could try to guess why Atlas wanted me alive, I wouldn't dare assume. My brother trusted him, but I knew where that had gotten him, along with my parents. Now it was my turn. I wouldn't trust a word he told me or even my own instincts. I had seen firsthand what people like him could do, which was how I had gotten into this mess in the first place.

When I heard the soft thuds of footsteps, I stiffened. I didn't know if I wished Atlas was coming for me or not. I was hungry and my arms were sore from struggling against the rope. I would feel much better with clothes on. I wanted to know where I was and what would happen to me. Knowing what little I knew of Atlas, it couldn't be good.

When the footsteps neared, my mind was dizzy with anxiety. There was nothing I could do while the knob turned and the door swung open. Atlas stepped through with ease and confidence. Only someone with his amount of power could walk like they didn't have a care in the world when there was a half-naked young woman tied to a bed.

"Let's try this again, Stella," he said to me. "You behave and everything will be fine."

I didn't respond as he stepped inside, setting a few things down on the dresser across the room. He was wearing dark jeans with a white button-up shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to show muscular, tattooed arms. It looked like he was ready to do some work, which was likely bad news for me.

"I'm going to untie you," he told me. "You try to run and I will taser you."

To make sure I believed him, he showed me the taser in his hands. I'd never been hit with a taser before, but I didn’t doubt it would hurt like hell. I swallowed the lump in my throat and watched as he crawled over me and reached for my wrists. My left wrist was released first and he rubbed the raw skin that was exposed. It was a surprisingly gentle gesture in contrast to the brutality I had seen so far.

While Atlas moved to my right arm, I took my time to examine the man I had only heard about. His face had some stubble, and his dark hair was longer than I had thought it was the night before. Dark eyebrows knitted together while he rubbed the inside of my wrist. He dropped my free hand and leaned back to stare down at me. Finally free, I wrapped my arms around my chest for some protection. His fingers moved quickly and smoothly to unbuckle my ankles.

"I brought food. You’ll need to eat," he told me as I pulled my knees to my chest.

"Fuck you," I said. "I won't eat anything you give me."

Atlas tilted his head and watched me curiously. It looked like part of him was trying to guess if I was going to try and run. I was wondering the same thing. Part of me knew I wouldn't get far. My limbs felt like they would buckle under my own weight, and Atlas was probably far faster than I could be even in my best health.

"Come. I'm going to show you something," he said to me.

I glared at his outstretched hand like it was poison, which I'm sure it was.

"Stella." I heard the warning and threat in his voice.

I scrambled to the edge of the bed, refusing to let him help me up. I didn't want to feel his skin on mine again or give him any more power over me. I had spent months hiding in the shadows and keeping my head down. It no longer mattered because my monsters had found me anyway. At least I could spend whatever time I had left as a fighter. It was what Dad would have expected from me.

"Stella. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Atlas told me with a glare. His fists clenched at his sides and his shoulders tensed.

"Do what?" I dared to ask.

Atlas closed the space between us in just a few long strides. I gasped when his fingers wrapped tightly around my arm. His grip was firm, but just short of painful. In just my bra and panties, I could feel his body heat on mine, making me want to pull away. Atlas wouldn't allow it, pulling me toward the door and out into the hallway.

There were a series of closed doors, but I couldn't see much else before he yanked me to the right. We came to another closed door at the end of the hall and Atlas dug in his pocket for a key. I could feel myself shaking as he pushed the key into the door and twisted it. The door was wider and heavier than a normal door and my stomach sank when I saw the steep steps leading down.

"Go," he demanded as he gave me shove forward.

I obeyed and took the steps slowly down into the darkness. Atlas held my arm and stayed close but didn't rush me. Every thud of our feet made me feel sicker with fear. I had always known someone would come for me, but I had hoped it would be quick. I felt like I was walking into a torture chamber.

When my feet hit the bottom, a light flicked on, illuminating something I did not expect. The room was empty. Completely empty. There were no chains or bars. No cage or metal spikes like I had expected. It was nothing more than a normal basement with a single pillar in the center of the room. Atlas led me to the pillar and turned me to face him, pushing my back to the cold metal.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking up into his calm face with panic as he wrapped my arms behind the pole.

"Just remember, I never break a promise I make," he whispered as the metal clicked around my sore wrists.

I opened my mouth to scream, maybe to beg for my life, but the words were caught in my throat. The sound of the door opening echoed in the empty basement, followed by several pairs of heavy footsteps. Atlas shoved a rag into my mouth, quickly covering it with tape. I cried behind my gag as he wrapped another black cloth over my eyes.

This was the end. I was going to join my mom and dad now. They were going to drag this out as payment. They made my dad beg for his life, so I really shouldn't have expected anything different. I was foolish to think that my silence was enough to save my life. I cried quietly as the footsteps stopped in front of me.

"You got her," a deep voice said.

"Obviously," I heard Atlas answer in a bitter tone.

"No one saw you?" the deep voice asked again.

"No. I don't make mistakes," Atlas said.

“Of course not. You always do as you’re asked.”

My entire body was tense with anticipation. I could feel them watching me as my life hung in the balance. If I had to guess, I would have said there were three men who came down the steps. I could feel the danger hanging in the air with their silence. I could hear my own pounding heartbeat and shuddering breaths.

"Good. Kill her."

I started to thrash and scream but the gag and handcuffs kept me in place and muffled. A large, warm hand pushed on my stomach and I froze. I didn't know whose hand was on me, but I wanted to think it was Atlas's. The feeling was familiar and softer than I would imagine the others would be.

"I will. When I'm ready," I heard Atlas say near my ear. "I want to have a little fun first."

His hand trailed down my stomach and over my panties. I bucked away but the pillar wouldn't let me move far enough. The men laughed and my stomach rolled.

"Very well. Just end this for good," the man said. “Quickly. We don’t have time for little whores like her.”

Atlas's hand left my body as the footsteps sounded again. I listened as the door opened and closed at the top of the steps. It was then that I noticed how violently I was trembling. I was cold, petrified, and confused beyond belief. The tape was pulled from my face but I ignored the sting. It was probably the least amount of pain I would experience. The gag was pulled from my mouth and the blindfold fell from my eyes.

"I'm not going to kill you right now, Little Star," he whispered. "I still need you."

"For what?" I choked out.

"I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. I also have a job to finish, and I hate leaving things uncompleted."

"What promise?"

Atlas reached behind me and released the cuffs from my wrist before tilting my head up to look at him. I stared up into his dark eyes and tried to see the evil in them. I knew it resided in him and what he was capable of. I just couldn't understand how I had missed it the night before. Maybe because I had been searching for it all around me for so long, I couldn’t even see it anymore.

"If you cooperate and behave as I ask, then you may stay upstairs in that room," he told me.

"And if I don't?"

His lips tipped up in a sinister smile, and he started to circle me. He was like a shark, circling his prey before going in for the kill.

"Then you will stay down here. Alone."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want to know where Ace is."

 My heart stopped with the mention of my brother's name. It hurt deep down inside more than I imagined to hear his name spoken aloud. I missed hearing it. I missed seeing him. I tasted the salt of my tears as they dripped over my lips. Atlas's large hands framed my face, forcing me to look at him.

"You know where he is," I hissed in his face with hatred so strong and sudden. "You fucking killed him."

Atlas's eyes flared and his lips pressed in a tight line. I tried to jerk away when his grip tightened on my cheeks. I lashed out at him, trying to pull out of the hold he had on me. Desperately, I screamed and kicked at his legs.

"Stella," he grunted and reached out for me. His thick arms wrapped around my waist and he pinned me to his chest.

"No! Fuck you!" I shouted. "Let me go."

I tried to kick and twist away from him. In my anger and pain, his arms were almost comforting. He was warm and strong; something I needed. It had been too long since I had been hugged or touched at all. That only made me hate him more.

"It's all your fault," I cried while trying to punch.

"Stop," he demanded as he grabbed my wrists to stop my hitting.

"You took everything away from me. You killed him."

I clamped my teeth around his shoulder, getting a mouthful of his shirt. I bit down as hard as I could.

"Fuck," he grunted.

With little effort, he lifted me and spun around. The wind was knocked out of me as my back slammed into the wall. Atlas's face was furious as he pinned me to the cold bricks. I couldn't move with his weight, and I realized he hadn't used his full strength on me yet. He was strong and now very pissed off with blood dripping down his chest.

"I didn't kill Ace," he fumed.

"He didn't just leave me all alone after my parents were executed," I threw back. I swore I saw a flash of guilt when I said it. "He would never leave me like that, so I know he's dead."

"Then I need to know who killed him."

IV

Atlas

Stella's eyes glistened and glossed over. I didn't know if I should believe her. I knew Ace better than anyone, and I didn't think he would leave his little sister alone either. He wouldn't leave knowing there was a price over her head as well. But if there was one thing my father had taught me, other than to kill a man slowly, was that you couldn't trust anybody. Trusting Stella wouldn’t be another one of my lethal mistakes.

"When was the last time you saw him?" I asked her. With my body holding her to the wall, she was immobile.

"Eight months ago," she whispered. "The night before my parents were killed."

I felt the fight leave Stella's body as soon as the words left her mouth. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and despair washed over her pretty blue eyes. I released the rough grip I had and stepped back to look at her. She swayed on her feet, and I had to stop her from falling over. Stella was shutting down. After what she'd been through in the last twenty-four hours¸ I'd expect that. If I wanted answers, I would need to stop pushing so hard.

Looking at the broken and lonely girl made me want to believe her. How could someone so lonely and sad earn a top spot on my hit list? I wanted to believe that I wasn't wrong about Ace either. I had softened and had made a mistake of trusting before, and now I was dealing with the consequences of doing so. I wouldn't so easily fall into the Harlow trap again.

"Come. Upstairs," I told her when I was sure we were alone. I didn't give her the option to argue this time. I pulled her to the steps, dragging her up them behind me.

The door opened to the hallway and I led her back to the bedroom. I couldn't stand to see her half-naked another minute. It was clouding my judgment and that was something I used to pride myself in never allowing to happen. I needed to be angry and hard, but I was getting hard in the wrong places.

"Get dressed," I told her, tossing a black shirt at her with a pair of jeans.

Stella caught the clothes and checked the tags before quickly pulling the shirt over her head.

"How did you know my size?" she asked as she slid the jeans up her legs.

"I know a lot about you," I told her before opening the door again.

I took her wrist and led her down the hall. Surprisingly, she didn't fight me. I could feel she was growing weaker. I had had her for over twenty-four hours and she had yet to eat. I needed her alive for this to work.

"This is the kitchen," I announced as we entered the room. "You are welcome to any of the food. There is no phone in here so don't get your hopes up. This room and the bedroom are the only two rooms you will have access to."

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled.

"Bullshit."

"Just kill me already," she said, looking me right in the eyes. "He told you to. Just do it."

For a moment, I felt like a piece of shit. I killed before when necessary and never cared. It was an occupational hazard, and I always followed orders. I didn't have a choice in this family. But when this woman looked at me with dead eyes revealing her pain, I wanted to save her.

"I don't want to have to," I answered honestly. "Let me show you something."

Placing my hand on the small of Stella's back, we walked to the back of the house. I unlocked the doors, leading her to the living room. The back wall was lined with windows overlooking Lake Michigan. I opened the sliding glass doors and we walked out onto the deck.

The night was dark with the clouds covering the moon's light. The sound of crickets and frogs echoed in the darkness. I deeply inhaled the fresh cool air. This place was my own sanctuary. The city lights powered by corruption and violence couldn't reach me here.

"What do you see, Stella?" I asked her when she came to stand at the railing overlooking that water.

"Nothing," she answered.

"Exactly. Nothing," I agreed. "No one will find you here. There is nowhere to run. No one to hear you."

Stella's slim fingers trembled on the wood. I wanted to soothe them like I knew Ace would, because she didn't deserve this. He would kick my ass if he knew what I was putting her through, but the bastard wasn't here to do a damn thing about it. I needed her scared. I needed her to want her freedom and her life more than anything. After all, what else did she really have left?

"Boss?" I heard from the front of the house.

"My office," I shouted in return as I ushered Stella back into the house.

When we reached the door to the bedroom, I stopped Stella and turned her to face me. Slowly, I backed her against the door. I heard the small intake of breath when her shoulders hit the wood behind her. I smirked down at her at the small victory. A tiny flicker of fight flared in her eyes right before her knee connected with my balls.

I doubled over and Stella fled down the hall. I heard her screams for help, probably hoping my two men would be the good guys. She was sadly mistaken. Those were my men. I straightened and lunged for her, grabbing the back of her neck.

"They won't help you, Little Star," I said in her ear when I yanked her back to my chest.

"Go to hell," she grunted but I wrapped a hand around her mouth to stop the shouting.

Her muffled screams vibrated against my palm as I dragged her back into the bedroom. I kicked the door shut behind me and tossed her to the bed. Stella bounced once before scrambling to the edge. I was faster and had a hold of her waist before her bare feet could hit the floor. Pulling her back, she hit the mattress with a thump.

"That was unwise," I told her as I laid myself on top of her to stop her fight.

"Get off me," she grunted as she squirmed and pushed at me.

Taking her wrists, I pinned them above her head and used my thighs to hold her legs still. The friction between our bodies invoked me and set my senses on high sensitivity. Her blue eyes met mine and I watched the fire flare in them. I loved it. As much as I needed to hate her, this was like foreplay to me.

Nestled between her legs, I hardened against her and Stella gasped when she felt it. I always liked it rough and it was difficult to remember my purpose while I held her down. Bred and raised on violence, I had grown to accept it . . . maybe even love it, or need it. With Stella fighting me, and the memory of how she felt against me before she knew my name, she was making this the ultimate turn-on.

"Stop fighting me," I practically begged her.

"Never," she hissed.

"Then we are gonna have a huge fucking problem," I said with a small thrust of my hips.

"I wouldn't call it huge," Stella said with a hard face and direct eye contact.

Little bitch. My hand was around her throat instantly. Tight enough to gain her attention but not tight enough to hurt. I lowered my mouth closer to her face so she could hear me.

"I am being very kind to you, Stella. I expect some respect in return," I whispered.

Her body stiffened under mine as I pulled away. That's when I saw it. The fear in her eyes. The darkness that I saw hanging over her for months was there. A part of me, the part that came from my father, wanted to own it. To exploit it and dive into it. To push and feed off her fear and screams.

The other part wanted to shield her. To tell her that it would be okay and that nothing could hurt her. But that would be a lie. I could easily hurt her and most likely would. I shoved off the bed, hearing a soft exhale of relief as I backed away.

"There are guards on duty at all hours in the house. Get some food and stay in your room. We will discuss the rest in the morning," I told her as I left the room.

In my office, Tony and Sal were waiting for me. They gave me a head nod in greeting as I rounded my desk and took a seat. I pulled up the surveillance and checked that Stella was still curled up in the bed.

“My father gone?" I asked.

"Yes, sir," Tony answered. "He seemed pleased."

"Hope so," I grumbled. My whole life, I aimed to please that man. It was never enough, but I lived to try. I just didn't understand why.

"Think this will work?" Sal asked. He was the one always thinking ahead and running through the possible scenarios.

"It has to."

I knew my dad better than anyone else in the family. I had learned from him, had watched him, and had listened to every word he said. He was as brutal as he was smart. I needed to find out the truth before he figured out what I was doing. You never went against orders, especially directly from the boss, if you wanted to live. Being an actual blood relative didn't exclude me from the rules.

"I need you two to watch her," I told them. "She is allowed access to the kitchen and the bedroom. I don't want to have to lock her up just yet. If she fucks that up, she will go downstairs."

They both nodded, and I knew they would do what I told them. They may have been loyal to the family, but they owed their lives to me, and they knew it. Their allegiance belonged to me above anyone else. They were the only two men that I would trust with this.

"What did she tell you?" Sal asked.

"She doesn't know where she is," I told him. "She says he's dead."

She thinks I killed him.

"You believe it?" Tony asked.

"Not sure yet. I'll make sure she talks."

I hoped she was wrong, and I hoped she was right. Someone had betrayed me, and it was either my own father or my best friend. Was Ace a rat and stabbing me the back? I knew my father was a murderer, but the question was, which of the Harlows did he murder in this case? All of them except the one he sent me to kill?