Chapter Five: Thomas and Friends

I put extra emphasis on his name, recalling Adriel's warning. My sanity had slipped so far out of my reach that I was getting bold. Two nights ago, I sneered at Adriel when he came to talk to me. The night before I yanked maniacally at the restrains binding my wrists, further damaging the delicate skin and setting my wrists aflame. Today, I felt like pushing my luck over the edge, just for a chance to feel something other than this dreadful monotony of pain and exhaustion. Tommy halted at the door at the mention of his name. He stared at me blankly, as was expected of him.

Had my taunt worked? Whichever it was, his lack of reaction spurred me on even more.

"Thomas, Thomas," I chanted mockingly. On the inside, the little Deidres that ran HQ up in my head were running around hitting all evacuation buttons. I seemed to be signing my own death warrant yet I didn't want to stop. Tommy continued to stare at me, his gaze growing heavier by the second. There wasn't any expression on his face but I felt the bubbling impatience beneath the surface of his indifferent exterior soon enough. The name chant slowly died off on my lips, rebellious mockery giving way to wide-eyed fear. The last of my chant ended with a squeaky "and friends?"

He chose to rest his intense gaze on me a few moments longer, probably just to rattle me further, the jerk. I waited for him to step closer and slit my throat, anticipation choking the air.

“Change of plans, princess,” he said abruptly. I was in the middle of processing his reaction when he walked right over to my bed and leaned down. I freaked right out, a surge of adrenaline spiking me, thinking he really was going to slit my throat. There was no space for simmering fear; this was full-on panic. My assumptions became worse once he placed his hands on my arms.

“I’m sorry I can’t tell you! Please, please don’t rape me! I’m too young to die!”

Tommy pulled away, lip curling slightly. “I don’t do rape.”

I regarded him with wide eyes, suddenly terribly afraid of the tall guy in front of me. He was looking down at me, rendering me speechless, reminding me yet again just how powerless I was. Unconsciously, I shimmied away from him and realized that I was free. Nothing was restricting my movements anymore. There was no abrasive sting from the rough ropes. He had cut me loose. My eyes darted from the raw red skin on my wrists to him and back again.

“What?” he asked.

“Why did you cut me free?” I queried.

“Change of plans,” he repeated. Then he reached down and grabbed my arm, roughly pulling me up. Days of inactivity had left my legs weak and my arms numb. At this point it was a miracle if I could properly use my limbs again. Going to the bathroom didn’t count because that was barely a minute of walking, with support might I add. I was always blindfolded and bound, making the simple task of pulling my pants down seem like an Olympic Event. Adriel, uncomfortable as it made him, stood right next to the door with his back to me, on strict orders to keep an eye on me should I try anything funny. Having said that, when my feet hit the ground and I tried to stand, my knees buckled instantly. The muscles in my legs weren't strong enough to support my weight and I crumpled to the floor ungraciously. Pain from the healing cuts rocketed through my body upon impact. I grimaced, cursing the fact that I couldn't even attempt to escape in this condition. Tommy sighed and yanked me up harshly.

“Ow! Would it kill you to be gentler?” I complained out of impulse.

“No, but it'll kill you,” he replied without a trace of humour. I shut up, pursing my lips to keep from crying out at his manhandling. My legs were definitely out of order so Tommy had no choice but to support me. He led us out the room door. To my left was a landing, big enough to be a recreational area. A few paces forward and we’d reached the staircase. Beyond that, connected to the landing and across the top of the stairs, was a short corridor with another door at the end and a bannister that overlooked a space downstairs. I blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings, momentarily forgetting who I was leaning on. Besides the obvious, nothing in the atmosphere around us seemed sinister. Quite the opposite, really.

Tommy had overlooked my weakness. Getting me down the stairs was a disaster because the moment I put weight on my right foot to set my left foot down on a step, my lousy knees gave way. Gravity and my weight were no match for his sturdy frame, no matter how firm his footing may have been. I pulled us both down. It was a messy tangle of limbs, hair and bent torsos. Most of my tumble was cushioned by his body as he took the brunt of the fall. No matter, whatever pain that had subsided to a dull throb came exploding back in full force. I was certain the stitches i wore had split open, undoing the hours of healing my body had worked on.

The design of the staircase did not help in any way either. They were the spiral sort. While I rolled down, hit a curve and continued rolling, I seethe at the person who decided on this particular set of stairs. What was so wrong with traditional straight staircases that you had to upgrade to spiral ones?

“Fucking hell,” he swore as I slammed into him at the last curve before finally finishing our descent. I cringed at his choice of words and my world of pain halted, body given some relief by the fact surface of the floor. I drew the unfortunate short straw, ending up at the one beneath. Tommy was sprawled on top of me, his body crushing mine, intensifying the pain to cosmic levels. But I couldn’t say I minded our compromising positions either: Tommy’s body was deliciously hard and warm. Even in the throes of pain, my body recognized what it wanted. I felt betrayed and embarrassed simultaneously.

“What happened to your legs?” he growled.

“Blame the idiot who thought it was a good idea to tie me up to a bed for a week,” I retorted, unable to resist a comeback despite my suffering.

“Aw, you guys are already all over each other!” There was a click. Both of us looked up to find Adriel holding a camera up and smiling.

Tommy snarled at his friend, clearly rattled at the insinuation. I just stared up at him, wondering how such different personalities came to work together and what quality Tommy possessed that made Adriel want to follow him.

“I don’t see you doing anything about it,” Adriel snorted in return, gesturing to our positions. “And you made her cuts even worse! Bloody idiot, couldn't you have carried her?”

Good point, Adriel.

Tommy immediately pushed himself off of me. He didn’t bother offering me a hand, dusting himself off irritably. Adriel was about to reach for me when a huge black ball of fluff appeared out of nowhere, streaking towards me. In the next second, I was assaulted by a flurry of licks, having only my feeble arms to protect my face.

“Teddy, no!”

Another ball of fluff, gray and white this time and a little smaller, joined "Teddy", covering me with wet kisses. In spite of myself, I laughed, batting their eager licks off uselessly.

“Snow! Down! Teddy, down!”

Reluctantly, the two dogs backed away at Adriel's sharp command, the first one giving me a last lick before sitting down obediently by the gray dog’s side not too far from me. Behind them stood another dog with fawn colouring, watching on with intelligent eyes. Adriel, apologizing profusely and helping me up, cast the dogs a stern look.

“I’m sorry. They don’t usually react to strangers like that, especially Teddy.” He offered me a huge grin. “You’re in the clear if they like you, though.”

Now that I was somewhat standing, I had a better view of the three dogs. Their sizes alarmed me. A Russian Bear Dog, an Alaskan Malamute and a Boerboel.

What? Some people liked cars and fashion. I liked dogs. Shame I was never able to keep my own. Even if I adopted one from the shelter, with the way I was living, I knew I wouldn’t be able to provide it with the care they deserved. Thus, my frequent visits to the shelter.

“Can I pet them?”

Adriel seemed mildly surprised but he nodded. Still leaning heavily on himfor support, I bent at the waist with much difficulty, holding my hand out to the dogs and waiting for them to approach me. The Russian Bear – Teddy – stepped up to me with approval from Adriel, tentatively sniffing at my hand. When he sensed that I wasn’t a threat, he gave my hand a lick, tail wagging happily. Snow – I assumed that was the Malamute’s name – watched his friend and trotted forward to do the same. The Boerboel came forth more slowly, hesitant. Gently, I raised my hand, running them over each of their heads, earning an excited yelp from the first two and an eventual lick from the last.

“Pleased to meet you, too,” I smiled.

“Well, douse me in oil and set me alight.” Adriel looked on in wonder. “I’ve never seen them so calm meeting someone new.”

I straightened up, sparing the big dogs another smile. “While my people skills might be bad, I’m good with them.”

“Then a proper introduction is required.” Adriel shuffled forward with me, beckoning to the dogs with a hand. The Malamute was the first to come up to him, head raised expectantly, tail lightly wagging. “This is Snow. He’s mine. She’s Key’s. Teddy.” He smiled when the Russian Bear nuzzled his hand. “And Bruce. Tommy’s pal.” At the mention of his name, the Boerboel joined the line up, running his muzzle along the flank of Teddy as he did.

“They look well-loved,” I commented, jealous that the maniacs who kidnapped me had dogs who loved them to bits. Sometimes, I had strays who came to me looking for food but that was about it.

“They are. I’d kill anyone who dared to hurt Snow.” Sudden anger flashed in Adriel’s blue eyes, momentarily causing him to lose his usual friendly mien. The abrupt change in his features startled me and I had to remind myself that I wasn’t safe here. No matter how strangely I was treated.

As soon as it came though, it was gone. Adriel grinned, playfully nudging Snow with his calf then wrapping an arm around me.

He walked us both through what I assumed was the living room, telling me about the dogs as they followed on our heels. It must be the space I had glimpsed from upstairs. There was a 75 inch flat screen and comfy-looking sofas along with a low coffee table. Movies, games, puzzles and books were scattered everywhere. I noticed that the floors were wood. Not parquet; well-worn wooden boards that creaked in places. The ceiling was a dark brown with heavy exposed beams supporting it, making it look like a barn. Warm white light bulbs covered by shades hung from those beams, giving a cozy, homey feel to the place. The wall behind the sofa played host to big windows, curtains pushed aside to let the sunlight in. Between that space was an assortment of things that decorated the 11-foot gap between the sofa and the windows: a random beanbag chair, a cardboard box, dog toys, a football, cookbooks on a stool. Adjacent to that wall were floating shelves packed with puzzle boxes, more books and display items such as model cars and framed photographs.

This was their house? It was so homey. My heart ached a little, a reminder that I never had anything like this before. That aside, was it not weird to bring a hostage to your home?

Adriel walked us under an arch that was made from crisscrossing beams and into another open space that was brightly lit. The kitchen, separated from the living room by a wooden lattice wall that had fairy lights laced through it. I thought about how much more rustic the lattice could be with fake vines crawling all over it, with the fairy lights enhancing the warm atmosphere with with soft glow. When I pulled my eyes away from the wall of crisscrossing wooden bars, I saw we'd walking in on someone cooking. Standing at the sink with a cake-themed apron tied loosely around his hips was another tall guy.

Yeesh, everyone was taller than me.

“Key, meet . . .” Adriel trailed off then looked down at me, expression close to being apologetic. “You know, I don’t think you’ve told me your name, love.”

“Oh, it’s Deidre.”

Adriel smiled, producing a dimple in his right cheek when he did. “Pretty name. Kieran, meet Deidre. Deidre, Scary Cop.”

Kieran turned to look at me at the introduction, a knife in his right hand and half a carrot in his other. A smile spread across his lips, eyes warm. I had to stare. He looked nothing like the stern-looking man who had demanded my registration a week ago.

“Hello, Deidre. Did you lose any weight this past week?”

My eyes narrowed distastefully at him instantly. It was one thing to take me against my will, it was another to take a jab at me for my body. I hated these people but body shaming should be beneath them, especially since none of them seemed interested in any illegal sexual activities.

“Insult a girl on your first meeting why don't you.” Adriel face-palmed. “Way to work on your socializing skills, mate.”

“I wasn’t insulting her,” he defended himself. “It was merely a question.”

“That's what he said,” I muttered, upper lip curling in distaste. Adriel walked me over to the dining table, lowering me down onto one of the chairs. Relieve swamped me at the rest my legs finally got. Teddy was joined by Snow at my feet, their heads resting between huge paws as they sprawled out like carpets, curiously watching Adriel move about. Bruce was nowhere in sight.

“I didn’t mean to be insulting,” Kieran said in a level voice. He returned his attention to the chopping board and his carrot, the sound of the knife slicing through carrot flesh and hitting the board punctuating his words. “The other girls we’ve carried were lighter than feathers. You actually weighed something. It was a nice change.”

“Other girls?” I questioned, my fears about being raped returning. Maybe it was Kieran who raped me in the end. The other two admitted their disinterest so it could be him. Besides, he looked very much the playboy type with his chestnut hair, deep blue eyes and crooked smile.

“Yeah, our job requires us to do that,” Adriel hurriedly said, shooting dirty looks at an oblivious Kieran. “Don’t worry. If Tommy lets you off this way you can't get any worse.”

While Adriel set my cuts right and tended to my stinging wrists, bickering with Kieran at the same time about some TV show, I was forcing myself to eat a sandwich slowly. Kieran had put together one for me at Adriel’s request. Days of a diet of crackers had me famished but my hands were trembling so much, the tuna and scrambled eggs were dropping off the bread at the end. I ended up eating the bread and mayonnaise first, only picking up the chunks of neglected filling after. That was when Adriel stood up, setting the first aid supplies on the table. Kieran was still busy at the stove, stepping back and forth from it and the countertop. Whatever he was cooking up smelled delicious.

“What do you say we go and get you some new clothes?” I followed Adriel's eyes to where they were examining my bloodstained sweater and jeans, blinking. On one hand, I would love a change of clothes. Staying in these was too depressing. There was dried blood everywhere. Not to mention the state my personal hygiene was in. On the other, however, the offer was just too strange to accept. They wanted to get new clothes for me? I was their victim, not a foster sister.

"We can't have you walking around in those forever," Adriel pointed out reasonably, seeing the conflict on my face. "You could use some of ours but I don't think you'd be comfortable in our boxers."

I blushed. I blushed too much here. Hesitantly, I agreed.

“Cool." Kieran turned to give me a grin. "Feel free to shower first though. You could use one or two of those."