Ignition (MHAH)

47

Everything hurt. Every muscle and bone in my body burned and screamed in agony. The sedative had begun to wear off, but still kept some lingering effects. Although I was fully conscious, everything around me was blurry, I could move my limbs with a bit more control, but every word I spat still slurred beyond recognition.

Every noise or comment I made earned me excruciating levels of voltage to my throat, even after we were at the warehouse and I was tied to a chair. Guards filed in a couple minutes after we did and began lining the door and building. Once the big door closed, the only source of light was the lamp hanging above my head. As the drugs began wearing off, my comments became more frequent, constantly egging him on in hopes he'd spare me the torture and just kill me.

When a metal detector blaring drew my attention away from the cracked concrete, my eyes widened. It was Nigel. Nigel bought me?! I had given up any hope that Ethan and Justin were still looking for us, forcing down any memories I held with them. It would be easier to move on if I did.. but seeing Nigel's face made everything flood back up to the surface. I began thrashing in my chair, fighting against the ropes that bound me while tears and sobs burned my eyes and throat.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" He spat, swatting at the guards. "And get your trash off my slave. I brought my own collar." He demands, glaring at Seth as he holds up a think metal collar, attached with a chain. So that's what set it off.. Hanging off the chain was a set of bulky cuffs from the same material.

"Let him in." Seth orders, unattaching the shock collar. I cringed as the metal prongs left my skin, clamping my teeth onto Nigel when he attached the new collar onto me. It was far heavier than expected and just as uncomfortable as the shock collar. It was no surprise when the tall, lanky man backhanded me, spitting an insult as he does.

"Clearly you don't know how to train slaves.. I was hoping your boss would be here for the transaction so we could discuss further sales, but just by his behaviour, I doubt I'll be coming back." Nigel snarls. "Do you need anything else, or can I take my property and train him competently?"

I could see Seth grind his teeth together before shaking his head, untying me from the chair and assisting in cuffing me. The lanky man yanks on the chain as he starts walking, pausing half way to the exit.

"Can I leave a message for your boss? He'll know how to get ahold of me."

"Whatever." The blonde grits, leaning up against the chair.

"Please inform him that the Armani household sends their regards." Nigel turns around and fires four shots, each bullet piercing a shoulder or knee. After the first shot echoed throughout the warehouse, gunfire began to rain down from every direction, guards dropping like flies as he covered me whilst dragging me out of range as my knees buckled and bent with every rushed step. Nigel lead me straight to a car, pushed me inside and slammed the door behind me all while shouting at whoever was firing.

"TARGET SECURED! ..DELTA WITH ME!" He hollers. "THE REST OF YOU FINISH THIS OFF AND BRING THAT BLONDE BACK ALIVE!" He slammed the drivers door shut and sped off, four separate cars trailing and surrounding us soon after. The backseat was folded down, a soft mat draped over the hard surface. Pillows and a large bear were leant up against the wall of the car and there was a bag behind Nigel's seat. Once we were back on the road, far away from the warehouse, he handed me a key.

"There's some snacks and water in the bag.. also a pair of clothes." He tells me, his eyes flicking up to the rear view mirror.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry I hit you. I had to make it seem believable.." I ignore him and fight with the hardware on my limbs, getting frustrated with the lack of control I had over my own body. The rough road under us didn't help either. After grumbling and muttering to myself while fighting with the keyholes for a bit, Nigel pulls the car over and crawls into the back to help. When it's finally off, he takes a good look at my neck and scoffs, clearly unimpressed with the holes that were slowly clotting shut.  Crawling back into the front, he starts the car back up and continues driving.

I slide the cuff and collar set into the passenger seat and dig through the bag, pulling everything out. Holding up the baby wipes, I look at him quizzically.

"We won't be back at the mansion for a while.. I thought you might want to clean up a bit.."

"Where's Ali?" I mumble, busying myself with the wipes. It took longer than expected to open the packet, not to mention manage to pull one out and get to wiping down.

"Teddy has her. They're gonna meet us at the ferry." At that news, I couldn't hold in the tears that broke free. She was safe. Whether she ever spoke to me again or not was a whole other issue, but at least she had her dad and at least she was safe.