Steaming Desire - Melissa Young

Chapter sixteen - Kiara

Blood surged through my veins, my heart pounding against my rib cage, wanting to break free from its grasp. I could feel the magnetism toward Hunter dissipating by the second.

I was good at holding my outside neutral, but on the inside, I broke down. It was terrible to watch him trying to get away from us with all his might just to be pulled back. My lungs started to ache, and I let out the breath I hadn't realized I held.

He took a step back at Marcus' demand and with every inch back, my heart drummed harder, damn near bruising my chest with the pain surging through my body.

I couldn't believe that The Captain was really doing this, he had never mentioned anything like this before. My throat closed off when I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat and my vision blurred again. I had a hard time focusing ever since I fell backward in the cell and my head hadn't stopped pounding. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I tried to compose my thoughts. I couldn't let them drown, I would never forgive myself.

Without thinking, I took the quickest decision I had ever made and threw myself forward. Not having a clue how I thought I was supposed to save him, but if it was me and not him that drowned, I would see that as a victory.

My legs folded under me before I could even take a step forward, somebody had anticipated my next move and that someone stood right next to me. The leg that had caused me to fall disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. I opened my mouth to curse them out, but what came out shocked me.

A screeching yell filled the calm morning air. If I hadn't been so taken by the pressure in my lungs, I would have covered my ears to block out the sound. Three men held me back from saving Hunter. I hadn't in my wildest imagination thought that The Captain would kill them.

My stomach turned, making me believe that I would throw up. I wouldn't even have cared if I did, I only had one thing in mind. I needed to get to him, needed to save him. Not caring the slightest what happened to me after I did, but I had a goal and I couldn't crumble before I succeeded.

My head felt as though it was on fire, pounding in the same rhythm my heart did. I tried over and over to stand up, but somebody grasped a hold of my shoes, preventing me from getting anywhere. My eyes locked with Hunter's, his, watery and sad. I couldn't help but acknowledge the determination in them, a glimmer of hope in the sad boy's face. I had to be determined also, he couldn't die because of me, I would never forgive myself.

My vision went blurry again, losing all focus while I continued to fight against the crew, before I dropped my consciousness and everything went black.

Distant voices woke me from my heavy sleep. The sound traveling in the form of echo through my ears. I tried to blink, but the blinding light from outside prevented it.

"What happens now?" The voice sounded faint and twisted, but I could without difficulty know that it was James'. Another man cleared his throat, The Captain. Something heavy scraped against the floor before footsteps filled the silence.

"You know what to do. When Kiara wakes up, I am going to tell her what happened when she was out of it, and you are going to tell the others to keep their mouths shut about the new arrangement." I furrowed my brows without meaning to. What did he mean?

"But what if she finds out?" I could hear the stress in his voice. What are they so afraid I will know?

A deep sigh slipped into the sudden thickness of the air. I had to force the oxygen in and out of my lungs when I wanted to be as quiet as possible to hear everything, afraid of missing essential details.

"She will never find out as long as all of you stay silent." He sounded frustrated, as if he was explaining something to a child over and over. His tone made me wonder how long they had been holding the conversation going before I woke up.