Sinner

Chapter 4

"Wake up" a stern voice pulls me out of my sleep. I groan and sit up from the bed. God. My body hurts more than it did yesterday from Ryan's beating.

I crack my eyes open and nearly faint at the sight of him. I thought Traci would be getting me but I guess I was wrong. Ryan is giving me a harsh glare and I stand up without him saying anything else.

"Nice bruise" Ryan says and smirks with his eyes on my cheek.

I want to slap him but I know he would break my wrist if I tried.

I control my anger and stay silent. "We need to go to Traci's office to have a little chat about what's gonna happen with you" Ryan says. He nearly spits the word 'you'.

I start walking towards the door of the cell when Ryan grabs my wrist and yanks me back towards him. I lose my balance and fall backwards onto his chest. Ryan doesn't flinch.

"Oh my God you're so clumsy" Ryan says and pushes me off of him. He then puts handcuffs on me which I realize was his original reason for yanking me back. Then he pushes me towards the door and I take that as my cue to walk forward.

Ryan guides me to the office with more pushes and shoves than Traci used last night. One shove nearly knocks me off my feet. "Asshole" I mutter under my breath.

Ryan immediately pins me against the wall of the hallway we were walking in. One of his arms is holding my neck against the wall, threatening to choke me. The other pins my waist to the wall.

"What was that?" Ryan asks with his teeth gritted.

I can't hold my anger in any longer. "Asshole!" I scream.

Ryan takes my shirt in his hands and pulls me forward and then slams me back against the wall. My head bangs against the wall and I feel it throb. He then lifts one fist in the air and slams it onto my unbruised cheek. Well I guess it will bruise now. "Don't you DARE talk to me like that you pathetic bitch! You're in my possession now. If I don't kill you I can make you wish you were dead!" he roars.

Well that shuts me up. That and the fact that if I move my face an inch now it burns with pain from his punches.

He unpins me from the wall and shoves me forward. This time I don't say anything. We walk for just a couple more yards and then Ryan pulls open a door to our left.

He pushes me inside and then closes the door behind us.

We're in a small office about the size of my cell. Traci sits behind a desk that has a computer, lamp, and folders on it. On the other side of the desk are two empty chairs.

Traci glances up at our entrance and gestures towards the empty chairs across from his. When he looks up I notice his eyes stop momentarily on my cheek but he doesn't say anything about it. It's probably red now and starting to swell.

Ryan takes a seat and I warily sit down next to him, avoiding eye contact with both men.

Traci clears his throat. "So this meeting is to determine what will happen to you Ashley, and I have come up with two options. Yesterday, Ryan reported to me that you had worked as the brains of the S.I.N.S. Is this correct, Ashley?" he asks.

"Yes" I answer, my throat dry.

"And apparently you didn't do any field work. Everything was done in their H.Q.?" Traci continues.

"Correct" I confirm.

"How much choice did you have in your actions, Ashley? Was there really malice in your actions? Or were they forcing you?" he asks.

Now's my chance to claim my innocence. "Everything was forced. I was aware of my actions," I risk a glance at Ryan, and I see he's looking in the other direction, "and I knew everything the S.I.N.S. were doing was completely wrong. But my family... I didn't want them to get hurt" I try to explain.

"Right... about that" Traci says and looks down at a file on his desk. I look at him, waiting for him to continue. "Ashley... your family was killed as soon as the S.I.N.S. took you."

"What? No... they.." I trail off. Tears build in my eyes as I realize that it's completely possible.

My hands cover my face. Mom. Dad. My baby sister. Gone.

I haven't seen them in years but everyday I would imagine their faces and that kept me going.

And all those people I helped to 'eliminate'. All for no reason. Oh my God.

I look at Ryan who I realize has been watching my reaction. "Ryan I'm so sorry" I sob.

All the innocent people I've helped kill seem to make me cry more than the death of my own family.

I cry into my hands. "I'm so sorry" I say in between sobs. Only this time it's not to Ryan. It's to the souls and families of the people I killed.