Unmasked (Simon Riley)

Chapter 13

Warning: there is a lot of uncomfy things that happen in this chapter, and possibly the next few chapters (relating to injuries and torture) just a fair warning to all.

*Brooklyn's POV*

I groan falls from my lips before I can even open my eyes, instantly noticing the pain in my neck. I slowly peel my eyes open, everything is blurry, spinning.

"Brooke."

I blink slowly a few times, my vision becoming more stable each time. I'm staring down into my lap. "Where am I.." the words are hardly words, just noises. My head hurts.

"Brooke, look at me."

The voice is demanding and rough, my vision becoming more clear. God my neck hurts. I'm still staring at my lap, I can see my shoes, followed by cement flooring. I'm in a chair. "Brooke, dammit look at me."

I pull my neck up, pain and a small amount of relief coming from it. I go to move, rope rubbing my wrist from behind the chair. My gaze lands on Ghost, a couple of feet across from me in his own chair. His tac has been removed, legs tied to the chair, arms disappearing behind him. The room is oddly lit, as I glance around. One obnoxiously bright light hangs between us, and yet, the area by the walls is almost pitch black.

"Brooke." The voice comes again, from Ghost, gently this time. I bring my gaze back to him, too many emotions swirling in his eyes. Worry, anger, tiredness. But no fear.

I, on the other hand, can feel the fear rising quicker than I'd like. My heart rate jumps, and I glance back down at myself, trying to move once more. "Hey, look at me."

His voice is comforting, and I glance back up towards him. "Are you hurt?" I shake my head softly, earning a soft nod. "Where are we," the question is small, soft, hardly above a whisper. "I don't know. Nikolai took us."

Nikolai. I remember now, the party, the guards, watching Ghost stand before me in the hallway, pleading for him to not give in. I look down again, finally realizing I'm still in that damn dress, which is covered in dirt and other gross spots.

"Brooklyn, listen to me." I look back up. "This is important, okay?" I nod. "They are going to come back, and when they do, you say nothing. Not a word. Don't give them anything."

I just stare at him, him staring back. "Brooke, do you understand?" I nod, slower than before. "You don't know anything from this point forward. You have no family, no friends. I'm the only person you know."

I nod again, feeling absolutely terrified. "It doesn't matter what they do, because if you give in, they will kill you, you won't have anything else to give them."

My eyes widen, heart racing in my chest. "Don't fucking give in." His words are demanding and I can only nod once more.

His eyes soften, "we'll be fine, the others will find us." I bite the inside of my cheek, turning to look around the room again.

Suddenly, the large door opens, and my head is spinning quickly towards it, feeling the fear in me once again.

"Ah, you're finally awake." I narrow my eyes toward the man, trying to seem stronger than I feel. He walks in further, two men shutting the door and standing on either side of the frame, guns held across their chest.

Ghost taps his foot, pulling my attention towards him. He's staring at me, giving a short nod when our eye's connect, almost like telling me 'we got this'. I nod back, glancing back up towards Nikolai.

"We'll get straight to the point. I ask you questions, and you get to live."

I turn to look away from him, staring down at my feet instead. He approaches me, kneeling in front of me. I avoid his gaze, his hot breath panning up towards my face.