Corrupt

24. Playing the Pawn

24. Playing the Pawn

"Wake up."

The demand that was hissed into my ear was barely audible to my fuzzy hearing. I shifted, moaning when the movement only increased the blatant throbbing radiating from my temples. I was on a hard surface, nothing like the bed I so wished to be on. My thoughts were distant - groggy - like my mind couldn't move at a faster rate.

"Savannah - wake up. We don't have much time." The voice huffed out again, urgency written across every word. I struggled to move, to think, to respond -  though I desperately wanted to.

"Fucking Trevor..." The man growled out. "Stupid idiot."

With those final words, my thoughts exploded. I could remember Ricardo, the syringe, the cold words thrown at me, Greg, and Jace.

Jace

I suddenly wished I was still submerged into oblivion, free of the torment that just his name brought to my heart.

My eyes opened and I found myself staring at the ceiling of the medical room at the safe house. My aching body was strewn across a metal tables, my wrists cuffed to the surface like a prisoner.

I swallowed thickly, the force of my reality hitting me. Because I knew just what I was in that moment.

A prisoner.

"Isley will be back and then we won't get another chance to discuss things."

My eyes snapped over to the person who had spoken yet again, a groan forcing its way past my lips when the sharp moved picked up the throbbing in my head. I widened my gaze at the man, who was also strapped down, my spine stiffening with fear.

"Calm down. You'll survive, I know you will. And when you do, then we'll talk."

"I don't think I can help you." I muttered, my teeth sinking into my lip as I avoided his gaze. "I can't trust you. I don't-"

"Stop." Greg forced out, looking in pain as he stared down at his leg. "We only have so much time and you need to hear what I have to say." He cast a wary look towards the shut door, shifting in the cuffs around his wrists uncomfortably. "I know what you want."

My eyes traced over the multiple bruises covering his face, back down to the bandage loosely wrapped around his bleeding leg. "I-"

"You want freedom. You want a way out of all of this. If what they're saying is true - if you're a pawn, then we can help each other out." His words were hurried, spoken so quickly that my brain lagged with trying to keep up with him.

"How? There's no way that we can. Look at where we are." I jerked my head to our bound wrists and the room around us. "We're trapped."

"These things take time." He shook his head. "Listen. Ricardo believes that Jace is truly in love with you. Even if you are a pawn, Nixon doesn't know that." My heart ached at his words.

Greg hesitated, before continuing. "We both need our freedom. You want away from all this, and I have a pregnant girlfriend who wants me out of this life as well. You're my key to freedom, and I'm your key to yours."

I waited with baited breath for him to continue.

"Since Ricardo thinks that Jace is utterly infatuated with you, he doesn't give two shits about making Jace choose, which means that he's content with trading Stella for you. I just need to remind him of this."