Deadly || Sweet Pea [2]

9

Chapter 9 || The Red Paladin and the Black Queen

The beeping of a heart monitor should've been foreign to me, but it wasn't. It was a familiar sound, and I despised it. I opened my eyes, flinching at the bright lights above me. I pushed myself up into a sitting position and winced at the tugging on my rib cage.

"Easy, easy." Dad's voice sounded as he helped me sit up. "Take it easy, Kit."

"When did I get here?" I asked, looking around the hospital room. Beside the bed, Sweet Pea and Fangs were leaning against each other as they snored, their feet propped up on my bed.

"A few hours ago. You were right about the concussion, and you have a few fractured ribs." Dad sighed. "You might feel sick, it's just the concussion."

"When can I go home?" I asked.

"After you tell me and the sheriff what the hell the brand on your stomach means." Dad snapped, pointing at the healing brand.

"I don't know." I sighed, feeling tears gather in my eyes. "Get Minetta, close the door and wake those two up."

Dad nodded, heading into the hall to find Minetta. Both men arrived, closing to hospital room door and knocking Sweet Pea and Fangs' feet off the bed, shocking them awake.

"What's going on?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Kitty?" Fangs looked at me, sighing in relief.

"What I'm about to say stays between us, okay?" I asked quietly, avoiding looking at anyone.

"Okay." Dad nodded. Sweet Pea and Fangs agreed too, and I sighed, looking at Minetta.

"Fine." He nodded, taking out his notebook.

"Warden Norton kidnapped me when I asked to see Archie. He was on a list of inmates no one could see, but I insisted." I started, looking over at my dad. "He made me fight Joaquin first, and I kicked his ass. Unloyal asshole. He, uh, he starved me, only gave me water when he felt like it. I was in a cell in a corridor by myself."

I lied to protect Archie. If I was going to separate myself from the breakout, it needed to sound legitimate and like I didn't know that Archie even escaped.

"Norton used my relationship with Archie as a way to keep me in line, telling me that I needed to fight if I wanted him safe." I lied smoothly. "I just wanted to protect my family, so I fought."

"How many fights?" Minetta asked.

"Just the two." I answered. "Joaquin first, and then a week passed and I was thrown into a fight with Archie and this kid they called Mad Dog. Both of them are pretty big, but I help my own. I was fighting for my life."

"How did you manage to escape?" Minetta asked, hoping I'd reveal something about Archie's escape.

"There was a point in the fight when soda cans were thrown into the pool." I started. "The smoke provided me enough cover to get under the ring. My hope was to wait there until everyone left, but I found there was a drain below the ring. So, I pulled the grate off and slipped through the pipes until I made it outside. From there, I ran. I managed to stay hidden when the warden's officer's drove by, and when I made it back to town I found my friends over there and they brought me here."

"The brand on your stomach, how did you get it?" Minetta asked.

"Apparently, Archie tried to escape from Leopold and Loeb." I said. "Norton came into the cell I was in and head me tied down while he heated up an iron. He told me that because Archie misbehaved, I'd get the same punishment as him. He branded me, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing I was in pain, so I didn't scream. He didn't like that, so he, uh, he branded me twice that night and left me tied to the bed until morning."