Displaced

Chapter 25

Arlette Faredin wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to run. But it didn't matter what she wanted; her body wouldn't listen to her mind. It was paralyzed by the sight of this nightmare from her past.

The door swung open and the man strode in, confident and in control. Dressed in armor from the shoulders down, with a strong, handsome face and wavy blond hair, he was every bit the knight in shining armor he'd been all those years ago, just on the mature end now. But that heartthrob appearance held no sway over Arlette. She knew what the man really was.

Slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, the man walked closer and closer, enjoying the sight of her panic. His blue eyes pierced through her, peeling away at her defenses, his gaze reopening wounds she'd thought had been healed for good. It was like she was a child again, powerless before him, and he knew it.

"Did you enjoy playing mercenary these last few years?" he asked.

"Sebastian!" She spat out the name like piece of rotten fruit, but he only smiled in return.

"Did you miss me?" he asked with a chuckle as he stood over her trembling form. "I sure missed you, princess. I wanted to reintroduce myself so many times over the years, but it just never felt right, you know? After all, it wouldn't be enough to simply kill you. After what you did, I need to watch you crumble first. So I've waited all these years for the proper time, and here we are! Almost everybody you've ever cared about is dead and gone. You have nowhere to run. There's no handholds left to grab onto this time, princess. This time, you're falling all the way down, and you get to know that I was the one that pushed you."

A derisive laugh from the opposite corner bounced off the cell walls. "Ooooooh, sooooo scary!" mocked Basilli.

"Basilli, no!" Arlette cried.

"Cut the shit. I don't know what history you and Boss have, but we all know that's not what's going on here. You want the bounty, same as everybody else. You just want to stroke your ego first, that's all. I'm sure you feel like a real man, standing over a person in chains like that. Real big shot."

Sebastian's face grew dark as he turned away from Arlette and moved towards Basilli.

"Sebastian, no, please!" Arlette begged her captor. "Your quarrel is with me, right? You hate me, right? He's nothing! He's not important!"

"The man has a point, princess," Sebastian replied as he stalked over to Basilli, who stared at him defiantly. "I can't have you thinking I only care about money and privilege. I'm sure you know that the bounty is only for presenting all three of you alive." Suddenly his hands shot out, grabbing the surprised Observer's head with surprising speed.

"Hey wai-" was all Basilli could muster before Sebastian roughly twisted Basilli's head around, far past the point a human neck could turn. A sickening snap resounded throughout the room. Basilli's body went limp, and a shocked silence fell upon the prisoners. Then the cell exploded with noise. Sofie screamed and wailed. Metal clanked and rattled as Jaquet fought mightily against his abundant restraints, muffled roars of rage coming from behind the metal covering his mouth.

"You fucking bastard!" Arlette cried, a helpless rage overflowing from her soul. She tugged at her chains with all her might, but they would not budge. She was powerless, unable to do anything but watch as he tore her life apart. Just like he had before.

"I hope that clears up any confusion," the large man sneered. He motioned to several others outside. "Take care of this trash."

Arlette wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Her gaze wouldn't leave her dead companion's face. Basilli's head hung at an unnatural angle, his dead, glassy eyes staring at her, almost as if blaming her for his death. Her whole body shuddered under his silent accusation.