Chapter8:Blood in the Fine Print
860 Words
Austin lost track of how long the dark had held them.
Time dissolved into nothing more than Selene’s shallow breaths and the constant, throbbing burn in his wrists. The warehouse had fallen quiet again—not peaceful quiet, but the kind that waits, coiled and patient, like a fist about to open.
Selene shifted, the ropes creaking faintly against her chair.
“Austin…” Her voice was barely there, cracked and small.
“I’m right here,” he answered instantly, scooting as close as the chains let him. The metal bit deeper into his skin; he ignored it. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She tried to swallow, throat working visibly. “She’s serious. I saw it in her eyes.”
“I know,” he said, softer. “But she doesn’t get to win.”
Selene’s lips trembled. A long beat passed.
“Babe…” The word came out faint, almost lost. “I’m so thirsty.”
Austin’s chest seized. He leaned toward her until the restraints screamed.
“I know. Just hold on. I’m here.”
Then the door groaned open.
A thin slice of light cut through the gloom.
It wasn’t Diana.
One of the men stepped inside—tall, hooded, shoulders broad enough to block half the doorway. His boots thudded slowly and deliberately across the concrete.
Austin’s body went rigid. “Hey,” he said sharply. “What’s happening?”
No answer.
The man kept walking—straight toward Selene.
Austin yanked against the chains. “She needs water. Get her some. Please.”
The man didn’t glance his way.
Selene’s breathing hitched, uneven and fast. She tried to shrink back; the ropes held her fast. Three days without food or water had left her pale, trembling, barely able to keep her head up.
“Don’t touch her,” Austin snapped. Panic bled into his voice. “I swear—don’t.”
The man stopped in front of her.
His hand reached out.
Austin’s heart slammed so hard it hurt. “Stop—!”
Fingers moved to the buttons of Selene’s top. One by one, slow and deliberate.
Selene shook her head weakly realizing what he was doing. “Please…” The whisper broke.
Austin lunged forward on instinct—chains rattling, metal tearing at his skin. Pain exploded in his wrists and ankles, but he didn’t care.
“GET AWAY FROM HER!” The roar tore out of him, raw and desperate.
The last button gave. Fabric parted.
Selene squeezed her eyes shut. Tears tracked silently down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook as the shirt was pulled away, exposing skin to the cold air.
Austin felt something inside him crack wide open—rage, helplessness, terror all at once.
“Look at me!” he screamed at the man. “LOOK AT ME!”
The man grabbed Selene’s chin and forced her face up. Her eyes opened—wide, terrified. He leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers, hard and hungry.
Austin choked on a breath. His vision tunneled red.
The man’s hand slid to her bra straps, easing them down her shoulders. Cleavage exposed, soft skin catching the faint light.
Selene let out a broken sob.
Austin’s voice shattered. “STOP!”
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”
Diana’s voice sliced through the room like glass.
The man froze mid-motion.
She stormed in—heels striking concrete like gunfire, face twisted in fury, not amusement. Pure, cold rage.
“Did I give you permission to touch her?” she hissed.
The man stepped back fast, hands up. “I—I thought—”
“Get. Out.”
He didn’t wait. The door slammed behind him.
Silence crashed back in.
Selene’s body shook violently now—shock, cold, humiliation all pouring out in quiet tremors.
Austin twisted against the chains, voice cracking. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “God, I’m so sorry.”
Diana looked between them. Something dark flickered in her eyes—calculation, yes, but edged with something colder. Exhaustion? Control so complete she could choose mercy and still win?
“That,” she said evenly, “is what happens when people forget their place.”
Her gaze settled on Austin.
“And now,” she added, quieter, “you’re going to listen.”
Austin’s throat burned. “At least get her water, Diana. Please.” His voice cracked on the last word—hoarse, pleading, stripped bare.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Just stood there, watching.
Selene’s uneven breaths filled the space. Austin’s chains clinked faintly as he stilled. The air felt thick, heavy with everything they couldn’t say.
Diana’s eyes traced Selene first—the tear tracks, the slumped shoulders, the way her head barely stayed upright. Then they slid to Austin.
Something shifted. Not softness. Not pity. But a pause. A recalibration.
She exhaled through her nose.
“You always did beg like it was noble,” she said flatly.
Austin didn’t answer. Couldn’t.
Diana turned sharply. “You.”
Two guards appeared at the doorway.
“Water,” she ordered. “Clean. Now.”
They hesitated—just a heartbeat.
- Writer
