Defector

I return to consciousness slowly.

Too scared to open my eyes, I try my best to listen to my surroundings to determine what I may see when I do decide to wake. The first thing I notice is the coldness secured around my wrists. They are bound together and stationary, perhaps attached to the floor? I feel vibrations under my feet as I totter back and forth. I'm in a vehicle. No one's talking, maybe it's just me? Phoenix was with me in the house. There's no way they would only take me. She's the only reason I would even consider opening my eyes. If she's in this vehicle with me, I want to be sure she's okay.

My eyes flutter open. My vision blurry due to the pounding in my head. I kind of remember being hit from behind. There sits a figure across from me which I can only make out the colour of their hair. It's Phoe. She's here. I get one good look around before my eyes stutter close. We're in a van, much like one of the vans we used to take on assignments.

I hear someone talking. I can't make out the voice or what they're saying, but I hear it. I feel a cold hand grip my face and move it to the right. The movement surprises me and forces my eyes to reopen. With my vision clearing up slowly, I focus in on a blonde man. He stares down at me grinning ear to ear, glad to see me staring back at him. He moves his hand around my face in a taunting way. It's not a gentle touch, but more assertive. I move my gaze away from him and to the red headed beauty across from me.

Her face is displeased as she holds a scowl across her lip which has been split and bleeds to the corner of her mouth. She appears like a lioness waiting to pounce on her prey, but is unable to as she is in the same state as me. Her wrists are secured within the same metal and they are connected to a chain which is attached at the floor. As an initial reaction, I assume the anger is directed at me, but I learn quickly it's not.

"Stop touching him." Her voice gruff and serious.

The blonde removes his hand from me and in return heads in her direction. He reaches down at her feet where the chain is hooked. He unhooks it, pulling it upward taking her wrists along with it. He secures the hook to the roof of the van, forcing Phoe to her feet in order to keep her shoulders from dislocating. He smirks touching his nose to hers.

"Would you rather I touch you?" He grins moving his hand between her legs. I jerk forward unable to do anything as he grabs onto her. She violently jerks away forcing him to remove his hand. "What's the matter? You used to like that." Rage begins to pump through my body as I feel my blood boil in my veins. She hurls spit into his face which causes him to stumble backward utterly repulsed.

"What's the matter?" She blurts out. "You used to like that." She retorts.

He wipes his face and then snaps his fingers. There's movement from the front of the van and some other guy appears behind him. He turns to face him and points to Phoe.

"Gag her, but be careful," he says looking over his shoulder at her, "she likes to bite."

The guy pulls out a bandanna from his pocket. He rolls it long ways and secures the middle in her mouth wrapping the ends behind her head and pulling them together tightly. She doesn't fight him and if it were me, I don't think I would either. He walks back to the front of the van leaving the three of us in the back. Phoe dangles forward from her wrists with her mouth stuck slightly open. She looks at me with apologetic eyes as the blonde sits down next to me. She slowly shuts her eyes and drops her head.

"Now that it's just us and Cherry over there won't chime in, I ddon'tbelieve we've had the pleasure. I'm Neuman." He smiles. "And I already know you are the famous Logan Fierce. The man who has ownership over Cherry and Cassie's hearts. Even when she was with me, she was only thinking of you." He snickers. "I'll let you decide who I'm talking about." He winks at me and then motions with his eyes to Phoe. He stands up as the van comes to a stop. He unhooks Phoe's wrists from the roof and lets her arms fall to her side. "This is our stop." He yanks Phoe toward the backdoor. "Any last words? Because you'll never see him again."

She growls charging into him and ramming him into the door. She knees him in the stomach and drives her elbow into his back. I have no choice, but to remain seated as I'm still chained to the floor. The guy from earlier runs to the back and grabs onto her from behind. She squirms in his grasp, but to no avail. Neuman steadies himself and punches her right where her lip is already damaged. She grunts into the gag becoming more tame. He opens the backdoor and hops out onto the street. The guy pushes Phoe out of the van and over Neuman's shoulder. I wait for him to come and grab me, but he doesn't. Neuman looks up at him containing Phoe in his grasp with a grin on his face.

"Alright, take him to Cassie." The words sing from his lips.

The last thing I hear is Phoe screaming before he shuts the door and returns to the front of the van leaving me alone in the back.