Hold (11 page)

He needed her. If not to survive, then at least to soften the stark, bleak lines of his life here.

But she wanted him to like her for real, to need her simply for who she was.

Not just because she was the only one he had.

When he’d washed up, he went back to his device, and she lay on the bed as she always did and watched.

He worked for about an hour, until Riana started getting drowsy. She was about to drift off to sleep when she noticed something odd about Cain’s manner.

He’d sat back on his heels and was just staring at the crude, ungainly machine.

Sometimes he did that when he was trying to decide what kind of part he needed or when he was trying to work through how to design a certain section of it.

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But he never sat back like this for so long. And he never had this particular expression on his face. He didn’t look thoughtful or frustrated or impatient.

He looked watchful again—like he had earlier on his run. He looked quiet and almost wary.

Suddenly, Riana wondered if he was done.

She turned her gaze to the device but it didn’t look significantly different from how it had before. He’d added a lot of new parts over the last two months, but they had all been small and hadn’t made a significant difference in the appearance.

If it was done, though, why didn’t he turn it on and test it out?

Maybe it couldn’t perform its function in this cell. Maybe he didn’t want any other prisoners to see what he’d made.

Or maybe he didn’t want her to know he was done.

As if in response to that thought, Cain glanced back at where she was sprawled out.

She gave him a groggy smile and half closed her eyes. This seemed to reassure him because he turned back to stare at his machine.

Her suspicions roused even further at this sign that he wanted to keep her unaware of whatever was going on here, Riana’s gut churned and her heart started to hammer.

He hadn’t responded a month ago when she’d begged him not to leave her when he managed to escape. At the time, she hadn’t been surprised or particularly worried. She hadn’t really expected an answer to her plea.

But now she started to wonder if that should have been a warning.

He wouldn’t leave her out of viciousness or cruelty. But maybe his escape plan would only work for one.

Maybe that was why he’d never let himself get truly close to her.

Because he’d always known he was going to have to leave her behind.

Cain stared at the machine for a long time while Riana pretended to doze.

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But she was brutally on edge and, even though her eyes were closed, she knew when he stood up.

She could sense him looking at her for a several seconds and she wondered if he knew she wasn’t asleep. He didn’t say anything, though. And soon she heard him moving in the cell. She heard a scraping sound and knew exactly what it was.

He was moving the device.

That did it. She jumped up from the bed, unconsciously smoothing out her disarranged shirt. “Going on the hunt?” she asked cheerily, when Cain’s head jerked up to stare at her.

He’d moved the machine over to the door of the cell.

Swallowing over the lump of fear in her throat, she continued, “I’ll come too.”

Cain shook his head, a tight, unreadable expression on his face. “No. Why don’t you stay here this afternoon?”

Riana’s hands fisted at her sides. “I don’t want to stay here. I always get to go with you. Why can’t I go today?”

“I’ve got something to do,” he bit out. “You can’t come.” He turned his back to her, as if his words had settled the question.

A wave of terror and rage slammed into Riana and she acted on instinct and panic rather than any sane reason or sense. She strode over and grabbed him by the arm, holding on as hard as she could. “I’m going to come. I’m not going to stay here!”

Cain turned back around and stared at her. But he didn’t look as astonished by her intensity as torn. He pulled his arm away from her grip and reached out to hold her by the upper arms. “You have to stay here. There’s no argument here.”

His tone was even and filled with absolute authority.

All of it was only assuring Riana that he was about to leave her. That he was going to make his escape. Without her.

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She struggled in his grip, trying to pull away so she could hit him, pound on his chest, somehow express the panic, rage and betrayal she was feeling.

“Riana,” Cain gritted out, his hands like iron, utterly unbreakable. “Stop it. What’s gotten into you?”

“Don’t do it,” she choked, the one thread of her mind that could still think rationally telling her to keep her voice down so no one else could hear. “Don’t leave me, Cain. You know I’ll die here without you. You can’t just leave me behind!”

Something tightened on his handsome, stoic face. “What?”

“I know you’re done. I’m not stupid. I know you’re taking it to do whatever it does.” She nodded helplessly down at the device. She was practically sobbing now, but without tears. She was far too horrified to cry. “And now you’re leaving without me.

After everything, how can you—”

“Riana!” The one word was as sharp as the bite of a blade. He shook her a little to get her attention.

She fell silent, his face blurring in front of her eyes.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He sounded furious. Impatient. Almost disgusted. And for some reason the very human tone from him comforted her. “I’m not going to leave you behind.”

Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him, too dazed to take it all in.

If possible, Cain looked even angrier. “Stop looking like you can’t believe it. What the fuck kind of monster do you think I am? I’m not going to leave you here.”

“You’re not?” She sounded like an idiot—even to her own ears.

“Of course not.” He shook her a little more, although not nearly hard enough to hurt. “Of course, you’re coming too.”

The knot of panic was finally relaxing inside her—leaving an overwhelming flood of warmth and relief. “Oh.”

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Still looking annoyed with her, Cain explained in a low voice, “I am finished with it. I think it will work. But I need to take it to where it can…it can do its job.”

Riana frowned as her hazy mind tried to keep up. “But—”

“Unfortunately, it’s not a spaceship to fly us out of here.” His voice was dry and sharp now, and she understood why. Obviously, it wasn’t a spaceship. The jumbled parts barely looked like a working machine. “I’ve got to get it in place. And I can’t carry it and avoid everyone else if I have to worry about keeping you safe.”

“Oh.” She squirmed with sudden embarrassment. “Sorry. I guess I was stupid.”

His eyes narrowed. “Indeed.”

“Well, you don’t need to be snotty. I was scared. And you’re always going around keeping secrets. I didn’t know.”

Something colder than impatience flickered in his eyes. “You should have known.

Unless you genuinely think I am a monster.”

“I don’t,” she assured him, reaching out to touch his chest, worried she’d actually hurt him and that’s what triggered his coldness. “But we’re all on survival instincts here. And if your escape plan could only handle one…” Her voice trailed off as she remembered her intense terror of losing him.

His face softened unexpectedly and he stroked her cheek with his knuckle. “I see.

My escape plan will work with two.”

Riana managed a shaky smile at him. “Good.” They held the look for several seconds, and it felt like they shared something in the gaze.

Then Riana glanced down at his precious device. “Where are you going to put that?

And how are you going to get that in place without anyone else seeing?”

“I think I’ve figured something out. Stay here. I’ll be back soon and explain.”

She wanted to know right now but she just nodded and stepped back, recognizing that this was important and she couldn’t get in his way.

He locked the door behind him and disappeared out of sight.

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A few minutes later, she heard an uproar in the Hold. Maybe a fight. Maybe something else. She couldn’t really tell by the nature of the noise. She assumed it was Cain’s doing. He must have shaped some sort of distraction so he could plant his device.

She huddled on the bed, trying not to get scared, until Cain reappeared. She was so glad to see him she jumped off the bed and threw herself into his arms.

She’d never done anything like that before, but she wasn’t even self-conscious. Cain felt a little stiff at first—maybe from surprise—but then he put his arms around her and held her close for a minute.

“Did you not believe me when I said I’d be back?” Cain muttered eventually.

She pulled her face away from his shoulder. “I did. But I’m all confused and nervous and now you’ve given me hope that maybe we can actually get out of here. I’m so edgy I can barely stand it.”

“I know,” Cain murmured, stroking her back with a surprisingly gentle hand. “I’ve been putting this plan together for a year now and only today did I get it all figured out.

I have to think things through myself before I share them. I wasn’t holding out on you on purpose. I didn’t realize you’d catch me at it, put together an absurd theory and go into a panic about it.”

To Riana’s surprise, she realized he was actually apologizing to her for keeping her in the dark for so long. She felt a warmth fill her chest and she squirmed a little in pleasure. Keeping her voice dry, she muttered, “It was a perfectly reasonable theory.”

Cain actually chuckled.

“Can’t you please tell me what’s going on now?” Riana begged, fisting her fingers in his shirt. “I feel like I’m going to go crazy.”

“Yeah. I’ll try to explain it. I’ll need you to help with the plan anyway.”

Cain sat down on the edge of the bed, pulled her down to sit down next to him and started to explain.

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They talked for a long time, and he answered most of her questions. She had some other questions—namely about his feelings for her and what he intended after they made her escape.

But it was too early for that. First, they needed to get out of here.

His plan was a good one. As good as was possible, giving the situation and the resources available.

But it was still risky. And it would take a lot of luck.

And there was no guarantee of it even working.

After they’d talked, they had sex—slow, quiet missionary under the covers. Riana was drained and clingy after her stressful day and her scare. And, after his two climaxes that morning, Cain was able to take his time without urgency taking over.

It was really nice. Riana kept her arms around his back, holding him as tightly as she wanted. And Cain thrust into her with a slow, steady rhythm, angling his hips to give her as much pleasure as he could.

She’d come a second time when the noise of the Hold outside the cell altered. It wasn’t the mealtime roar. And it wasn’t the sudden burst of sound that followed the outbreak of a violent altercation.

She wasn’t quite sure what it was.

Cain was getting close to coming. His speed had picked up and his expression was tightening. But he must have noticed her preoccupation because he gritted out,

“Checkup.”

That was it. The armored vehicle must have entered the Hold to pick up the next prisoner for a checkup.

Riana moved her hands up so she could stroke his scalp, loving the texture of his closely shaven hair beneath her fingertips. “Are you going to come?”

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“Was thinking about it.” His hips jerked a few times, as if he momentarily lost control of them.

She squeezed her pussy around his cock. “Oh good.”

He grunted at the pressure and his features twisted with effort.

She squeezed him again.

He let out a muffled exclamation and a wash of pleasure transformed his face as he pushed a few last times into her tight channel.

She pulled him down into her arms afterward, feeling oddly tender and possessive.

He breathed heavily against the crook of her neck and then he pulled up to look down at her face.

She thought he was going to say something but he didn’t have the chance.

The noise of the armored vehicle had been getting closer and closer.

Until it suddenly appeared just in front of the cell.

It stopped there, and both Riana and Cain turned to stare at it in surprise.

It only took her a second to figure out what was happening. One of them was getting taken for the checkup.

The thought made her nauseous, even though she had no idea what the checkup consisted of. And she was suddenly terrified that the timing was intentional. That somehow Cain’s plan or his device had been discovered.

“Just a coincidence,” Cain murmured under his breath, obviously having read her silent terror. “Don’t panic.”

There was a mechanized claw at the front of the vehicle, which was usually the way they picked up the prisoners for the checkup—so the guard could avoid leaving the protection of the vehicle and risking attack. But since there were bars in front of this cell, the claw couldn’t do its duty. So instead the guard pulled the vehicle alongside the bars until the door to the vehicle was lined up with the door to the cell.

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Pretty clever, actually. That way, there was no risk of being attacked by the other prisoners.

Not that Cain himself wasn’t threat enough.

When the door opened, Riana understood she wasn’t the only one who realized this. The first thing she saw was a gun—an old-fashioned automatic weapon which was all they used in the Hold, probably as a precaution against one of the prisoners getting a hold of a more sophisticated weapon. Then she saw Davis lean out. “Unlock the cell,”

he called out.

Neither Cain nor Riana moved. They were still entangled intimately under the covers, and they just stared at the unexpected arrival.

“I have no qualms about killing one or both of you.” Davis didn’t sound vicious or nasty. Simply matter-of-fact.