Judgement 8 (Subject Alpha #1) (8 page)

Ruben scoffed, a small chuckle accompanying his smugness. “She said you’d say that. She also said to remind you that she has something of yours, McCallum. You seem to forget that.”

I jumped when a thud shook the wall under my hand. “If she has so much as touched a hair on her head, I will walk in there with nothing to lose, and I will slowly and efficiently kill every single one of you in the most painful fucking way possible.” Another thud. “Is that clear?” Silence and then another thud. “IS THAT CLEAR?”

Ruben mumbled something I couldn’t hear.

“Get him out of here!” Reid spat.

Shit!

I scurried along the hallway, taking the stairs as silently as possible, two at a time. I needed to get out of there. Whatever Janice had, it was enough for Reid to hand me over for. My stomach hurt when the picture of Petra, his wife, filled my thoughts. What if Janice had her? Was my life any more important than hers? No. That was a simple fact. Janice was my mother, therefore this was as much my fault as anyone’s. If I had allowed her to test and play with me until she had found a perfect creation then no one else would have been dragged into it.

Unfortunately I was a coward. I had tasted freedom, a break from the constant pain, and as much as I liked Reid, I wasn’t willing to give up my life for Petra’s. And besides, he had been the first to betray me by striking up a deal with Janice.

How could he kiss me like he did knowing he was going to hand me over to once again become a lab rat? How could he look at me with heat in his eyes when I was just a bargaining tool to him? And why, if I was to die anyway, did he save me from the storm, ruining his physical memories in the undertaking?

“The exchange will take place on my terms, when I am good and ready.”

My stomach twisted when his words echoed in my head and I hunted around the room I had woken in for some shoes. I was such a fool. Reid was just like any other man. He wanted the conquest of fucking me before he was finished with me.

“You stupid little girl!” I chastised myself as I swiped at a forbidden tear when it rolled free. I scoffed when I realised I had subconsciously used Reid’s pet name for me. Another tear fell, causing me to growl and pull myself together.

Why did everyone use me? Was I such a bad person? The only family I’d ever had was Janice. The only friends I had made at school had all been lost when I turned twenty-one. Even Rowan moved on to my best friend when he gave up looking for me, quicker than I liked to accept.

I was more alone now I had left Judgement than I had been before. I screwed my eyes closed and shut down my mind when Lettie’s sweet round face emerged in my head, her wide eyes breaking my heart.

I sighed in relief when a pair of Converses appeared under the bed when I moved a large woolly jumper out of the way. They were around six sizes too big but I found some extra socks and stuffed them into the ends, pulling the laces as tight as possible. I knew I would find unwanted attention running down the street in an oversized jumper and big floppy Converses, but I didn’t care. I needed to go. Now.

Luckily Jonah’s house was fairly old and had windows that slid upwards, making my escape easier. I was used to slipping my body through tight spaces.

I couldn’t believe my luck when I climbed out and found a drainpipe directly to the side of the window. “Way to go, El.” A smile erupted and I chuckled to myself. These handy props only usually came in movies, never in my personal dramas.

Clamping the pipe between my thighs, I slid down in one fluid motion, the plastic squeaking under my bare skin, but another grin lit my face when my feet hit the floor without any injury.

Taking a look around I discovered what looked like an ordinary housing estate; all the houses had front porches and square lawns. It was ironic really. I’d always dreamed of living in the simplicity of a little estate, nattering over the fence with my neighbour, a cup of tea in my hand as our kids played together. And now I was running away from the very house I’d pictured a long time ago.

Deciding left was best, I took off running. I made it all of two gardens before a whoosh hit me and my face found soil, my body slapping the grass with a heavy thud.

“Bloody hell, Jonah!” I snapped. “Are we fucking magnetised?”

He chuckled. I wanted to belt him one. “Sorry, sugar.”

“No you’re not!”

“No.” He laughed as he pulled me up and hoisted me over his shoulder. “I’m not really. What the hell are you doing?”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t tell me it isn’t Halloween? I was going trick or treating!”

He laughed harder as he took generous strides towards the house. “Well that’s good, ‘cos Reid most definitely isn’t gonna treat you for your Houdini act.”

“Oh, I know all about Reid’s little trick!”

He remained silent, his body stiffening under me. Oh yeah, he didn’t expect me to know.

“Just remember,” Jonah said quietly as he took me back inside, “it’s Halloween and Reid’s anger is just a mask.”

“One of many I have no doubt,” I replied just as quietly when Jonah planted my feet on the floor in front of a simmering Reid. No scrap that; he was boiling. Apparently monsters did show up on Halloween.

Fucking wonderful.

HE PEERED AT ME, his usual pure grey eyes resembling granite, the deep ferocity of anger exposed to me through his irises.

Well I was angry too. “I bet it was like watching a money bag run down the road, wasn’t it, when I took off?”

He stared harder. Jonah had buggered off, leaving me alone with The Hulk. Inside I was trembling but I kept my shoulders straight and my eyes narrow.

His brow furrowed as his eyes swept over me, down to my toes then back up. “What the fuck are you wearing?”

I gave him an unconcerned shrug. “I’m setting a trend, although maybe I should have worn something with arrows!”

“Were you born this irritating or is it a skill of yours?”

My mouth popped open. “Are you always this fucking aggressive or do you just not care?”

His face darkened as a cruel smirk twisted his lips. Even being an arsehole he was too God damned beautiful. I decided right then, if I ever made it as Prime Minister, I would declare every single obnoxious good-looking man to be imprisoned in a chamber below my bedroom. Of course, it would have to have direct access so I could dish out appropriate punishments every now and again.

I swallowed and took a step back when he took one forward. I narrowed my eyes, making sure he saw I was impervious to his attempted manipulation. “You think I’m
fucking aggressive?
” I gulped at the way his tone lowered when he growled out the last two words. He stood in front of me as I refused to budge back any further. “Or are you actually wondering if I
fuck aggressively?
”

Oh—dear—God! My womb screamed in delight, my nipples and pussy clashing as one hardened and the other softened. I was panting, the restriction in my throat concerning my lungs when I tried to talk and all that came out was a humiliating wheeze.

However, his smug smirk cleared my airway. “I don’t give a flying
fuck
how you
fuck
Reid, all I am saying is that I think you are a
fucking
arsehole.
” I smiled inwardly, patting myself on the back for taking control of the situation. Let him suck on that!

He nodded slowly, my eyes dropping to watch as his tongue leisurely ran along his bottom lip, moistening it. Eventually a genuine grin broke his seriousness and he clicked his tongue. “Now you’re just asking for it.”

“You can twist my words all you want, Reid, but it doesn’t alter the fact that you are an arsehole! How long were you planning on giving me?”

He blinked at me, all the humour disappearing and the usual stern expression returning. “As I pointed out earlier about your obvious skill . . .”

“Will you stop!” His eyes widened as my tears surfaced and I fought desperately to blink them back. “Just give me a straight answer.” I fisted my hands, annoyed with my weakness. “Please.”

“I have no idea . . .”

“Janice!” I spat out. “I heard you with Ruben. How long until you planned to give me back?”

He opened his mouth to say something but snapped it closed again. Anger contorted his face but I was used to it now and it didn’t have the same effect on me when I was as angry as him. “So that’s why you ran. You really shouldn’t eavesdrop, little girl. I should spank your arse fucking red for that!”

I shook my head in amazement, my jaw slack at his blatant taunting. “Stop with the games. What does she have of yours that has you willing to send me back to Hell?”

More tears pooled in my eyes when he grabbed my throat and pushed me back, my spine cracking on the wall as fury poured from him. He seemed to treble in size, his already huge mass towering above me. “You need to realise you are nothing to me.
Nothing.
If I was going to, and by the way I AM NOT, use you as payment for something else, then there is fuck all you can do about it.”

I stared up at him, hurt and humiliation choking me. I blinked back the tears and nodded when his furious eyes battled with mine. “I understand.”

“Reid!” Jonah hissed as his hands covered Reid’s that were still embedded into my throat. “What the fuck are you doing? Let her go!”

Reid blinked then stepped back, his eyes wide. “Shit!”

They both stood staring at me, Jonah with concern and Reid with . . . well I had no clue as to his dark expression. My whole body ached. It was then I realised this was it for me. This shit was my life. No one cared about me, everyone was willing to use me in an effort to enhance their own lives and as lonely as it was, it was to become even lonelier without Judgement, as much as I despised them all.

I swallowed, clearing my throat, and bit back the hurt as I looked at Reid. “You can tell Janice I’m all hers. Whatever she has, she gives it back and I will go willingly.”

I flicked my gaze to Jonah, giving him a grateful smile. He sighed and shook his head. “It’s not you she’s after, sugar. And as much as Reid appreciates . . .” he gave Reid a stiff glare, “ . . . your offer, Janice doesn’t have a clue you’re here.”

I stared at him in confusion. “You haven’t told her?”

“No.” He smiled at me, his eyes full of warmth. “Reid isn’t a complete prick!”

I nodded, still hurt by Reid’s words, and refusing to give him any attention I voiced my query to Jonah. “Then what do you have that she wants?”

Jonah gulped, his eyes flicking to Reid.

“Don’t!” Reid warned but Jonah shook his head.

“She needs to know!”

“No, Jo, she doesn’t. It has nothing to do with her,” Reid bit back with a cautionary tone.

Jonah stared with incredulity at him. “Are you kidding me? This has everything,
everything
to do with her!”

“What does?” I switched my eyes from Jonah to Reid, getting dizzy in the process.

“She doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference to the plan, Jonah. And involving her puts her at risk. As much as I don’t want that, I definitely know you don’t!”

“What the . . .” I began and sighed, shaking my head when I was ignored again.

“What the hell did we start out to do, Reid? It seems to me that you need reminding ‘cos you seem hell bent on destroying everything. I know,” Jonah scrunched up his face as if in pain, “I know how delicate this is, but if we have any chance of getting her back then we need Elina.”

“You need me for what?”

“But we have to think long term, Jo. Once Janice has it, then it’s game over.”

“FOR GOD’S SAKE!” I screamed, exasperated at their arguing. “What the fuck do you have?”

Jonah turned to me. Reid growled and took a step towards Jonah, warning him.

“A cure!” Jonah spat out. “A cure for all of you.”

The only sound as my legs gave way and my body hit the floor was the wheeze in my lungs again.

I STARED FROM ONE to the other as I allowed my mind to absorb Jonah’s revelation. My gaze finally settled on Reid.

“What?” I asked quietly, afraid that if I spoke too loud Jonah would retract what he said and take away all the hope daring to build inside me. “What? There’s a cure . . . a way out?”

“No!” Reid barked out as Jonah nodded. He narrowed his eyes at Jonah and huffed. “See, now you’ve given her false expectation. You have no idea what this . . .
life
is like, Jo!” He turned his furious stare back to me. “You need to forget what Jonah told you. There isn’t a cure and there never will be.”