2
The Arrangement
Diamond looked at his girlfriend and sighed. He wasn't going to be able to see her for two months and he wanted to remember her just the way she was. "I'm not going to like this one bit." Diamond almost cooed as he touched her cheek then pulled away and shut the police vehicle's door. He hated to let her so near to his enemy but at the same time Darien didn't know who she was. She was safe as long as he didn't catch onto the fact that she was an undercover agent. Andrew stood a few feet away and swallowed hard as the car drove away. "If anything happens to her I'm blaming you." Diamond pointed angrily and looked at his VP. Andrew nodded and turned away so he could make a few calls. He needed to talk to Mina, he needed to confide in someone what he was feeling.
He walked to his car and got in, dialing Mina's cell number. Mina finally answered her voice bringing light to his day. "Mina… I've done something… something terrible."
"What did you do baby? I'm sure it's not all that bad." Mina laughed lightly and quieted as she waited for Andrew to respond. "Honey?" She hesitated and listened hard to his labored breathing.
"I… I… I let her go to that God awful place and she's going to meet him and… I… I just… Mina!" He cried out helplessly. "I've killed her! She's going to die! He's going to rip her to shreds and then… I don't know." She sat in her office unsure of what to say to comfort the disturbed man. "I love her like a little sister but… I… I just couldn't take the risk of not sending her there."
"What are you talking about Andy? You're not making any sense." Mina paused trying to understand what he was saying to her. He sounded like he was about to break down and cry but she knew he wouldn't. "I don't understand you baby."
"I know… I just need you to tell me that Serena is going to be fine. I need you to tell me that regardless of the fact that she's going to observe Darien first hand… that… she's going to make it out alive. Can you do that Mina?" He asked with all the desperateness in the world. She blinked a few times and leaned forward in her chair the wind suddenly leaving her lungs. Her friend was going to do what? Observe Darien… but he was in prison, and not just any prison but THE prison.
"S… Serena's going to Xibalba prison? Andrew! How could you let her go?" She was about to faint. Had she already left? Would Serena get hurt in there… no, Serena was way to good to be in any sort of danger. It didn't matter that the guards were notorious for raping new female inmates, it didn't matter that she was beautiful… what was she thinking? Of COURSE it mattered!
"Yes… she had to or else... well, if Diamond doesn't discover the location of the poison gas Darien planted then millions of people are going to die." He sighed and looked at the black carpet of his vehicle and rested his forehead against the steering wheel. There was no way Serena could possibly make it out of Xibabla alive.
Darien breathed rhythmically as he performed multiple, fast, one handed push-ups. He had been doing them for hours, one hour with one arm and the next with the other arm. Since he had fallen the giant no one had dared even look at him, it was as if he was a wolf among a herd of sheep. This of course did little to sooth the blind rage within him. He hated being in this place, he hated not being free to do as he pleased, though, it was clear he could do what he wanted within these walls.
A week had been his served time thus far and he was growing impatient. There was only one procedure for this type of situation and he wanted to know why it was taking so long. Diamond. He smirked and switched arms without skipping a beat. Diamond didn't want to let his little play thing out of his sight. Only a matter of time before they give Dare. They will send her in and when they do she's going to be so oblivious to the danger. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd be able to kill the woman, she was a skilled agent and she was there to watch him. That meant she'd be suspicious of all of his actions.
A sudden noise brought him out of his thoughts and into his surroundings. Movement jerked him up and off the floor to attention. He could hear sounds of a struggle down the hall and multiple men shouting. "Damn it Price get a hold on this bitch will you?"
"Get your hands off of me!" A female voice pierced the air and hit his ears. He didn't recognize the voice but he knew who it was going to be. Any moment now he would see the guards dragging a petite blonde with blue eyes. Any moment she was going to be within his grasp. "I said get your hands off!" She screamed angrily and just as they came into view she managed to wrestle free from two of the five guards holding her. Her legs loose she managed to twist her body in such a way that the men could do nothing to protect themselves from her fierce kicks. "Hah!" She laughed and ran down the hall towards the cell release twitches, her long blonde hair trailing behind her like a silken cape. "You're going to regret it assholes!" She shouted victoriously.
As she ran she hopped her charades would catch his attention. She wanted him to think she was a convict, a sassy woman who was determined not to be caged. As she neared the switches a large weight suddenly pulled her to the ground and held her there firmly. "Think you're gettin' away missy?" A crackly male voice hissed into her ear. He smelled of alcohol and cigarettes, the combination was sickening. She struggled against him hoping to at least get some part of her body free. "Feisty huh? I like 'em feisty, it's sexier." She paled as she realized his intentions. These men weren't admirable guards, they were put here because they were just as terrible as the prisoners.
"Get off fat ass or else!" She shouted as the other guards rushed up and grabbed hold of her so the fat guard could stand. They picked chained her ankles and picked her up to drag her to the cell across from Darien.
"I get her first." The fat guard laughed and unlocked the cell. "I tackled her after all." He smiled and winked at her. "She sure is a pretty one, what's she doin' here?"
"Don't know Grute, I think it was some sort of homicide or something." The guard who had spit on Darien replied then shoved her against the wall. Darien watched the scene and felt a twinge of anger hit him as he caught the terrified look in her sparkling blue eyes. The largest guard Grute stepped up to her and began to unzip her jumpsuit while the other men held her tightly. Darien gritted his teeth, he knew what they had planned and he couldn't help but feel that she didn't deserve it. Grute's hand then disappeared into her suit making her squirm; he was feeling her upper body and Darien could see the man's lust practically oozing from his eyes.
"Hey!" Darien snapped harshly making the man freeze. "Leave her alone." Grute only smiled and pressed himself into the blonde. The action enraged Darien further. Wasn't the whole idea of having prison guards that they were to be better than the prisoners themselves? "I mean it!" The bars had yet to be fixed and the other men glanced at Grute nervously.
"What? Ya don't like it when a no good bitch gets put in her place?" Darien felt his blood sizzle in his veins. She wasn't a dog, she wasn't some wild animal that needed a lesson in obedience… no woman deserved to be gang raped and especially by men who were supposed to be protecting and guarding her. He closed his eyes and suppressed the vision of his sister being in the same position only a few years ago. It was when he was still in the CIA and Diamond had implemented a protection duty for Raye and Seiya. When Darien had come to check on them he found Raye being held down by many men, the mental trauma had been terrible.
"No I don't. Now get the Fuck away from her before I remove you myself!" He shouted and grabbed hold of the door, ready to rip it out of its position. A few muted words were exchanged between the guards in Serena's cell until the group backed away from her trapped frame. Grute remained in his position; reluctant to relinquish the power he'd gained.
"Come on Grute… leave her alone, she's not worth it." One of the guards spoke softly and put his hand on the large man's shoulder. "Plenty of other girls here bud." At that, Grute growled angrily and removed his hands from Serena's bare body then twisted his hand into her hair. Though her face didn't show her pain Darien was sure it hurt; especially when Grute yanked her forward and against him. The man whispered something to her then released the golden tresses and backed away from her being sure not to give her any advantage over him. The men then retreated, locking the door on their way out.
"Threaten me again Shields and I'll have you hauled off to solitary confinement where you can't break out." Grute snapped as he adjusted his belt and followed the other guards down the hall. "Not often a young piece of ass is available like that." He added under his breath.
Once the men were out of sight Darien turned his attention back to the woman standing stationary in her cell pressing against the wall. Her jumpsuit was still open and Darien could see her breathing heavily as she processed what had just happened. Suddenly she let out a disgruntled shout and slammed her body back into the cement wall. The movement looked painful and the fact that she had just abused herself sparked his interest. Perhaps it would be easier to destroy her than he had thought. "Hey, you okay?" Darien smiled turning his charm on, if he was going to kill her he had to get close first. Close enough for her to trust him.
She heard his voice ask the question but she ignored it. Now was not the time for her to indulge in a conversation with him. Sure it was her mission but the idea that she had almost been raped by those men infuriated her. She wanted to hurt them, and Grute's whispered promise to her angered her more. He wasn't going to give up on dominating her. That and the fact that Darien was ultimately the one to fend them off frustrated her. Darien wasn't even in the same cell and the men had listened to him. He asked another question, this one with a shorter tone to it, hearing the annoyance in his voice she turned her head ever so slowly. He was leaning against his cell bars with a slight smile on his face. It was his superficial smile, the one he used to manipulate people; of course, she knew his too well to fall for the trick. "I'm fine, thank you sir." She then moved away from the wall and placed a hand on her zipper but stopped. Darien was still a man after all, perhaps she could use his body against him.
He watched her take hold of the zipper then opted not to close her suit. Instead she turned fully to him letting him get a full view of her upper body. Refusing to let her win the little game she'd just started he refused to let himself look at her, it took all of his will not to but he succeeded. She lay on her stomach, on the bottom bunk and propped her head up with her hands. Once again he was tempted to let his eyes wander but he didn't. "Nice to see you're coping well." He smiled instead and watched her lip pout slightly. She's good, but not good enough.
"Not the first time I've been in prison. Never been attacked by guards though, that was new." She laughed lightly and tilted her head to the side. She was adorable; he'd give her that. The way her heart shaped face rested so comfortably in her hands reminded him of an innocent child. Of course, she was no innocent child. She was there to interrogate him, that he knew. "What's your name?" She smiled and asked in the cutest voice he'd ever heard from a woman. When he realized what he was thinking he withdrew a bit to gather his thoughts. This woman wasn't adorable or cute, no, she was a killer, a trained agent. What was worse was that she knew everything about him. She would know how to get to him! He couldn't let that happen.
"Darien Shields. Yours?" He expected to hear an alias, expected her to make up some name instead, she recited her real name. "Serena huh? Let me ask you something Serena. How old are you?" It was something he'd wondered for a while and now that she was only a few yards away he could see that she was in fact, very young.
"Twenty." She admitted and smiled as a look of shock crossed his face. He surely wasn't expecting to see such a young woman in this place, that was clear. "How about you Darien. How old are you?"
"I'm twenty six." He said nonchalantly trying to hide the utter amazement he was feeling. The thought that she was so very young made him doubt that she was as good as he thought. She was barely an adult, practically still a child. "What's your survival plan kid?" He asked with a smile knowing that every young woman hated to be classified as a kid. Especially an independent woman. She visibly reddened making her look all the more attractive.
"I roll with the punches Darien. Why do you care?" She snapped and sat up. By now she'd forgotten about her open jumpsuit. She was more into the conversation. He was so pompous, it wasn't a surprise but it was a little bit of a shock to see him maintain the attitude in prison.
"I see that." He chuckled and lay on his bottom bunk he didn't need to keep looking at the practically half naked woman. He could carry on a conversation without the distraction of her bare chest. "You handled those guards extremely well by the way." He laughed. "Good luck with the rest of them in the showers."
She paled at the thought of the showers. She'd forgotten about that small, and potentially compromising issue. Grute would surely be following her there, and the other men in the prison… well, they were whooping at her as she entered the hall. "I can handle it." She said confidently and watched him chuckle. "I can!"
"You can't even handle five guards little girl. What makes you think you can fend off all the men who are going to be coming after you? You're twenty, you're a blonde, and as far as I can tell, you have a fairly nice body. They will be coming after you." He chose his words carefully. He wanted to tell her that she was so amazingly beautiful that she was doomed but he couldn't bring himself to tell her that.
"I'm not worried about it. I can handle myself." She growled and zipped up her suit. He'd classified her as fairly nice, nothing more. Of course he did, she wasn't anything spectacular, and he'd been with more woman than most men could dream of.
A few hours went by with Serena staring up at the bottom of the upper bunk. She was thinking of a million things. How was she going to get the information she needed out of Darien? How was she going to fend of all the men who would be looking to violate her? How was she going to do any of this in the amount of time she had? It looked hopeless. Truly hopeless.
Darien lay on his bed thinking of his strategy. How was he going to get close enough to her for her to trust him? How was he going to manage to kill her? How was he going to be able to keep the increasingly sexual thoughts of her out of his mind? Most importantly, did he want to let her go through all of the traumatizing things in store for her? He pondered the last question. It was possible that the other men would kill her for him, at the same time though, he wanted to do it himself. He wanted his name on her demise. He wanted to watch her die, then he wanted to tell Diamond that he'd killed her. He wanted a lot.
Finally the guards assumed their positions in front of the prison cells and announced it was dinnertime. The guard Darien had come to know as Johnson stood in front of his cell looking at him with caution. Johnson was a nice man, and probably the most honorable of all of the officials in the prison. Darien then looked at who had lined up in front of Serena's cell and was angry to see Grute standing there with his baton ready to beat the girl if she acted up. Johnson kept his eyes on Darien but saw the anger creep into his blue orbs. "Hey, Shields, don't worry, he's not going to get her in front of everyone. He has to corner her alone."
"I know. This is a perfect opportunity for him too. If he keeps her in there while everyone goes to dinner then she's in trouble." Darien bit and watched as the doors began to slide open, all but hers. "I knew it."
"Why do you care?" Johnson asked and looked pointedly into the dark man's eyes. He was shocked to see such intense anger come over Darien at the thought of one, fairly insignificant crime. Especially when Darien was notorious for killing the women around him.
"I have some unfinished business with her boyfriend." Darien hissed and stepped out of his cell and began to approach Grute. The hall was crowded but people always parted for him. They feared him. "Grute, didn't I say to leave her alone?" The large man turned to Darien slowly and just smirked.
"Move along Shields, go and eat your dinner. Let me handle my designated prisoner eh?" Darien felt the heat rise from his chest at Grute's smug attitude. The man was bold. "Tell you what? You go now and I'll make it a little easier on her."
"Get away from her. I mean it Grute. You can pick some other girl to harass." Grute laughed heartily then and turned back to Serena who was now wearing a slight smile on her face. "Grute… I'll kill you if you touch her." Darien finally resolved. He wasn't going to let anyone else hurt or harass her. It was his privilege, his revenge. "Hear me? She's mine." The rules of prison were clear, even if a bit shady. Whoever was at the top of the ladder got his way. Darien was top dog now and if Grute wanted to go against him he'd claim Serena as his. That way, if Grute did go against him, he had proper warning of impending death.
"Really? When did you decide this Shields? You're gonna claim her as your bitch are you? Well, last I checked she had to agree. Tsukino doesn't seem the type to be a bitch." He laughed and looked at Serena with amusement. Her mind was weighing her options. If she agreed, Grute couldn't touch her, no one could without serious consequence, and of all the people in this place Darien was the only one who could successfully fight off the masses. At the same time though, she wasn't sure if she wanted to put herself at Darien's mercy. He was moody and could become violent and unpredictable, but… agreeing would give her the opportunity to coerce information out of him. Then again, she'd be obligated to do what he said… no matter what it was and… she didn't want to be put in a compromising position. As the negative thoughts went through her mind se realized he wasn't claiming her in order to actually take advantage of her, he was doing it to keep her away from others.
"I did agree Grute. Call me Serena Tsukino, Darien's bitch." She curtsied playfully and smiled when Grute growled angrily. "May I go to dinner now?" She asked sweetly and grute unlocked the cell letting her out. She quickly rushed out and stood in front of Darien. "After you Darien." He smiled and grabbed her by the elbow leading her towards the cafeteria. "Thank you." She whispered.
"Don't dwell on it kid. You owe me and as soon as I figure out a way for you to be useful you're going to listen. Get it?" His tone was harsher than he meant it to be but at the same time he wanted her to know that this arrangement was simply business. Nothing more.
"Got it." She nodded and looked at him. Though she knew some prison rules she didn't know nearly as much as he did and whatever he said she would have to play along with. She had to make him think she just wanted to survive, that she was just another prisoner.
