For five days, Lilac had an incredibly hard time trying to hide her own movement. She did what she could to get her muscles used to moving again. She was in no position to run from the scene of the crime, but a shamble would do if Kylo Ren pulled through on the diversion.
That man, Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome, had given her hope. She had one chance to break out of life as a slave, and he was going to give it to her. He was going to open the door to her freedom. She had a lot of work to do to even be able to walk when the raid started.
After Kylo Ren had left Club Coast, Gam punished her thoroughly. He started with her favourite; isolation in the sauna. For most people a sauna was just a nice place to relax. For Gam's slaves, a sauna was a sweltering hole in a wall that destroyed spirits as easily as it made them sweat.
Being locked in a hot, steaming box for hours nearly killed her; especially when she was trying to do exercise whilst inside. She knew it was a stupid idea, but she didn't know it well enough to stop. She continued as her dehydration got worse. Lilac felt the movement of the stretches in her soul. She could move. That was a miracle in itself.
She knew she wouldn't be strong enough to get far away. If she was in the middle of a shift when the raid happened she wouldn't be able to stand at all. As much as she tried, she couldn't find a way to move her legs without being noticed by guests when she entertained. Gam threatened to tie her down, and she had to stop her fidgeting entirely before his punishments got worse.
Her muscles ached all day. Lilac was elated. She hadn't felt anything like it in years. She hadn't felt active, useful, since she was much younger. The most exercise she'd gotten while a slave was when she was transferred from one owner to the next at a slave market.
The punishments she endured from Gam when she was caught gave her more room to strengthen up. A lot more movement was allowed in a back room while she waited for whips, or electrocution, or another torture. With no one watching her and nothing to do, she exercised as much as she could while her wrists and ankles were chained to the wall.
The way she'd been treated during the last fifteen years, specifically malnourished so she couldn't escape, she was going to need more than a few days worth of wiggling her legs around. She had such low muscle mass that the doors themselves could be trouble.
The slave dorms next to Club Coast had thin doors so it didn't take much to open and close them. When the slaves needed to be locked in, there was a heavy metal sliding door on the outside that could be locked in place. It would be impossible for slaves to open it; the bouncers and other employees of Club Coast had trouble letting slaves out.
After Lilac's fifth day of training, she had to ignore that voice telling her how impossible it all was. She couldn't rely on her own strength to get her free from her captors. Her own strength was the only hope she had, but it would never be enough. She was weak. It was a miracle she didn't get sick more often, but her immune system was meticulously cared for.
Gam was from a long line of slave-traders. He'd had famous mentors. He knew exactly how to keep slaves well kept while also keeping them from having hope or showing the marks of abuse. He'd put a lot of money into his small empire, and every moment of his life was dedicated to his business. No one had gotten past him before. If a slave he owned went missing there was never anything left to find. Not that anyone ever searched.
Lilac didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid. She spent most of her days afraid, but it was different when she had a chance to escape. One chance. If she failed and was caught, she would be lucky if they only killed her.
On the sixth and seventh days after she met Kylo Ren, Lilac was on edge. She sat rigid, waiting for a sign that the First Order was about to raid the building. Every person entering Club Coast was her dark stranger, and every cork popping out of a bottle was a gun-shot signaling, to her, the time to run.
She had to be reminded several times that she was meant to be working, courtesy of more aggressive customers. Gam eyed her suspiciously, but said nothing while she apologized and tried to do a better job of being her normal slave self. She was chastised, her feet whipped privately.
Eventually Gam, tired of how she had been acting, whipped her so hard her feet swelled and bruised. He was careful not to leave any permanent damage, but he was merciless when it came to causing her pain and making her bleed.
Lilac didn't have a chance to rest. She had to continue her shift with her injured feet wrapped in gauze, and then covered with decorative slippers that offered no real comfort nor any traction on the mosaic tile.
If she'd been given a break, she would have cried. Her one chance was ruined. She had trouble walking before; after Gam punished her it was nearly impossible.
She didn't want to live as a slave any longer.
There was so much fear, so much pain.
Death didn't scare her as much as staying in Club Coast did. She wasn't going to put up with it any longer. During the raid, one way or another, she was getting out. And, one way or another, she wasn't going to let them take her back alive.
-KYLO-
"In position." The final team was ready to start the attacks, next to him in a back alley courtyard. Three businesses would be ended by the First Order within minutes of Kylo Ren giving the command. He'd organized the attacks, readied his troops, and paid off the official city policing squad. He was taking zero chances.
Touloo and his gang, Gam and Club Coast, and an inn that was known for housing rebels were all surrounded. Kylo had gotten the green-light to bring an entire army to the resort for the attack, but he'd decided it wasn't worth it. He opted for precision in several smaller groups.
The attacks would be swift, and fatal for all who got in their way. Even slaves and tourists wouldn't be spared. There wasn't time to interrogate each and every person to decide who could be let free. Everyone had to be assumed an enemy.
Kylo thought about Lilac as he watched Club Coast. He would be with the leading team heading in, but he wouldn't have time to look for her. If she was in the spot he'd found her in the first time—a table over from Gam—he would see if she was at all taking advantage of the opportunity he presented her with.
Not that it made a difference in the grand scheme of things. Slaves typically ended up as fodder when their owners were attacked. She wouldn't be any different unless she'd taken his words to heart. Even then, her own efforts could mean little in the chaos he was about to cause.
He intended to find out if she had it in her to be free. He was curious. For all he knew she could have been beaten to death shortly after he met her, and it wouldn't surprise him one bit.
"Sir?"
Kylo tilted his head towards the troops at his left. They were waiting, their helmets directed towards Club Coast, past the dark alley and street that separated them. "We're waiting for that group of tourists to be turned away. Once they are out of sight I will give the signal."
"Yes, sir."
It took several minutes. The tourists tried to barter and bribe their way into Club Coast, but even from across the wide, dark street Kylo could tell that they weren't the usual type of clientele Club Coast accepted. They looked like they had spent the last of their money a week ago and had been schmoozing and begging since then.
It wasn't uncommon for tourists to waste their money at the resort but try to stay at the luxurious place anyway. They were desperate enough to steal more often than not, and it never amounted to anything. They became trapped in a loop where they would lose everything, only to gain it all back, and just as quickly spend it all.
Club Coast couldn't trust those kinds of people. Gam couldn't risk it, with his underhanded dealings.
Of course, none of that mattered to Kylo. It was a business model he appreciated, but at the same time the business was about to go under. The owner was about to die at the hand of Kylo Ren, his entire empire brought down by the First Order. What kind of business model was that?
The tourists left, rejected and humiliated.
"Do you have a clear line of sight?" Kylo asked. The dark street was still too crowded. If they couldn't take the bouncers out quietly, then the people inside would be alerted to the attack.
"I can get one." A sniper replied, her voice forceful with focus. Kylo trusted her as much as he could trust any of them.
"You have go. As soon as the bouncers are down, Coast team has go. As we step through the front doors, Inn team has go. Inn team, tell Courtyard when to go. All ready. We have one shot."
Kylo took a deep breath. His mask seemed to disappear as he focused. He was ready for a battle, or a slaughter. He was ready for the blood, the screams, the action. He was ready to find Lilac's body among a pile of others. He could see her, in his mind's eye. He could imagine her small, fragile body covered in red. She was beaten and bruised. She was lifeless. Hollow.
She wasn't putting up a fight, anymore. She wasn't feisty or worth anything.
She was cold.
Her hands were still.
Kylo caught himself, his body shaking. The teams were waiting for his go, no one saying a thing over transmitter. His mouth was dry, his spit doing nothing to loosen the knot in his throat.
He was ready for a fight. He was ready to die. Somehow, he wasn't ready to lose her.
"Go"
The bouncers hit the ground. In seconds, the stormtroopers would be inside Club Coast and Kylo would have his answer.
Screw the mission. He had other priorities.
/AN/
HI THERE! Thank you for reading! Thank you to the followers and favs! It really helps me know that this series is being enjoyed, which helps me get the motivation to edit and update! If you can spare a minute or two, please leave a review. I would love to know exactly what you're enjoying about my writing. Again, thank you. You're amazing and special and I truly appreciate your attention
