Thank you to TajiaK, Skillet's Lady Goddess and Maashmellow for the reviews!
Lily's grey eyes scanned the items on the kitchen table, taking a mental inventory. She wasn't carrying a bag with her. It was more likely to slow her down. The plan was to pop into town and pop out. Get the message across, and hope it got to its recipient on time.
She heard Seth's footsteps as he entered the kitchen. He rested his back against the counter table, watching her with crossed arms. "I still don't understand why I can't come with you."
"Because there'll be eyes everywhere, searching for us. Besides, how are we going to hide all that hair?" she teased, reaching up to ruffle it.
Seth took her hand and intertwined their fingers. "You love my hair," he smiled affectionately.
"I do," Lily agreed. "Especially now that the blond part's gone." She adjusted her dark wig and touched her back to make sure her gun was in its holster. "Once I get in contact with Jasmine, I'll contact you as well. Wait for my call."
"Right. And woman, you better call me," Seth said, an edge to his voice. "Because the moment I sense something's wrong I'm coming for you."
"Don't jump the gun, Seth. I'll call you."
"Promise me." Seth insisted, taking her face in her hands. "Promise you will call me the moment you even think something is wrong." His eyes bored into her own so intensely that Lily found herself inappropriately turned on. "I'll call you. I promise," she said. "I'll see you in an hour." She leaned up and gave him a long, slow kiss, if only to calm him down. "I love you."
Seth smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I love you too."
It was like any other typical day; sun shining, people bustling around town as they headed to work. Lily blended in with the crowd perfectly. With her hood tugged over her head and her hands in her pockets, she made sure to look around only at specific lengths of time. She was briefly reminded of the times she had to shadow a target, reminded of the thrill of the chase, the reward that came after. But she shook the thoughts away. That wasn't her life anymore. Any affiliations with F.L.O.R.A. had long since been severed the minute she chose to be Seth. She had no regrets.
Finding a payphone, she punched in a couple of familiar numbers and waited. It rang a number of times before the lady's voice came up, as expected. "You have reached voicemail..."
Lily spoke quietly, despite being alone in the tiny enclosure. "Jazz, it's me. I'm fine. I know this is going to get you into trouble and I'm sorry. But I really need your help. Meet me at twenty Whiskey Omega Hotel at thirteen hundred and forty-five minutes. I'll be there."
With that, she placed the phone back in its receiver, but not before wiping it for fingerprints. They would probably be able to decipher her voice. They might even figure out what she was talking about. But hopefully, by the time that happened, her plan would have been executed already. Hopefully.
Adjusting her hood, she turned and headed back where she came from. All of a sudden, a chill swept through her, and it had nothing to do with the weather. The feeling was familiar, and she immediately understood.
She was being followed.
Taking a deep, calming breath, Lily kept walking, looking behind her casually. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. But she knew. She picked up the pace, walking faster. She was sure now, certain. She pulled away from the bustling bodies and made a sharp turn into an alley. There was a door ensconced on the right, and she ducked inside. Sidling to the furthest end of the room, she flattened her back against the wall. Quietly, she cocked her gun, finger on the trigger.
The footsteps got louder, and she shrank further into the darkness, gun pointed, aimed at the door. It swung open slowly, creaking noisily, and a man in security uniform walked in. He took one step into the vast expanse, looking around suspiciously. Lily leaned back against the wall. Was he the one? She couldn't be sure. What she was sure of was that she needed to leave this place and go back to Stephanie's, back to Seth.
The footsteps were receding. The security guard was probably leaving. Looking down at her phone, she began to dial Seth's number when she heard a small noise followed by a dull thud. She peeked round the corner once more – and stopped cold when she saw the same guard sprawled on the floor, dead.
And that was when the arm wrapped around her throat.
Lily's hands immediately flew up to her neck, struggling hard as she clawed at the arm that was trying to choke her out. Her gun was knocked out of her hand, but that did not stop her. She drove her elbow repeatedly into her attacker's abdomen. He didn't budge, instead tightened the hold on her. Using all that was left of her strength she reached higher, digging her fingernails into her assailant's skin. The action elicited a grunt of pain, and she was spun around roughly, bringing her face to face with her attacker. Her blood went cold as she stared into the cruelest, most sadistic blue eyes she'd ever seen.
The butt of the gun struck Lily viciously in the head, knocking her out cold.
Lily slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times as she struggled to differentiate between the dreamless void of unconsciousness and the darkness surrounding her. She felt groggy, disjointed, and for a moment, the Englishwoman couldn't remember where she was.
At that very moment, she felt the zip ties bite into her wrists behind her back, chafing against her skin. Lily glanced down; her ankles were taped to each leg of a steel chair, and a duct tape was spread over her mouth. All at once, her disorientation evaporated, acute awareness rushing in to take its place as she remembered what had happened.
Lily slowly lifted her head, looking around with a dull and vacant gaze. She was in what appeared to be a basement or cellar area of some kind: smooth, bare cement walls and floor; no windows or doors that she could see; no light save for a single wall fixture casting a faint reddish glow along one side of the room. It was hot in here, too...she could feel the sweat dripping down her back. Her head was throbbing hard, painfully. She could feel the lump on the left side, the dried blood against her face, and she was surprised she could think coherently.
"About fucking time you woke up."
Her head darted up towards the deep voice. She found her abductor leaning against the door, his muscled arms and ankles crossed casually. He was incredibly handsome, with a shaved head, a structured jaw line and high cheek bones. Dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt, he could have easily passed for a model. He regarded Lily the way one would regard a piece of gum underneath his shoe. "So...you're the bitch that's got Rollins pussy-whipped," he said, in a surprisingly deep voice. "Lily, is it?" He approached her, smiling, but it never came close to reaching his eyes. The expression was terrifying, both in its iciness and in its mockery of a genuine human emotion.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the man drawled. His tone was conversational, almost pleasant, but Lily could still hear the harsh clatter of a snake's rattle. "I'm Randy." He pointed to himself, still advancing. "Seth's friend from work. He's probably told you about me. No, wait...of course he couldn't have, because he was too busy hiding you."
Without warning, he tore the duct tape off her mouth, and Lily felt the sensation of her skin being ripped off her face. Squatting down in front of her, he reached for her chin, turning her face to one side, then the other. Lily tried to pull away, but his grip was strong. "So beautiful..." Orton remarked. His eyes bored into hers. "I can see why he loves you, why he wants to protect you. But you and I know you don't need protecting. You're an assassin. You're just like us, like me."
"I'm nothing like you," Lily spat.
Randy arched an eyebrow, his expression faintly amused. "Feisty. I like that. You'll definitely be fun to kill."
Getting to his feet, he circled her slowly, and Lily was reminded of a vulture closing in on a carcass. "It wasn't that hard to find you, you know," he said. "For the average operative, maybe. But me? I'm special. And speaking of special...I'm a little curious. What do you see in Seth, anyway?" he asked. "What is it about him that made you throw your loyalty to your company away like it was nothing? I mean, for one, you could have had someone cooler, smarter, better-looking…just plain better." His smile widened. "Someone like me."
In response, Lily tilted her chin up defiantly. Giving him a smile of her own, she replied, "I don't know who you are, but you are clearly not half the man Seth is."
For a second, something resembling fury flashed through his face, but just as quickly, his face relaxed again. "A fighter till the end, I see." A low chuckle rumbled from his throat. "Let's see if you can fight this."
Kneeling behind her, Randy slid his hand into her hair, then down her throat and to Lily's horror, over her breast, making sure to squeeze. She tried to shake him off, but there was only so far she could go, especially when his other arm was around her midsection, trapping her. With his free hand, Randy spread her knees apart roughly and shoved it down her jeans. Lily was shocked as the tips of his fingers brushed her underwear. She tried to jerk away, but Randy held her still. Lily snapped her head back, aiming for his face, but he avoided it easily. He grabbed a fist full of her blond hair and yanked back hard, making her cry out in pain. Without warning his fingers plunged into her, and smiled evilly as a moan escaped her. "You like that, don't you, you little cunt?" he whispered in her ear, stroking her moist folds roughly.
Lily was horrified at the way her body was responding to Randy's touch. Beads of sweat rolled down her face as she did all she could to fight it. But she was helpless, bound to the chair, her head held back at a painful angle. Randy's fingers were relentless, probing, invading, yet compelling, and she couldn't stop herself from voicing out her pleasure. Her breaths came in short, restricted bursts. Her back arched off the small confine of the chair and her hips bucked instinctively, bringing his fingers deeper into her. As her walls began to squeeze around him, she'd never hated herself the way she did right now.
"That's it," Randy growled, dragging his tongue along the side of her face as he sped up his strokes. "Come for me."
Lily's moan echoed through the room. Her body stiffened and then shook as the orgasm claimed her. When she stopped twitching, Randy withdrew his fingers and stood up straight. Locking eyes with hers, he put each of the digits in his mouth, tasting his handiwork. "That was the easy part," he told her before walking over to a corner of the dark room. Lily saw him tape his wrists. "The real fun is coming," he said. "I'm going to torture you. Slowly. Intimately. In every way you fear. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging me to kill you. I'm going to lure your boyfriend out of hiding, and when he comes for you, I'll let him live just long enough to see my good work, and when he screams, I'll slit his throat." Randy looked over his shoulder and smiled. "But for now, I'll make do with just you."
Breathing hard and soaked in sweat, Lily glared at him, her eyes filled with angry tears. This felt worse than getting struck by a bullet. She felt violated and dirty and humiliated. She was going to get out of this chair, and she would kill Orton if that was the last thing she ever did.
She heard a hissing sound, and something smelled like melting heat. Randy turned and strolled back towards her. Lily's eyes widened with horror at the object in his grasp. He was holding an electric branding iron, the type used to brand cattle and other livestock. It glowed a hot, fiery amber, primed and ready for use.
Randy smirked; he hadn't missed the look on his captive's face. "Now, where do I start?" For a long moment, he regarded the blonde woman thoughtfully, like an artist deciding which part of the canvas to paint. Then, all at once, his handsome countenance twisted with inexpressible rage, and he struck, thrusting the iron against her jean-clad thigh.
Lily screamed.
Uh oh.