Hello y'all!
Mayremmy, EmilyAnnMcgarrett-Winchester, ButterflyAlley and SaphyraBlu13 Thank you thank you THANK YOU all for your reviews on the last chapter! Glad you guys are enjoying this story and continue to follow the journey. Stay tuned and have a lovely day!
CitrineMama
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They pulled into a hotel a few hours later. "Riley," Dean's firm tone made her eyes snap open and she pushed up off the bench seat, cowering away from the man next to her. "You listen to me." Dean parked the truck and leaned in to threaten her. "You walk in there with me. Not one word. I will snap your neck and not think twice. You hear me?" Terrified, Riley nodded. Dean got out and she moved across the seat, getting out on his side. Dean pulled a duffle out from behind his seat and slung it over his shoulder.
The parking lot was nearly full and she dared to glance around at their surroundings a little as they walked across the paved lot. Riley recognized the blue and green hotel chain immediately, filing away that detail for later. Dean noticed her looking around and squeezed her arm a little tighter. She glanced at him, his expression unamused. Riley dropped her gaze to the blacktop before they walked inside the lobby, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Good evening sir." The male desk clerk spoke, waving him over to the side of the line that had formed at the desk in the lobby and Dean nodded to him, a cold little smirk on his perfect mouth and Riley felt goosebumps on her skin. That clerk returned the same smirk, his eyes flicking to hers for a fraction of a second and it dawned on her.
He was a demon too, she realized in horror. He slid a key card across the countertop and Dean picked it up. "Enjoy your stay, Mr. Winchester." The demon gave Riley a nod and she felt her stomach drop. There were probably demons all over this place and she knew no way to know demon from human. There was no way she could alert someone that she was in trouble and if she happened to signal for help and Dean found out about it, Riley knew what he was capable of now.
They took the stairs instead of the elevator up to the seventh floor, Dean's hand wrapped around her forearm the entire time as she lagged behind a few steps, his stride longer and stronger than hers. "You're hurting me." Riley spoke softly and he didn't reply.
Instead Dean stopped suddenly on the landing between the fourth and fifth floors and turned his smoldering gaze back on her. He yanked her against him, his green eyes almost darkening to black with his anger. "I feel like you're gonna try something stupid, Riley."
"Please." Her soft plea made his expression soften almost imperceptively. "You're hurting my arm." He let her go and her other hand came up to rub her forearm. Her eyes held his for a few seconds in the stairwell. "I can walk, Dean." Riley's statement was accentuated by a nod from her and his calloused fingers slid unexpectedly into hers.
They walked side by side the rest of the way up the stairs and when they reached the seventh floor, Dean pulled open the stairwell door with his left hand. They walked down the hall to the last room on the floor, where he shoved the key card in the slot. The light flashed green, gaining access to their room for the evening.
The heavy door closed behind them and Dean saw the brunette flinch at the noise. He let go of her hand then and she wrapped her arms around herself. He toed off his boots and she followed suit out of habit and he tossed his duffle on the couch, brushing past her. "I'm gonna shower. This place is warded, so good luck leaving." His curt tone was back and she sighed softly.
Riley didn't reply as the bathroom door closed behind him. She waited until the water turned on and she moved across the room and pulled back the curtain, glancing behind her at the bathroom door. Four hours had passed while they drove, she realized when she looked at the screen. Quick as a wink, she pulled out her cellphone and snapped a picture of the street and city below and forwarded the picture to Sam's call before sending a text.
Dean took me. Holiday Inn Express. Not sure where. 4 hrs from bunker.
Sent.
The water shut off and Riley shoved the cellhone back into her bra and took in a shaky breath. The bathroom door opened and Dean walked out, wearing only a towel. She averted her eyes to the window again. He smirked at her shyness. "Get away from the window." Riley moved back, the curtain fluttering away from her fingers. She crossed her arms over her chest, her chocolate eyes on the plush hotel carpet under their feet. She heard the sounds of him pulling on fresh clothes. "You hungry?"
"No." She spoke softly. It was nearly 6 pm according to the clock on the wall above the armoire that housed the television. Dean was standing there, shirtless, in his jeans, his green eyes on her.
"I'll order something for you to eat." His voice was softer now. Riley didn't reply, keeping her eyes from his, not wanting to see her favorite shade of green flash to black. "Ry?"
"Don't call me that." Her voice broke and somewhere inside of him, Dean felt something shift. She blinked a couple times and he realized she was holding back tears. He pulled on a fitted tshirt and white socks before moving to the room phone on the nightstand next to the king sized bed.
The brunette glanced at him, his back to her as he spoke, ordering her room service before he hung up a moment later. Dean turned to the scared young woman a few feet away. Dean saw her shoulders tense up at his close proximity. Riley's eyes closed briefly, wondering when he would just snap and kill her with those warm, calloused hands.
Hands that had stitched her up and dressed her self inflicted wounds with such compassion.
Hands that had pulled her in for a hug everytime they lost someone on a bad hunt and he needed comfort.
Hands that had smoothed her hair back after she'd had a nighttime panic attack, before hugging her close and humming to her.
"Riley, have a seat." She didn't move and he reached out to her and she visibly flinched at his touch. His now green eyes saw the bruises on her right forearm where he'd gripped her tight, forcing her from the bunker. His hand was warm on her back and she allowed herself to be led to the couch in front of the armoire. Riley sat down slowly, wondering if Sam would figure out where she was from her cryptic text and picture.
Dean looked down at her before sitting down as well, putting his feet up on the cherry wood coffee table in front of them. There was silence in the room except for the clock ticking. Riley kept her eyes from his and he smirked again at her passive demeanor. "Riley?"
Nothing.
"I won't hurt you if you cooperate. Tell me where Sam is."
Silence.
"Are you gong to ignore me all night?"
Again, nothing from the brunette. Dean wanted a reaction and he was determined to get it.
"Are you hearing me?" He reached out and grabbed a fistful of her wavy brown hair, forcing her to look at him. Riley's expression was blank as she stared at him, her eyes unreadable. "Answer me, bitch."
Again, she kept her emotions in check by some miracle. This infuriated him and he twisted his fingers, pulling her hair. Riley closed her eyes, wishing she were anywhere but there, with this sadistic psychopath. Dean leaned in, his breath on her lips. "You either answer me, or I'm gonna start using other methods to make you talk to me." His tone was sinister.
Icy silence from the brunette.
Dean growled and threatened her again. "Look at me and tell me where Sam is." Her eyes opened and she saw his eyes flash momentarily to black, then back to green. "Riley."
He let her go for a moment before he rose, his strong hand wrapping around her right bruised forearm and she winced at the contact. He yanked her to her feet and against his chest, her left hand stopping her from crashing into him completely. "Where is that feisty brunette Dean loved so much? Where's that fight in you?" She felt her chest tighten at his words. "Aww c'mon sweetheart."
"I'm giving up on you." Her words made his pause in his psychological torture. "I won't fight you. I won't argue. I'm done." That threw Dean off kilter. "So like I said, get it over with, whatever you're going to do. Kill me." A dark smirk took over his perfect lips.
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Sam's hazel eyes closed painfully when he checked his cellphone after it vibrated. It was a text from Riley, along with a fuzzy picture taken from high up, overlooking a busy street. "Cas..?"
Sensing his unease immediately, the angel looked up from the newspaper article he was reading. "Sam?"
The cellphone was paced on the table and slid over to him. Castiel's clear blue eyes scanned the text and he looked up, shock on his features. "This cannot be true." Sam picked up his phone and thumbed a call to Riley. There was no answer and he got up, starting to pace the dingy motel carpet. He stopped when her voicemail took over.
"It's me... you know what to do..."
"She's not answering." Sam immediately redialed her number, yieldng the same result. "Shit."
"Sam, how would Dean have gotten to her? The bunker is warded." Castiel tried to be the voice of reason.
"Dean's not stupid... there's always a loophole." His throat worked to swallow. Sam sat back down at the tiny motel table and forwarded the picture she'd sent to his cell to his email and opened it up on his laptop. He zoomed into the tiny picture and scanned the fuzzy details, looking for any clue. "Does that say... thirteeth street?" He leaned forward, looking closely.
"It does." Castiel was looking over his shoulder now, startling him. Sam opened another search window and found the address and an image search yielded similar pictures to the one she's snapped and sent.
Sam's nimble fingers typed furiously as he cross searched the street name with the hotel chain. He mapped the route to the hotel and the locator he'd secretly put on Riley's phone alerted him to the same general area. "Okay. We're like... 6 hours away... can you get us there?"
"I'm running low on grace..." Castiel almost sounded embarassed. "I'm sorry..."
"Let's get our stuff and go." Sam closed the laptop and shoved it in his bag while Cas picked up the other bags.
"What about the case?" Castiel asked softly, halting Sam's frantic packing.
"Screw the case." His voice was shaking. The angel gave a nod and pulled out his own cell phone.
"I will call Garth and see if someone else can come and take care of it." The other man barely nodded.
Sam's heart was pounding and his mind was racing, remembering just what it was like to be carefree and not have any type of sense of right and wrong. The guilt he'd felt after regaining his soul nearly consumed him afterward. His brother was a ruthless, confident, cocky bastard and Sam knew that would not fare well for Riley and right now, there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
We're coming for you, Ry. He texted back.
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