Chapter Eighty Eight: Straight for the Knife

You went straight for the knife
And I prepared to die
Your blade it shines

Sia - Straight for the Knife

There was something covering his face. It was the first thought Antonio had when he jerked back into consciousness, his head pounding so hard he swore he could feel his heart beat in his temples. There was darkness all around him, he could feel the itchy material of the hood scratching against his tanned skin, taste it in his mouth pressing against his nose as he inhaled. There was a medicinal smell in the stale air, faded antiseptic he thought the kind that was old and had seeped into the walls of the room around him.

The joints in Antonio's shoulders were killing him. He wrenched his wrists, crying out in fury as something sharp bit into his flesh, tearing apart the skin. Something warm dripped onto his palm and it took him a second to realize he was bleeding. His fingertips lightly felt along the line of his bonds feeling cold steel binding them together, with several sharp barbs attached to it. Each one pricked at his skin, scrapping at him when ever he moved.

Razorwire, he realised and with that his chances of escape sunk even lower. He had more of a chance of amputating his own hands than getting out of his restraints. The knowledge rocked him. He wasn't used to feeling helpless, panic was not a feeling he was accustomed to but he knew when his heart rate began to accelerate and his breathing became rapid that he was losing control.

The hood was torn from his head, leaving him completely blinded by the sudden bright light. His eyes were stinging so badly they were almost watering. He blinked quickly trying to clear the black spots that were dancing in his vision.

"Look who has finally decided to join us after all."

The mocking voice penetrated Antonio's ears, the sound like an explosion in his head as he winced away from the noise. He didn't recognize the other man standing in front of him, there were features of his face which resembled someone he knew but Antonio struggled to pick out the details as his eyes tried to focus. His ash blond hair was slicked back away from his narrow features, curling at the base of his neck from where it grown a couple of inches too long. His mustache and goatee matched his natural hair color as he towered above Antonio, those familiar hazel eyes of his narrowed as he reviewed the other man coolly.

"Now that your both awake it's time to get down to business."

Antonio's gaze strayed just behind his captor, his heart sinking as his dark eyes came to rest on the other person in the room.

"No..." the word tumbled from his lips involuntarily.

That panic was surging up inside of him like a sickness, he could feel it up his spine with it's icy tendrils as he took in the sight before him. Maggie was merely a few meters away from him, her delicate hands bound with steel handcuffs looped over the beam above her head, forcing her body taunt. Her feet were barely touching the floor, she was forced to stand on tiptoes to support her own weight. It was a stress position, one that Antonio had seen before used by some of the human traffickers they had managed to shut down when he was in Vice. It was meant to put pressure on the shoulders and chest, causing excruciating pain for anyone who endured it for long periods of time. In worst cases it could lead to suffocation.

Her cobalt blue eyes were wide open and furious as she glared at the captor with a venom Antonio couldn't fathom. That fire was still burning bright within her, she was lucid and vengeful, he had to believe that that would get her through whatever this maniac had planned for the two of them. A silver patch of duct tape had been slapped over her mouth, stifling that airway. Already her breathing was labored from the position she was in, he could hear her rapid pants ringing in his ears as she wretched at the handcuffs that held her in place. There was an open gash on her forehead, a trail of vivid red blood had leaked from the cut and dripped onto her dress leaving a crimson splotch.

"She's only here because of you." their captor told him before he drew up a metal folding chair from against the wall and placed it midway between Antonio and Maggie. They both watched as he took his seat, leaning back and rolling his neck before he turned his attention back to Antonio. "You took the one thing I loved and ripped it apart and now I am gonna do the same to you."

"I didn't kill your brother, the suppliers did that." Antonio reasoned, his eyes already straying taking in the details of his surroundings and cataloging them for further use.

Low ceiling with steel rafters, a small, confined empty space lined with four white walls. From the scent of bleach in the air if he had to guess he thought maybe a hospital judging from the clinical white cabinets that lined the back wall. His chair was made of unrelenting metal and bolted to the floor. Although that was clearly a DIY job, a decent one he was forced to admit.

As concerning as Antonio found their predicament, he was come to terms with the reality of their situation Adjustment was one of his strong suits along with rationality. His control was back with earnest, this had become about survival, not just his but Maggie's as well.

"You betrayed him." Jack Cooper erupted, launching to his feet in one fluid movement. "He gave you his trust and his loyalty and you chewed him up and spat him out like he was nothing to you."

Antonio didn't even see the blow coming, it was lightning fast, catching him across the jaw turning his head with the impact. The sound of flesh on flesh contact filtered through the drafty space round him as pain erupted along the line of his jaw, teeth clacking together at the force. He slowly rotated his head back towards their captor, his tongue sweeping along the edge of his teeth to ensure that none had been loosened. He'd been on the receiving end of beatings before but at the time he had always been able to fight back. The second punch caught him straight in the gut, he grunted in pain as the air rushed out of him causing his body to fold forward wrenching at his bonds so that the razor wire cut into his wrists.

"Paul told me you could take a beating." Jack's fingers raking through Antonio's hair, gripping it tightly in his fist as he yanked the other man's head back so he could stare in to the detective's eyes. There was hunting knife in his hand, it's blade glittered in the overhead light as he held it up for Antonio to see.

"Let's see what Maggie thinks of this one." Jack asked the other man conversationally

Antonio inhaled sharply at the prospect. His lips twisting into a snarl at the threat to his lover.

"You are going to watch as I cut into her, it is going to be slow and it is going to be painful." Jack told the other man.

He couldn't stand the thought of the man laying his hands on Maggie, it made him sick to his stomach to think of him stripping away her dignity. The idea of that knife anywhere near her skin made every single violent impulse he had spin completely out of control. He didn't give a shit what Jack did to him, he would take it all a thousand times over if it spared her from this psychopath. He was wrenching at his bonds now, the razor wire burying itself deeper into flesh as he twisted and yanked with his body trying to free his hands or break the chair that he was tied to so he could murder the bastard with his bear hands.

"She has nothing to do with this." Antonio yelled frantically. "I betrayed your brother, I'm the one that let him die. You want to hurt someone hurt me!"

The words were out in the open between them and as soon as they left his mouth Antonio wished like hell he could take them back. He had given Jack an opening, he could see the pleasure in the other man's eyes hazel eyes mounting as his grin twisted into something even more malicious.

"I had to sit back and watch you destroy my brother. He told me he was being tortured in that prison and I couldn't do a damn thing about it." Jack snapped at the other man before he advanced on Maggie, the hunter's knife clasped tightly in his hand. "Now you'll get to know how that feels."

Hey guys. I guess this is the chapter you've all been waiting for and I can promise you it only gets worse.

Anime: At first I had a little trouble getting into Gabe's mind but he actually became one of my fav chars. I honestly thought they missed a trick after Kim getting shot, even when Antonio got shot in the first season they missed a trick. Did I live up to any of your ideas?

Lauren: Thank you so much, I really love writing Gabe, he is just an awesome char to play with and a complete challenge. I fell for Gabe so much whilst writing him. My lips are sealed on Gabe and Kim.

Nat: They were very unexpected especially for me. It started with her taking him a cup of coffee and escalated into this friendship I never knew they had. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!