Please see first chapter for disclaimer regarding Blacklist. (Of course I don't own it! Just borrowing for entertainment purposes.) I've replied to everyone's reviews if I could ( I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment) and anyone I could not reply to Thank you as well! You are just as important!
Just a warning the end of the chapter may be a little rougher than this has been yet in regards to torture (suggestion/description of non consensual advances/touches) it didn't feel to me M but if I'm wrong please let me know and i will bump it up.
Hope you enjoy:
The Cheshire grin Lucian had on his face as he moved over to her cage was disconcerting. Removing his smartphone again he started paging through whatever was on the screen, "I don't only have your personnel file but also Reddington's declassified file."
Liz couldn't help but roll her eyes, "You're obviously not as informed as you believe if you think I haven't already read that whole thing cover to cover- twice. Do you even know what an FBI profiler does?" The one thought she kept thinking was 'keep him talking' the more he talked the more time she had and the less she would be tortured. If they were truly being watched on a live feed by Red or the FBI anything he talked about would be analyzed in effort to find her. Liz couldn't discredit her desire to find out if what he was saying was true. It may be her only chance to find out what Red's connection to her was and why she was so important.
Lucian laughed heartily at that, "What you read was a puff piece fabricated by your government and people much bigger than you and I to paint Red the Big Bad defector and traitor to the flag."
'Everything about me is a lie,' Again Red's voice echoed in her subconscious. He had been telling her from the start that every preconception she had about him was wrong. In the time that she'd been captured by Lucian she'd found more and more truth to the subtle honesty Red had shared with her that she had discounted as lies and half truths. "You're a criminal... I've been told that criminals are notorious liars." Liz was surprised by how easily Red's words came to her, he always seemed to be just beyond her thoughts at all times. "Why should I believe anything you say?"
"Why would I lie? Yes- I'm bad news... I'm not your friend." Lucian shook his head. "I'm not going to help you but I have no personal ties to you either. To me: you are a paycheck- if I get what I want I'll never see you again. If I don't get it- I'll kill you." He said this so matter of fact in such a cold manner it rocked her to the core. "I just thought you'd like to know what you're probably going to die for if I don't hear from Reddington soon."
How soon?"
Lucian glanced at his shiny gold Rolex, "I'll give him another 12 hours, after that you will just become more blood on his hands."
"What does he have? The thing Red has- what is it?" Liz asked keeping herself composed and level headed, ' keep him talking' was the only thing running through her mind- her personal mantra for the foreseeable future.
"Classified documents that he's been holding over some VIP's for the past 20 years."
"But why now?" This didn't make any sense to Liz, why after 20 years did this information need to be recovered. It didn't take long for her to work it out for herself, "They are afraid the information is a part of his plea deal regarding the Blacklist."
Lucian winked at her as he approached the cage, "Ding ding... Give that girl a kewpie doll."
"How do you know that Red even knows about this-" she gestured around to the cage, "that you have me?" Liz stood her ground she didn't break down or shy away from him. "You said yourself that he's gone."
"Because the link to that camera," this time Lucian turned and pointed to a small wall mounted camera. She hadn't noticed it before because it was so small and melted into the wall- 'So there it is' she thought to herself. "The uplink to this feed, that we only sent to the FBI mind you, has been accessed twice in two separate locations. Which means Reddington has it, would you like to wave to him?"
Liz paused to stare directly into the camera. If Lucian was right and Red was watching this she knew he would save her, no matter what she did or said to him he always saved her. With that knowledge she could not break down, this was merely a hostage situation with dire consequences should she fail. "Ok then what do I have to do with all of this? That's what you want right? To spill his secrets. So tell me."
"All in due time," Lucian replied hitting a button on his phone once then pocketing the device. "As I said we have at most 12 hrs left together, the time is still young. I think we've done enough talking for now don't you?"
The jingling of keys caught her attention before a large set of doors opening redirected her gaze away from Lucian. She watched as two men carried in a metal table with a box sitting on top.
The clink of the lock moving on her cage caused her to turn quickly back towards Lucian as he was turning the key, "I think it's time we take our 'relationship' here to a more physical level. Don't you?"
Panic at his words flooded Liz and she rushed the door pulling on it with the whole of her body weight to keep it closed, "No I'm quite happy in here. I'd really prefer to know about why Red is using me."
"Come on now-" Pulling the lock off the cage Lucian used it to hit Liz's knuckles on the bars of the cage repeatedly. "Let's give ol' Red a little incentive to pick up the phone."
She was able to hold on for three strong hits before she felt the skin on her fingers break open, causing her to hiss and release the door. As quickly as she could she retreated and pressed herself into the corner kicking and scratching at him as he tried reaching in to grasp her.
The two henchmen behind her had set the table down and come to help at the cage. They reached through the bars and shoved her forward towards Lucian's awaiting arms.
Liz had no intention of going down without a fight. Instead of resisting her forward movement she went with it barreling into him, a well placed knee landed at his solar plexus taking them both down as he collapsed and a satisfying 'oomf' exhaled from his mouth.
Rolling away from him she stumbled to her feet shoving the cage into the two henchmen, delaying them enough to a head start towards the door they had just entered.
She hadn't taken two more steps before from out of nowhere Lucian tackled her hard to the floor. They wrestled momentarily until Lucian's size advantage won out easily. Rolling her over he sat astride her torso pinning her to the floor blocking her wide right hook and landing two shots of his own - one to her bruised abdomen and another to her face.
The hard blows stunned Liz, she now understood what Lucian meant about taking their relationship to a more physical level. Rolling on her side she pulled her knees up slightly to take the pressure off her sore stomach. Biting back the tears she wiped at the blood now seeping from the cut on her lip.
"I thought you were smarter than that," he growled out as he pushed himself to his feet. He turned to go then seemed to pause for a moment contemplating something. Turning back quickly he kicked her hard in the stomach and grinned with satisfaction at the crack that resounded - followed by her pained cry. "That would be at least one broken rib, should stout anymore ideas at escape."
Liz tried to catch her breath and breathe through the pain but she found it more difficult than mind over pain. The tears flowed freely from the pain but she refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out.
Leaving Liz laying on the floor Lucian strode back to the table his henchmen had carried in and started unpacking the box of items. "Gentleman your assistance is no longer needed, thank you."
Dismissing both men he turned turned the table, adjusting it so it faced directly at the camera. Once he was happy with the table, he removed two sets of handcuffs from the box. Connecting one cuff from each set he spread it out on the table measuring the distance they were able to span across the table.
Liz tried to move out of the fetal position she had found herself curled into cradling her bruised and busted body. Not so long ago she took solace in the fact that he wasn't going to kill her and that Red would save her. Now between the pain of the torture and betrayal by Tom, the feeling of abandonment by Sam and Red. She had reached her breaking point with Lucian.
"Alright Elizabeth I believe we need to sweeten the pot- so to speak." Lucian crouched down beside her resting on his haunches. Gently he brushed her hair away from her face and smiled wickedly down at her, "How do you feel about bondage and voyerism?" Lucian asked grabbing her by the hair that his hand still rested against and pulled hard to start forcing her to her feet.
Liz's eyes went wide when she registered what he had asked and she tried to struggle away from him. "Let me go!" She cried out trying to dislodge the clump of hair he had a firm grip on.
Tiring of her fruitless antics Lucian hit her twice in the stomach again aiming for the rib he had broken not minutes earlier.
Crying out in agony Liz collapsed to the ground at his feet, the pain of him pulling her hair dulled in comparison to the abuse to her broken rib.
"Up you go," Lucian mumbled picking her up bride groom style and carrying her to the table. Setting her on her feet he pressed her upper back forcing her to bend over the table, her face directly at the camera. In two swift movements he had her hands handcuffed under the table, effectively keeping her in the bent position over the table with a limited amount of movement.
"Please don't!" Liz cried trying to find a comfortable position to take the pressure off her ribs as they rubbed against the edge of the table.
Lucian stayed behind Liz just admiring her body in the precarious position. "Tell me Elizabeth-has Raymond seduced you into his bed yet?" Ghosting his hand over her shoulder he feathered touches down her spine.
The tears flowed freely from Liz as she squirmed on the table trying to free her hands from the handcuffs and test her range of movement to escape his touch.
When she refused to answer him verbally he grasped the collar of her shirt and pulled her back against his lower body straining her upper body in a stretch. "What was that?"
"NO!" She screamed hoping her answer would cause him to release her and create space between them. She wanted to call out for help, to call for Red to save her but what that would mean to him and to those watching at the FBI was too complicated To fathom. At this point her upper brain functions had effectively shut down and she had gone into survival mode- her only thought being to get away from him.
His wandering hands moved from her collar around her shoulders keeping her body against his and pulled away from the table. "That truly is a shame..." He mumbled into her hair as his hands moved down her chest to grasp the seam of her blouse. In one swift yank the buttons gave way separating the fabric and displaying her lace covered chest to the camera. "There's nothing complicated about meeting a woman like you and knowing what to do." Lucian's hand moved across her chest and over her bruised stomach down to the clasp of her slacks.
Liz tried to move away from his hands but it only pressed her against him more, "Please don't!" She begged him as she squirmed to the side groaning in pain at the torsion on her injuries.
Lucian grabbed her waist to move her back in front of him, resting his chin on her shoulder he hooked his thumbs inside the waist band to start working on the clasp. Before he could even get the clasp undone his phone rang stilling his hand movement.
Turning his head slightly Liz felt his hot breath spread across her neck, "Saved by the bell." Feeling him move away from her she collapsed against the table crying so hard she could barely catch her breath.
AN:I'm so sorry to leave it like this, I had intended to combine this and the next chapter but it was hard to write it out and have it make sense as you read through it because it went back and forth between scenes. Please leave love or hate just let me know what you thought.
Always
Lady