A/N: Well... hello my lovely readers. LONG OVERDUE I know, but here is the next awaited chapter! Made it nice and long too! The only excuse I have is life, but I never stopped thinking about or working on this story. Just lost my muse for a bit. I hope you enjoy and please comment!
Kill & Collect
Chapter 15
Jane was not sure how long she had been in this hell hole of darkness. The smell of metal, dust, and old water invaded her nose. Her head rang with an impending migraine and the wounds suffered from blows to her face and torso throbbed in pain. Though she felt more mentally exhausted than physically, the brunette had finally centered herself and no longer let her mind venture into the dark memories of her past.
Suddenly, she heard the loud metal door open and voices entered the room. She was not sure, but from the sound of the shoes on the ground, she counted no more than three men in the room.
"Don't try anything bitch or it's another tase to the fucking neck for you." Jane winced as she was held down at the shoulders by one man and her legs were untied from the chair by another. She grunted in pain as she was roughly pulled to her feet and forcefully hauled out of the room. One man stood on either side of her, holding her arms tightly. The brunette found no point in struggling and the sack over her head still obstructed her sight. She had no idea what possible exits she had, so she willingly went along. She heard more voices and was soon in another room. They pushed her down into a similar chair as before and her legs and arms were bound once again.
The sack was suddenly removed from her head and she squinted as the harsh light hit her eyes. After several moments, she began to adjust to the surroundings of the room. She blinked several times and was finally able to focus on what was in front of her. Instantly, her heart sank and fear gripped her. Just ten feet away, a table held an unconscious Maura Isles. The blonde's arms and ankles were tied and she was laying crucifixion style. Jane's eyes shifted upward to see Hoyt standing over the blonde with a smirk on his face.
"Hi Jane."
Jane's jaw muscles tightened and pure fear for Maura filled her soul.
"Leave us." Hoyt ordered the other men in the room.
The men exited, closing the door behind them. The room was silent as brown eyes stared into creepy blue.
"So this is what you betrayed me for?" Hoyt asked, waving his hand over the blonde's unconscious body. "This… bitch."
Jane defiantly lifted her chin in silence as she kept a cool gaze on her former boss.
He looked down at Maura and tilted his head to the side. He scanned the blonde's facial features with his eyes. "Hmm," the Hoyt wisped through his lips. "I can somewhat see the appeal, Jane. She is looker…"
He raised his boney hand towards her face.
"Don't you fucking touch her," Jane growled.
Hoyt chuckled as he ignored the brunette and brushed some of Maura soft curls away from her face. Jane's insides twisted in disgust at the sight. This man had no right to touch her Maura. Hoyt lifted his eyes with a sickening smirk and moved his hand away. "Shall we wake her so she can join our little party?"
He pulled something out of his jacket pocket and moved it towards the blonde's face. Jane immediately recognized it as smelling salt. He waved it under Maura's nose and within seconds the blonde's eyes flew open. Maura gasped as she regained consciousness and tried to gauge her surroundings. Her sight was fuzzy but she noticed a foggy form looming above her.
"Jane?" She murmured.
"Maura!"
The blonde frowned, hearing Jane's voice from the other side of the room. Her eyes shifted to her right and her heart dropped, seeing the brunette bound to a chair with multiple cuts and injuries to her face. Maura tried to move but soon realized that was impossible. Her eyes shifted to all her limbs, noticing rope was tying her down. She then looked up again at the person above her. Her vision finally cleared to the sight of a creepy man smiling down at her.
"Hello, Dr. Isles."
Maura's eyes frantically shifted between the stranger and Jane, trying to figure out what was going on.
"I'm sure you know who I am," he spoke.
The blonde swallowed and felt her pulse quicken as she recognized the man's voice. The same voice she heard on Korsak's plane. "Hoyt," she whispered.
The man smiled before he closed his eyes. Leaning his head back to the ceiling, he inhaled deeply through his nose. His expression held a look of serenity and bliss as though he had been waiting for this moment his entire life. "You know what I smell?" He asked before opening his eyes. His eyes locked on Jane and he smiled. "Lavender and fear," he gleefully stated.
Jane struggled against her restraints as he watched the person she despised most in the world tower over the love of her life. "Maura, it'll be okay."
"Oh, it will be okay," Hoyt said with false reassurance. He then reached in his back pocket and produced something a metal object that reflected a small shimmer of light off it. A scalpel. "Not for either one of you, I'm afraid."
Maura's eyes widened as the medical tool came into her line of sight. Hoyt looked down at her with a look of pure distaste and anger. "You took my Jane away from me. And now you're gonna pay."
"She's done nothing Hoyt!" The brunette yelled. "I went after her! I brought her into this."
"You let her fuck you!" He growled, lifting the scalpel and pointing it towards Jane. "Your head was no longer in the game after meeting her. I could see it." He looked down at Maura again. "She poisoned your mind and your loyalty. She stole you from me!" He shouted, causing Maura to jump at the shrill of his voice.
Jane wanted to say she never belonged to him, but she let the sentence die on her tongue. She did not want to provoke him to hurt Maura.
"She stole you," Hoyt breathed. He raised the tool and directed it towards the blonde. "Now I'm going to punish her. I'm going to let you see what happens when you put someone else before me."
Maura shrank back as the sharp tool came closer.
"No!" Jane screamed as she watched the blade make a clean slice on the right side of Maura's neck. The blonde cried out at the stinging pain but bared her teeth trying to muffle any sound escaping her mouth.
Tears formed in Jane's eyes as she saw the small line of blood trickle down Maura's neck and she struggled to free herself. "Don't hurt her anymore," Jane strained through her teeth. "I'll do whatever you want. I'll come back and work for you again. Just… please, no more."
Hoyt paused before his eyes slowly trailed over to the woman across the room. "What did you say?"
Jane swallowed and took a breath. "I'll work for you."
Hoyt straightened up and Maura took a sigh of relief to no longer have the creepy stranger leaning over her.
"Did you just say… you'll come back to me?" The older man questioned.
Jane nodded her head. "Yes," she breathed.
"If I let her go, you'll work for me again, truly?"
"Yes, I will." Jane spoke with conviction in her voice.
Hoyt looked Jane dead in the eyes and they held each other's gaze for a moment. "Are you in love with her?"
Jane swallowed and tightened her jaw muscles, hesitant to answer the question. Her eyes moved to Maura's face and the blonde looked at her then. She could see in those hazel depths that the blonde knew and understood no matter what Jane decided to say they both knew the truth.
Hoyt tilted his head, studying the brunette's face. "Are you?" He snarled. Jane's eyes suddenly shifted to her former boss. She could see the impatience building within him but she was still not sure how to respond. Hoyt suddenly grabbed a handful of the blonde's hair and violently tugged, causing Maura to yelp out in pain. "Are you?!" He shouted.
"Yes!" She cried, before she could stop herself. Jane struggled in her chair, wanting to come to Maura's aid. "Yes, I love her!" She screamed.
Hoyt released the blonde's hair and narrowed his eyes at Jane. He backed away from Maura and slowly came around the table. Jane pathetically hung her head as Hoyt came and stood directly in front of her.
"Look at me Jane," he demanded.
The brunette tried to mask her disgust as she met his steely eyes. "You don't love me anymore?" He asked. Jane only stared back at him with indifference. Hoyt shook his head in disappointment and began to walk in a circle around the brunette. "I gave you a reason to live again, Jane… a new life that made you useful again. You owe me your soul. I was your everything at one point in time. Do you not remember that?" He came around and stood in front Jane once more, looking down at her. "Then one quick screw with this filth changed your mind," he said, pointing at Maura.
Jane held his gaze for a moment and finally spoke. "You're right," she solemnly spoke. "You did give me a reason to live and I haven't forgotten that. I haven't." Jane spoke with reassurance in her voice. "I was pathetic and you saved me from myself. I owe you my life and I will do whatever you demand of me."
Hoyt raised an eyebrow at her words with a considering expression.
"All I ask is for you to let Maura go."
Hoyt's expression shifted from curiosity to menacing glare within an instant. "Ahh!" He angrily growled before he spun away from Jane and made his way back over to his previous spot by the blonde. "It'll always come back to her, won't it?!" He spouted, pointing the scalpel inches from Maura's face.
Jane's eyes nervously shifted between the blonde and Hoyt, not knowing what to expect next. Hoyt looked down at the blonde and held up the scalpel with a smirk. "Tell me, Jane. How long did it take your hands to heal?"
Jane's heart constricted at the suggestive question and she heard Maura gasp. "Hoyt, don't." She got out, breathing heavily with anxiety.
"Don't what? If you truly love each other, why not have something symbolic that brings you closer together? You'll match."
Maura instantly balled her hands into fists on instinct.
Jane's eyes shifted to Maura, seeing the tear tracks staining that beautiful face. The blonde's breathing was erratic and Jane could see the growing fear radiating off the other woman. The brunette shook her head sadly and met Hoyt's eyes once more. "Please…" her voice broke. "Just let her go. I'll come back to you, I swear."
Hoyt eyed the woman across from him and soon shook his head. "You say a lot of things, Jane… but they're all just things you know I want to hear."
"That's not true."
"I think it is!" He suddenly shouted back, his voice rang loudly in the room. He looked down at Maura and the blonde made a fist with left hand. "Open your hand, Dr. Isles."
"Hoyt!" Jane shouted, but it fell on deaf ears. The man no longer held her in regard, keeping his eyes on Maura.
The blonde tucked in her lips and her eyes shimmered with fearful tears.
"Open your hand now or I'll break each one of those pretty fingers one by one," he demanded.
With a stubborn grunt, Maura opened her hand, palm up.
"Hoyt, please! I'll work for you! I'll do whatever you want! Don't do this!" Jane pleaded once more.
He raised the scalpel above his head and looked at the brunette. "I don't believe you."
"No!" Jane screamed.
"Ahhhh!" Maura's gut-wrenching scream seemed to shake the room as unbearable pain shot through her palm. The sharp metal tool was forcefully plunged through the flesh and muscle of her left hand. Tears instantly poured out of her eyes as her face twisted in pain.
"No! You motherfucker!" Jane screamed, yanking and pulling with all her might against the ropes to no avail.
Hoyt watched the blonde with a pleased smirk and then looked at Jane. "This is what happens when you defy me Jane?!" Hoyt shouted.
"No, no, no…" Jane whispered in disbelief. She shook her head as tears of her own tracked her face. She would gladly go through the torture she suffered so many years ago a million times than to see Maura hurt.
"You know it didn't have to be like this, Jane. Kill and collect. This all could have easily been avoided if you had just followed orders."
Maura blew out heavy puffs of air and whimpered, trying to regulate her breathing as unwavering pain shot through her hand. She glanced at her hand, seeing the metal tool sticking through her flesh and blood oozing from the entry point. She then looked over at Jane. She had never seen such vulnerability and fear in those brown eyes. The brunette was crying for her. No one has ever cried or cared for her in such a way as Jane has and it made her heart ache. Their gazes locked and both of them saw the fear reflected in each other's eyes.
"Look at me Dr. Isles."
Maura swallowed the bile that came up in her throat before looking at the man with hard eyes.
"This is what's going to happen," Hoyt said, as he brushed a strand of Maura's hair from her face. She cringed at the touch and refrained from inhaling through her nose to avoid the stench of the man's crude breath. "First, I'm going to do what I just did to your left hand, to your right. Then, I'm going to watch you scream and cry some more in delicious agony."
Maura's heart was thudding painfully in her chest upon hearing Hoyt's words. She was terrified and the only person that could help her was helplessly watching from the other side of the room.
"After that… I'm going to slice your neck open from ear to ear and slowly watch the life drain from your eyes."
Maura watched at Hoyt removed a second scalpel from her pocket. As she saw a gleam of light reflect off the sharp tool she realized something. This was how her life was going to end. She closed her eyes and everything around her disappeared. There were only memories now. She remembered Paddy showing her how to fire a gun, seeing him murder a man, leaving home to go to Paris, studying at the medical university… meeting Jane in the bar.
A tear escaped from under Maura's eyelid as the last of her memories consisted only of the brunette. Jane allowing her to touch her scars the first night they slept together; catching Jane outside her home and locking eyes with her in disbelief; wrapping Jane's bullet wound and looking deeply into those troubled brown depths; comforting Jane with a kiss in the woods under a full moon in the sky; making love to Jane…
She opened her eyes, falling back into the reality that was her nightmare. She could no longer feel her left hand anymore. She was giving up. She felt Hoyt holding down the fingertips of her right hand and knew what was coming next. More pain and then soon… she would be able to surrender… surrender to the end. Hoyt raised the scalpel in the air, prepared to bring it down with might force. Maura bit her bottom lip in preparation.
The door suddenly burst open and a gun was fired into the room. Maura opened her eyes just in time to see a bullet rip through Hoyt's shoulder. He dropped the scalpel to the floor. Another shot was fired and the bullet struck him in the calf. He groaned in pain and stumbled away from the table.
Jane looked towards the door and saw who had fired the weapon. Paddy Doyle. His eyes connected with Jane's before more commotion interrupted them. Paddy was momentarily distracted by something in the hallway and fired his weapon at an unseen enemy.
Hoyt limped across the room, blood leaking from his wounds and opened a door that was on the opposite side from where Paddy was. He turned in the doorway and locked eyes with the brunette.
"This isn't over Jane!" He promised. "I'll always find you no matter what you do!" He slipped out the door just as Doyle and three other men rushed the room. Two of the men quickly began to untie Jane from the chair while Paddy tended to his daughter. He cringed sympathetically as he examined her current state. "Maura," he softly spoke.
"Daddy…" the blonde breathed before swallowing the lump in her throat.
Jane was finally untied and was able to stand to her feet. Her ribs and muscles ached in pain at her movements as she took a few steps closer to the table. Maura's eyes shifted towards her and she met the blonde with a sympathetic gaze. "Maura… I…"
The blonde could tell Jane was torn in that moment but knew the brunette had a mission to complete. "I can't let him get away," Jane finished.
Maura gave a nod of courage and understanding. "It's okay. Go Jane, go."
Jane looked at Paddy then. "I'll take care of her." He said, as though reading her mind. "Take my gun." He quickly tossed the weapon to her and she caught it with ease.
Jane and Maura's eyes met one more time. Though it only lasted a few seconds, they expressed all the love and care they held for one another. The brunette turned away before she lost her nerve and swiftly headed for the door Hoyt had gone through moments before.
Maura's heart constricted as she watched Jane leave but her attention was soon brought back by her father's voice. "We've gotta take this thing out."
The blonde glanced as her hand and swallowed. "Yes."
"Alright." Paddy placed his hand on the scalpel as gingerly as he could but the movement still jolted Maura's nerves. She sucked in a breath.
"On three, baby."
"Okay," Maura nodded, before closing her eyes.
"One… Tw…"
"Ahhhh!" The blonde howled out as the metal was suddenly pulled from her flesh.
Jane burst through the door, gun pointed straight ahead. She took in her new surroundings. It was dark and damp expansion of space with a few overhead lamps hanging from the high ceiling rafters. There were large mechanical machines in the room, looking very much like an old rundown factory. The path in front of her seemed to stretch on forever with the line of overhead lamps beaming down spotlights on the cement floor. It was eerily quiet except for what sounded like that drops from an old water pipe.
Stepping forward, she immediately spotted a trail of blood on the ground. Jane knew Hoyt could not have gotten far. Not with the gunshot wounds he had suffered. She knew he was close. Keeping herself alert, her eyes scanned over every area of the room visible to her. The brunette stepped further into the space, following the trail of blood. It went on for another thirty feet or so before turning around a corner into a hidden area. Jane placed her back against the wall, preparing herself to peak around. She held the gun close to her chest and slowly leaned out, turning her neck to look. Nothing but a dead end. She furrowed her brows and came around the corner and stepped closer. There was a very prominent puddle of blood in this small area but no Hoyt.
"What the hell?" Jane whispered to herself. She knew the man was bleeding badly so how did the trail suddenly stop?
The brunette turned back to the main path she was following and looked at the ground. Not another trace of blood could be seen. She stepped back from around the corner when…
"Ahhh!"
"Omph!" Jane was suddenly tackled to the cement floor with a weight on top of her. The force was so strong she lost the grip of her weapon and the gun went sliding ten feet away from her. She struggled to turnover onto her back and was soon looking up at Hoyt. He immediately raised a scalpel and brought it down towards Jane's face. "Die!" He screamed.
Jane's eyes widened and she immediately reacted, grabbing the older man's wrist. The point of the scalpel was within inches of her right eye as she pushed with all her might against the other man's strength.
Hoyt growled in wild frustration above her as tried to push the tool towards her. With a burst of adrenaline, Jane grasped his wrist with both hands and forced the man's own fist into his nose. The blow temporarily threw him off and Jane was able to roll them over so she was now on top.
"You son of bitch!" She snarled threw her teeth as she slammed his hand to the ground, attempting to knock the sharp instrument out of his hand. They struggled on the floor for a while before Hoyt got his other hand free and delivered a hard punch to Jane's already bruised ribs.
The brunette yelped in pain and she soon found herself under Hoyt once more. She stopped his second attempt of plunging the scalpel into her body, gripping his forearm and wrist. This time it was above her chest.
"I will end you, Jane! I'm going to stick this in your fucking heart so you know exactly how you made me feel!"
Jane grit her teeth in desperation, trying to ignore the sharp pains screaming at her aching body as the man applied more weight against her.
"You're pathetic. I never loved you… you are nothing to me," she got out.
She put forth her full strength and began to shakily and slowly shift the direction of the scalpel. Hoyt's expression shifted as he realized what was happening. Jane held eye contact with the man as the tool was finally pointing at the man's chest. In a swift move Jane shifted and kneed Hoyt right between the legs. He groaned and lost his strength to fight against the brunette. Jane pushed forward and the sharp tool plunged into the man's chest. Hoyt's cool blue eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Gritting her teeth, Jane pushed the tool in further, causing the man to gasp with his mouth agape. Her face twisted in to a victorious snarl as she felt his blood cover her hands. "It's over," she whispered.
She pushed the man's limp body off of her and he rolled over onto his back without a fight. She let out an exhausted breath and pushed herself up into a seated position. That's when she heard it. The last thing she ever thought she would hear in that moment. Laughter. With confusion etched on her face, she slowly looked over and saw Hoyt cupping his wound and chuckling. Jane's eyes shifted to his calf and she saw he had tied off the wound, which had stopped his bleeding. That was why the blood trail on the ground had ended. She frowned at him before slowly standing to her feet and retrieving her gun. She walked back over to the pathetic man on the ground and stood over him.
He looked up at her with a sickening smirk and heavy lidded eyes. "What are you going to do now Jane? Call the authorities? Have them lock me up?" He grinned.
"No." Jane answered without hesitation. She pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger, over and over, quickly unloading six bullets into the man's chest. His body flinched as each bullet entered his body and his face twisted in pain. No more laughter.
Hoyt gave a few tedious gasps for air before the life slowly drained from his eyes. His hands slid from his chest and his head fell lifelessly to the side. He was still now. Before Jane even realized what was happening, a sob escaped her lips. She survived. She defeated her nightmare. Hoyt was gone.
"Jane," a soft voice spoke.
The brunette looked towards the voice with a wary expression. Her body was slouched and she was tired. However, when she saw the person walking towards her, her lips turned up slightly. Maura was within feet of her now and she saw a makeshift bandage made out of a stripped cloth wrapped around her bloodied hand.
"Hey," Jane softly said.
"Hey."
Maura stood next to the brunette now and they both looked down at the dead body before them. "Are you okay?" The blonde softly asked.
Jane looked down at her bloodied hands and her bottom lip began to tremble. Within seconds Maura was in her arms wrapping her in a comforting embrace. The brunette began to cry; harder than she had ever cried in a long time. She buried her face in the blonde's neck and held onto Maura for dear life. The blonde whispered soft words to her and stroked her hair as Jane continued to cry. She was finally able to let go and she knew Maura would be there to catch her.
"Let's go, Jane." The blonde softly coaxed.
The brunette nodded and allowed Maura to lead her away from her dark past.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this read! Epilogue to come soon!