In The Darkness (Project Artemis #1)(10)

There was no damn way this guy was telling the truth. Her father wouldn’t make her suffer for nearly two weeks. No way.

“He didn’t. When he decided the FBI wasn’t seeing this case like they should, he called me. That was last week.”

“Then why didn’t you show up until today?”

“I had to get in with them, which took a few days. They aren’t exactly the most trusting people on Earth. Now listen to me. This could get ugly, and I’m talking really ugly. I need you to remember that whatever happens, I won’t let them hurt you. I promise. I won’t let them hurt you, Persephone. But if it does get as ugly as it could get, I need you to remember I’m doing this to save you. Never forget that, okay?”

Nick leaned away, settling his gaze directly on her. What did he mean by as ugly as it could get if he wasn’t going to let them hurt her? What was going to happen that made his warning sound so chilling?

Reason told her not to trust this man. He was one of them. But hope made her want to believe what he said, and at that moment, she chose to hope that he wasn’t simply toying with her for some sick and perverted enjoyment he’d get later when he told her it had all been a lie.

For now, she’d trust this Nick. What other choice did she have?





Chapter Four





Nick watched as Persephone considered whether to trust him or not, her eyes narrowing as she studied him. He understood her skepticism. Dressed like one of the men who held her hostage, he didn’t exactly look like the kind of guy anyone should believe, especially at that moment as he sat in front of her while she remained bound at her wrists with a rope around her waist tying her to the chair. The fact that he appeared to be a part of the National Equality Militia didn’t add any credibility to his claims.

He knew all that and still hoped she’d believe him. This job would be much harder if she didn’t, and having the person you’re trying to help fight you every step of the way never turned out good.

The bruises on her neck made him cringe in anger. Those fuckers had choked her at some point in addition to hitting her, if that discoloration under her eye was any indication. It wasn’t bad enough they had to smack her around? They had to grab her like that too?

Instantly, that made him wonder what else they’d done to her. She had too much fight in her for them to have raped her. At least he wanted to believe that. The thought of them doing that to her made his stomach turn.

Lowering the bowl to his lap, he reached out to lightly touch the purple bruise just under her left ear. She flinched as his fingertip grazed her skin, wincing like it hurt to merely be touched.

“Does that hurt?” he asked as a way to try to get her to talk about what they’d done to her.

“No,” she answered, obviously lying as she shrank from his touch every time his finger moved against her skin.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered, pulling his hand away. “Have they done anything else other than choke you and hit you?”

Silently, she shook her head, but her frown deepened.

“You can tell me. Honest. You can trust me, Persephone.”

“They haven’t done anything to me other than that. Not that I’d want to tell another human being if they had, but they haven’t. I don’t get the feeling they think of me as a sexual thing so much as goods they can trade for.”

He knew all too well what people like this militia thought of women. He’d seen it time and time again. She was right. To them, women were things to be bought, sold, and traded for, but even worse, they didn’t consider them people with feelings. If the mood came over one of them that made him want to prove his power over her, Nick didn’t doubt for a moment that they’d rape her without a second thought.

“Don’t let yourself get deluded, Persephone. This group has a special hatred for women. That hatred would justify just about anything they wanted to do to you.”

He regretted sharing his inner thoughts because immediately fear filled her eyes. Quickly, he placed his hand on her shoulder to fix his mistake.

“I told you I won’t let them hurt you. You don’t have to worry. Okay?”

The fear in her dark eyes gave way to disbelief he knew it would take time to dissuade her of. He would, though. If it took everything he had inside, he would prove to her that she could believe in him. The job depended on that.

“Where are we?” she asked in a tiny voice so different from the one she used before with him. “Where have they taken me? Are we still in the United States? I know I’ve been held hostage for thirteen days, or at least I think I have, but I have little sense of where I am after the farm they took me to.”

“You’re at a house in a small town in Virginia. Do you know why they took you to the farm?”

She shook her head and sighed. “I don’t know why they kidnapped me at all. What’s this about?”

Nick looked over toward the door to see if anyone was coming in and then turned his attention back to her. “The people who kidnapped you are the National Equality Militia. They seem to have some problems with people who make money, like your father, and the media having any ability to make money, also like your father.”

She sneered at his explanation. “Equality? They call this equality, or is that only for angry white guys like them?”