I knew then that these men were not our rescuers. They, especially the one with eyes blacker than the night, radiated a single-minded purpose that instilled within me fear and fascination in equal measure. The similarity in their features was undeniable as I studied them standing beside one another. They were brothers. I had no doubt of that. And both of them stood studying me, focused intently only on me.
Chapter Three
“Ladies,” the man with the black eyes said, shifting his gun on his shoulder.
One of the women jumped. He glanced at her and she covered her face.
“Your captors are dead and you belong to us now. You’re all going to stand up and quietly walk out of this truck and into that one there.” He pointed, as if there were more than one truck to choose from. “You will remain silent. Is that clear?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “You will not come to harm as long as you obey this simple instruction.”
“Who are you?” I asked, the words out before I could think.
All eyes turned to me. My heart raced, realizing I’d just drawn the men’s attention by disobeying this, their very first command. The one with the golden eyes simply stared, his gaze burning into me, but his brother — I decided to call him Obsidian then — exhaled loudly, and one corner of his lip turned upward.
“There’s always one that just has to test, isn’t there?” Obsidian asked in a whisper meant to be overheard. “It’s so much more interesting when they do though, isn’t it?” His gaze remained upon me even though he wasn’t addressing me.
“Always,” Golden Eyes said, only hardness etching his face.
“You will all learn that obedience is rewarded and disobedience punished. We’ll make our first example once we reach camp.” It was Obsidian who spoke, addressing the group with the threat meant for me.
I tried to swallow, but my mouth was a desert. A cold sweat covered me and after a long moment, I couldn’t do it anymore, I couldn’t hold their gazes and looked down to the floor of the truck. The woman I was chained to clutched my hand, her fingernails digging into my skin, our combined fear a palpable thing. I wondered if they could smell it on us even over the stench of animals that permeated the truck.
“If that’s all the questions we have, then we’ll get going, girls. Out.” Golden eyes said.
On shaky legs, a dozen women slowly rose. A few still had shoes on; I wasn’t one of them. Most wore clothes that were, perhaps not one or two nights ago, beautiful. Now they were tattered and filthy and had taken on the stench of the animals that must have been transported on this very truck before us.
They walked and I followed them, my companion and me the last off the truck. The two men nodded at each woman as they filed out and Golden Eyes loaded them into the back of the large pickup truck he had driven up in. Obsidian looked to be waiting just for me, and even as I tried to move as far from him as I could, when it was our turn to climb down off the truck, it wasn’t possible. His gaze was like a physical thing, but he didn’t touch me, and I held tight to the hand that held my own.#p#分页标题#e#
I made a mistake though when we were almost to the pickup truck. As my companion was climbing onto the back of it, I looked at the truck we’d just vacated. The cab was smashed, the bloody mess of the man who must have been driving our truck on the ground.
Panic crept into my mind, my soul, and I gasped for breath, my knees buckling beneath me. Golden Eyes’ arm circled my waist, catching me before I fell, holding me upright.
“Easy.”
My nose came to the middle of his very large, very wide chest. It hurt my neck to turn my face up to his, and even though I refused to cry, his image was blurred from the tears brimming inside my eyes.
He scanned my face, noting the bump on my forehead, and for a moment, I imagined I saw kindness in his gaze.
But I was mistaken.
“Up,” he said, shifting his grip to my arm, lifting me to climb into the back of the truck. I sat next to the girl who shared my chain. She wept quietly, squeezing my hand as she did.
I determined not to look away then, not even when Obsidian returned with that smirk on his face, his eyes quickly fixing on me.
“Hope you’re not going to be trouble,” he said.
My friend’s hand tightened around mine. I didn’t reply.
“Or maybe I hope you are.”
I swallowed, feeling the color drain from my face as I shivered.
He turned to the other man. “We’re done here.”
Golden Eyes nodded, made sure no fingers were in the way, and slammed the door shut. I exhaled then and leaned my head against my companion’s shoulder.