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  • The Reluctant Journey Ch. 12

The Reluctant Journey Ch. 12

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Dutari couldn't have been gone ten minutes before he returned to Malia's ugly cell. She was absolutely terrified. Before she could react in any way he spoke.

"Don't worry girlie, I'm just getting equipment set up." He laughed coldly. He dragged in a small narrow bench and set down a briefcase style toolbox on top. He opened it to reveal a shiny set of assorted pliers with several pairs of scissors and clamps included.

"No! Please!" She begged. Her tear production probably doubled on seeing the torture devices. He smiled and added what looked like a long screwdriver and some power tool that she assumed was a welding device to the collection.

"I promised you options. I'm a man of my word." She continued to beg, her words blending together until they were incomprehensible.

"Mmm." He moaned appreciatively, kneeling close to her face. "I love screamers." He brought his hand to her face and she strained with all her might against the restraints to get closer to the wall. He laughed again, the most evil sound she'd ever heard. "There's nowhere to run girlie." She clenched her eyes closed to get away from his sordid, evil face. Thankfully he just laughed again and stood up.

"I'll see you again in about twenty minutes. Think things over. Tick tock girlie." He was still laughing as he left her in the room once again.

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As soon as Tristan's text came through Cain saw red. He was on the move. He was instantly on a helicopter that took him directly to unit 118. Fuck the 'guards' of the unit. Fuck keeping the people living in the unit in the dark. He would deal with the repercussions gladly. Right now he was going to get Malia away from Dutari safely. Then he was going to tear all of the three asshole's limbs from their bodies.

Unfortunately the rage he was feeling was not nearly all encompassing. There was plenty of room for a dark, cold fear to cloud his mind. His imagination provided a soundtrack to accompany the sick pictures on his phone. He could hear Malia screaming for someone to help. He knew Vincent Dutari enough to know that the sick fuck would only get off on those pleas.

Upon hearing the helicopter Blake Denizen tried to make a run for it. Cain had men on the ground waiting for him. He was tackled and dragged back into the building before the helicopter landed. Under different circumstances Cain would have been entertained. Tonight he was looking for answers.

As soon as Cain entered Blake's tiny, pretentious office the weasel was inconsolably begging. He was sitting in an office chair in the middle of the cramped room with two soldiers flanking either side. As Blake tried to stand the man on his right forced his shoulders down harshly. Blake looked very scared, as he should be. If there was more time Cain would love to drag out that fear and pain, but there was no more time. Malia was in trouble and he was here to find out where she was.

"Where is she?" He bellowed in Denizen's direction.

"What are you doing here Malcolm? I will have you arrested. You're going to jail you crazy motherfucker-" He was cut off by Cain's fist. Blood spewed from Denizen's newly broken nose. He looked shocked as he brought his hand up to his face and screamed in agony simultaneously.

Cain kneeled to Blake's level. "No fucking games Denizen! Where is Malia?" His voice was cold and menacing. As Blake didn't speak quickly enough for Cain's liking he began to punch his face like a piece of meat. It was like he was in a daze when Finn grabbed him from behind and pulled him back.

"Cain! We need him." He yelled into his ear like it wasn't the first time he'd spoken the words. Cain shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. He nodded and Finn let him go. Denizen was groaning and clutching his face in pain.

"Denizen, I'm going to ask you one more time and then I'm going to cut my losses and kill you. You speak now and you just might make it to trial."

Denizen looked up at Cain through swollen slits. He pointed to the top drawer of his desk. Cain opened it and Denizen motioned to a tri-folded paper on top. It gave him an address. Cain all but sprinted from Denizen's office and back into the helicopter. Unfortunately he would have to leave his soldiers to handle Blake which meant he would, indeed, make it to trial. But Cain promised himself that the punishment would be extensive.

Cain had taken the helicopter within ten miles of the property address listed on the page, not near enough to be conspicuous. As the SUV that had raced the rest of the way came to a halt, Cain jumped out quickly. There was a frantic energy coursing through his entire body intuitively telling him he needed to hurry. Finn had directed the team of soldiers to surround the seemingly abandoned building. Cain knew the importance of a tactical approach, but it grated his nerves to wait even a second. Luckily Finn was extremely competent and quick. The team silently and effectively stormed the building.

Cain's stomach sank when a soldier gave Finn the 'all clear'. The building was abandoned. She wasn't here. Now he was too late to save her. Malia would be tortured, probably to death. Cain felt all of his energy and body heat drain with the resignation.

A sudden hand gesture caught Cain's eye. Cain quickly moved over to where the man stood. Cain looked down at where the soldier was motioning and his heart jumped in his chest. There was a hidden door cut out in the floor boards. He motioned the soldier to stand back, then reached down and slowly lifted the heavy wooden door. It inevitably groaned in protest as it went up, despite Cain's attempt at silence. The stairway that was uncovered was dark and empty. The soldiers filed down with Finn and Cain bringing up the rear.

The basement was mostly dark, with tunneling halls that led to small cell-like rooms. It looked more like an abandoned infirmary than a prison. Cain didn't need the sudden outburst of noise from the soldiers in front of him to know that someone was in the hallway. His eyes had picked up the light at the end of the dark hallway like a beacon in a storm. Dutari and Lutz were restrained before they had the chance to fight back. As viciously angry as Cain had been when he'd received the pictures was how disinterested he felt in Dutari and Lutz at the moment. He wasn't looking for retribution right now. He wanted to find Malia, to make sure she was okay, to do what he could to comfort her.

Cain didn't rush to the lit up end of that hallway. He was both looking forward to and dreading what that lit cell would hold. He barely saw the restrained Vincent Dutari as he walked next to him. He looked into the room the soldiers had pulled Lutz and Dutari from moments earlier. There were two plastic chairs and a card table full of beer bottles and fried food. Cain's head twisted towards Dutari instantly.

"Where is she?" His voice had never held more authority or menace before. Vincent looked back at him pale-faced and terrified. The piece of shit always had been scared of anyone that wasn't helpless in a fight against him. He was full of confidence when his opponent was restrained, or a woman. Cain didn't have time to work up to a substantial anger before Vincent was motioning to another room with his head. Cain walked around the corner and saw that there was another room emitting light in this hall. Cain walked to the door hoping for the best but visualizing the worst.

There was a small square window in the top of the door that offered a view into the small room. He saw her instantly. She was tied to a narrow cot, spread-eagle on her stomach. Cain tried the door, but it was locked. He yelled for a key and wasn't surprised when Finn brought it to him personally. He felt dangerous right now which was no doubt prevalent to his men. Cain had enough composure to thank Finn. Finn simply nodded, always understanding to Cain's less friendly moods. Cain unlocked and opened the heavy wooden door. Finn stayed in the hallways as Cain walked in. He was instantly met by frantic sobbing.

"Please! No!" Malia pulled at the restraints which looked to be made of leather. Her voice was as desperate as he'd heard anyone's before. Her aggravated motion caused the bleeding welts on her back to seep. He saw a familiar torture setup on a bench in the corner and his stomach flipped. Cain realized she couldn't see him, she thought he was Vincent here to torture her more. He was momentarily stunned by the enthusiasm she used to beg him not to hurt her. He would never hurt her. He would spend the rest of his life making sure no one hurt her. Finally he found his voice as he took a step towards her, into her line of vision.

"Malia." His voice was scratchy with emotion, but she must have heard him because she stopped struggling.

"Cain?" She sounded completely vulnerable and unsure.

Cain was surprised by the tears he felt running down his face. He walked to the head of the cot and kneeled by her head, completely visible to her now.

"Yeah baby, it's me." His voice was weak with the effort it took to contain himself.

Malia began to cry even harder. Did she think he was in on torturing her? His gut twisted at her negative reaction to seeing him. Cain finally composed himself enough to bring his shaking fingers up to her wrist restraints. It took a lot of effort for him to release the buckle. She was still crying, breaking his heart with her lack of trust in him. He hadn't given her any reason to trust him. She'd said she loved him, he didn't deserve it, and he hadn't reciprocated it. He'd all but kicked her out to find someone else to give her love to. However, it still felt like a knife in his chest that she should feel like he would ever be involved in hurting her like this. He worked the other wrist restraint free and moved down to release her legs. He avoided looking at her back. Surprisingly the brief glance when he'd walked in the door filled him with a deep grief rather than the expected fury. He hadn't done this to her, but he also hadn't kept her safe. Denizen had only done this to Malia because of him. She hadn't done a thing to the men that hurt her. It was completely his fault that she'd been hurt. She didn't move as she was released from the leather cuffs. She just cried harder into the mattress. Cain didn't know what to do once he'd gotten all of the restraints off. She wouldn't want him to comfort her, not when she thought he was responsible for having this torture inflicted on her. He was responsible, it made him feel sick. Cain just sat back on his heels and watched her, his heart breaking more and more as she fell apart. He felt completely and utterly useless.

-----------------

Malia had thought she didn't have any tears left, but when she heard that door open behind her she found out differently. She realized that the will to live was very much instinctual and without the opportunity to fight and/or give flight, all she had left were her tears. She knew it wouldn't make a difference to Vincent, but she couldn't control it.

"Please! No!" She heard herself begging him. Her voice was raw from crying and sounded as terrified as she felt. Giving her time to contemplate her upcoming torture was the cruelest thing that had ever been done to her. Malia's thoughts since Vincent had left the cell had centered around visualizations of burning flesh and missing appendages. As soon as she heard the door open all of those thoughts came to the surface to cause a fear that went deep into her marrow. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to leave her family, her new friends, Cain.

"Malia." She stilled. Had she heard his voice simply from thinking about him? She couldn't decide if that was the best gift or the cruelest punishment she could receive right before her death.

"Cain?" Oh how she wanted him there, but it just seemed too much to ask for. He wasn't her hero. He didn't want to be with her.

"Yeah baby, it's me." His voice was full of emotion as was his face when he walked into her view.

It wasn't really him. She was hallucinating from extreme stress. Cain would have been furious when he walked in. Cain would have murdered Vincent for taunting him with the pictures. She hadn't heard any kind of gunshot in the hall. Would she be able to hear through the door? It was a moot point because Cain would never have used those words to greet her. He didn't call her his baby. If he used a pet name it was something sarcastic or demeaning, like 'little girl'. She realized that she was full on sobbing now. She wanted him to be there with all of her willpower, so he was there. But things didn't work that way. She could make him her knight in shining armor in her mind all day but that didn't save her from the evil plans of Vincent Dutari. The mind was a powerful thing and this was one hell of a final scene from hers.

The tears running out of her eyes were obscuring the gorgeous vision, ruining whatever little time she had with him. She thought it strange that tears would affect a hallucination but she'd never hallucinated before so she wasn't sure how it worked.

What if he was actually there?

No, she refused to hope for that much. She would be grateful for whatever she could get. Just as she tried to begin to control her emotional outburst Cain began to unbuckle her from the disgusting bed. Of course her fantasy would extend to him saving her, it was what she'd wanted more than anything. It felt so real, she couldn't feel the leather around her wrists anymore.

No!No!No! This wasn't real.

She couldn't take the devastation when the disappeared and Vincent showed up to replace him. He released her ankles while she continued to break down. She couldn't look at him, it would be too painful.

Eventually Malia ran out of tears once again. If she were to get out she would more than likely be dehydrated from her countless stints of crying. She didn't try to move her arms or legs, it would probably ruin the dream of her freedom. She couldn't keep from looking for Cain though, if it was a hallucination she would make the most of it. He was still there, looking at her. He looked tired and very, very sad. He was kneeling about four feet from the side the bed. He didn't say anything. Why wasn't he saying anything?

"Cain?" She asked again.

"Yeah?" He barely choked out.

What was there to say. If he wasn't really there, than it wouldn't make a difference what she said anyway. But if he was there what would she say to him? What was the last thing she wanted to say to Cain Malcolm?

"I love you Cain." She spoke clearly and simply. It was the truth. It always had been.

He frowned and looked confused. "You do?"

She nodded. Of course he wouldn't believe her, he hadn't the last time she had told him either.

"Then why are you crying?" He finally asked, his voice still gruff with emotion.

Malia inhaled deeply and let the calmness his presence brought overwhelm her. He looked impatient waiting for an answer. She smiled weakly. "Because you're not really here. And I wish more than anything that you were." She expected him to disappear now that she'd acknowledged his imaginary status, but he only kneeled there looking even more confused.

He seemed lost for words and it took him a while to respond. "Malia I am here. I'm right here. You're going to be okay."

"Please don't." She interrupted. "It's okay that you aren't here. At least I get to see you before he comes back."

Cain looked shocked by her words. A solitary tear ran down his beautiful face. Malia frowned. This wasn't how she wanted to see him. "Malia he isn't going to come back. I know that he hurt you and I wasn't there to stop him. This was all my fault. But he won't ever come back to hurt you again. I'm so sorry sweetheart."

No, this wasn't what she wanted to hear. She didn't want him even more guilty. He always had a burden of guilt to carry and she didn't want him to feel any more guilt from her. Was it possible to have a happy ending to this terrible nightmare? Malia finally tested her arms. She was free from the bed frame. She could move. She looked down surprised at her wrists. They were red and chaffed but unbound. She closed her legs and wasn't stopped by any restraints.

Malia's elation was instant and intense. "Cain?" She asked yet again.

"I'm here Malia. I'm right here."

She wanted to go to him. She wanted him to hold her. She started to push herself up into a sitting position but was stopped by the sudden pain the movement caused in her open seeping back.

He jumped up and came closer. He knelt again, very close now to the edge of the bed.

"Malia don't." He placed a gentle but restraining hand on her shoulder. Malia brought her hand up to his cheek, feeling stubble as she caressed his face.

"You came to save me." She attempted to memorize all of his features in that moment only to realize she already had. His deep brown eyes were so comforting to her because they had become familiar somewhere down this crazy journey they'd been through together. She knew his face but she also knew that she would never get tired of looking at it.

"No." He answered. She was confused, for a second she didn't remember what she had last said. He continued. "I'm the reason you're here at all. You have every right to be angry with me, to hate me." He looked guilty and still so sad.

Malia cinched her brows in confusion. "No Cain, you're not. You had no part in this. This was the doing of some evil men, only they are responsible."

He shook his head adamantly. "Malia I-"

"Cain!" She stopped him. "You are not to be guilty over this, do you understand me? You saved me. Could you just accept that you're the god-damned hero for once?"

"I'm no hero." He said solemnly.

"You're my hero."

"You deserve more than someone like me."

She smiled and continued to slowly stroke his face, assuring herself that he really was there. "I don't deserve to get what I want? Because I want you Cain. I don't want someone else. I love you."

He frowned down at her. He brought his hand to her face and gently stroked her face from temple to chin. "I love you Malia. I don't know what I would have done if-"

"Cain," she interrupted again, "I'm going to be okay. We're going to be okay." She smiled. She was suddenly elated, the emotion amplified because it had been so long since she'd felt anything even remotely positive.

Cain slowly kissed her, especially gentle in all of his movements. It wasn't a kiss of lust, it was so much more than that. It was everything she needed to know. He looked down at her, studying her again.

Finally he seemed to come out of a daze. "I need to get you to a hospital." His face was so concerned it was comical. "What the hell is wrong with me." He stood and went to the door. Malia had forgotten about the pain. She was safe now. Cain loved her. Malia smiled and dozed off.

-------------

Malia's elation wasn't strong enough to withstand the physical pain the medics reawakened. there was no getting around moving to transfer her to the stretcher. As Malia stood she felt stickiness on her back that made her dizzy when she remembered the cause. Her muscles strained in protest under her own weight. Malia willed them to support her and looked down at her feet. That was when she saw the blood dripping down from her open back. She felt all of the heat leave her face right before she passed out.

-------------

Malia moaned with discomfort. She tried to prevent the encroaching consciousness from grasping her, but it was a losing battle. The first face she saw was her father's. He was smiling gently at her. She never thought he'd looked so old.

"So blood's still an issue for you princess?" Malia smiled weakly and nodded. He laughed lightly. She thought it was a defense mechanism for him; if he laughed he couldn't cry. It didn't work, a solitary tear ran down from the inner corner of his eye. Most of her grogginess wore off at seeing her always composed father cry. He closed his eyes to prevent a breakdown.

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