Chapter 24

“Mar?”

The iron bars bit into Juliette’s shoulder and mashed into the side of her face and still she was no closer to reaching the other woman lying on her side. She managed to graze the very tip of her middle finger the calf of Maraveet’s right leg, but they had deliberately placed her too far, too far for Juliette to do anything besides trying desperately to somehow squeeze through the bars.

She knew the woman was alive. Her back would shudder occasionally, slight convulsions that were followed by a dry, rattling sound of someone with pneumonia. They’d taken Juliette’s watch, so she couldn’t even say for sure if it had been minutes or hours since they’d hauled Maraveet through the door and down the stairs. They hadn’t even been gentle about it. The two men had lugged her between them and then dumped her without care across the floor of her cell. They hadn’t even looked at Juliette and had ignored her when she’d tried to ask them for water.

“Mar, please wake up,” she begged, unashamed that her voice was a weak, shaky plea.

The days and nights in that place varied. It was impossible to tell without windows or even a watch, but Juliette knew it had been days, possibly weeks since their capture. It was the third day of Maraveet’s beatings, or it was all in a single day, evenly spaced out. She had no idea. But it was the third time they’d pulled the woman from her cage, forcibly marched her upstairs in one piece and brought her back in several.

Psychological torture. Maraveet had warned her they would try that, but she hadn’t said just how awful it would be to witness. The guilt was overwhelming. The need to do something was suffocating. Juliette couldn’t even pretend to be brave when she knew that at any moment, some asshole would thunder down the stairs, snatch Maraveet up, and take off with her to do God knew what all to get Juliette to talk. She wasn’t sure what they thought she knew, but she wasn’t wholly certain she wouldn’t tell them if they asked, which they hadn’t. They hadn’t called her back since the video session. They hadn’t asked her anything, yet they continued to terrorize them. Well, her mostly. Maraveet seemed highly unconcerned about the entire thing, like somehow they were intruding on her personal time. The woman had guts to spare. Juliette envied that, but more than anything, she needed it to motivate herself to keep going.

“He’s coming,” Maraveet kept insisting whenever Juliette began to feel herself slipping. “Just hang on.”

She never asked who he was, but she knew. It could be no one else, except, if Killian was coming, he was taking his damn time.

“Maraveet!” She raised her voice to a sharp whisper that seemed much louder in the metal box.

“Stop shouting,” came a low, raspy grumble. Maraveet’s left foot twitched. “I’m trying to sleep.”

Relief surged through her and she let her arm lower. The cold metal kissed her brow as she lowered her head and murmured a prayer of thanks.

“Are you all right? How bad is it?”

“Bad,” the other woman groaned. “They haven’t got any tea at all. Savages.”

“Don’t joke,” Juliette begged. “I thought they’d killed you this time.”

“They’re not going to kill me.” Her back rose and shuddered all the way down. “They need me to make you squirm, so stop squirming. I’ve felt worse.”

Juliette never knew what to say or think when Maraveet spoke like that. She wasn’t sure if the woman was just trying to make her feel better or if she meant it. She had a feeling the latter. She had learned enough about Maraveet to put the pieces together.

“Like what?” she blurted, needing the other woman to keep talking, to stay awake. “What do you do?”

Maraveet’s shoulders trembled. For a moment, Juliette thought she was coughing or having some kind of fit. But she was laughing.

“Haven’t figured it out yet?”

Juliette shuffled back and settled herself in the corner where the bars met the wall. “I’ve guessed you’re some kind of collector.”

The laughter was more pronounced when Maraveet spoke. “A collector. I like that. I suppose it’s close enough.” She exhaled. “I’m an obtainer. I obtain things for people who can afford my services.”

“You’re a smuggler.”

She made an almost purring sound. “No, I merely retrieve the item. The smuggling gets handled by someone else.”

Juliette thought about that a moment. “How did you get into something like that?”

“Family business,” Maraveet said without pause. “My parents were obtainers. Well, my father was. My mother was the one who did the smuggling. It was how they met.”

Juliette raised an eyebrow. “How romantic.”

“He loved her though,” Maraveet went on, quieter now. “Said it never made sense how someone so small could be so dangerous. I was seven when they died. The last thing they ever said to me was, Be a good girl for your aunt and uncle, Mara. Mommy and Daddy will be home before you know it. Never saw them again. But I had Killian’s parents and I loved them just as much so it wasn’t too bad. Callum ran my father’s company until the day I was old enough to take over.”

“How did your parents know each other?” she asked.

Maraveet grunted as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position. “Callum’s family has always been in the import-export business. They own several large ports over land, sea, and air. My mother used to use him to move things. Somehow, she met Saoirse McClary and the two became best friends.”

Juliette peered down at her knees. She drew them up and wound her arms around them.

“What’s your sister like?” Maraveet asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” Juliette said softly. “I spent the better part of sixteen years wishing she didn’t exist.”

“Why?”

Juliette picked at the fur around the tops of her boots. “Because I was an awful person before my mom died. Actually, I was an awful person even after she died, but before that, it was all about me. For seven years, I was the center of my parent’s world and I loved it. When Vi was born, I hated her for taking the spotlight away. I was terrible to her. Never gave her the time of day. When Mom got sick, I couldn’t deal with it. I couldn’t be anywhere near her while she deteriorated and faded away. I started to spend all my time with my friends and my boyfriend. I stayed away from home as much as possible, never realizing that Dad was doing the same, leaving Vi alone to take care of Mom during some of the worst of it. By the time I realized we were losing Dad too, Mom was in the hospital. I left school, got a job, and continued to stay as far away from Vi and Dad and home as possible.”

“Why?” The question was asked so low, Juliette almost didn’t hear it.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I guess a part of me hated her for not having to deal with any of the stuff I did. She was just some kid. She didn’t understand. But I was now responsible for her so I did what I thought she needed, a home, food, clothes … school. I worked and tried to keep us surviving day by day. Then Dad was killed and Arlo showed up on our front porch, so I did what I thought was right and protected her from it. When she started acting out, I thought she was just being a spoiled little bitch, ungrateful and just…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “It never dawned on me that maybe she was just lonely and acting out was the only way she could get my attention.” She paused to give a quiet chuckle. “I don’t even know what kind of person that makes me.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Maraveet murmured quietly. “It’s what you do after this that makes the difference.”

Juliette snorted to distract herself from the lump in her throat. “You mean if we ever get out of here?”

“We will,” Maraveet said with that same unwavering confidence. “I know my brother and I know he won’t ever stop looking for you.”