Page 22 of Dismantle & Prevail

Grabbing my phone from my back pocket, I tap the flashlight and begin looking around the nearly empty basement. Apart from a few shovels and chainsaws, I see nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing that could produce that awful smell.

My eyes narrow on a concrete wall towards the back of the room and hurry to the other side of it, plastering my back against the cool concrete.

Please don’t let a hoard of guards be waiting behind here. I may have just taken down Sleeping Beauty upstairs, but I’m no match for a slew of most likely armed men.

The awful smell hits me once more and I beg my mind to fight everything in my body, begging me to toss the contents of my stomach.

I tuck my phone into my jeans pocket and shine the flashlight straight ahead. Moving my free hand to my waistband, I grab my gun and extend my arms as I creep around the corner, ready to fire at the first person I see.

As I round the wall, my heart is racing so fast I feel like it's going to beat out of my chest. My arms drop and I place my gun back in my holster.

Shock. Heartbreak. Fear. Devastation. It all floods me as I catch sight of what lies behind the wall, my feet moving me closer against my will.

Wetness hits my cheeks and my voice cracks. “A–Aries?”

Trapped in a wrought iron cage, chained to a concrete wall, sits a lifeless Aries. His head hangs down, his arms trapped above his head by rusting metal cuffs.

No. This has to be a dream. This cannot be how this story ends.

My hands wrap around the door of the cage and I try to pull it open, but it doesn’t budge.

Fuck!

I search the area for a key, but it’s unsuccessful. I’m about to run upstairs when I remember the key ring I stole from Sleeping Beauty.

My hands shake as I try every key on the crowded ring. “Please work.” My head lifts for a millisecond, my gaze locked on a lifeless Aries. “I’m coming, you big pain in the ass. I’m going to get you out of here.”

Nothing.

Reality sets in and I shake my head, not allowing myself to go there.

I reach the last key and place it in the lock, mentally preparing myself to run back upstairs in search of the right key. But to my total surprise, the lock disengages and I pry the door open; the metal scraping on the concrete floor.

I make a break for Aries; the smell assaulting my nose, but I do my best to ignore it.

Crouching down, my hands move to either side of Aries' heavily bearded face, lifting his head so I can get a good look at him.

Bruises. Blood.

That’s all that I see on his battered face. His cheekbones are more pronounced and rage fills me. And with a quick glance, I do a once over of the rest of his body, especially his mangled wrists. I can tell that moving him is going to be anything but easy and painless.

I’m going to kill whoever is responsible for taking a man that spends his day leading an entire unit of people to nothing but a crumpled heap of blood, tattooed skin, and bones.

Brushing my thumb against his cheek, I lean in close, “Aries. It’s Taylor. Can you hear me?”

Come on, Aries. Give me something.

Continuing my pattern with my thumb, I wait for any sign of life. And when his eyes slightly move, I feel a large breath of air fill my lungs.

“It’s me, Ari. Come on. Open your eyes.”

Aries' eyes flutter a few times before he opens them completely, his dark eyes locking on mine. His eyebrows raise and shock falls over his face. He blinks a few times and shakes his head.

“T-Taylor?”

His voice is nothing more than a whisper and I can hear the strain in his vocal cords, as if he hasn’t spoken in days.

“Welcome back, Aries,” I say, a small smile falling on my face, trying to give an ounce of hope to the man I thought I'd never see again.