12: A Loaded Ultimatum

                                    

                                          
Eve POV
                          
Not long after the room had been cleaned, I sat on the floor with baby Marcos. I couldn't stop thinking about Elena. I'd never seen anyone die in front of me so suddenly and brutally before. At least, not someone that I knew. Those who'd died when Brian rescued us last year I never saw as anything but bad guys who deserved to die. I didn't think Elena deserved it. And the baby sure as hell didn't deserve to lose his mother. I never expected to see death so closely. Maybe I should have with dad doing what he does, even with all the shelter and secrecy I'd grown up under...
                          
Rhodes had done what Cipher told him and removed Elena's body. He watched us like a hawk in the hallway while someone quickly cleaned the room, leaving it smelling like antiseptic and formula. The space was small and it felt like the walls were closing in on me. But I couldn't freak out in front of the baby. The little guy had no one else but me. I had yet to see anyone but Cipher, Rhodes, and the cleaning person, but I knew Cipher had other cronies about. If I bailed or was killed, Marcos would probably be as well and I wasn't about to let that happen. 
                          
I didn't know what time it was or where we were but after playing for a few hours and drinking a full bottle, Marcos fell asleep. After what must have been an hour or so, I laid him down in his crib. Now that I was more or less alone, I didn't know what to do. I wish I had a clock so I at least knew if it was late or early in the day. Finally, I just laid down on the bed and let myself think back to what Cipher had said about Tej. There was just no way. He could fend for himself, they all could. Even Ramsey had gotten better at self-defense while I still stumbled over my own two feet.
                          
I heard a door click and watched it open outwards. I was on red alert, waiting for someone to enter the tiny room. When no one did, I sat up and peered outside the little cubicle into a hallway that was dark and narrow. 
                          
Baby Marcos moved enough to send the sheets rustling and I looked back at him. Once certain he wasn't going to wake, I took off down the hallway, which led to a type of control room. I froze a few steps from the open doorway, not sure if I wanted to enter or not. It didn't take many brain cells to know that Cipher opened both doors to bait me. But what did she want?
                          
I didn't want to know. I turned around to go back to Marcos when I saw her standing behind me. The psycho bitch had stood in the shadows waiting for me. She smirked, sadistically happy that I was scared of her. 
                          
"I was beginning to wonder if you would venture out or not." She said. I was a little afraid that now that I was out, she wouldn't let me go back. True, Elena was murdered in that tiny room, but Marcos and I seemed safe enough in there... For now. She noticed my eyes dart toward the room. "Don't worry about the kid. He's gonna be fine. And so will you... If you do as I say."
                          
"You want me to help you?" I wanted to laugh but knew I shouldn't so I just looked away from her. "I should hurt you, not help." I paused for a beat. I had to know... "What did you do to Tej?"
                          
"Tej? Is that your boy toy's name? Hmm." She crossed her arms over her chest and stepped closer to me and out of the shadows. "You seemed more like Deckard's type to me."
                          
To my surprise and disgust, she took the last few steps separating us, and placed an arm around my shoulders. I shrugged her away and she laughed. Cipher walked into the control room, which I assumed doubled as her office. I really didn't want to follow her, but knew I didn't have much room to refuse.
                          
"Well come on." She called over her shoulder. "I told you, you're safe."
                          
When I finally entered, I looked to the window across the room and noticed nothing but clouds in a dark sky. Either we were really high in a building, or in a plane. A clock in the corner told me it was nearly 9 pm.