Chapter 27
Celia shifted in the seat a little, trying to get more comfortable, even though it was impossible in her situation. She had been sitting with her hands cuffed through the back of a chair for an indeterminate amount of time. All she could focus on was the fact that her butt was asleep. It was easier to think about that instead of the fact that she was completely screwed.
There was a bright side to this so far, in some sick way. The drive hadn’t been terribly long, so she figured she was still in the city. And they hadn’t hurt her at all, yet. During the whole drive she had been terrified they would try to knock her unconscious. If they failed, she’d have to fake it. If they succeeded, her secret would be out, and that would open up a whole new can of worms.
She started to panic a little when the van finally parked, images of human trafficking and illegal organ harvesting springing into her mind. But all that had happened was her being dragged out of the van and taken into a building, to the room she was in now. So all she could do was sit and go over all the details she could remember from before the bag went over her head.
Celia didn’t remember seeing anyone suspicious when she left the tower, but she hadn’t been paying attention. She’d been stuck in her own head, not caring about the world around her. Once again, it came back to bite her in the ass. The man had a normal sounding voice, maybe a little deeper than typical, but that could’ve been to give himself a more menacing quality. When he grabbed her and forced her into the van, she felt his chin bounce off the top of her head, so he was at least a few inches taller than her. And his body felt heavy with muscle when he pinned her down. Celia hoped she’d get a chance for all these details to matter.
She started twisting her hands in the cuffs again, attempting to squeeze a hand out. They weren’t on terribly tight, but her hand to wrist ratio was not ideal for this. Her large hands were helpful in her line of work, but a hindrance in this situation. Celia groaned, giving her wrists a break. She wished she knew what this was about, so she could mentally prepare for what she was going to say.
Was Fury wrong about Harold Marvin not having any partners? Maybe he had help at the building the shooting took place and they knew what happened. It would make sense for them to not hurt her, if they knew about her healing from the gunshot. But Celia didn’t think Fury would sound confident about the case being closed if there was a chance he was wrong.
This could also be about Kathy, or one of the other women she helped. Kathy’s husband was a Marine, and big, so it could’ve been him that grabbed her. But she didn’t think he would’ve been able to find her so easily. The other women were long gone by now and she didn’t know where they were, but their husbands wouldn’t know that, so it was possible it was one of them. Although not hurting her and leaving her to sweat in this room didn’t seem like it fit that scenario.
The worst possibility in her mind would be Shield’s searches on her past somehow sending an alert to her parents or ex husband. As much as it shamed her to admit it, she was more scared of seeing one of them walk in than any other option. It wouldn’t be as bad physically as a torturer would be, but mentally and emotionally, it would wreck her. She could see them having her taken uninjured, so they could keep an air of innocence around them. And so they could break her down themselves. Celia started back on the cuffs at that thought, panic once again settling in her gut.
The sounds of walking pushed past her quiet gasps and she forced her hands to go limp. Celia didn’t want to give away the fact that she was trying to escape. She held her breath, straining to listen for any other sounds. This was the first time she had heard anything since she was left in this room. She heard the low tones of people talking outside the door, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. It sounded like only two people though, so hopefully that was all she’d have to deal with.
The door was unlocked and slowly creaked open, the hinges in need of an oiling. Something to keep in mind if she had the chance to sneak out at some point. One heavy set of footsteps stopped in front of her and she could feel the heat of another body standing too close. Celia kept her head down, going for submissive instead of defiant. It was easier to convince someone you weren’t a threat if you played it scared from the beginning. He stood there without saying anything for a few minutes and Celia had to force herself to keep from moving. She didn’t want any nervous movements to be seen as aggressive movements.
The man slowly started walking around her and again Celia had to resist the urge to follow the sound with her head. Crime shows weren’t her favorite, but she had seen enough to recognize some interrogation techniques. Although she couldn’t really confess anything if she didn’t even know why she was here.
A too warm hand was placed on her shoulder and she couldn’t suppress the jump of surprise. His hand just sat there for a few moments before he lifted it back up and continued his walking. Celia grit her teeth and forced herself to breathe normally. The only plus side to the bag on her head was the fact that the man couldn’t see her face right now. The man stopped again behind her and Celia braced for another unwanted touch.
“What can you tell me about Tony Stark?”
Tony fucking Stark. If she had been kidnapped on account of Tony Stark, she was gonna be pissed. She briefly imagined just telling this guy whatever he wanted to hear, but threw that thought away quickly. She could be petty, but not enough to endanger his and the team’s lives.
“Tony Stark?” the man prodded, gripping her shoulders firmly from behind. This was the first act of aggression they’d shown since putting her in this room, but it still wasn’t painful. She didn’t think it would stay that way though.
“He runs Stark Industries,” Celia said in a steady voice. Even being in Tony’s presence for the short time she was didn’t give her much info on the man. Pretty much all she knew would be easy to find with a quick Google search.
“And?” the man probed, kneading at her muscles a bit. She’d never be able to receive a shoulder rub again. If this was good cop, he veered down the wrong path and went straight to creepy cop.
“He’s Iron Man,” Celia answered, clenching her jaw as the man’s hands gravitated closer to her neck. He rested a hand casually on her throat, not squeezing, but letting her know how easy it would be for him to start. She swallowed thickly, feeling the hand move in response to the action.
“I think you can tell me more though,” the man said, adding just a bit more pressure to his grip on her throat. It wasn’t cutting off her airway, but it wouldn’t take much more force.
“Why would I know anything else?” Celia asked, cursing the fact that her voice was audibly trembling.
“Well, you were in Stark Tower for quite a while.”
“They give tours to the public.”
“You were in there for a very long time,” the man said, squeezing a slightly harder. Celia’s breaths were coming in a bit wheezier now and she jerked a little in his grasp. He clucked his tongue at her, laying his other arm over her shoulder. “All I want is a little information. He’ll never have to know it came from you.”
“I don’t have anything to tell you,” Celia gasped, biting her lip to stifle a whimper. The feel of his body draped over her was making her sick, and the lack of oxygen from the bag on her head and hand on her throat was making her lightheaded.
“You know, I value honesty. It’s so important to tell the truth. In the spirit of that, I have to let you know that my friends outside don’t like liars. If I go out there and tell them you’re lying, they aren’t going to be happy. And then you won’t be happy,” the man said casually, ducking his head next to hers to whisper the next part. “You want to stay happy, right?”
Celia couldn’t suppress a moan as the man gave her throat one last squeeze, then released her. She panted a little, trying to fill herself up with oxygen while she had the chance. She didn’t like the sound of friends. Either he was lying or there were more than just the two men she encountered so far. There had to be something she could tell them. If she kept at saying nothing, they might deem her useless and kill her outright. But she couldn’t give up any important information, not like she had any. No one had shown her the secret handshake yet.
“I guess I’ve got to go get my friend,” the man said with a disappointed sigh. She heard him walk away from her and knock sharply twice on the door. It slammed open, making her jump. The other person stomped in, moving around to stand behind her.
“Please, I don’t,” Celia whispered, sniffling a little. She was not going to cry. Celia braced herself, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, like during a hard workout. She couldn’t hear them moving, so she just paid attention to her breaths.
Celia froze suddenly, something new flooding her senses that hadn’t been there before. She took another deep breath, not quite believing what she thought she noticed. What she thought she smelled.
Was that Axe Body Spray?