Chapter Eight

She had no idea how long or how far she was driven in that van. When it finally came to a stop and the doors were opened, the brilliant light of the desert sun blinded her. She felt a pair of hands grab her and yank her out forcefully, her feet dragging in the rocky sand as they carried her along. She began to fight them, trying to thrash about and rip herself free but it was of no use. Before her eyes had the chance to adjust to the sunlight, a bag was pulled over her head and she felt a sharp pinch in her neck.

When she woke she found herself alone again, but this time she woke on the floor of a small room. Well, a better term for it was a cell. There was nothing in there with her but the door. Just four walls, the floor and the ceiling all in the same drab, concrete gray color. She was no longer handcuffed, and it seemed they had found her performance costume less than preferable because she had been stripped and put into what could best be described as a pair of green scrubs. When she managed to get over the shock of it all she felt a deep and seething anger begin to rise up in her. Wherever she was, she just knew that Ignacio was somewhere there with her. She began to pound against the door, screaming for Ignacio and demanding to be let free.

What felt like hours passed as she waffled between fits of all-consuming rage and bouts of uncontrollable sobbing. She had no idea what was happening to Ignacio. Was he alright? Had they hurt him in anyway? Was he…dead? The longer she sat in that cell the more her mind began to race with the worst possible outcomes. She sat, rocking as she sobbed over the fate of her lover, wondering what was going to happen next. Without warning, the door of her cell opened and two men came in to snatch her up. She fought with all her strength as they dragged her down a long and sterile looking hallway.

“Let me go you bastards!” She screamed as she thrashed. “Tell me where he is, I know you have him!”

They said nothing and gave little reaction as they wrestled her along towards a large set of double doors at the end of the hallway. They paused when they reached them, one of her escorts swiping a keycard through a reader which caused the doors to open with a pneumatic hiss.

The room beyond was massive. Larger than most gymnasiums she had seen in her life and easily as long as a football field, if not longer. Like a massive jet hanger, minus the jets. It seemed to be sectioned off by thick plexiglass walls that stood at least two stories high, creating little rooms in the center of the space. All around, she saw various vehicles like hummers and ATVs as well as quite an impressive amount of computer equipment. She ceased her struggling as she took it all in and they used that moment to hustle her towards one of the plexiglass sections.

As they brought her in, she finally noticed the room was not devoid of people. A single officer, looking like he was high ranking, stood beside a chair…and strapped to that chair sat Ignacio. He looked horrible, as if he had been beaten more than once since they had first been taken from the casino. Not only that, it looked as though they had cut off his gorgeous, long hair. Instead of thick and dark, hanging to his shoulders, it now flopped short. As if they had gathered it up in a ponytail and just sliced it off with a knife at the back of his head. Her chest ached with pain at seeing him in such a way and she called out to him.

“Ignacio!” His name was spoken in a cracked and breathy voice.

His head rose up, one of his eyes sporting a purple ring of bruises as he found and focused on her. A small yet painful smile grew across his face and he looked at her with nothing but love in his eyes. She struggled against her handlers as they wrestled her into her own chair, strapping her down just as they had done with Ignacio.

“Since you refuse to talk no matter what we do, we felt it was time to bring in your girlfriend,” the man who had been standing by Ignacio said. He nodded his head and the two who had dragged her here moved to stand on either side of her.

“Tell us how you are involved in the glass out in the desert,” the man demanded from them, turning to Maia as he said it. “We found evidence you were in the area…and it seems your boyfriend was with you. But we have no record of him even existing…anywhere.”

“Leave him alone! We don’t know anything and you assholes need to let us go!” Maia snapped at him.

The man stood there, his hands clasped before himself as he looked between Maia and Ignacio. The two lovers held ones another’s gaze even as Maia seethed in anger. The love in Ignacio’s eyes helping to calm her somewhat…but his silence set their captors in motion.

“Alright, then,” the man said, nodding to the two who flanked Maia.

Once given their cue, the two men went to work. One turned to fetch something from a nearby table while the other wasted no time in sending a swift fist into Maia’s gut. The wind exploded out of her in a grunt of pain and she doubled over best she could, being strapped to the chair and all.

“Maia!” Ignacio said, leaning forward against his bonds.

“Ahh… Well, it looks like we’ve found a way to make you talk,” the man who was apparently in charge commented to Ignacio. “Tell me what I want to know and that’s all she’ll get.”

Ignacio glared at him, a look of pure hatred in those amber colored eyes. He seethed, but he remained silent. What could he tell the man, anyway? The truth? He would never believe the truth and would just continue to hurt Maia. Ignacio’s mind raced to find some answer that would appease them and allow him and Maia to go free.

“I guess not…” The man said and once again nodded to his two companions.

The one who had punched her in the stomach grabbed both of her hands while the second, who had turned to fetch something before, came towards her with a car battery and a pair of short jumper cables. They moved together as if it were a choreographed dance, one holding her still while the other clamped the cables to her hand.  

Ignacio watched, it all happened so fast, as the man holding the battery grinned before attaching the last clamp to the free bolt on top of the battery. As he did, Maia’s body jolted from the voltage running through her. Ignacio roared at them in rage.

“Now, now,” their captor said. “It won’t kill her…but it sure hurts like hell. It all stops the moment you tell me what I want to know.”

Ignacio was no longer listening. His eyes were locked onto Maia, that amber color beginning to swirl with hints of darker red. A deep and rumbling growl began to vibrate from his throat as his body began to change.

Their captors had no idea what was happening. All they knew was the man they had strapped to a chair was beginning to grow larger, his bones popping and snapping as they rearranged themselves and ripped through the bonds on his chair as if they were made of paper. Before the three men could shake off the shock of what they were seeing, a massive crimson dragon took the place of their captive. The plexiglass walls around them became the victim of that long and lashing tail, the sound of them crashing to the ground was deafening and sent the three men running for cover and weapons.

Ignacio stepped towards Maia, standing over her protectively as he used his body to wreck the place around them. When he heard the ra-tat-tat of rapid gunfire, he hunched down to protect Maia, the thick red scales of his body doing what they had been designed for as they deflected the projectiles away. It wasn’t enough, though, and as a shrill alarm sounded all around them, more men began pouring into the large hanger and the bullets began to fly like snow.

Drawing in a deep breath, Ignacio felt that furnace in his belly rise hot and strong into his throat. As his anger boiled over, he opened his maw and released a hellish rain of dragon fire down upon their assailants. Equipment and plexiglass walls melted all around them, tires on nearby vehicles exploded and men began shouting all around. Ignacio gave them no mercy as he continued to belch fire all around them.

With one last massive burst of heat, he pushed back their attackers. Using that brief moment, he snatched up Maia, chair and all, in one large talon and spread his blood-colored wings. One good pump and an intense wind was caused, sending fire and men tumbling away while Ignacio rose slowly into the air. With all the force he could muster, he slammed his body against the roof of the hanger, sending concrete and rebar showering down onto the heads of their attackers.

He climbed through that hole he had created, careful to keep Maia safe and protected in his grasp as he clambered out onto the roof of the hanger. His amber eyes blinked against the dark night sky, realizing that they were square in the middle of the desert. His dragon eyes scanned the dark horizon, catching sight of the perpetual Vegas glow some miles to the south, beyond the edge of the horizon. Not knowing exactly where they were, Ignacio flapped his immense wings and lifted them both into the air. Cradling Maia in his scaly talons, he soared off into the night air, desperate to find a place for them to hide.

Escape wouldn’t be so simple for the lovers. Even as Ignacio took flight, soaring off into the dark desert that surrounded the compound, bay doors in the hanger flew open and a barrage of hummers, jeeps, and ATVs came flying from the rapidly burning building. They pursued the couple, determined to bring them back into custody.