But she was anxious to know what her immediate future held. Kiarra was about to press further when a man’s scream reverberated down the hall, making her jump. “What’s that?”
Another scream rent the air and Marco sighed. “If he keeps this up, we’re going to have to drug him unconscious again.”
Kiarra remembered the man she’d glimpsed during the escape, the one unable to hold himself up. That’s where she’d seen Marco before; he’d been the man standing in her doorway, struggling to keep her cell neighbor upright. “Are you talking about the other person yo
u rescued from the AMT?”
Marco shrugged one shoulder. “I see no reason to lie. He’s not doing as well as you.”
Another scream and a chill went down her spine. The sound reminded her of some of the other AMT inmates.
A man clawing his own face, blood running down his cheeks; a pregnant woman throwing her belly against a counter and then the floor; a catatonic child being led down a hallway.
And many of their screams had been identical to the ones now echoing down the hallway.
There was a possibility that the screaming man was too far gone to ever fully recover. But there were techniques to help ease his pain and bring him some measure of peace. Jaxton and his men, however, probably didn’t know what they were or how to treat him.
Kiarra had always wanted to help the tortured prisoners she’d seen inside the AMT, but had never been allowed the opportunity. Yet she was no longer inside the AMT, meaning that those restrictions didn’t exist here. She could finally reach out and ease someone’s pain. Most of all, she could be useful.
She didn’t care if Jaxton would get angry at her or not—she had to do something to help.
Kiarra jumped up from the bed, faltered a second before finding her balance, and headed for the door. Marco grabbed her wrist and Kiarra prevented herself from flinching as he said, “Whoa, wait a second. Where do you think you’re going?”
Kiarra made a fist and pointedly looked at his grip on her arm. “Let me go.” She raised her gaze to meet Marco’s eyes. “I know how to calm him without the use of drugs.”
Marco stayed silent, the grins and winks gone. He might like to joke around, but it was obvious that he took his duty seriously. Kiarra opened her mouth to try and convince him some more, but he beat her to it.
“Fine. But if this is a trick, just know that I will handle you myself. Are we clear?”
The command in his tone surprised her, but Kiarra nodded and Marco directed her down the hall. She heard another scream, but this time it was louder, coming from the door to her right. Marco made a gesture with his hands, indicating for her to go inside. Kiarra took a deep breath and opened the door.
The screams were high-pitched, but she resisted the urge to cover her ears. She took in the scene in front of her and instantly understood the root of the problem.
Jaxton stood next to a bed, trying to hold down a thrashing man, but every time Jaxton touched the man, he screamed again. The sound went straight to Kiarra’s heart and something inside of her clicked into place. She wasn’t defenseless any longer. This time she had the power to help.
She gathered her courage before shouting, “Don’t touch him!” and charged straight at Jaxton.
Garrett was screaming again.
Jaxton rushed to his brother’s side and tried grabbing his hand, but Garrett started to scream louder at the contact. Garrett bucked and nearly punched Jaxton in the face with his free hand, forcing Jaxton to pin both of Garrett’s sweat-covered arms to the side.
What the fuck happened to Garrett inside the AMT?
At this rate, he was going to have to drug his brother again. Jaxton racked his brain for some other way to calm his brother and break through his wild haze. Jaxton and Garrett had been best mates growing up. Surely he could think of something.
His brother continued to squirm, but Jaxton refused to pity Garrett’s condition. The Ward family were always blunt and honest with each other, and Jaxton hoped that business as usual would bring Garrett back from the edge. Jaxton struggled to keep his brother in place as he said, “Garrett, mate, you need to calm the fuck down.”
Garrett only bucked harder. With his arms restrained, Garrett kicked out with his legs and Jaxton grunted when a kick landed on his thigh.
He maneuvered to pin Garrett’s legs when he heard a woman yell, “Don’t touch him!”
Jaxton turned around and saw Kiarra barreling straight for him.
Stunned at the sight, Garrett managed to kick him in the stomach right before Kiarra’s shoulder impacted with Jaxton’s chest. Jaxton lost his balance and landed on his arse on the floor.
“Kiarra? What the fuck?”
There was a flicker of fear in her eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it had come. She stood in front of Garrett’s bed and raised her arms in protection.