Chapter 2 - The Silent Treatment
By day four, a tense, suffocating rhythm had settled over the estate.
Liam realized he couldn't terrify Clara into leaving, so he switched his strategy to complete silence.
He stopped speaking to her entirely.
When she asked for his pain level on a scale of one to ten, he stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Fine," Clara sighed, holding a syringe of morphine.
"If you want to endure a level nine out of sheer stubbornness, be my guest."
She placed the syringe back on the sterile tray and sat in her corner chair.
Liam's jaw was clenched so tight the muscles twitched.
His knuckles were white as he gripped the bedsheets, fighting the excruciating pain of the metal pins in his leg.
Hours ticked by in the suffocating darkness of the room.
Leo, the massive enforcer who ran the house, knocked softly and stepped inside.
He glanced at Liam, then looked at Clara.
"Has he eaten?" Leo asked quietly.
"He refused the soup, the bread, and the water," Clara replied matter-of-factly.
Leo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"If he doesn't eat, the antibiotics will tear up his stomach lining."
"I told him that," Clara said. "He chose the hunger strike anyway."
Suddenly, Liam spoke.
His voice was hoarse and dripping with venom.
"Get out of my room, Leo."
Leo didn't argue. He turned and walked out, closing the heavy doors behind him.
Clara stood up and walked to the massive windows on the far side of the room.
The thick, heavy velvet curtains were drawn tight, blocking out all natural light.
Liam liked the dark because it hid his vulnerability.
Without asking permission, Clara reached out and grabbed the edge of the curtains.
"Don't touch those," Liam warned, his voice dangerous.
Clara ignored him and pulled the heavy fabric apart with a sharp yank.
Blinding, brilliant sunlight flooded the room, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.
Liam squeezed his eyes shut, turning his head away from the sudden brightness.
"I told you not to touch them!" he shouted.
Clara walked back to the bed and picked up the bowl of cold soup.
"Vitamin D promotes wound healing," Clara stated.
"You're acting like a sullen teenager instead of a man who runs a city."
She held the spoon out to him.
"Eat the soup, Mr. Mercer, or I will put a feeding tube down your nose."
Liam opened his eyes, glaring at her with pure murder.
But beneath the anger, Clara saw something else flash across his face.
It was the sudden realization that she wasn't bluffing.
May you like
Before Liam could speak, the heavy bedroom doors slammed open.
Three armed men in tactical gear burst into the room, their weapons raised and pointed directly at Clara's chest.
