Riker's knuckles are swollen. His cheek is bruised, but it's nothing like the damage he had caused the other guy.
They have him blindfolded, and sitting in a random area, the metal chair that he's sitting on making his ass go numb. A/C air blows over his head, making him shiver, before he hears the sound of a door opening.
Shuffling of feet catch his attention, whoever entered the room making his ears perked up, his breathing quietening. He'd been taught at a young age how to listen more for his foes than to see them.
Then he caught her smell.
She smelled good, clean, like lilacs, and sweet perfume. The sound of another chair being dragged in and placed in front of him was heard, and he listened as someone took a shuddering breath.
With no warning, his blindfold was yanked off, and Riker blinked at the sudden exposure of light. He saw Skylar before him, her hair a dark chocolate color, and braided in a fancy hairdo with pins littered in it. She wore a soft purple mini dress that exposed much of her paling tan skin, her shoes gone.
And she too wore a blindfold, Riker reaching out to take it off her.
The goon, Samuel, smacked his hand away though.
"She's on punishment. You can see her, but she can't see you." he said in a gruff voice. Riker scowled but kept his mouth shut. He wasn't about to ruin the only time he had to see her.
After a bit, the goon stepped out of the room, closing and locking the door.
Silence ensued, and Skylar sat still, as if bracing herself for whatever was going to happen next.
She was never this still before; her fingers would be fidgeting, her foot tapping. Something about that bothered him.
"Sky?" he said softly, and slowly, she relaxed. It made him relieved that she still saw him as someone trusting.
"I thought...that I wouldn't be able to hear you again." Skylar replied, her voice faint.
"I'm finishing up the jobs as quick as I can. I have a little more over thirty to go. They let me see you because that last job I did was done so quickly." Riker explained.
"What am I, your treat? You some fucking dog now?" she asked, pissed, and though Riker couldn't see her eyes, he knew that she was pissed.
And he wanted to laugh from how being so grateful that Skylar still had the energy and strength to be angry. To feel more emotion aside from indifference.
"I wish this didn't happen to you." Riker says softly, and Skylar says naught, her mouth pinched shut.
Riker does something bold then; he brushes his hand across her jaw, making her squirm in her seat. She doesn't say anything though, doesn't even back away, too unsure of what to do.
"When will I see you again?" she asks softly, and Riker doesn't say anything, as not even he's sure of when that would be. After all, Juno was a very strange source of reliance that he had, and he wasn't making things easier for Riker.
Riker had been tasked with so much robbery, murder, and so forth, he was starting to become numb to it. The guilt and hurt were pressed in the back of his mind, but seeing Skylar here, alive and well, was slowly bringing all of that back to the surface.
He didn't want Skylar to look at him like he was a monster. He wanted her to look at him like she use to when they were both-
The door bangs open, and Riker actually jumps. He was so focused on Skylar, he had forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings.
Samuel points at his watch, and Riker's face tightens as he nods. Skylar reaches out and grabs his hand though, and it's not until she touches him that he realizes she's shaking.
She's scared despite what Riker wants to believe otherwise. And as he continues to stare at her, he can see bruises that disappear under the blindfold.
She had old wounds. Riker could feel his stomach tighten, and his own body trembled from anger.
"I...I don't blame you." she finally says, and Riker stares at her for a long moment.
It's a risk showing any type of affection to Skylar while Samuel is there. If it's reported how much he cares for her, they can make Riker do just about anything.
But that's just it though; Riker can't keep being stoic to her when he's only seen her so much since this disaster happened.
Riker brushes his lips over her cheek and follows after Samuel who's smirking.
And then he does his next task, which is to kidnap the daughter of a rival of Juno's.
In the past, Riker refused jobs that involved kids. But since Juno has a trump card, he's really trying to see how many of Riker's morals he can bend.
Riker drags the young nine-year-old boy and throws him in the back of his sleek black car. The boy is terrified, sitting on the seat with shaking body.
Riker isn't sure if the boy speaks English. But he doesn't try to figure out if the little guy does or does not.
Some weeks have passed since the last time he saw Skylar. Juno dropped off this assignment for him, and he'd been tracking this whole kid's family in that time until finally he saw his opening. The little boy had run away from his nanny while they were at the park, and Riker had followed the kid through the crowd, then snatched him up.
Funny enough, the crowd though concerned, Riker had only offered apologetic smiles as he told them that this was his son, and he was just throwing a tantrum.
And that was all it took.
This time around, he drove to the address that was given to him by Juno, not even trying to look back at the boy who continued on to cry in the back saying things in a different language.
Riker exhaled slowly; he'd thought ahead and bought the boy some toys and food and it was a long shot that that was what was going to keep the boy distracted as he made his way to drop him off.
The boy had screamed and cried for about fifteen minutes before he passed out in the backseat, and Riker turned into an alleyway, where a small and neat building would be at.
Juno was there waiting, wanting to take the boy, and then strike a deal with the boy's parents. For what, Riker didn't care to ask. He was already in this way too deep than he cared to admit.
Riker stopped the car, the boy snoring even loudly. He wondered how parents put up with kids. Was he like that? He couldn't really remember; everything got a bit fuzzy when his dad dragged him into the foster system and then it just went downhill from there.
At that moment then, another one of Juno's goons stepped out from the building, and Riker stepped out, closing the door behind him.
"I'll take the kid to Juno and let him know what a good job you've done." the idiot said. Riker said nothing as he took the boy into his arms and walked over to the bodyguard. "I'm not carrying him. Wake up kid!"
Startled, the boy snapped up, and struggled in Riker's arms. Riker tightened his hold on him, and the goon showed the boy a flash of silver that made him stop moving so much.
Taking him by the arm roughly, the goon took the boy into the building, and Riker thought about which circle of hell was his soul going to reside at.
It's close to one in the morning when Riker goes back to one of the many houses Juno lets him stay at. It's one he thinks is close to Skylar, which Riker can never be certain of because Juno owns many buildings.
Riker doesn't even bother going into the bedroom, just collapses on the couch in the living room. He's so tired, he can feel his bones weary.
He thought before he ran into Skylar that his life was messed up. And it was, but it'd gotten even worse since Skylar was being held captive and dangled like a piece of meat to get Riker to do jobs he normally wouldn't do.
At that moment, his phone pinged, and he inwardly groaned at he fished it out of his pocket. Juno's name flashed over the caller I.D, and Riker clicked on the message.
A treat for a job well done! An hour of unsupervised visitation. The doors of course will be guarded and locked. Just go to this address before four a.m....
Suddenly not tired, Riker bolted up and took off from the couch, snatching up his keys as he got into his car. The address was only twenty minutes from where he was staying at, and he basically floored it to get there.
Once at the front of the building, Samuel guided him into the house, this time without a blindfold, and led him through a maze of hallways.
With each step, his heart rate increased. Though he had seen Skylar not that long ago, she was like a drug, and he was always ready for more.
Finally, Samuel stopped in front of a door that was in the furthest corner of the room. The door blended in with the wall, and Samuel pulled out an array of keys, sticking one in, the door unlocking.
As the door swung open, Riker caught view of a spacious room, a bookshelf pushed to the farthest side of the room. A queen-sized bed was in the center, and draped underneath so many blankets, Skylar laid, sleeping.
Without the blindfold, Skylar was sporting some bruises on her face. They were gradually fading away, but it was the fact that she had them in general that made Riker grit his teeth together.
Samuel closed the door behind him, and Riker pulled up a chair from the small desk crammed in the corner and sat before her.
Skylar slept on, her hair in tangles, lips chapped, taking even breaths. She looked tired, circles under her eyes, flinching now and then. He wondered what she was dreaming of, and he sat down, gently taking her hand in his.
She was warm, and he brushed his fingers over her knuckles, saying nothing.
When he looked up to her face, he froze as her eyes looked at him.
"Riker?" she said softly.
"Yes. It's me."
"What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting up.
"They let me see you for an hour."
She stilled for a moment, a silence overcoming the both of them. Then she pulled her blankets down, a silent invitation in that movement.
And Riker accepted, wrapping his arms around here as he got in the bed with her.