My father inhales deeply and Arlo carries on.
“I would be very careful, Ivan, because the monsters you create might just turn around and fuck you up. We are merely a reflection of what you created and in reality, we are much fucking worse because you poured your poison into our veins throughout our entire childhood and bread us to be this way.”
Arlo removes his knife, slides it back up his sleeve in one quick motion and takes a step back, keeping his lingering dark eyes fixed on my father, then makes a head gesture.
“Now get the fuck out of my office and if I find out you’ve gotten yourself involved by stopping my involvement, I will kill you my fucking self.”
My father's teeth grind down before his furious glare flashes to mine, locking with a silent threat, but I simply straighten my shoulders and tilt my chin upward in defiance. He lingers before suddenly turning around with a snarl and storming out of the office. Once the door closes, Arlo shakes his head, dropping it low while letting out a blow before strolling back to his chair and biting on his words.
“That motherfucker needed to be told.”
I inhale deeply and Reign wastes no time trying to find out more information while Arlo takes another seat.
“Fuck him. Do you know where she is, Arlo?”
Arlo lifts his head and finally gives a small nod to confirm it which makes my body unwind for the first time in over a week.
“I have some of my soldiers scanning the area to make sure he does not fucking leave again. We will roll through as soon as the sun sets.”
Reign glances at me, and I give him a nod, sharing a moment together while realizing that we are bringing her back to where she belongs. With us.
Lying curled up on the cold, dusty floor, I keep my eyes tightly shut against the dim light filtering through the room. My limbs feel fragile because of days of starvation and dehydration. Each breath is a struggle, and I can feel myself gradually drifting away, just as I had hoped for. He has already relocated me multiple times, each place worse than the last.
This current spot is awful—nothing more than a derelict structure where the sounds of women being raped and tortured echo endlessly. Their anguished screams pierce the air day and night, a chilling reminder of my own suffering, but I am becoming used to it, since last night, when Maddox had his waywith me, my cries matched theirs, echoing through the desolate building until everything and everyone fell silent.
I am not sure why I'm here in the first place, or why the sudden change. First, I was in his elegant bedroom and now I am where trafficked women are taken. I refrain from asking questions; I simply keep my mouth shut and hope that one day this nightmare will be over. My body could not endure much longer; I can feel it progressively shutting down from the constant agony and torment.
For a moment, I believed that Chaos and Reign were coming for me, but now I'm beginning to accept the opposite; I've given up hope. Hopefully Maddox might murder me or auction me off, and I’ll die either way. It is becoming clear that I may never be able to get away from this demon; therefore, I choose death; it is my only hope now.
I have tried so hard to remain strong; I really have, but it is difficult when you do not have anything to live for anymore. I have no one on the other side of these four walls; I have never had anyone throughout my entire life, so why would I want to live?
I gradually raise my tired eyes and take in the lonely, dismal grey room with a cell-style door and no window. My mind races, causing the room to spin in loops, and my stomach begins to churn, forcing me to close my eyes once more as they burn with tears. I take a few deep breaths, my ribs aching, attempting to calm the swirling. I pull the scratchy blanket that is covering my broken, bare body further up when I suddenly fall into darkness.
Iam behind Arlo Hayes’ car, with Chaos in the passenger seat beside me while we drive up the highway to a distant location outside of New York. The sun is sinking, and I am trying to remain collected and hopeful, telling myself that Charley is stronger than we could ever consider.
How easily she tamed two beasts such as me and Chaos; how we would fall to her feet like the fucking queen she is and how much she grew over the time we knew her.
I must tell myself something beneficial or else I will go insane. It's already there; I'm on edge after a long week. I am barely eating, drinking, or sleeping, and Chaos seems to be doing the same. All I can think about is what Maddox has been doing to her and whether she will ever be the same girl again after experiencing what she has at the hands of him.
Unfortunately, my answer is always the same; I doubt it, which generally fucks me off. I know I cannot change how this is some of our fucking fault—not entirely, but it is to a huge extent. I just hope we can at least try to look after her, be there for her and help her overcome this if she will let us.
I cast a sidelong glance at Chaos as he stares out of the open window beside him, his leg trembling with anxiousness and smoking his joint like a puffing steam train.
“Bro, calm your shit; you're starting to make me anxious.”
His leg stops shaking immediately as if he did not know he was doing it, and lets out a defeated sigh, slipping further into his seat while gazing ahead.
“I can't get made up images out of my fucking mind of what she might look like when we see her and what he's done to her.”
I inhale a long breath before responding, trying to be headstrong for both of our sanities.
“Let's just concentrate on getting her the fuck out of there; that's the main thing, right?”
He turns his head until our eyes lock before he offers me a slight nod.
By the time we arrive, it is dark, with the night sky being full of stars. As soon as I pull up behind Arlo, Chaos and I exit the car and we approach him, as his Lamborghini doors lower. While he stands in front of us, I can hear all his men jumping out of the other vehicles and cocking back their weapons, preparing for combat.
I observe as Arlo calmly lights a cigarette between his lips and takes a long drag, looking between us both before he exhales the smoke through his nostrils.
