“He’s always wanted the pretty little princess,” he taunts, his voice raspy.
My blood runs cold at his words. I can feel the anger bubbling up inside me again.
“Why?” I gritted out, my patience wearing thin.
Ella…he wants Ella.
Juan spits out blood as it begins to trickle from his throat, defiant to the end. “Think about it,” he sneers. “Think about who she is, what she means to this city.” His head cocks to the side, his grin widening. “Or maybe you and your friends have already thought about it? Already realized how much power she holds in her tiny little body. Maybe that’s why you’re all fucking her.” His bloody grin widens. “Bet her cunt is—”
Before I have a chance to rip his body to shreds the way I want to, Juan’s attention shifts once more, and he laughs as three masked men descend upon me, tackling me to the ground.
I blink rapidly, coming back to the present. Darkness claimed me after that, but the haunting words Juan left behind continued to echo in my mind, fueling my determination to find Ella and my brothers. To piece together whatever shit show we’ve all been pulled into and then make every one of these motherfuckers pay.
Chapter 14
My eyes snap opento an overwhelming darkness, an impenetrable void that engulfs me.
Nothing.
I can’t see a fucking thing.
My head pounds, my body aches, and my skin is so cold it feels like knives are peeling it from my body slowly. I try to shift my arms, but I can’t move even an inch. I try again with my legs, gritting my teeth to remain silent in the darkness.
Nothing.
Panic claws at my chest as my heart races, and I realize with a jolt why I can’t move. Cold, rusted shackles dig into my wrists and ankles, chaining me to a rough wall, the metal biting into my skin.
I take a shuddering breath, trying to steady myself, but my mind is racing. Instead of fresh air filling my lungs, I get decay and rot. Mold, rusted metal, and damp cement.
No.
The wall, the darkness, the smell… it’s familiar. Too familiar.
Flashes of my childhood flood back. I remember this place. Vividly.Painfully.
The place where my nightmares were born.
The prison.
The memories of being brought here as a child surge to the forefront of my mind. The wet, rotting stench of decay and mold, the coldness that seemed to seep into your very soul, and the oppressive dampness that clung to everything. It all comes back to me like a torrential downpour, and I can’t escape the suffocating feeling of dread.
I know this place, and I know who owns it.
My father.
My evil, sadistic fucking father.
The realization strikes like a hammer blow, and my anxiety spirals out of control. My father’s sinister hideaway, the one place I vowed I’d never return to, now holds me captive once again. And if I’m here, then it means that he’s the one who took me.
Fear courses through me like poison, every nerve in my body on high alert. I struggle against the shackles, the rough metal cutting deeper into my wrists, but it’s fucking useless. I can’t escape, and I’m far from safe. It makes it hard to breathe.
I choke on the stagnant air, holding it in my lungs, and slowly take in my pitch-black surroundings.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
