Chapter One
“No one is gonna save you. Do you honestly think someone cares about you? You have been missing for over six days, I don’t think they miss you. I thought you had a brother, what was his name? Joshua, Jason, Jacob, no it is Jackson. That’s right, although he goes by Jax if I remember correctly. Where exactly does he think you are.” Nic demanded.
Nic can demand all he wants to but Katie had been hanging by her hands for a little over five days. Katie was almost certain she was never gonna leave this place. That blood was never going to run back to her hands. At least this is what is going through her brain at the moment. She just wants to feel her hands. Who cares if she someone finds her? He will always get her right back and do much worse stuff to her.
Granted, she has been awake for over one hundred and forty-four hours, but hey she was the only one counting? Also, add in the fact that she had knives cutting her stomach for the last four hours did not help. Next, was the tub. How she despised the tub. In her own opinion, it is the worst form of torture. To drown by far is the most painful, especially the way they do it. If they wanted to kill her, why didn’t they pull the trigger already.
Katie thankfully woke up in a cold sweat. She felt as if her insides were on fire and the room was slowly collapsing in. She started hyperventilating. Katie knew she had to distract herself, for if she would go back to sleep it would not end well. So she started her journey through her new house. It was quite large, in fact, so she figured it would kill some time to morning at least.
This was not just a normal house. It was a cartel house and she had only been here for about twenty-four hours. Katie, along with her brother, Jackson now belonged to the Shadows cartel. This was not the first cartel she belonged to. Katie and Jackson originally belonged to one in Chicago, Illinois. She knew what the life entailed and loved the thrill of it.
Jackson and Katie were originally from Chicago, Illinois. Even though, the both of them grew up in Paradise Shores. The both of them were used to the big city. Now they lived in, their hometown called Paradise Shores. The bright side is it was near the water. Jackson loved the idea of being home again. Although Katie did not particularly like the beach, change of scenery was nice. Historic homes lined the streets and it had a huge town square.
The cartel house was considered an old, historic mansion in people’s eyes. Although the outside obtained a certain old charm, it remained modern. It was three stories tall. It had twelve bedrooms, fourteen bathrooms, a gun range, a large kitchen, and several other special rooms. Katie was hoping that just one of them could help her forget her kidnapper for at least the night. Naturally her feet started on down the hall.
The hallway was long, and there were doors left and right. Katie knew where Jackson’s room was, but that was about it. She was hoping some thing or someone could be of use. At this time of the night, it seemed as if everyone was asleep. Normally cartel members are up at weird hours, but maybe here the cartel is done differently. No one was in the hallway, so she kept moving on down the hall.
As she walked through this unfamiliar house, she heard voices. Being in a new place, Katie followed these voices. Katie was always aware of her surroundings. It was how you survive a cartel. You have to know what is going on all the time. There is no room for uncertainty, you have to be certain.
She ended up in what most people would consider a living room. The color palate was a lighter blue with a hint of gray. The room itself looked inviting, so she walked closer. It had the normal gray sectional along the wall and the big eighty-eight-inch flat screen television on the fireplace. The room had about four lamps that had these exotic designs. It looked normal, except these two big men standing in the middle of the room.
They were talking unquestionably discreetly about some thing important. One had his arms crossed tightly and looked angry at what the other was saying. The one that seemed mad was tall, even compared to the other dude. He had jet black hair and broad shoulders. Anyone could see that he constantly worked out most days. Katie figured this man was Tyler, the leader of the cartel.
Katie tried not to listen to their conversation and keep walking, but it proved to be challenging. Especially when Tyler stopped talking and just stared at her. It was then when she noticed his eyes. They were strange, yet familiar. Threatening, yet inviting. Silver and white were joined together, but it looked normal to Katie. She could have sworn she had seen those eyes before; but where?
It is about two or three in the morning when this random guy just started staring at her. She notices Tyler after having a nightmare, so she naturally has her guard up and is trying to escape the situation. Katie does not like how Tyler is watching her. Once she lays eyes on him, all she sees is a man who is full of himself and a player. In her lifetime, she has had too many of those types of guys in her life. Katie just wanted someone normal. Someone that would accept and love all of her. Katie did not want a player. Naturally, she paid no attention and kept moving. Hoping that the two of them go back to their conversation.
Her brother, Jackson, warned her about him. Saying how he would only break; Jackson knew that once she broke, Tyler could, in fact, piece her together better than Jackson ever imagined. Following her brother’s instructions, she kept on with her quest to find a gym or studio. She imagined it would be somewhere towards the back of the house. Katie was hoping she would get lucky. So that is where she was headed.
After passing Tyler, he became intrigued towards her. No girl, or young woman for that matter, had ever seen him and kept walking. Tyler was not used to this type of attention. Personally speaking, he hated it. Women flocked to him, he magnetized girls. Yet, this mysterious girl kept on walking. Did she miss him? He is over six feet, but maybe she could not see well. Maybe she overlooked him.
Tyler was in the living room, right next to the kitchen. He appeared to be talking to what looked like a second in command or bodyguard. Just glancing at him, it looked official and stressful. Some thing must have just happened. Another possible scenario is that Tyler was being informed of a matter that had happened earlier.
Jackson just casually walks out of the kitchen with a bowl of ice cream notices Katie and questioned, “did you have another one?” Jackson knew exactly why she would be up at this time. The same reason it happens every night around this time. He was just hoping she would admit to it.
Katie merely nodded her head and kept on walking. For she knew if she stopped, Jackson would ask more questions about it and she knew could not bear to answer his questions, especially tonight. It was bad, but he did not need to know that. Some secrets are best kept that, a secret. Jackson did not need to know everything that went on inside Katie’s head.
“How bad this time?” He wondered aloud. Jackson was highly aware of her nightmares and the occasional night terrors. He was the one that had to be there for her after she had one. Sometimes he just wished she would elaborate on what happened behind the closed doors when she was kidnapped. Katie spoke considerably mysterious about the times she was kidnapped. For no one truly knew what happened behind those closed doors, except her. Katie sometimes would tell him little things, but it was normally the little things that she felt he could handle; so he barely knew anything.
“Only about an eight tonight. I woke up before the good part.” She exclaimed, with her back to Jackson. Katie was on a mission to get rid of her enemy’s face, for at least tonight. Katie could not handle dealing with Jackson. Having to explain her nightmare or even having to fight with him because she was not saying anything about it. So she kept moving through the house.
Jackson knew that what she was referring to as the good part was what haunted her nights the most. If only she would let someone in, he liked
