Lau Ahi (The Consortium #9)

Chapter 1

HAUNTING

ASHA

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

My first conscious thought was of my breathing as I woke.

My breathing was the only sound in this eerily quiet, unfamiliar space.

Our house would be loud by now-servants being ordered about by my mother, my sister or brother begging our father for something he’d deem insignificant.

But now there was only my breathing. It was the first clue subconsciously that something was terribly wrong.

The second was when my mind finally registered the few clues to my whereabouts that my senses could actually obtain.

My brain felt cloudy and heavy. The weight that one could feel when they’d been drinking. Or had awoken from too long a sleep. But I instinctively knew that wasn’t the cause of this feeling at all.

My nostrils stung with the heavy smell of mildew and dampness that seemed to fill the air. The smell of mildew was only outmatched by the scent of urine: stale and fresh.

Acrid.

I wanted to gag as my lungs fought the desire to inhale more deeply, hoping to find fresh air as a reprieve from this…

stench. My innate desire to survive was the only reason I continued to breathe.

Each inhalation took more of my already depleted energy than it should.

The air was heavy and wet, weighing down the space like a fog.

The overpowering smell did little to help me clear my mind.

My head felt like a never-ending weight on my weak neck.

It rolled toward something without a thought.

My brain was fuzzy, my synapses barely firing having laid dormant with little brain activity for days.

Somehow, I knew I wasn’t alone in this hell.

Where am I? How long have I been here?

“Sasha?”

The voice so close I could feel the heat from his mouth.

The smell was something I would never forget: it was foul and stale but also carried a hint of cruelty and sorrow.

I wasn’t sure how someone’s breath could smell foreboding but that’s how it seemed.

Like the odor was a warning. My natural reflex was to move away and I could feel the springs pushing against the backs of my legs painfully.

I was tied up. Or down. I was immobile and the realization didn’t hit me until I had the desire to move away from the stench.

The voice.

That voice was still unfamiliar as I tried to piece together what I was doing here.

And where was here? My entire body felt as if it were frozen solid.

London was rarely warm but the event had called for me to dress up.

Which meant a bandage dress and heels, which provided no coverage.

My body was covered in goosebumps and I was sure that asking for a blanket would be futile.

The wall that I was leaning against felt damp as though it was weeping for what it knew was to come for me and was preemptively mourning.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Why am I here? Where is here?

I knew I wouldn’t pull the answers out of the air and I doubted that I would be provided any by the person whose voice floated around me like a poisonous vapor.

“Saaashaaaaa” the voice sounded playful as it attempted to lull me into… something. A sense of calm? To elicit fear or to quell it by providing me with a false sense of lightheartedness? As though evil couldn’t be wrapped up in a jovial package.

I could almost sense how giddy whoever this was currently felt. They wanted me, well Sasha and now that they had me I knew they felt as though they’d accomplished something so profound in their life.

My teeth ground at the thought that they wanted my sister, my twin, here and part of me was thankful that I was the one in this spot instead of her.

I was scared. Not only at the thought of being in this dank, dark room with a stranger who was clearly obsessed but hoping that they wouldn’t figure out they had the wrong twin and then attempt to get her.

I knew I was going to have to do whatever was necessary to ensure that he didn’t figure out the mistake he’d made.

I could only imagine how batty that would make him and since men weren’t known for their rationality anyway, I didn’t want to do anything else to set him off.

I waited. Feeling as though my heart rate increased with each second that ticked by.

I could hear his breathing over the sound of the blood rushing through my veins the longer he waited to do something.

I fully understood now what people meant when they said the anticipation would kill them.

I felt like waiting on whoever this was to do something was more torturous than whatever they had in store for me.

“I’ve been waiting for you for such a long time, Sasha.”

The mattress dipped and I felt fingers brush tentatively over my exposed leg.

I immediately tried to recoil but my legs were held in place.

It was odd to feel so disconnected from certain parts of my body and I knew then I must have been drugged.

It was as though my brain were foggy, my limbs nearly asleep and it was only when my reflexes took over that I even remembered that they were there.

“There’s no way for you to leave. Your legs are tied, as are your hands.

I’ve been planning this for months, Sasha, so you might as well get comfortable.

I know these aren’t the best accommodations, nothing like what you’re used to.

But in time you’ll grow to enjoy them. Or at the very least get used to them. ”

The voice edged closer and closer as he spoke and something in me refused to let my body coil back in disgust the way I wanted to. It solidified that I was going to endure whatever this was going to be until I could get away from this man.

“Nothing to say? You’re always such a chatty girl when I see you on TV. I loved your work on the show. You shone so brightly in every scene you were in; I was surprised you didn’t get more work. It’s too bad you won’t have the chance now.”

His words gave me pause but I wasn’t going to acknowledge what he said.

That seemed to irritate him because I felt his hand on my chin turning me to face him, which was pointless since my eyes were still covered.

He leaned in again and this time I inhaled the scent of malt on his breath and the smell of jellied eels.

The scent made my stomach revolt, despite how empty it was.

It was a dish that every good Englishman adored but one that I could never tolerate.

This man, having consumed it while I lay down here chained seemed even more of an affront to me than anything.

Inhale.

Exhale.

“The nicer you are to me the better things will be for you. I didn’t do this out of hate.

I did this out of love. I saw you on that screen and it was like looking at an angel.

The face of pure beauty and I just knew you could be the person to fix me.

To make everything better. I’ve been waiting for the perfect time and now everything has fallen into place.

There’s no escaping me, Sasha. I’ve made sure that every wall is impenetrable and the chains too strong for you to break.

This is your life now. Here with me. Don’t make me do anything that you’ll regret. ”

His threat was obvious but I planned to make his life a living hell.

Despite my resolve to get out of here I knew without a doubt that if I was going to die I was going to die fighting.

He wouldn’t get a gentle lamb to slaughter.

I’d be a honey badger eager to bite his face off until I drew my last breath.

I wanted to shift my weight because my arms were screaming from pain.

Lucidity brought back the awareness of the pain that seemed to eek from every centimeter of my body.

Instead of screaming out the way I wanted to, I gritted my teeth too proud to show that he had succeeded in forcing me to feel anything.

The emptiness of my stomach, the pounding in my head and the way my mouth felt arid were all signs that hours had long passed since I was in the club.

I was sure that it was Saturday and probably around lunchtime, given the smell of his meal.

Whatever was covering my face was scratchy and pulled so tightly over my lids that I was too scared to open them for fear that my eyes would be damaged.

I wanted to see his face. Despite knowing it would haunt me for however long I had left in my life, I needed to see it.

To know what and who I was facing. Having it be a voice in the darkness seemed far more detrimental than knowing what he looked like.

My natural desire was to scream at him that he was going to pay for even thinking that I, or Sasha, could be kept here with him and that the country wouldn’t be looking for me.

I had to mind my mouth and keep a civil tongue so that I was alive when help finally came.

I doubted he had enough time to ferry me to Scotland or Ireland without drawing major attention to himself and again his meal was decidedly English.

I was probably in one of the nearby Shire cities, which meant they wouldn’t have much to search once they realized I wasn’t in London.

His accent wasn’t one that was as distinct as a Wales or northern English accent, which only confirmed I was in the south.

I tried to swallow but my throat was as scratchy as the material on my face and I knew I would never willfully accept anything this man was going to give me.

I’d clearly been drugged since the night was too fuzzy after I’d stood up and waved to the crowd.

The people who were there weren’t my type of crowd but they were the type of A-listers that had to be seen out in order to keep public interest in them.

I never thought Sasha needed to resort to cheap theatrics to make a name for herself since everyone was naturally drawn to her but my mother insisted.

My being here just gave me another reason to hate her.

Since a human could only go so long without drinking, I had to decide when the time arrived on whether I would trust a madman or allow myself to be too weak to fight when the time came.

Inhale.

Exhale.

The gravity of the situation slammed into me, and I felt my eyes tear up.

I was pissed with myself for wasting the hydration I needed on feeling sorry for myself but I couldn’t stop the feeling.

Now I was grateful that my eyes were covered and I prayed the few tears that had escaped wouldn’t show through the cloth.

I wanted to weep but I would never give him the satisfaction.

The resolve that I seemed to have lost came back full force and I blinked back the rest of the tears that wanted to fall.

I wasn’t strong enough to cry. Not with danger so close to me.

My strength had to be reserved for survival.

I could break down when I was safe but for now, I had to cope with the reality of this situation so that safety could become a possibility.

“Nothing to say? I was sure you would be grateful that I saved you from that life. From those men who would only use you up. Look at how quickly they ended your show and didn’t offer you other opportunities like your costars.

You carried that show and yet they were handed roles and you weren’t. You should be happy you aren’t there!”

His voice rose as he discussed the reality of my sister’s career.

Sasha hadn’t been offered roles but it was because her heart hadn’t been in acting.

She wasn’t as keen on being away from home in random countries with a bunch of strangers.

And the loony in front of me was right, the men in the industry were predatory.

Since neither of us relied on our father’s name for advancement, she didn’t have the protection of being one of the elites to keep her from their predilections.

Not that it would have done much good anyway.

“Answer me!”

His demand snapped me back to the reality of the situation and I had no clue what he wanted me to say.

Instead of giving him what he wanted I let my chest heave as I tried to calm my anger and the way my heart was racing after the way his screeching had startled me.

When I finally felt more in control of myself, I spoke.

“Thank you for your concern.”

It was a lie. I wasn’t thankful nor grateful but I also wasn’t stupid.

I wasn’t going to insult him or let him know my intentions were to get out of here as quickly as I could.

Earning his trust was the first step and despite how sick it made me I knew it was a necessary evil.

My voice was trained and I wondered if he’d heard me at all.

The silence stretched, lingering between us even more than the damp air of the cellar we were in.

I felt the urge to repeat myself but my brain screamed for me to keep my mouth shut.

I was unsure if it was to conserve my energy or if it was my instincts guiding me but I wasn’t going to ignore the warning.

I slowed my breathing down so that no matter how he reacted I was braced for it.

Inhale.

Exhale.

After what seemed like hours but could have only been a few minutes, I felt a caress against my cheek that made my skin want to slough off and combust at having made contact with him.

“I think it’s time you showed me just how thankful you are, Sasha.”