Chapter 2
Dim light halos over the man standing above me, smirking at me when his words fully register in my mind. Shadows form over his face, only giving me glimpses of his deranged smile and beady eyes.
Shivers roll through me as everything sinks in, weighing heavily on my shoulders.
Oxygen slips away through my parted lips as the sweeping panic swarms through my veins. Reminding me of the pain in the back of my head, throbbing in tune with my frantic heart.
I squeeze my eyes shut, stupidly taking my eyes off the enemy for a split second, getting my panic under control.
“This was never going to end well for you, Little Snake. I kept you alive this long to get what I wanted,” Gabriel says, nodding to the men behind me. “Tell Shadow I send my regards and have faith he’ll deliver what belongs to me.”
“So, you’re Shadow,” I say again, tears glistening as I wait for more confirmation, laughing slightly. “Of course you are.”
“I am,” he says with pride, leaning down and exposing his entire face to me.
Scars. So many mar his skin—all the result of my transgressions.
“What did you do, Journey? What did you do?” My mother’s shrill cries roar through my mind on repeat.
Like always , when I think about the time, I thrust a knife over and over again into the man who tried to steal my sister’s innocence.
And mine.
So many questions go through my mind when his fingers play with the sharp edge of the knife he’s gripping. Blood drips from his fingertip, trailing down his bare forearms. He doesn’t seem to mind. Chills spread throughout my body as he hums a song beneath his breath, waiting to strike me.
I’m going to die here tonight. I feel it in my aching bones.
“How are you still alive?” I bravely ask.
If he’s about to end my life, I at least deserve the answers owed to me.
He has my sister. He’ll use me just like my monster did and hold her health over my head.
It’s a vicious cycle of bullshit. My life is nothing but season after season of a TV show, recycling their storylines with new villains popping up every year for me to defeat.
But what if I can’t? What if I can’t continue facing these monsters and keeping Sunny safe?
What if this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back? And I’m about to crash, burn, and spiral into the depths of my darkness.
“By pure dumb luck,” he chuckles. “Being stabbed twenty times should have killed me. But thanks to the quick thinking of my partner in crime, I was able to recover in the darkness and rise like a fucking phoenix into a new man.” He grins, proud of himself, as he paces.
“So, you’re the one who has been coming after Gabriel?” I swallow hard at the name I once refused to say.
Shadow tilts his head. “Aren’t you full of questions?” he asks with a lazy grin, continually playing with the knife. “I suppose I can answer them. Just this once.”
“Please don’t hurt my sister,” I whisper with desperation, but it’s the only thing I know right now. My sister needs me to protect her, whether or not she believes it. “She has a heart condition. She needs a transplant.”
“I’m well aware of what your sister has been up to,” he scoffs, prowling forward. My neck wrenches back when he hovers above me, aiming the knife at my throat. “Look at how easy it would be for me to slice your throat right here. Fitting, right? Considering that’s how you murdered me.” Obviously, I didn’t aim high enough because the bastard is still kicking. And somehow, better than ever. How irritating.
I swallow the lump in my throat, barely avoiding the sharpened edge of the knife.
“What’s stopping you, then?” I provoke him, steeling myself for the inevitable. Why would he keep me alive? Not after I hurt him so badly.
He grins again, dragging the sharp edge of the knife over my throat. My flesh burns as he slowly drags it an inch and then stops, watching with intent as warm blood trickles down my flesh.
“A lot of things are stopping me,” he says, tilting his head. “Although, ripping out your throat and watching you gasp for breath like you did to me would be quite satisfying.”
The imagery works through my mind as he utters those dreadful words. I’m truly at his mercy. Sure, my hands are loosened. But what good would it do? I’d rile him up, and surely, my life would be over for good.
“Why? Don’t you want to get your revenge on me?” I ask, lifting my chin until I’m staring deep into his lifeless eyes. “I killed you.”
Sure, Journey. Keep digging your grave further. By the time you’re done asking your questions, he’ll have sliced you up like a Thanksgiving turkey.
Stupid. Stupid.
Internally, I berate myself for antagonizing him. I learned years ago with my monster to hold my tongue. He lashes out, inflicting pain when I ask questions or even open my mouth.
Shadow licks his lips, staring me up and down, holding nothing but darkness. Nothing resides there like so many monsters before him. He’s a mass of a man with no soul.
He yanks the knife away from my throat with a calculated smirk pulling at his lips. His greasy, long brown hair hangs near his chin as he brushes it behind his ears with jerky movements.
“Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t.” He shrugs, standing tall. “You ever wonder how your little sister came about?” He inquires, tilting his head. A tune emanates from his throat again as he taps his chin a few times.
“What about her?” I ask slowly, watching him as he wears a path into the stone floors in front of me, going back and forth. “What about my sister?” My voice rises a little, giving way to the worry sitting heavily on my chest.
“That woman you call mom has been working the streets for a long time. Gabriel loved to throw her drugs and men from his inner circle. She was the best of the best, offering herself up to beast after beast without protest. She had a debt to pay, too. But you don’t know that bit, do you?”
“A debt?” I ask, furrowing my brows. “What kind of debt?”
What the hell is he going on about in his classic villain monologue? I swear all the bad guys pace in front of their captured prey, spouting all their secrets and plans. I mean, what do they have to lose? In their minds, their victim will never get out, or they’ll die trying. Maybe that’s what’s happening here, and I should milk him for all he’s worth while I’ve still got a pulse. The more information I know, the better off I’ll be.
Knowledge is power, after all.
“Of course, you don’t know. Old Gabe kept you in the dark about a lot of stuff happening right under your little nose,” he says with a knowing grin, sending shivers down my spine. How much didn’t I know about my mom? A lot, apparently. “She wasn’t just some drugged-up whore Gabriel kept around. She owed him a lot of money and time.”
Well, that’s news to me.
“Why would he want to keep her around if she owed him?” It doesn’t seem like his style. He’s more of a kill now and get rid of the problem kind of guy. Hell, I’m shocked he kept me.
“He took a real liking to your mama,” he chuckles, rubbing at his chin and smearing blood across his flesh. “She reminded him of someone he used to know. Stupidly, he trusted her, and then he learned his lesson. Such a shame; she was a good woman, too.” He shakes his head in what seems like disappointment. This is something I’ll have to dissect later.
“I don’t understand,” I whisper, the effects of being whacked in the back of the head coming in full force with a pounding headache. Who knows how long I’ve been out or been locked away in here. My vision slightly burns as he stops right in front of me again.
“What a shame it would be for me to tell you all these secrets he’s kept from you for all these years, huh? When the man himself could tell you.”
“What secrets?” My breath stalls momentarily in my lungs when he stops dead in front of me.
“I’ll tell you all the little secrets Gabriel kept from you when you tell me every little detail of what you did for him. I will test your loyalties.” He offers me one last smile. “Now, I’m going to spend some quality time with my daughter. Thanks for keeping her safe all these years. Your sacrifices won’t go to waste by the time I’m done with her.”
Everything in the room comes to a grinding halt, including my damn breaths. They stall in my throat until I’m wheezing and begging for air.
“What?” I gag out, shaking my head. “Daughter?”
He said that, right? Daughter? As in, my sister Sunny is his flesh and blood. There’s no goddamn way. He wasn’t… My mom wasn’t… Wait… In unison, my mouth slackens, and my eyes widen at his confession. There’s no way. Is that why he took us? Am I only here because I was associated with his child? Am I…
I blink several times. “Are you fucking kidding me? Your…” my whisper trails off when he cackles in delight. “No!” I say with more oomph this time, thrashing my head from side to side until I’m panting with the realization of it all.
Shadow is Sunshine’s father. I guess there was a reason he was never on the birth certificate. Sable never wanted anyone to know. But how did he know about her? And why did he touch his own goddamn daughter? Not to mention Shepp.
Disgust rolls through me. I want to vomit on the ground at the facts ping-ponging inside my brain.
He points a finger at me. “She’s my best-kept secret.” Then the terrible man fucking winks at me with delight. “Imagine my surprise when I got the call years ago from your mom. She was drugged out of her gourd, confessing it was mine.” His eyes roll toward the ceiling, and he mutters a few choice words under his breath. “But that’s not important.”
My mind reels with the information, and I shake my head. The denial is strong inside me. “No. Sunny can’t be yours. She’s…”
Well, I don’t know who her father is. I suspected a random John who came to visit and fucked her without a condom.
“Mine,” he says in a low voice. “And now we’re all together as a big, happy family. She’s going to be my greatest asset.” His laugh sends my mind reeling with the possibilities. Maybe there’s more to why he wanted us here besides wanting her in his grasp. I can only hope it’s not to finish what he started all those years ago when I stabbed him violently.
But why Shepp? The poor man has been through enough at the hands of Thomas Mondelli. He took his voice from him by removing his tongue. Among other horrible things he’s done. To us. To Shepp. Who else has Shadow harmed with his perverted ways and wandering hands? I can’t let him get his hands on my sister again. Or Shepp. Or—fuck, me.
Now, my sister has volunteered as a willing victim in his games, putting herself in his sights.
“She’s sick,” I plead with his humanity. “She needs...”
“Doctors, nurses, meds, and all that other shit. I’m aware of her failing heart. Gabriel isn’t the only leader with connections around the state of California. You’d be surprised who I’ve got in my back pocket.”
“What… What about us?” I ask, risking a look at Shepp, who is still passed out on the cold, hard ground. He hasn’t moved, but his chest continues to rise and fall like he’s in a deep sleep.
My body sags with relief for only a moment.
Shadow’s vacant stare lands on Shepp’s unmoving body, and he shrugs. “He wasn’t a part of the deal.” He rubs his chin with no genuine emotion attached to his words.
“What deal?” I whisper. “You made a deal for Sunny and me?”
Shadow watches me closely. “A little tit for tat. I gave Gabriel the wife he wanted back, and he gave me what I wanted—my daughter. It was a win-win. Shepp was just the extra cherry on top of it all.”
“So, he knows about you?” I gape, shaking my head. “He knows about you and continues to…” I roll my lips together as my stomach sloshes uncomfortably, threatening to send the contents of my stomach—or lack thereof—to the ground.
“No,” Shadow barks. “I have my ways.” He levels me with a glare. “I have pretenders and messengers—people who conduct my meetings in my stead. We’re all Shadow under the moonlight. Not just me. Only my most loyal know me as I am. My followers. What a great system, though, right?”
None of what he’s saying relieves the ache in my chest. Thomas Mondelli never died at my hands. Yet, I paid the price for his death as he lived in the shadows of Briar Cove, building an empire. Day after day, I experienced torture. Whether I killed for Gabriel or spied for him, I was under his thumb because I killed his second-in-command.
But I didn’t, really.
Because the proof is right in front of me.
Gabriel Viotto’s second-in-command has been alive and thriving this entire time. And now I’m his captive.
“So, you’ll be good little captives and stay here until I decide what I want to do with you. Kill you? Torture you? Throw you to the fucking sharks? Or maybe you’ll become useful for my cause. Tell me, what did Gabriel do to you after he dragged you away for your crimes?” He leans in with curiosity, like he doesn’t have a fucking clue what happened to me in the depths of that basement.
Shit. Maybe he doesn’t. Why would he care? He got away scot-free from his duties by bleeding out in my trailer. Going on to build his own empire.
I lick my lips with reluctance, hesitating to detail what happened to me. What other choice do I have? If I relay what happened, maybe he’ll take it easier on us, and we can break free.
“He tortured me,” I say, raising my chin. “Starved me. Left me for dead.” I conveniently leave out the part about my money being the primary influence for my captivity and training.
“Child’s play,” he scoffs, rolling his eyes.
“He trained me, too,” I say with calculation, watching interest sparks in his eyes.
He grins. “Training? Hmm. Interesting,” he trails off.
“You’re going to prove yourself to me, Little Snake. I want to know my time is worth the effort of keeping you alive.”
“Yes, sir. How can I prove myself?” I ask, gazing at the wall in front of my face rather than looking at my monster standing in front of me.
It’s one of the first times he’s allowed me out of the cage to eat and use the restroom. He’s finally taken a little mercy on me. Slowly but surely, I’m figuring out how to appease his demands.
“I’m going to train you just like the boys of the family,” he says with a smirk when my gaze snaps to him.
“Just like the boys?” I stupidly ask and wince when his fingers wrap around my throat.
“Just like the boys,” he whispers, leaning in as his fingers squeeze the breath from my lungs and I’m left gasping for oxygen. “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be so broken down that I can build you into the perfect little spy. Who would suspect you? You’re just the daughter of a whore who will never make anything of herself.” His jaw tenses before he tosses me to the ground.
The hard basement floor collides with my back and ass, sending spiraling pain through my entire body. I cry out on instinct, sucking in a breath as he looms over me with malicious intent.
“This will be a good first lesson for you, Little Snake.” He rolls his white dress-up shirt over his muscular forearms and cracks his knuckles. “In the face of torture, never reveal the truth or cry out in pain. You hold in your pathetic cries. Viotto’s do not beg.”
My breaths come in short pants when I refocus on the new dangers around me. Unlike Gabriel, Shadow hasn’t moved from his spot in front of me to punish me for my emotions. He observes me as I shake away the pain. It’s then that I decide to grab my future by the balls and comply with whatever Shadow wants.
He holds all the cards in his hands. And he fucking knows it.
“I’ll do whatever you want as long as Sunny and Shepp are safe.” I lift my chin, hoping to lure Shadow to my side. My loyalties lie with the three men who now own my heart in every way. But the enemy of my enemy is now my friend. I’ll do or say anything to keep my sister, Shepp, and me safe. “Gabriel used me as his spy. I know a lot. I’ve seen a lot. You and I could help each other out.”
His dark, lifeless eyes inspect my face, and he nods. “See? One big happy family,” he says as his lips split into a manic grin. “Now, get comfortable. You’ll be here for a while.”
I blink several times when he saunters through the door and shuts it behind him without another word, and a lock clicks into place, sending my heart into a frenzy. It’s like my time in the basement all over again.
Panic crawls up my throat, closing it as I gasp for air. Tears track down my cheeks. I was free. I survived. I fucking fought for my life repeatedly, doing what I had to do to get back home. All for Sunshine. I huff in several breaths, attempting to collect myself. It’s no use. I’m too strung up on all the emotions warring inside of me. Sadness. Fear. Regrets. Fuck. I need to swallow them down so I can wade through this with my head held high, but I’m drowning in the abyss.
Five minutes. That’s all I’ll give myself to freak out before I swallow my emotions forever. I’ll pull my big girl panties up and start planning our escape. Or how we’re going to get through this with our lives intact.
What’s he doing to my sister? Is she okay? At least in the hospital setting, I knew she was being cared for. Despite sparse letters and video calls, I saw her face shining back at me.
Now? What am I going to get?
I’m jumping into the unknown with a new villain.
My pulse quickens when the lights in the room dim more, leaving me in the shadows with barely any light to see. The only noise present is my heart beating like a loud drum in my ears. Over and over again, drowning out any other noises. Darkness creeps in, taunting me with the fear I’ve collapsed in before. Deep breaths, Journey. Fucking breathe through the terror shaking your fucking bones.
You’re not in that cage. You’re in a chair. Sure, you’re still locked down. But you’ll be fine. Now, get your shit together. You’re nineteen years old; you shouldn’t be this afraid of the damn dark. Don’t let it rule you now.
Fuck Shadow.
There weren’t any actual answers to my questions. Not even the one about why we’re here and what he wants with Shepp and me. Obviously, he wants Sunny for something nefarious. I just haven’t figured it out yet. After all this time, why is he coming after his daughter? Why now? Why not when she was in the hospital?
I’m so fucking confused. My brain aches from all the shit that’s happened today. But I can’t focus on that right now. I need to get myself out of these loosened ropes and help Shepp. He needs me right now.
I take a deep breath, centering myself and finally letting my darkness cloud my thoughts. Every ounce of worry and despair disappears the moment it decides to show its beautiful face. Relief spills through me. If for only a moment.
“Shepp?” I whisper, wiggling my wrists together and loosening the rope even more. “Please don’t be hurt,” I mutter to myself as my head falls back. My eyes squeeze shut, and I take a deep breath.
You can do this. You’ve survived much worse.
Thank God for my sister. I never would have gotten out of these ropes without her. God, I hope she’s okay. I don’t even know where she is or where she’s going. He could be severely hurting her right now, and I’m the only one to blame for it.
Finally, I’m free from my chair after a few seconds of cursing the rough ropes, and I climb to my shaky feet, threatening to send me to the ground. Without hesitation, I reach Shepp and gently lay a hand on his cheek.
“Shepp?” I whisper, leaning down to put my ear against his rising chest.
The room seems to still, quieting to almost nothing as I attune myself to the heady beat of his heart. Thump. Thump. Thump. Relief soars through me the more I listen. It’s music to my ears. Better than fucking Whispered Words lulling me to sleep. There. His life force. The organ beating triumphantly to keep him alive. My beacon of fucking hope that Shepp will wake up stronger than ever. “We’re going to be okay,” I murmur, resting there for a split second and soaking in his body heat.
We’ll make it through this. I hope, at least. It’s the only thing I can do at this point. We’re trapped in a room that only has one way out. No windows. Only one door. And the room keeps getting darker and darker.
But Shepp needs me. While the light is barely there, I lift my head and check Shepp over. I can barely make out the light droplets of blood staining his white dress shirt under his wrinkled suit. Blood. A breath whooshes from my lungs and my thoughts run rampant.
My hands wander over his chest, lifting the shirt and exposing his flesh to search for wounds.
Memories of the initiation ball ring in my mind, reminding me of when Gabriel had me cornered and got the information from me so damn easily.
“Tell me now, Little Snake,” he hisses directly in my face.
“It’s under Josie Wells, in a Swedish bank account,” I cough out, desperate to bring oxygen back into my lungs. “Please don’t hurt her. She’s been through enough.” I shake my head as tears roll down my cheeks from the lack of air.
“What a good girl,” he says, roughly tapping my cheek. “I knew I could count on you again.”
Shame rears up inside me. I did just what Jericho said I would. I gave up information. All to save my sister. Again. And look where it got us—separated at the hands of another evil man.
Only this time, I barely know what he’s capable of. I’ve only been given glimpses of what Shepp has told me about his father.
But it’s enough to know we’re in dangerous territory. Wherever it is. Possibly the island Jenni told me about. Shit. If we’re on the island, then we’re in the middle of nowhere. How far away did she say it was? Fuck, I can’t even remember.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, caressing Shepp’s cheek softly, examining every inch of his handsome features.
My finger runs down the deep scar on his face, tracing it—another reminder that the man holding us here is unstable. Every muscle in Shepp’s body relaxes as I trace down his nose, over his lips, and around his jaw, memorizing his features in the dark.
My fingers run behind his neck, gently checking for injuries. When I bring my fingers back, warm blood paints my fingertips, and my panic rises.
“You’re bleeding, Big Guy,” I whisper, turning his face to the side, trying to get a better look at his injury.
Panic claws at my throat when the darkness moves around me, cradling me in
My fingers retrace the small wound, and relief drags my shoulders down.
But it’s no use—the darkness of the room seeps in, coating every nook and cranny with its presence.
“They must have gotten you good.” I shake my head, leaning in further to get a better look at the small wound on the back of his skull. “God. What did they do to you? How did they get you?” I rest my forehead on his chest, squeezing my eyes shut again. “Are the others okay, too? Please tell me they didn’t get shot or hurt.”
Tears burn at the backs of my eyes, and I squeeze them shut. I’m so tired of crying tonight. So tired of begging and pleading. The warmth of Shepp’s body pours through the tiny scrap of material I’m wearing. The dress they picked out for me barely covers anything. It was nice for dinner, but shivers run through me in the darkness of this cave.
Everything aches as I curl up at his side, wishing I could do more to wake him.
If he wakes up.
Fuck.
I suck in a breath, burying my face in his chest, taking in the hints of his cologne. I breathe him in, relishing the feel of him beside me before the darkness of my mind takes over.
And sleep pulls me under for once in my life.