The Bursting Heat (Book 2) ✓

10 - Sketches

Alice

It was so strange to be left alone. I can't remember the last time I was alone. It was an uneasy feeling. I know I was safe. I know that the people who kidnaped me the first time won't be able to do it again, at least not right now. No one knew where I was. And Rafi's place was safe. He had an alarm, he showed me how it works, made me remember the codes, made me arm it once he was outside the door. I should feel okay... but I don't. I don't know when I'll start to feel okay. But everything had to start with the bastards in that house. My way of helping the police in catching them laid in a bag on the flood next to me. My art supplies.

I took a deep breath, willing my nerves to calm down and grab the sketchbook. Then, a pencil and I sat comfortably on the couch. The TV was playing some old movie, but I didn't pay it any attention. I was trying to remember all the details I needed to start drawing. I decided to start with an easy one. The tattoo. It's not like I saw it many times, but at least it wasn't a person who'll be watching me from the page.

I start with loose lines, trying to block the shape first. When I was happy with it, I lightly erased the lines and started more detailed work. I repeated this process a couple of times until I was happy with the work. It was a dragon that was wrapping around the forearm. It was black and white with red eyes. Firstly, I didn't think of adding the color, but the longer I watch it the more my fingers were itching to add it, to make it like it is real, not just a sketch. So, I searched for the markers I knew were in the bag, picked the red one, and colored the dragons' eyes.

"There, that's a lot better." I felt confident that I did a fairly good job at recreating the tattoo. I was just hoping that it would be enough to catch the man.

Now, it was time for the harder parts – the faces. For that, I needed some alcohol in me. I searched Rafi's kitchen for something but found only beer in his fridge. I guess he wasn't lying when he said he didn't spend a lot of time in the house...or he wasn't drinking anymore. Who knows. Definitely not me. I have so many things I didn't know about him. It's like he is a new person, all grown up and stuff. I took the beer and went back to the living room. Only after I drank half of it, I started to draw. I decided to start with the lieutenants.

The first one was known as Catch. I don't know if it was because he was catching the girls or something else, but he was the nicest of them all...if you can call a kidnaper a nice person. I've never seen him harm a girl, so in my book, that meant a lot. He was with more rounded face, dark eyes, and thick eyebrows. His nose was long and pointy, his lips thin. He had a scar on his right cheek, a line that was starting from his eyes down to his chin. Short, messy hair finished my sketch.

"Onto the next one." I turned the page and started drawing Bull. He was with a big build, bald head that had an egg's form. Black eyes, a crooked nose, and two diamond earrings on both his ears. Honestly, these earrings were always strange to me. He looked ridiculous with them. I quickly turned the page. The less time I was spending watching these faces, the better. I finished my first beer and took another. I was starting to feel the buzz from the alcohol and I know it was the wrong strategy, but it was the only available option to be done with the task at the moment.

The third lieutenant was with blond hair and blue eyes, and everyone called him Ken. Square jaw, straight nose, and full lips, he was like taken from some fashion show. Easily, he could be a model if he wasn't so messed in the head. The fourth, Rooster, was with a long brown hair that he was wearing on a tight bun on top of his head. Brown eyes and thinner lips, small nose and full beard were finishing his look and it was time for the fifth one and the one made my life a living hell. Snake was just like his nickname, sleeky little bastard. He was wearing his black hair combed backwards. It was shining from all the gel he was using. Black soulless eyes, a big crooked nose, that was visibly broken on at least two places. Big jaw and clean shaven, he was always wearing suits, like some Italian mobster or something. He loved to get his anger on me. A lot of my scars were thanks to him. The beating, the cutting... everything. He was the only sick bastard to use flame to burn our flesh, too. And you could see it in his eyes that he enjoyed our pain. I couldn't look at the drawing anymore. I had goosebumps all over my skin, my hands were damp, my pulse quickened, my breathing too... I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack.

I quickly stood from the sofa and left the sketchbook behind me. I couldn't do it anymore, it was way too much for me...I...all the memories were fighting in my head, trying to make me sick. I went to the door that led to the backyard. It was a small space, but it looked cozy. I quickly opened the door and took my first deep breath since I started drawing. Then I tried to take another and another... until my heart decided to calm down. There was I noise in the back in my head. It was something I needed to pay attention to, but couldn't at the moment. Not when I was trying to get myself back from the edge.

After a minute, the sound finally registered in my head from where it came from.

"Shit! The alarm." I quickly ran to the front door, hoping that I wasn't too late and the police won't come to check what's happening. I entered the code, and everything went silent. I waited a couple of minutes to see if something was going to happen, but nothing followed. Deciding I had enough for the night I went to close the back door. I was just closing it when two male hands grabbed me from behind and pulled me to his body.

"Miss me, princess?" Fuck! How did he find me?!?      

***So, someone is very good at his job at finding people, I guess...or has the right connections, who knows...Who do you think is the man in the house?