Kidnapping Me

Truth is out...

"Ever considered seeing a dentist?" I ask, randomly. Stupid mind, wandering off like that!

Alexander shrugs his skinny shoulders and leans forward from his seat, which had a coshion on it, unlike mine. "Can't you're mummy remember you, Gracie?" He clicks his tongue. "Pitty."

'WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" I scream at him angrily, pushing myself to my feet.

The man against the wall, leaps into action and before I can blink, I'm pressed against the wall, his hand around my throat. I gasp for air and his dark eyes seem to burn a whole in my face. I have no idea what the hell is wrong with this guy but clearly he doesn't like me much. He looked familiar, the hard dark colour of his eyes seemed to jog a memory of some kind, but I didn't have time to think about it. This guy was killing me.

"Marco." Alexander coos, like he's talking to a puppy or a five year old.

Marco drops me and I gasp, letting out a rattling cough as I suck in oxygen. I touch my neck and cringe- that was so going to bruise later.

"Oh, Gracie." Alexander says from his seat as Marco melts back into the wall behind him. "People tend to block out painful memories, you know."

"You hurt her? You hurt my mother!" I hiss at him, getting shakily to my feet.

Alexander chuckles. "No, no." He taps his pipe agains the table and points at the seat. "Sit down, Gracie and I'll tell you a lil story."

I move quickly into the seat, my legs still jelly like and almost totally unresponcive. Alexander ditches the pipe and digs through his coat pocket to pull out a thick cigar. Hand rolled. He looks up at me as he flicks at the lighter. "Want one?"

I sneer at him. "Get on with it."

He shakes his head, taking a puff from the cigar. He blows the smoke in my direction and the burning smell makes my eyes water.

"It wasn' that lon' ago." He starts, leaning back in his chair comfortably. "I beat your father in a rather nasty round of Poker." I raise my eyebrows but let him continue. "'e was very drunk, and 'e ended up losin' the entire company to me."

"What?" I shake my head. "Then we wouldn't still have it. You're lying!"

Alexander glares at me. "Don't interrupt, you lil slut!" He coughs and takes another drag. Swear he's bi-polar. "Now. I won that company, but see, I don' want to be a company man. I like me freedom. That night, your mother was servin' us some chips. And I took a real shinin' to 'er. So I bet your Daddy, I'd win the Poker. And if I did, I'd give 'im back the company for 'is wife. 'e, of course, agreed. What a fool. I, naturally, won."

I glared at him. "You bastard!"

"Enough." He snapped. Marco's eyes flicked to mine and he glared at me so icily, I felt a shiver run down my spine. "This was a year before you, Gracie." Alexander continued. "So, your Mother lived with me for a while. The slut got preggo." He jerked his thumb at Marco. "This 'ere is our half brother."

My eyes widened and I glanced at the guy up against the wall. His eyes flickered with some emotion before he went back to his rigid stance, glaring at the opposite wall. I so badly wanted to ask where I had seen him before, no doubt Alexander would know. But I couldn't.

"Then your Mother ran from me." Alexander said, taking another drag on his cigar. "I didn' think she'd go back to your Dad, but she did. But the time I found 'er, she had already 'ad you, Gracie. I left her alone for a while, 'cause thats the kind of nice guy I am." He snickered. "I did 'eave her some presents though. Messed with her 'ind, they did. When you were six, she stopped coming round, no?"

I just glared at him.

"She was wif me, Gracie." He chuckled darkly. "It was then I told 'er. I told 'er it was your Daddy's fault she was here. You Daddy's fault she was the was she was. She didn' like that. She ran from me again.

I followed 'er though. She wen' all the way back to you again. You was eight, for christmas, she gave you somethin'. I can' remember what." He waved that off and smiled toothily. "An' then she met Donald. Donald tol' me that 'e loved 'er and that he'd give me 100,000 to stay away from 'er. But I couldn't do that, Gracie.

So guess what 'e did? 'e threatened your Daddy. Tol' him he'd tell everyone that 'e sold your Mummy if 'e didn't do somethin'. So your Daddy gave me money. Last year," Alexnader tapped his chin, leaning forwards. "the money ran out. So I went back to your Daddy and he told me he didn't have anythin' else to give me. So I asked 'im to another round of Poker." He smiled evilly. "The stupid bastard agreed." He chuckled and leaned back in his chair."Can you guess what I won, Gracie?"

I gulped. "Me."

"Correct!" He crowed, almost proudly. "'e was scared then, your Daddy. 'ut I was smart. I tapped into 'is phones. I 'eard him calling Greyson. I 'eard him telling Greyson that he needed someone to protect you. Stupid man."

"He- but My Father hates me! He doesn't listen to me! He doesn't talk to me! Especially in the last few months, he's been keeping his distace like mad! ANd- Omg. He was protecting me. He was being mean so that I'd leave. Wasn't he?"

Alexander nodded. "Smart girl. But he wasn't smart enought to check 'is guest list. Otherwise he would have seen that Marco 'ere was on there, right next to your Uncle and Greyson."

I gasped. "Mark. Mark, that was haning out with Penny." I glared at him. "If Marco laied a finger on her, I swear to god!"

Alexander waved me off. "Penny is fine, Gracie. Marco did take a shinin' to 'er, but I tol' 'im that your Daddy needed a daughter in 'is life somewhere."

I breathed out a sigh of relief. Penny was safe. Penny was fine. Thank god.

"But I can' say the same 'bout you, Gracie. I won you fair an' square." He stood. "An' I plan to 'ave my fun."