"What a gorgeous body you have..." he grabbed a fistful of her hair and inhaled her scent. "The things I want to do to you." She shivered with fear and turned her face away from him. "Talia. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman." Marcus stared at her with his bloodshot eyes, his gaze travelled from her feet up to her face and he licked his lips. "Ambrose has excellent taste in women. Too bad he is gone now." Talia turned suddenly and spit in his face. Under the circumstances it was the only thing she could do to spite him. "Feisty girl! I like that." Talia battled with the restraints but it was no use. Her arms and legs were tied to the bed posts and she was naked. The only thing shielding her naked body from Marcus was a filthy sheet that stank of urine. Being thirty-four weeks pregnant and the prisoner of a psychopath made her anxiety grow a thousand fold. Her baby was all she could think about. Was he okay? Would he be okay after their ordeal was over? Would the nightmare end? She hoped and prayed for it all to be a nightmare, a bad dream she'd wake up from but it was real and everyday it got worse. A month had passed since her abduction but to her it felt like a century. "I wanna see what's underneath" Marcus whispered in her ear as he tugged at the sheet. "I want to taste you" he licked her ear lobe and she felt sick to her stomach. "Imagine I'm Ambrose and you'll really like what I'm about to do" he yanked off the sheet and straddled her.
A clean butcher knife lay on the bed, next to Talia. Marcus grabbed it and waved it in front of her. "This is Bianca. Isn't she lovely?" he grazed her right cheek with the knife. A faint red line appeared. "She is my favorite." He grazed her again. Talia whimpered. "I kid. I don't name my knives, only sickos do that." He grazed her cheek again. "I'm a pretty normal guy. Wouldn't you agree?" Talia shook her head. "Let...me...go. Please." "No can do. You're supposed to be dead but I couldn't just kill you like that. I wanted to play with you first because I'm a nice guy." He flashed her a devilish smile. He moved the knife to her protruding belly. "Even when pregnant you're irresistible." He grazed the side of her belly and watched her face as he did it. The panic in her pleading eyes turned him on to no end. He loved being in control, loved how Talia's life was in his hands. "Why should I care? It's not my baby" he grazed the side of her belly twice. "Don't you think it's better for me to remove this filth inside of you so we can have fun?" her voice broke and her cheeks were covered in tears. "Please...don't" her throat hurt and her face burned. Marcus shook his head. He gripped the knife and made as if to stab her but stopped half an inch from her navel. Talia felt a wetness between her legs. Marcus noticed it and crackled. "Silly girl. Your time hasn't come. Not yet anyway" He threw the knife on the floor, his phone rang fifty seconds later. It was Kevin and he was upset. Marcus detected an undertone of fear in his voice as well, a rare occurrence. The call lasted a minute. "I'll be gone a while baby girl, no need for a sedative today." He jumped off the bed and was out of the abandoned house in under two minutes.
Talia sobbed, her mind drifted to memories of the past, a happier time when she first met Ambrose.
Twenty year old Talia sat on her bed crying her eyes out and as usual Cindy was the one comforting her.
"You can still walk away from him. He made it clear that he won't leave his girlfriend for you. Let him go." Talia's heart refused to let go, she was in too deep. She loved him so much and had invested everything in him. "How can I? I'm in love with him. Someday he'll want me. Right?" Talia said between sobs. Her relationship with Damian took away her happiness and will to live. She felt ugly, worthless and stupid for having fallen for his lies. Deep down she knew he was bad news but his charm blinded her to the truth. She blamed herself for being naïve. Her studies were suffering, her entire life was falling apart and she didn't know how to stop it. She doubted she wanted to.
"He isn't worth it Talia can't you see. He is cheating on his girlfriend with you. He is bad news. There are other guys out there. In fact I'm confident that you'll meet someone today who will take your mind off that scumbag, if you get out of this house."
"I'm not in the mood to do anything Cindy. I just want to be left alone." Talia covered her face with her blankets.
"Not today. Come on. Let's get you dressed." Cindy pulled Talia to her feet but she collapsed to the floor and refused to stand up. "My heart is dead Cindy and I'm next." Cindy hated seeing her so depressed. "Work with me Talia, let's go out. You don't have to talk to any guys but for God's sake please let's get out of this house." Cindy helped her up and wiped her tears. After thirty long minutes they were both dressed and ready to go.
An hour later Cindy was on the dance floor having the time of her life whilst Talia was sitting on a stool drinking water and crying over Damian. Alcohol wasn't alluring to her. The bartender looked at her, a question in his eyes but refrained from asking. The club had a few people and it suited Talia, she hated crowds. When Cindy suggested that they go out she didn't think in a million years it would be to a club, there weren't any strippers and it was a decent place but still she felt uncomfortable. Being out at night made her feel on edge, always. She was so wrapped up in her sorrow that she didn't notice a tall brunette take a sit next to her. "I'll have what she's having" he said to the bartender. "Water?" the bartender raised an eyebrow. "Yes. That." Talia turned and noticed the handsome stranger sitting next to her, she smiled, said hi and continued sulking. "You've a beautiful smile" she nodded, unsure what to say to him. She felt like her heart was being crushed. Damian used to compliment her on her smile all the time. Hearing the stranger say that to her made the already severe heartache worse. "He must've been so special to get such a reaction from you" Talia turned to face him "What are you talking about?"
"The asshole who dumped you. Isn't that why you're so sad. You shouldn't waste your tears on Damian he isn't worth it"
"How do you know?"
"I've seen you two around campus a couple of times, looking cozy. I put two and two together"
Talia frowned and cast her eyes on the floor, she wondered if anyone was laughing behind her back. "I thought I had everything under control. I thought he loved me but I was wrong and now I'm hurting." Talia stood but as she was about to leave the tall brunette grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him. Talia wanted to slap him across the face for doing it but something inside her said no. "Before you go, dance with me. Just one dance"
"I can't dance and I want to go home. So no"
"It doesn't matter. Dance with me and then you can go. You've got nothing to lose" she stared into his brown eyes, they looked so sincere. She gave in and never regretted it.
***
"Lorenzo is dead and it's all over the news." Kevin's voice was low. He was upset and a tad bit frightened. "That stupid cunt didn't even bother warning me." Kevin clenched his teeth in frustration. "Damn it! How did this even happen?" Marcus listened but didn't respond, he didn't need to. He was there to take his orders as always. "Rose did it, there's no doubt in my mind about that. Find her and silence her." "Anything else?" Kevin's anger subsided a little bit "When you're done with Lucia take care of Talia. It's time to tie up all the loose ends. I don't wanna take any chances." Marcus nodded and left the office.
He knew Kevin regretted having not acted sooner the moment he found out about Lorenzo and Rose. He'd wanted to kill Lorenzo himself and punish Rose but he never expected Rose to retaliate the way she did. They underestimated her, she outsmarted them and that annoyed Kevin to the bone. Marcus on the other hand begrudgingly admired her moxie. In all his years as Kevin's muscle he'd never met a woman like Rose, willing to fight her way out of a life she detested even if it meant spilling blood. As he got into his car he was suddenly overcome with emotion. Once every year the memory he tried so desperately to forget became vivid in his mind. This time he didn't fight it, he let the images flood his mind. The end was fast approaching he could feel it in his gut. He flashbacked to his teenage years, analyzed all the choices he made. Every theft, every killing was vivid in his mind. He never forgot, couldn't forget the lives he'd ruined and for what? Nothing. The money, the drugs, the women all of it meant nothing to him. It couldn't bring back the life of the only woman he'd ever loved in his entire life. His mother. The guilt had driven him to madness, made him do things he wouldn't have dreamt of doing if she'd been alive to rein him in. He closed his eyes and conjured up the image of her. Her brown eyes and black curly hair. Her tall frame and slim fingers. She was a small woman but had such a strong spirit and a caring heart as well. Which was why she spent most of her time volunteering and doing charity work. He chuckled at the thought, she made it her duty to bring a smile on the face of whoever she met, wanted to end the world's suffering. She was sweet like that. She meant the world to him. A single tear fell from his eye. Had his grandparents forgiven him for what he did? He wanted them to but doubted they would. He hadn't forgiven himself. His mind took him back to that fateful Friday, all those years ago. His father's bloody knuckles, his mother's lifeless body lying on the couch and the gun Marcus was clutching in his hands. He had the weapon which could put an end to the madness. His finger was on the trigger, ready to pull and blast his father all the way to hell. He hesitated and by the time the shock subsided it was too late. He emptied the gun in his father's chest but his mother was long gone by then. His hesitation cost her, her life. He wiped the tears with the back of his hand and got behind the wheel. If only she'd been like Rose, willing to fight her way out of her dilemma maybe just maybe she'd still be alive.
***
Rose had hitched a ride from Riverdale to the heart of Sunnyside City where she'd taken refuge in a motel. But Sunnyside City was Kevin's turf and he'd find her so she had to move but she didn't know where to go. She was stranded and running out of money. She'd used some of the money to buy new clothes and some food and spent the whole afternoon in the motel trying to get more sleep but the more she tried to sleep the more restless she became. Checking into the motel was a mistake and the longer she stayed the more apparent it became to her. There was nowhere for her to run but she had to try. She took the phone from the nightstand, the battery was at 65%. It was now or never. She recalled the number from memory and dialed before it was too late. An hour later, at exactly 6 pm she checked out oblivious to the fact that Marcus had found her ages ago and was biding his time. He smiled when he saw her come out of the motel looking jumpier than usual. His car was parked five meters from the motel. He got out of the car, and shadowed her. One muffled scream later she was in the trunk of a car with both her hands and feet tied. Ryan, the receptionist who happened to be the motel owner watched in pure horror as it all took place right before his eyes knowing it was all because of him. First it was Lisa Thompson and now Lucia. He pushed the guilt to the side but this time it wouldn't leave him alone.
Marcus drove for two hours straight to a remote area out of Sunnyside city. There was a lot of forest on both sides of the road and not a single sign of traffic. Perfect. A few minutes later a familiar gravel road much narrower than the main road emerged. He reduced his speed and turned left. It was a bumpy ride which only lasted fifteen minutes. Their destination was a house in the middle of nowhere. On the outside it looked like a normal house but it was anything but. Marcus nick-named it the slaughter-house. There was no one for miles meaning he could do his work uninterrupted and that pleased him. He opened the trunk of his car and lifted Rose, she was a lightweight and much to his delight she didn't struggle. He carried her inside and threw her on the floor. Marcus had already prepared the place. The floor was covered in plastic sheets. There was a table in the middle of the room. Rose wiggled on the floor trying to get into an upright position. Marcus walked over to her, lifted her and placed her on the only chair in the room so she could get a better view of what was on the table. Her blood grew cold and she wanted to pass out. All her bravado melted away. On the table there was a hammer and nine inch nails. A butcher knife, baseball bat and a can of gasoline. Would he use all of those weapons on her? She shivered at the thought of what Marcus would do to her. Her hands were tied behind her back and the knots were too tight for her to even move her hands let alone free them. She hated to admit it but she was scared out of her mind. Marcus was standing behind her smirking. He could smell her fear in the air. He strutted to the table and turned to face her. Her eyes were pleading with him to spare her life but he didn't budge. Mercy wasn't one of his traits. No reason why it should be. "It's time Rose. Which one should I start with?" he asked casually. Her eyes widened with panic. It really was happening. She couldn't believe her plan had gone up in flames in under a day. Kevin was and always would reign supreme. Marcus grabbed the baseball bat, cast her a look and smiled. He was gonna enjoy every second of torturing her "No one defies Kevin sweetie" and he hit her knee cap, hard.
She grunted in pain. He hit her hard enough to cause unimaginable pain but not enough to shatter her knee cap. "Gotta find balance baby, I'm not breaking bones yet" Her eyes welled with tears. He hit her again, harder this time but it didn't break. He paused and licked his lips, the sight of a woman at his mercy excited him. He hit her again and this time he fractured her kneecap. "Perfect. Now for the elbow" Rose's mind was numb, her body radiated with pain yet this was the beginning of his sadism. Her grabbed a fistful of hair and raised her head so she was looking directly at him "Beg for mercy" he shouted at her. "Beg me" Rose spit in his face "Never!" He let go of her hair, "No matter, it won't change anything" he aimed the bat at her elbow. Two strikes was all it took to fracture the bone. She writhed in pain. The tears didn't flow and she didn't say a word. It was too much for her but she would endure it to the end. She had no choice. Marcus threw the baseball bat to the ground and took the butcher knife. He wasn't done with her, not by a long shot. Marcus was a deliberate man, he knelt before her and scanned her body searching for the perfect spot. He wanted her to bleed. The sight of blood thrilled him but he didn't want her to bleed to death. So he made up his mind to start with the uninjured leg, her right leg. Rose felt the knife cut into her leg and the warm blood ooze out. Marcus was a sick bastard. "Don't be scared, I'll be gentle" and he made nine more calculated stab wounds, her clothes were stained with blood and he stopped. Marcus got up and took a step back to admire his masterpiece. "Would've been better if you were wearing white" he remarked. More work needed to be done. "You remember Lisa?" he asked as if they were having a casual conversation during dinner. He strutted to the table and caressed the hammer head. Rose didn't have the energy to respond. An "hmm" sound came out of her mouth. "She tried to run away, but Kevin wouldn't have it and you know what happened when I caught her? Loads of fun things my darling" he was calm. He lifted the hammer, it was next and her eyes widened with panic. "Poor girl, she screamed, she cried, begged but you know me. Heart of stone"
"I butchered her, broken bones blood everywhere. She was a screamer. I loved it!" he took three nails and went to where she was. The horror was plastered on her face. Rose wouldn't beg though. She would never beg him. "No one defies Kevin" Rose closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain coming her way. "It's a little too soon for the hammer, let me find something else." Rose opened her eyes, what did he have in store for her? He stared at the table debating with himself, he didn't want her to die soon. His hand reached for the bloody knife but he stopped suddenly. He stared at the table for ten long minutes. Why now? Rose realized Marcus was taking too long, something was up but what? "Get out of my mind" he screamed to no one. Something was wrong, Rose sensed something she never thought Marcus experienced ever in his life. It was fear. She chuckled, the pain was making her hallucinate.
Marcus looked at Rose lying on the ground defenseless, bruised and quiet as a mouse. Not begging for her life and that bothered him. A single tear fell out of his eye and he didn't bother wiping it away. Rose wondered what on earth was wrong with him. He was off his game. He slammed his fist on the table. He had to end this now. He grabbed the can of gasoline, rushed out of the cabin and put it in the trunk of his car. He sprinted back and lifted Rose. He put her in the backseat of the car this time, after making sure he had the lighter he started the car and drove off. Rose didn't scream, she accepted her fate. The car stopped after half an hour in the middle of the road. The door opened and she felt a pair of strong arms pull her out and drag her to the front of the car, placing her in the middle of the road. Not a single soul in sight, which made it easier for Marcus. He took the can of gasoline from the trunk and doused her with it.
***
Trying to find Vicky in Sunnyside was like looking for a needle in a haystack. They had nothing to go on except the indecent pictures found in Lorenzo's phone. She checked the time on her watch, it was 2130. The road was deserted and she was way out of Sunnyside city. Driving for long periods calmed her nerves especially when she was dealing with cases nearly impossible to solve. Sometimes she'd drive around for hours to no particular place until she'd tired herself out. Only then could she sleep. It was an expensive habit to maintain given the rising price of gasoline but she didn't mind it. It calmed her nerves. The rest of her day had been uneventful. She thoroughly went through the details of the cases she was working, jotting down notes and any theories she had. She made a list of people she wanted to interview and worked out what to say to Cecelia when she got the chance to visit her. It was all exhausting but despite that going home straight wasn't on her mind. The long drive was a much better deal. There wasn't a single soul in sight for miles which made it all the more relaxing. Traffic was her worst nightmare. She'd been driving for two hours and twenty minutes when she noticed something on the road. She stopped her car a meter from what looked like a person lying unconscious on the road. She got out of the car and moved closer to inspect the site. It was a young girl, bloody, beaten and she reeked of gasoline. Her face was untouched though and Vicky could see clearly that it was Lucia Davies and she was alive.