It wasn't normal for Jason to be video calling, but she smiled at the thought of him wanting to show off where Tyrus took him for his spontaneous vacation. She was imagining an island somewhere as servants brought him cocktails while he worked on his tan under the heat of the sun. Or maybe that was just her idea of a nice vacation. Either way, this had probably been the longest he had ever gone without touching base with her, and he was long overdue for a check-in.
"It's about time," said Riley as she adjusted the phone so she could see properly.
Her stomach churned and her face went pale as a sticky, clammy feeling seeped through her hands. She almost lost her grip on the phone as a slight tremble reached her fingers.
It was a sight she never thought she would see again. That she never wanted to see again and an icy shiver crawled down her back, yet her body and mind refused to look away. Her eyes glued to the screen in front of her.
"It's so nice to see you again, my little birdy." Vincent's face appeared on the screen, a wide grin showing off his pearly white teeth. He looked just the same as her nightmares, which didn't seem to allow her to forget a thing. From the rough stubble across his jawline to the tiny scar across his forehead. Her mind would never let her forget his face.
"What? Cat got your tongue?" Vincent chuckled as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
For a moment, it was a mere staring contest between the two of them before Riley's mind switched back from the shock as she looked at the caller ID again. It definitely said Jason, and that was what seemed to concern her the most. How did Vincent get a hold of Jason's phone?
"Where's Jason?" she asked, thankful that her voice didn't crack as she spoke.
"Jason is safe for now. As long as you follow what I say. Look to your left, across the parking lot."
Riley reluctantly lifted her gaze from the screen in front of her, afraid that if she looked away, he would disappear and she really would question whether she was losing her mind. Her eyes crossed the carpark.
"There is a white truck parked on the edge of the field. You're going to walk towards it and get in the back."
At that moment, she spotted the truck, larger than an average delivery truck with its non-descriptive plain white paint job with no windows. The backdoor cracked open just enough to let someone in, however, that was the only motion coming from the truck. Her heartbeat raced inside of her chest. There was no way she was getting into any vehicle.
"You're fucking crazy," said Riley, looking back at the phone to which Vincent was still staring back at her. "I'm not getting into any truck. No way."
"Maybe this will change your mind." Vincent moved the camera as the background blurred past him, unable for her to make out the surroundings, until it stopped on a sight she didn't even believe was possible.
There was Jason, knelt down on the floor, gag in his mouth and hands tied behind his back. He looked like he had been beaten badly. Blood and dirt covered his face as sweat trickled down his neck. A nearby guard grabbed his head roughly before the gag was removed from his mouth, causing him to cough and inhale a couple of quick, deep breaths.
"Now, you can either get in the truck Riley or I'll make sure he doesn't survive the rest of the day. It won't be pretty." Vincent punched the side of Jason's face, causing him to fall to the ground before being pulled back up again by the guard.
"Got anything to say to your little sister, Jason?" Vincent taunted before zooming in the camera closer to Jason's face.
Jason looked up, eyes determined but weary as he looked directly at Riley down the camera. His face turned fierce and angry. "Don't you fucking dare get in this truck, Riley!"
Riley looked up and towards the truck that she was now certain held, not just Vincent but Jason as well. Her eyes welled up, and she looked back down at Jason, whose gag was being forced back on him as he was shoved backward into the corner of the vehicle.
Vincent moved the video back over to his face, his smirk disappearing as annoyance crossed his face. "If you don't get in the fucking van in the next minute, Riley, this knife here is going in Jason's leg."
"Okay, okay," whispered back Riley as fear took over imagining the things he was going to do to Jason.
As she walked towards the truck, her mind was set on making sure Jason was okay. She turned her head to the side as she walked, noticing Kain walking quickly down the hill and straight towards her. The last thing she needed was to put Kain in any danger as well, so she increased her pace, hoping she could get to the truck before Kain got near her. She couldn't put Kain in danger. It wasn't right. This was her baggage, and she didn't want to drag anyone she cared about anywhere near it.
"Hey Riley, wait up," shouted Kain as he increased his pace straight towards her.
"Get rid of him Riley, or I will," said Vincent, still on call with her.
She paused just as Kain caught up with her and despite her being a bit out of breath from trying to be faster than him; he seemed like he just performed a short walk to the fridge.
"What's the rush? I thought you were going to wait?"
Riley placed her phone behind her back, pulling out one of her air pods and placing it in her pocket. She felt clammy, breathless and shook up, but she had to get rid of him, fast. "I'm sorry, Kain. Noah called. I, uh... forgot I had a dentist appointment. I'll catch up with you later?"
Kain placed his hand on her shoulder gently, looking worriedly into her eyes. "What's wrong Riley?"
"Hurry up slut." Vincent's voice made her jump through the phone and even though Kain couldn't hear, he could definitely see her reactions.
"I'm just running late," she said, trying to turn around to leave, but Kain gently grabbed her shoulder.
"Don't shut me out, Riley. Just tell me what's wrong."
"Please, just leave." Riley begged, pleading with her eyes as she had run out of options. Kain wasn't leaving anytime soon, and she didn't know how to get rid of him, considering he already suspected something was wrong.
Vincent's voice perked up in her ear. "For fuck's shit Riley, just bring him over with you if he's so desperate to be around you."
"No," she whispered back into her phone.
"Get your fucking ass over here Riley," Vincent practically screamed down the phone. Before he could say anything more, she hung up on him.
Panic crossed her face as she realised what she had done. She slipped out of Kain's hold in alarm as she powered walked over to the truck, fearful that Vincent had already hurt Jason in reaction to her hanging up on him. To her dismay, Kain was already walking next to her.
"Please Kain, you're going to get yourself hurt. Leave. Now," she said while still rushing forward across the parking lot to the unmarked white truck parked up at the furthest spot in the carpark.
"Who was that on the phone?" asked Kain. "If you're in trouble, I can help."
She stopped, turning on her heels to stare down Kain, practically angry at him now for not doing as she asked and just leaving her alone. "Look, I'm about to get messed up in a whole lot of shit, and I don't want you to get hurt because of me. I'm warning you now, if you don't back the fuck off, you're going to get hurt or killed."
"Then I'm not going anywhere." Kain said confidently, grabbing her hand in his. It was comforting to know he was with her, but the apprehension she felt at dragging him into this made any sense of comfort pour down the drain.
"I'm serious Riley. I'm not letting you go through anything alone. You've been through enough already. I'm not quite sure what shit you're getting yourself into, but I'm not leaving you."
Riley looked over to the truck and back down to Kain's strong hand, keeping her grounded in the moment, before looking up into his eyes. She had to go. Her brother's life depended on it and as much as she didn't want Kain involved, he wasn't backing down. The weight that hit her shoulders was intense as she weighed up her decisions. At the end of the day, she was putting Kain's life in danger for her brother and she could only hope that she could live with the consequences of her actions.
She didn't say a word as sadness laced her eyes and she gripped down on Kain's hand, pulling him with her in the direction of the truck.