(edited)
I don't know where we are anymore.
We ran for ten minutes straight, which to be honest felt like ten hours, and because of Vince we ended up in a dark alley between two high buildings. Perfect place to get snatched... again.
"Are they. Still. Following us?" Vince speaks between uncontrolled breaths. When I turn around I see him leaned against the building's wall trying to catch his breath.
"I don't think so." I answer him after a few silent moments just to be sure Silvio and his men aren't behind us. I let myself rest leaned on the wall like Vince and catch my breath, too.
"When was the last time you ran?" Vince now asks me, raising an eyebrow at me. His answer makes me remember the forbidden and cringiest part of my life–seventh grade.
"That would be in seventh grade. Our principal brought an ex marine as our gym teacher. That marine guy was crazy though." I give him a nostalgic answer as I recall my moments as a seventh grader. Whenever we had gym, every student silently prayed before class. Some even intentionally got sick or injured only to get a slip from the nurse and not exercise.
Vince only gives me a thumbs up and takes a few big gulps of air while I try not to laugh at him and his current situation. He looks worse than me.
"What about you? You need some oxygen tank or something?" I chuckle but Vince doesn't seem too appreciative of my humor. He only shoots me a rather nasty glare and continues calming himself down.
Just when the area gets silent and Vince and I think we have lost Silvio and his men, a couple cars drive past our ally and make a sudden stop, tears screeching in the process. The cars go back and now drive into the alley we are in.
"Nope, God still wants me dead. Run!" Vince forgets about his situation and how fatigued he is. Grabbing me by my wrist, Vince drags me into the alley left of us before we resume the dreadful running. We hear the cars following us.
"There. Get inside." I tell him urgently after I spot an open steel bars door from one of the buildings. When we get inside I can see it leads into a small veggie garden. As we run, Vince suddenly gets the idea to make a sudden halt and grab a cabbage or two from the ground.
"Why the hell do you need those?" I whisper yell at him when he closes on me and is now running by my left side. This small garden leads to a tiny path along the building and it connects with the main street.
"It may come in handy. Now, run faster. I think they're getting closer."
In no time, we get out on the main street. It isn't the best move since Silvio can spot us easily but at least we can run faster this way.
Wait, scratch that. Silvio does spot us and we can't run faster.
"God, why do you hate me so much? Why?" Looking up to the sky, Vince whines when three cars surround us and half a dozen men get out no longer after that.
"I told you I'd catch you." no matter how much I disagree with this, his voice still makes my legs go jelly on me and my heart to become arrhythmic. Silvio gets out of the car just like you'd expect a man who has caught his prey to exit a car; pridefully and so arrogantly with a tinge of cockiness. Yet, when I look more carefully his eyes hold a dangerous glint. He's furious with me.
I don't say a word to him. Instead I stay still and Vince seems to have frozen in place, also.
"Put them inside." Silvio orders his men but before they can come closer to us, Vince decides to use his secret weapons. Throwing the two cabbages on the men closest to him and one in front of Silvio's feet, he backs away and goes for a run. The men look dumbfounded before Silvio yells at them to catch Vince and they start running after the traitor.
Idiot. He left me alone.
"Now, Willa. What do you say you and I have a little chat?" Silvio walks to me, like a wolf stalking his delicious meal, and all I can do is take a gulp in fear.
I try to protest but it seems I'm at loss of words. When Silvio is close enough, only mere inches separating us, he stops and slowly connects our gazes.
"Get in the car and let this be the last time you disobey me." His low and threatening murmur raises all the hairs on the back of my neck and I can do nothing else but comply.
***
The first time I got kidnapped by Silvio, they had put me in the basement downstairs, which to be honest smelt like pee. Now, I am in a room that smells way nicer and is way cleaner. My room. After I open my eyes I am greeted by a tray of delicious looking food placed on the coffee table and a set of new clothes; a pair of jeans, a burgundy sweater and a pair of ankle boots.
After seeing the new clothes, I realize that my old clothes smell like garbage dumpster. Without another thought I get up and go straight to the bathroom. Even despite my escape and disobey of orders, he still treats me good.
I finish my business in the bathroom and I see Randy standing inside the room by the door just as I close the bathroom door.
"Girl, boss wants you in his office, now."
"Okay." I say, a newly created nervousness decorating my voice and walk to him. Randy guides the way, while occasionally throwing me a look from his shoulder. I think he's being more cautious with me since I escaped on his watch.
As we approach Silvio's office, I get more and more nervous. Even panicked.
What will he do to me? Will he hurt me again? My hand comes around my neck, a soft reminder of him angry imprint.
The thoughts in my head aren't helping me. They're, in fact, worsening the situation but are true nonetheless.
"Get inside." Randy gruffly says and shoves me inside the office before closing the door behind me.
"I had to tell him, Willa. I had to tell him about her encrypted phone." Vince's pained voice brings all my wild thoughts aside. I follow his voice and when I meet his face, a gasp leaves my lips.
What did they do to him?
Bruises and cuts lay on Vince's face. Blood drips down from his temple and cheek cut to his jaw and onto his light colored hoodie. His left eye is so swollen that he can barely open it and on top of that, his beaten up body is sat on a chair, his hands tightly tied behind his back.
"What did you do to him?" The anger I feel inside me boils my blood and I no longer think about how I sound or if I disrespect him. My body lunges towards Silvio, my fist ready to meet his face, but he catches my wrists and has me locked with his arms in a place.
Vince was just trying to help me, damn it!
"Why did you beat him?" I yell in Silvio's face as I try to break free from his grasp. I notice the dangerous glint in his eyes again that brings a tinge of fear in me, telling me to calm down or else.
"If you don't calm the fuck down I can tie you up just like your friend here." with a single push from him, I fall on the nearby chair. If looks could kill Silvio would be rotting in hell by now because of this.
"How are you feeling?" I ask Vince, my voice softer and gentler this time when I see his face from a closer point. He doesn't deserve this. It's my fault he's like this.
"I guess God doesn't want me that dead. But I'm sorry I told him about the phone. " He manages to joke in this horrible situation but goes back to a more serious state a second later. He coughs after finishing the sentence and blood splutters on his hoodie.
"He already knew, don't worry about i–"
"Quiet!" Silvio silences the room before I can finish the sentence, glaring at me and then continuing, "I thought I was very clear when I said what would happen if you try and escape." He says and turns his laptop for me to see the screen and what's playing on it.
Christopher.
It's my little brother Christopher at kindergarten. There are a lot of kids around him but the camera is focused specifically on him. The video dates back to last Friday which means he has been watching him since then, probably even before that.
"What–what is this?" I ask him, my lips trembling and eyes starting to prickle because of the newly formed tears.
"His name is Christopher, isn't it? Nice boy." He says casually and goes the desk to sit on his chair.
"Don't you dare hurt him. You're a psychopath foe threatening me with a little kid." I shout, the tears in my eyes blurring my vision. Silvio only scans my expression but his eyes travel to my neck. The apologetic spark in his eyes disappears as fast as it came.
"I won't hurt him as long as you and your friend find Jade Maxwell." Him saying this doesn't make the situation better. On the contrary, it makes me want to rip his heart out and feed it to the dogs.
How can he be so emotionless?
Does he really expect me to choose between my little brother and my twin? If I choose Christopher and find Jade, he'll kill Jade when he has her but if I don't find Jade, Christopher is dead.
"You have 48 hours to find her, starting exactly now. "