Ethan's P.O.V
I was going to rip his intestines out and feed them to the wolves. I would surely make him regret ever crossing my path. He didn't know what was coming his way.
"Chill out, bro. You're going to break the steering wheel" Trent patted my shoulder, trying to get my attention. I shrugged him off, angrily.
I couldn't fucking chill out.
Melanie was taken by Mark. By Mark. The guy who killed my sister. The guy who killed Nathan. How could I know that she was okay? I couldn't even find her. I didn't even know where to look for her.
Mark was a sly asshole. He definitely wasn't stupid. He wouldn't keep her in his own house. He had many coverup 'businesses'. He would have no problem keeping her there. They were a great disguise for the vile things he did for a living. No one would suspect a thing.
Those businesses were the reason why it was so hard for the cops to get him. He had built himself a great coverup story, making him almost untouchable. Keyword- Almost.
After seeing the footage, I immediately called the cops. They said that it was a good opportunity to finally close in on Mark and his gang. And I knew it was. I could fucking feel it in my bones. So it was my job to get everything set up. I couldn't ruin this. Everything had to be perfect. If it wasn't, Mark would get away with everything again. And I couldn't let that happen. Not this time. Not when he had Melanie.
"I need to figure this out. We need a plan and a good fucking one..." I muttered under my breath, taking a sharp turn onto an emptier road. Trent swung to the side, almost hitting his head on the window.
"Okay, and we will. But to think straight and to come up with the plan, you need to calm down-"
"Do you not understand? He has her! He has Melanie. The guy who killed my sister, the guy who killed Nathan... has Melanie. And we don't even know where he's keeping her" I cut him off, gritting my teeth. It made my blood boil. Just the thought of her being hurt because of me. It made me want to rip Mark's throat out with my bare hands.
At that point, I knew that what I was feeling for her... wasn't just friendship. I had never felt that way about any other girl. She was everything and more. And I couldn't stand the thought of losing such a special person. Not now, not ever.
***
Melanie's P.O.V
"There's a lot of trouble because of you, Melanie Deen"
I lifted my head, squinting at the blinding lights. It was Mark. He stood in front of me with an exhausted yet still overwhelmingly evil expression on his face.
I guess the little minion went bonkers and wouldn't be back anytime soon."It runs in my blood" I smirked, my voice coming out dry and raspy. I knew how to press his buttons by then. Apparently he hated my father. Perhaps just as much as he hated Ethan.
"Oh, believe me...I know" Mark lit a cigar, sitting on the couch I had slept on previously.
But that was when George was here. And now he's dead. Because of me.
"Your boyfriend wants to meet up. Apparently, he has an interesting deal for me" He smirked, cockily. I snapped my head towards him, at the mention of Ethan's name. Did he know that Mark had me? Did he figure it all out? Was he going to come and get me?
"Oh come on! Don't be so foolish. He doesn't know you're here. He has no reason to think so! I have always shown him my respect for him in this, shall I say, business? So, my dear Melanie, he would never think that I could turn against him" He explained, smoking his cigar and studying my facial expressions.
Ethan was smarter than he thought.
"He probably has a nice juicy deal for me. Or perhaps, he just misses me. Your case, however, looks pretty tragic. It seems pretty obvious that you don't matter that much to him..." He shrugged, smiling in his famous sickening way."Look at him, already moving along with his business!"
"Maybe he wants to slit your throat open?" I mocked his cheery tone, letting my head drop. My neck was constantly strained. It was getting far too hard to hold my head up, despite the effort.
He laughed, his cackles echoing throughout the warehouse."You're adorable" He smoked, winking at me in the process. Well, he was certainly in a good mood."I see that my men have done wonders for your image. You're almost unrecognizable at this point. From blinding beauty...to the walking dead" He nodded in admiration.
I scoffed, trying my best to hold my head upright."Not as good a job as you did on your men" I smirked, taking in his confusion.
"I, despite my unique ways, never changed who they already were from the beginning. They were pointlessly terrorizing their neighbors and selling bad product for bad people. They were nothing before I took them under my wing. All of them needed guidance and I gave them just that" He explained himself, rather proudly. If I didn't know the truth behind his words, I would think that he saved those poor boys from a bad ending. But no, he gave them an even worse ending.
"You really think you saved those boys?" I laughed.
He nodded, making his way to my chair. "I know I did"
I looked away, remembering George and the sadness in his eyes. The way he compared me to his sister...as if she wasn't with him anymore. There was this overwhelming feeling of pain, radiating off him. That, was not a sign of Mark saving his life. It meant that he no longer had one."What about George, huh? You saved him? Funny. Last time I checked, saving someone didn't involve killing them" I gritted my teeth, my whole body tensing at the thought of George's lifeless body laying on the cement ground. It was the first time I witnessed someone dying. The sight of all signs of life leaving his body will haunt me forever.
"That's life, babydoll! You either win, or you lose. You either lead the pack, or you're in the pack. And if you disrespect the pack, you pay for it" He sighed, setting my arms free.
I slowly brought them to my lap, like I had done when George freed them."Geroge was a good guy" I rubbed my arms, bring life back into them.
Mark watched me, closely."How do you know?" He asked, daring me to answer him. It was as if he knew I would answer incorrectly.
"He gave me something to eat and let me sleep on the couch. He untied my arms, despite the fact that you would punish him for acting so kind towards me. He probably knew he would die. But he did it anyway. Because it was the right thing to do" I bit back the tears threatening to spill from my bloodshot eyes.
"George killed more people than both you and I have fingers and toes" He chuckled, sitting back onto the couch."Never judge a book by its cover, Deen"
"Because he didn't have a choice" I spat. I knew nothing about George's backstory, but I knew he would never willingly do what Mark said he did. Just like all other young boys in gangs, he had no other choice but to obey.
"And how do you know that? You spent a day with the boy. He fed you, let you sleep, made you feel cared for...and? He told you his whole life story? I doubt it" He laughed, lighting a new cigar."He gave you the impression that he was a good person. They love doing that. All of my men go home to their wives or their mothers and they act like they were being superheroes all day. But in reality, they're just prisoners to their own choices"
I shook my head at his words, my gut knowing that he was lying to my face."You're a disgusting man, Mark" I choked out, through tears.
"Show me a man...who isn't" He shrugged, eyeing me through the smoke from his cigar.
"Ethan" I spoke without thinking. Mark's cackles echoed through the warehouse but I glared at him nonetheless.
"Oh, Deen" He shook his head, laughing at me as if I was nothing but a foolish child."You know nothing about him"
This time, I laughed."I know enough" I spat.
He raised an eyebrow, pursing his lips for a second as he thought of something else to say."Really? So you know that him and I...we're not that different" He asked, daringly.
I smirked, enjoying his attempt at disappointing me."Yes, you both have something in common. But there's one thing...One huge difference" I spoke slowly so that every word registered in his messed up mind.
"And what is that?" He asked.
"His soul isn't rotting"