My god.
This is more twisted than I could have imagined.
“Why have you got me?” I say, getting straight to the point.
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Not to me.”
“It’s simple, little girl, I have a fighting ring and it will make me big ... big money.”
Then it hits me like a ton of bricks, crushing my body and soul into the very ground. It’s never been about me, all this ... is for Jagger. He wants Jagger. He wants his son to fight, and he is using me to get him. A bargaining chip. If Jagger wants me free, he’ll agree to help his father and boom, Mick gets everything he wants. My heart twists as I take all this in.
“What if he doesn’t come?” I say, my voice pathetic and weak.
“Oh, he’ll come. He’s in love with you. He thinks he’s big enough to bring this down. He has no idea what he’s walking into. Don’t worry, once I have my son here, you can leave. Once he’s here, he’ll never leave again.”
They never wanted me as a slave.
They want Jagger as a slave.
They want to trap him on this island to make sure he can never leave again.
They’re going to keep him forever, breaking him until there is nothing left.
I can’t let that happen.
I won’t.
There has to be a way to stop this.
There just has to be.
13
JAGGER
“Willow?”
I call out her name as I move down the hall, the apartment silent, as if nobody has been here for hours. Heart lurching, I go to her room where I find it empty, not a single sign of life. Something bubbles in my chest, the kind of fear that tells me something is wrong, and I’m too late. Too late to find it, too late to help her. I know she’s not here, and my mind immediately goes to all the things that could be wrong.
In this situation, I feel it in my bones.
Something is off.
“Willow?” I bark again, fists clenching. “Ava? Jenny?”
No answer.
Pulling out my phone, I dial Angel.
They were meant to walk home and be here when we returned.
They’re not.
“Is Ava still there, boss?” Angel asks the minute he answers.
Heart tightening, I answer in a gruff voice. “She’s not here. None of them are. I was hopin’ they were there.”
Silence.
“They’re not here. I’ll check the apartment complex, maybe they’ve gone back to the pool, though it sounds silent out there.”
“Walked past the pool to come back here, nobody is there. Somethin’ is wrong, Angel. I can feel it.”
“Get back here, we’ll find them.”
I hang up the phone, doing one last look around to see if I can find anything, anything at all to give me some fucking idea where they might be, but there’s nothing. They wanted food, maybe they got caught up at a bar or the store, and we’re just missing them. I dial Willow’s number as I stride out of the apartment, but there is no answer. I dial again, and again, but there is no god damned answer.
Heart in my throat, I make it back to the apartment to find all the guys standing outside, waiting for me, their faces somber.
“They’re not here, boss,” Ace says, stepping forward. “They’re not answerin’ their phones.”
“Split up,” I order. “Go to every bar in this town and see if you can find them. You see anything, anything at all, you call me.”
Sharp nods follow, and they scatter. Angel approaches, his face tight. “They were hungry, might have gone to get some food. I say we walk to the store and move through town from there.”
I nod and we make the slow walk to the store, looking in every direction. With each passing step, my hope fades, and a fear I hoped never to feel again creeps into my chest. If something has happened to her because I wasn’t there to protect her, I’ll fucking never forgive myself. I promised her she’d be safe, and after everything we’ve been through, I should have kept that promise. Instead, she’s gone and I’m responsible for that.
Everything that has led up to this moment is on me.
Every stupid decision.
We round the corner and find the store empty, no cars, and no staff in the area. It’s quiet and it’s dark, nothing but the dim streetlight giving the parking lot a dull shine. It closed a few hours ago, if they came here, they’re no here anymore. Turning, I make my way towards the back, to check down the side streets. It’s dark out here, and Angel follows me, booted footsteps echoing through the night.
I pull out my phone and flick on the flashlight so I can see where we’re going, and that’s when I see them. Ava and Jenny, both laying on the ground, eyes closed, purses scattered beside them. They’re out cold, and they’re alone. Moving quickly, I call out of Angel as I drop to my knees beside Jenny first, fingers going to her neck. She has a pulse. She’s still alive. I slap her face, calling out her name as I lift her head, checking for injury.