“Good morning, sleeping beauty.”I got up in a jump, not knowing where I was. I had slept, apparently, for a whole night (or day). I was still in that place without windows and with a single iron door and, in front of me, sitting in a lonely wooden chair, was my tormentor; the man with the scar on his face.At the moment, he wasn't smiling. It was very clear that seeing me in a comfortable situation was not exactly the kind of fun he was looking for. Or maybe he stayed a long time in that same position, waiting for the moment when I would move and give signs that I was still breathing. Maybe he was hoping I wasn't.“What’s going on? "I asked with suspicion, diverting my eyes from him to the soft furniture below me. I was shocked to realize it was a bed."I brought gifts," he said, shrugging.I must have fallen asleep after eating, and that episode had been so unprecedented and exciting that I had exhausted my strength that was no longer that big. I didn't find the big table with the b
I sighed, indignant. I didn't know why the hell I bothered to ask a question, if the man always found a way to leave me in the dark and terrified. He had fun with that, it was a way to remind me all the time that my life was already ruined, inside or outside, it didn't matter. I would not forget him, everyone else, and would still have to deal with the feeling of impunity for never having a way to recognize their faces."What do you think so much about? "He asked, tilting his head lightly. "I get annoyed when you start to wander so much, it's not kind at all.”"Do you please wait? “I asked in a mocking tone. "I am locked up with strangers, who tortured me to arrest something that was no need, and now I know that I will never get rid of it. That I will never be free or dead. How can I be kind in some way? I'm tired of it.”“Do you prefer that I kill her? "He suggested, pouting.I rolled my eyes."I prefer you to just forget that I exist. All of you, and Elide's crazy girl too. By the w
"Do you know any Elide?”I had the impression that Madeleine asked that for at least five times. My blood pressure should have dropped or I was in shock, because I didn't respond to any of them. I was down, looking at Joana with a mixture of disbelief and despair. I didn't know if I could consider myself stupid for never suspecting Elide and his habit of depressing everyone, or if Joana was just a psychopath who had tried to reach me in every way, even arriving in Elide."What is the real degree of intimacy between the two of you? “I asked in a low tone."She found me here, just like you," said Joana, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her coat. She cast a look full of resentment in the direction of Maddie, but continued to offer information without blinking. "She introduced herself as a close friend, and said that you were not at all happy with my contact attempts. I promised that I wouldn't do anything else, and that you didn't need to send people after me to make threats. She said it
"Waiting for me? “I asked."Elide said you would be interested in talking to her," said Bruce, smiling in his strange way. "So she gave me the address so you can look for it and don't waste time making unnecessary turns.”I opened a singing smile. There was something very wrong there. Not only because Elide already imagined that I would first have looked for her in the BDSM club, but because of the way the man tried to disguise the anxiety. If I hadn't had a great ability to understand a person's body language, I would have let go unnoticed the way his shoulders looked bent, as if on alert.Madeleine was no longer by my side, apparently, she thought she should forget that we were on a search mission and got stuck among the dancers. She wasn't dancing, but anyway, she was among them. You could still notice the dark hair and the skinny body trying to make way. Whatever she saw, I didn't notice either.In fact, I couldn't even watch my sister, because she had a weird feeling in her chest
I unconsciously locked my jaw, feeling the anger grow. He was doing the same as Joana. The difference is that you could notice the cynicism. He wasn't making a point of hiding. Yes, he knew. And he knew Rebecca. And the fact that I was looking everywhere was a trap. A way for me to suspect him so much that he didn't stop to observe the coincidences either."I want all these people out of here," I asked in tone of order, out loud. "And I want the police on their way.”Bruce turned totally to me, without making any gesture to move my hand away from his shoulder, but with such a peculiar boldness in his eyes, that he almost looked like a feline in front of his prey. Little did he know."You don't give me orders, Mr. Hanson.”"I didn't talk to you.”Bruce watched my back, where Tyler should be, but now he was marching to the DJ's table. As soon as he reached the place and turned off the music, pulling wires and producing a high-pitched hum in everyone's ear, the lights turned on and the d
Surprisingly after that banquet, I was no longer disturbed by any of the men.I must have had two nights of sleep completely, and I was able to use the improvised bathroom. It took me a while to understand how the shower worked, but I remembered a thin bidet hose, so I knew the water was counted. It was good to clean myself, to feel that my skin was no longer made of dirt or pain. I was still sore, I still had marks and ripples "both on my face and on the rest of my body", but at least I was more worthy than before.The vase was also of great help, and its operating system was a little more basic and understandable. Basically, during a few intervals of hours, those men who tortured me so avidly entered and removed a box that was under the vase, closed and sealed. Probably all the desires accumulated there, and were discarded in some way.It was still something miserable and humiliating. I still watched them with suspicion as they entered the shed and took me some food. However, I also
It was obvious that I would not get any credibility carrying that thing, and even without showing my faces, I could notice that the men smiled. I was still weak. I was only feeding myself a few days ago, compared to the months almost going into starvation.I would never win a fight against them, armed or not. Maybe before, I wouldn't win either. The second man was shorter, but the body was also wide, and he could have been one of those in the dark months who beat me without the slightest remorse. They wouldn't contain themselves now, especially when the goal was to get me out of there as soon as possible."You can't kill me," I said in a trembling voice, trying to get on the bed to have a space between us. I managed to do it, but I stumbled, and it almost didn't fall. I also didn't have as much stability as I thought. Running would be hard. "You had a lot of chances to do that and you didn't. Besides, now that everything seems to be ending, I can guarantee that I won't say anything to
Rebecca's return caused the uproar that everyone was already waiting for.Even though she was escorted by the police, security guards, and a heavy medical team, she was also chased by photographers and journalists who tried to understand the mystery of her disappearance and who could be behind it. I had professionals to deal with that kind of situation, but I preferred not to involve them. I preferred to let people really wonder what had happened in those months.Rebecca had episodes of fainting from the moment she entered the ambulance, until her hospitalization in the private hospital of which my grandfather was a director and doctor. At least in there, she was not harassed by the press. My security guards were ready at the entrance and exit doors, as well as in Becca's room.Even though she was going through great stress, I didn't allow myself to leave her alone for a single minute. Even if she was erased most of the time, or saying disconnected things in the other, I didn't leave
I had woken up all sweaty and panting. I had had a nightmare like that.I found myself again in that terrible basement, and the smell was so putrid that my nose burned. The men who tortured me had faces. They were well-known men. Some good, others naturally bad. And they knew me too. They smiled when they tortured me, they screamed and laughed. And I, sitting in that chair, just wanted them to be fast, because I needed to sleep and wake up in a good place.There were days when nightmares didn't happen, but lately, they were constant. So, when I woke up in panic, I didn't need to count my fingers. I simply looked out the window and saw the landscape moving, felt the soft swing of the bed, and looked in the direction of the portraits that were glued to the walls so as not to run the risk of falling. I saw the child smiling with teeth still being born, with blond hair fluttering through the wind, and eyes similar to his father's. So I knew I wasn't dreaming.That day, I got up and looked
When I finally got to the hospital, I learned that even Tyler was fine. My mother was in a panic, but taking care of Madeleine, who seemed to be a reality show star who had just had one night like that. Raphael was with Becca's mother, because his family was still on their way to Seattle. Meanwhile, whether she wanted to or not, Rebecca was only accompanied by Pauline. My cousin's girlfriend left the room when I arrived, throwing me what seemed to be her first look of pleasure. I was surprised, but I thought it was just an effect of the madness of that day.“How are you? “I asked Rebecca.She was sitting on the bed, with her hands crossed on her lap and staring at the emptiness."I'm fine, just trying to absorb.”"Do you want to know his reasons? “I asked.Becca denied it with her head."I know they will never be enough. I've never done anything against him. And I should never have gone through what I went through.”Becca's voice became trembling at the end of her sentence, and I felt
Madeleine and Raphael were really at the place where Finley had sent me, but unfortunately the damn Donovan had set traps around the place. That day seemed to be the day I would die, or that the son of a bitch planned to be my end, but it wasn't. Luckily, or perhaps because they got tired of being incompetent, the police did their job of protecting me before I reached the destination that was supposed to be my end.As they found me, it would take me a while to know that it was because Mark was tracking me clandestinely. The damn investigator was suspicious of my steps "he still had that ridiculous idea that me or my sister were behind Joana's murder and trying to cover everything up," and that's what ensured that he would send a car to the scene. But I found out about the bombs in the worst possible way, watching the death of more innocents.If he were put on a paper, that day, Donovan would take at least a life sentence for the amount of deaths he had caused. In fact, it was those de
"Why are you doing this? "I asked in desperation, knowing that my voice would come out absurdly loud on the phone. "Madeleine never did anything against anyone. Raphael doesn't deserve any of this. If you want me, come pick me up.”“Oh, no, dog. I can't. Did you forget that you put me in jail? "He made fun of him, giggling. "And don't do so much drama, you just have to choose a name, and then it ends. At least that part, since I have some surprises for you after that.”"How the hell are you calling me if you're still stuck?”"I have some privileges.”"And how are you planning things if you can't get out of there?”"I'm still just the spokesman, dog," he said, looking so comfortable on the phone, that I swore I would be sitting with my legs up, and not in a police phone booth. It was outrageous that he had time for that kind of thing. I was outraged, but I couldn't prove it. "And I'm calling so you can decide which of your close friends should survive. Think about it, I could very well
"Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on here? "I besieged no one in particular, and I didn't even have an answer, because everyone was giving priority to surround me and try to take me safely to the car. Unfortunately, many of my security guards were being hit at that act. Everything to keep me alive, because the intention of the men who opened fire on us was simply to kill me. "How could this be happening?”"Stay behind me, boss," Tyler asked, shooting mercilessly at men who didn't even bother to wear masks, since they were really planning to end my life that day. "We were betrayed in some way.”Betrayed because only my team knew where I was going or coming throughout my day, and that team was carefully chosen to maintain the secrecy of my routine. And if those people were linked to my number one enemy, or to the gangs that wanted my blood every day, they were there, then that meant that someone from inside had passed on the news. In the midst of chaos, I felt my cell phone vi
"But how can I have my period normally? "I asked in despair, my eyes could barely see the test lines in Pauline's hand. I leaned even more against the door, ending up sitting on the floor. Suddenly, my stomach seemed not to know what its function was, and I felt extremely nauseous and with blurred views. “Pauline, that can't be true. Fred and I are barely having sex... I mean, we are, but not as often as before. In addition, pain remedies and antibiotics are too strong for a pregnancy to happen. The doctors told me about it in the hospital. In fact, they made it very clear that due to the lack of menstruation, I wouldn't ovulate. That's why Fred and I rely so much on not using any condoms, since I couldn't use the pill either. This is simply impossible to happen.”"But you told me that your period is in a much smaller flow and on irregular days," said Pauline, tilting her head lightly. I hadn't even noticed that she was sitting next to me, staring at the test as if he were the child h
"What is your real doubt? " Pauline asked, separating my medicines by schedules inside plastic coconuts."Well, I have several, especially about this virus," I explained after a long sigh. "I don't feel well, I had to end the self-defense class earlier today. I just wanted to lie down and be silent for as long as possible, but someone is always coming in to know how I am and if I'm still alive. I don't want to do anything in my life today. I think this is a very serious symptom.”Pauline laughed, moving away from the nightstand where she had put the medicines of the day. She only offered me a glass of water and baking soda, because I had complained about a strange feeling in the mouth of her stomach. It wasn't nausea or heartburn, but something so weird that I just wanted to lie down and complain all day.Moura didn't like that I had said I couldn't stand the stride of a full class, and left grumbling with Elijah who didn't know why he put her in situations of training people who didn
August Spencil was the dumbest man I've ever had the displeasure of meeting on the face of the earth.The worst part was knowing that he had some shares of my company and claimed to be a partner, but if everything depended on him, I would be bankrupt before sunset. I didn't know how Maddie had dealt with him in recent months, but I was already planning to buy a new car for her in thanks, because putting up with August was not an easy job for anyone. The man had such big shitty ideas that he couldn't take it seriously."It's just that you're not listening to me, Fred," said August, for what seemed to be the thousandth time. And I wished I wasn't in that car with him, I wished I wasn't going on a two-hour trip with him, and that I didn't have the blessed idea of giving a ride to that asshole. But no matter how big my will was, I couldn't make time come back. "I've already said that Canadians are trying to pass us back. They are almost infiltrating people in our company, just to know wha
The months seemed to pass absurdly quickly. In the blink of an eye, two of them passed by. Two months in which Elide remained trapped and saying that he would only recognize his accomplice if he heard his voice. The men who tortured me kept silent. They did not have lawyers, unlike Elide, who hired only the best of the entire state. Fred was also committed to listening to what Elide had to say, so he continually visited her on the days when the police tried to interrogate her.Meanwhile, my health improved, at least, on the one hand. Around two weeks before, I started to feel tired and with a ringing in my ear that didn't pass at all. I visited medical specialists, and everyone said the same thing: that it was probably something emotional, that there were no infections and no reasons for me to get so upset with that strange sound inside a single ear. The point is that I barely slept at night, and in the morning, I woke up very early to train with Elijah and Moura.Moura was a former s