Ansel stared at the laptop screen. Connor had successfully access the dark web, so Ansel was able to look at some of the underground sites. He felt sick to his stomach when he found a site that had women and children for sale.
"Sick bastards," he murmured under his breath, but Connor heard him.
"Agreed," he said. "These poor children don't stand a chance with these depraved assholes preying on them."
"Can't we report this to the FBI?" Ansel asked.
"Unfortunately, these sites are almost impossible to track. You won't know where they are unless they want to tell you," Connor said.
"I see," Ansel went quiet and continued to search the site. His heart leaped to his throat as he found what he was looking for.
"Sick bastard. I'm going to kill him when I see him, I swear to god," he roared.
Connor quickly leaned down to see what Ansel was looking at. He scowled. "I don't believe this shit," he cursed out as he saw the picture of Audre
Ugh Elisa! But hey, what would you do if someone threaten to kill your daughter?
Elisa looked at the address and frowned. It was only half an hour away from Ansel's house. To think Audre was so close made her want to scream and cry. And now, she was about to walk right into Lion's den and present herself to Michael like some sort of sacrifice. But if it meant she'd get the chance to see her daughter and possibly rescue her from a terrible fate, so be it. She would die for that little girl. But what about Ansel? Elisa felt like she was deceiving him by sneaking away without telling anyone. And that was the last thing she wanted to do, not after all that he was doing for the child that wasn't even his. She wrote a quick note and placed it on top of the pillow. She didn't write down the address as Michael instructed, but she put his name down. That way, if something happened to her, Ansel would know who to blame. She sneaked out through the back door without anyone noticing. Good thing Ansel told her the code to the alarm system, she thought
No one said anything for a while. "What the hell are you talking about?" Gerald spoke first. Michael's grip tightened on Elisa's shoulder. He wasn't saying anything but Elisa could feel the anger radiating from inside him. He was just about ready to explode. "Liar...you are lying," he hissed after a moment. "Yeah, Elisa. That's a good one. You are real funny. There's no way Mikey's her father. He told me he was infertile," Gerald barked. "That's what I thought at first, but it's not true. So now what do you have to say? Still don't care if someone has her?" Elisa looked into his eyes and challenged him. Michael moved quickly all of a sudden and grabbed her throat. He pushed her towards the wall then pressed her against it so she wouldn't be able to move. Elisa tried to untangle his fingers from her throat, but he was too strong. "You fucking bitch! You better stop before I kill you! She is Gerald's daughter. She has to be! The doctor t
Ansel was instructed to meet someone inside a busy café. That surprised him as he didn't expect to do this type of business amongst a crowd. What if someone hears them and calls the police? But he didn't have time to ponder. He needed to get to Audre as fast as he could. Ansel looked around the café to find the guy that matched the description provided in the email. He spotted him at the last booth against the wall. He was wearing a red shirt and black jeans. "The weather is perfect, isn't it?" Ansel repeated the quote sent in email he had to use as some kind of code. The man looked up and stared at the two men behind Ansel. His eyes turned dark. He must be suspicious of me, Ansel thought. "Don't worry about these guys. They are my bodyguards. I don't feel safe without them. Being a billionaire comes with risks," Ansel said. The man nodded and motioned him to sit down. "I am Nick. You will park your car in the parking lot behind the restaurant
The thundering noise of the gun explosion made Elisa's ears ring, and she couldn't hear anything for a while. She closed her eyes and pressed her palms on her ears, trying to make the pain go away. Hopefully, she wasn't deaf now. "Elisa! Eli..." She heard someone calling her name. Oh good...she didn't go deaf after all. She opened her eyes to find Michael hovering over her face. He used one of his hands to put pressure on his shoulder, which was bleeding profusely. Elisa looked around the room and gasped as she finally saw Gerald sprawled across the floor. The front of his shirt was soaked in red, and his face looked pale and unresponsive. Dead... That was the first thing she thought. Gerald is dead. Mikey shot him like an animal, and now he is covered. In his own blood. "He is dead," she said flatly. "You killed him." she couldn't look away. She had never seen a dead body up close like this. This used to be a m
Ansel was momentarily confused about Michael's desire to help him, but he didn't want to waste his time thinking about it. He looked at Elisa and proceeded to walk toward them, but someone grabbed him from behind before he could move forward. Oh, for fucks sake, give me a break! Ansel thought and tried to fight off the person who had his arms around his neck, choking him. Malachi managed to turn around and punch Michael off him, then kicked Michael on his ribs. "You just destroyed the good business relationship we had going, and for some puny little girl? Why? What's so special about her, hmm? Are you fucking his mother or what?" he barked. "That's my daughter, you asshole! You can't take her," Michael snarled. He was holding his sides like he was in pain, but he tried to stay standing up anyway. Ansel's eyes turned wide. What the hell is he saying? Audre was Gerald's daughter, wasn't she? He wiggled out of the man's chokehold and elbowed him
Elisa woke up with a severe headache. She tried to open her eyes but closed them immediately as the bright lights assaulted her eyes. Audre! She suddenly remembered and snapped her eyes open. She frantically looked around. No sign of her little girl. No...did they get her? She panicked. She got up and saw Ansel sprawled across the floor, his face covered in blood. She quickly moved towards him and checked his pulse. He was breathing. Oh, thank god, she thought. But she still had to find Audre. She heard shouting and screaming in the hallway inside and went in that direction. There was no one in the hallway. The screaming was coming from inside a room. She had to find out if Audre was in there. No time to be scared. She found a man unconscious in another room with his gun still in his hand, so she quickly grabbed it. The door was broken, so she leaned against the wall and peeked inside the room. She saw Michael trying to
"You are pregnant. With a baby?" Ansel said and stared at her blankly. Elisa rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ansel. With a baby. What else would I be pregnant with? Puppies?" "That's great...um...well...who is the father?" he asked awkwardly. Elisa glared at him. "For fuck's sake, did you just ask me that?" she cursed, forgetting they were still in the car with Audre. Ansel gasped and covered Audre's ears who was sleeping peacefully on his lap. "Shh...you're going to wake her up." He carefully placed her on the spot next to him and then covered her with his jacket. He looked at Elisa afterwards. "Elisa, I..." he stopped talking as he realized she was crying. He pulled her to his chest and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry, babygirl. That was a bad jo
"Breathe, Ansel, just breathe. Here, take a swig of this," Connor handed Ansel a small flask. "Unless it's liquid Xanax, I don't know how it would help," Ansel said irritably. "It's whiskey. It'll work like a charm and ease your nerves. You'll see," Connor said and gave him a thumbs up. Bastard. Connor and Anya eloped, so he had no idea what it felt like standing around waiting for the bride, Ansel thought. It was absolutely nerve-racking. His mind has been creating the most negative scenarios possible and he had no idea how to stop them. What if she changes her mind and decides to run away? Would she do that? If she does, she'd be stuck with not one but TWO of him. And they would drive her so crazy that she'd be forced to come back to him. Ansel found comfort in that. "Ansel, for fuck's sake, stop slouching," his mother Ariel barked next to him. "I wasn't slouching," Ansel said. "And wipe that scared look off your face
Elisa felt ill as she was on her way out. She almost changed he mind three times and decided to stay home and wait. But, she gave herself a pep talk and forced herself to go see Ansel. She couldn't wait until he came home from work. She needed to tell him now. The secret she had been keeping was driving her crazy. She felt like she was about to explode! She saw Audre in the kitchen and expected her to ask where she was going, but Audre was too busy chatting and laughing on the phone. "No, I love you more," Audre declared on the phone, then giggled. It's been a month since she came from the camp. Ever since then, she had been seeing Aleks. She is always on her phone texting him or having long conversations. Ansel groaned and complained about it at first, but he had eventually accepted their relationship. Aleks was a good kid, after all. "I'm going to have lunch with your dad. I'll be back soon," Elisa announced before leaving, even though she w
It was the last day of Summer Camp. Audre was sad that it ended, but she looked forward to going back home and be with her sisters. But then again, she knew she couldn't see Aleks first thing in the morning after she leaves and thinking about it made her sad. She wanted to see him before they all went their separate ways. She still had a few hours left before Steven came to pick her up. Aleks was in his cabin packing up his things. His eyes lit up as he looked up and saw her standing by the door. "Hey Curls, came to say goodbye?" he asked. Audre nodded. She couldn't hide her sadness. "I don't like this. I want to be with you," she said quietly. Aleks took her hand and pulled her closer. "It's not like we'll be separated forever. I'll see you when we get back home." He wrapped his arms around her. "Then we can continue the naughtiness," he whispered in her ear. Audre giggled. "My dad would kill you. He said I'm not allow
"I'm coming with you," Aleks announced. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Audre asked. "Why wouldn't it be?" Aleks looked at her questioningly. Then he remembered he never told Audre that he met her parents already. "Well, I forgot to tell you. I met your parents so it wouldn't be awkward. Audre looked at him with surprise. She didn't realize when she would ask her father for help. He'd actually want to meet Aleks personally. She felt horrified as she thought what kind of questions her father might've asked Aleks. "Um...how did that go? Meeting with my parents, I mean," she asked awkwardly. Aleks chuckled. "They aren't that bad," he said. Audre felt relieved. "Okay, then you can come with me. I could use your support." Aleks pulled her into a hug and kissed her hair. "I am always here for you, Curls." Audre felt grateful. "Okay," she said and smiled. Steven drove her to her parents' house alongside Aleks. Audre
Audre took a shower and got ready to meet Aleks at the treehouse. Her heart was beating fast as the time drew nearer. She felt restless. She swore to him that she wouldn't let him touch her unless they finished their talk, but she didn't know if she would stop him. It's not that he was the only one who gets turned on when they are close to each other! She quietly left her cabin. Kim and Kimmie were fast asleep. They went to bed early after working an almost 12-hour shift. "Hey you." Audre halted as she heard a voice behind her. She stepped back as she saw a shadow of a man approaching. "Little Audre. Don't you remember me? It's your uncle Kaelan," the man said. Audre remembered instantly. She had seen him passing by when her mom took her to her grandpa's house. He never bothered to say hi to her or tried to have a relationship as her uncle. What was he doing here at her camp of all places? "Yes I know you but why are you here?"
"Do you think Kaelan would go after Audre?" Ansel looked at Elisa thoughtfully. "I wouldn't put it past him. I just can't believe what kind of man he had become. He had always been a kid who got himself wrapped up in bad situations. I tried to help him as best as I could, and I never thought he would fall this far," Elisa shook her head in disappointment. "I know you did, baby," Ansel said and kissed her forehead. "But he doesn't know where Audre is. How would he know that?" "I know, but still...what if he had been following her or something?" Elisa frowned. "You are right. We need to keep a lookout. Good thing the camp is almost over, but until then, maybe I should send someone to keep a watch over her," Ansel said. Elisa shook her head. "Audre will not be happy about this," she said. "I'll make sure she never finds out. So who is it that Kaelan owes money to?" Ansel asked. He hadn't thought about Elisa's brother ever since he almost
Audre was confused after hanging up the phone with her mother. It seemed that everyone remembered Aleks but her. Also, she sounded worried. What was she so concerned about? Audre decided to confront Aleks about how they met the first time since the last time she asked, he gave her a vague answer. She waited until she was done with work. Then she sneaked away after everyone was asleep. Aleks asked her to meet him at the treehouse earlier, so this was her chance to ask questions. "Aleks, are you in ther..." she gasped as he grabbed her arm and pulled her under him. "Hey!" she protested and tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down. "I missed you," he said and covered her mouth with his before she could say anything else. She moaned as he nibbled on her lower lip softly, then slipped his tongue inside her parted mouth. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, then pried his lips off of hers. "Wait...Aleks...I wanted to talk to you abou
"Guys, stop fighting! You can both play the game," Elisa said irritably as she watched Ira and Ivy fight over the controller. "No, we can't! This is a one person game, and Ira had been hogging it for two hours," Ivy complained. "No I'm not! It has only been 40 minutes," Ira said. "You are a liar!" Ivy screamed. "Am not!" "Are too!" "Alright girls, that's enough," Elisa scolded. It was a quiet afternoon and she wanted to lie down by the window and read. But now, it was not so quiet and relaxing anymore, thanks to the twins. Ira threw the controller across the room. The girl always had the worst temper. And now, at thirteen years of age, it has gotten even worse. "Ira! Do not throw things. I'm not buying you another one if it's broken," Elisa told her. Ira sighed. "I miss Audre. When will she get back?" "Me too. I miss her too," Ivy nodded. "The summer is almost over, so she'll be back soon. Until
"What?" Audre asked as Kim kept staring at her in the morning. Audre managed to sneak back inside the cabin with her roommate's knowledge and quietly went to sleep. "Something is different about you this morning," Kim squinted her eyes. "You need glasses because there's nothing different about me. I'm the same old, boring Audre," Audre said. "I bet Aleks would disagree," Kim grinned. Audre blushed. Does Kim suspect something? But how could she know? "You're crazy. I'm going, I gotta lot to do," Audre giggled and ran out before Kim suspects anything more. The rest of the day, she spent time teaching kids and helping other counselors what whatever they needed. She stayed out of Blair's way as much as possible. She passed by Aleks, who was setting up woods on the firepit for the campfire later tonight. He flashed her a mischievous smirk, and it was turning her cheeks red. Memories of last night flashed before her e
"Audre, don't. I told you I was only joking." Aleks grabbed her hand and chuckled before she took his shirt off completely. Audre breathed slowly as she looked at his naked chest. He may be playing around but seeing him like this turned her on. "But I'm not joking," she whispered and trailed her fingernail across his chest. "Audre I..." Aleks stopped talking and moaned instead as she pressed her lips on his chest. She smiled as she felt him shudder. So she wasn't the only one sensitive to touches. She unbuttoned his shirt and took it off entirely. Aleks tangled his fingers through her hair as she covered his chest with small featherlike kisses. "This isn't going to end well," he growled. "You talk too much." Audre trailed her lips from his chest to his neck then stopped when they met his lips. Aleks's grip on her hair tightened. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth and kissed her harder while slowly backing her against the bed. She f