Chapter Four

Cindy was going through some of Jack's files. Something about his name struck something inside her. She recognized it, she just had to be sure where from. Cindy was aware that there were many people named Jack, it was a common name for people to name their children, but she had to check. The nagging feeling at the back of her head refused to silence itself until she finally looked into it. 

'Jack Hill' Cindy read aloud, she read it again and again, attempting to find it in her memories. Until finally it hit her. 

"Jack has been super busy recently. I feel like I'm losing my brother." A younger Annie Hill's voice swirled in Cindy's mind. Instantly Cindy read further, scanning until she found it. She finally found her name. 'Annie Hill'. Instinctively Cindy picked up Annie's file and scanned through that. For years now she had wanted to make an immense with her old best friend, yet couldn't find her. Honestly, using the mafia's resources hadn't occurred to her. She felt foolish. Annie's file had a big read 'CAPTURED' mark across it. 

Cindy instantly got in her car and drove to the main headquarters, where she knew the cells to be. If Annie had been kidnapped then she would be there. During the short drive, Cindy refused to believe it. She must have the wrong person. Part of what held her back for all these years is not wanting to drag her innocent Annie into her world. The world of drugs and crime. 

Cindy anxiously wandered down to the cells. Samial and Adam were sitting in the nearby office discussing something, she walked past without a care. At this point, she was practically Alexander's second. If anything happened to him, the role of leader would fall to her, since she was of blood relation. 

Cindy opened the door of the cell she thought was empty, when cells are empty the doors are left open, this door should've been open. Cindy hesitated before she opened the door. What would she say to Annie? How would she say it? This wasn't a normal conversation people expected to happen with their friends. Eventually, Cindy opened the door and flicked the light on. 

She saw that Annie had her arms wrapped around her legs, she was staring at the wall. It seemed that she hadn't cried, there were no tear stains on her cheeks. Just a far off look and a hard frown. 

"Annie?" Cindy asked into the room, walking further in. "Annie Hill?" 

"Yes?" Annie asked, confused by how someone who most probably was a part of whatever organization had kidnapped her, didn't know who she was. Annie considered that maybe she was just overestimating her importance. 

"Um... It's Cindy." Cindy said softly. Memories of her best friend swarmed through her mind and a deep amount of sadness surrounded her.

"Oh..." Annie finally said, memories of her first friend swirling through her mind. Until finally their last memory swirled through Annie's head. 

"Cindy, I didn't do it I swear!" Annie defended for the hundredth time. Her school life had gotten dramatically worse since she had fallen out. People shoved and pushed Annie into lockers, tripped her in the hallway and class, exiled her from the lunchroom and said hurtful things to her. They had argued before and always made up. Yet this time felt different and Annie wasn't sure this would be fixed. 

"You're such a liar!" Cindy screamed at her. "Just a dumb lier. We were only friends because I felt sorry for you. You have no talents and no remorse. You're a psycho." 

"Cindy please," Annie begged, but it was useless. 

"You aren't trying to be friends with that bitch again, right?" Kate asked, looking at Cindy sympathetically as if she hadn't been the one to do it. Kate glared at Annie and Cindy looked closely at Annie before closing her eyes and shaking her head. Cindy didn't want to believe that Annie had been the one to ruin her birthday party, yet there was no evidence suggesting otherwise.

"I didn't do it," Annie said softly. "I swear it wasn't me." Now tears were coming to her eyes. She lost so much that year. She had lost her parents to some extent. They no longer cared, they were never home, they always argued, in their lives, she barely existed. Annie had also lost her older brother, he became absorbed in his own life. She had lost the little strand of respect she had from people at school. Most importantly, she lost her best friend. Her next few birthdays were spent alone. Now of course she spends her birthdays with Rebecca, but that was the first of many lonely years in Annie's life. 

"I know. I'm sorry I doubted you. Kate was just so..." Cindy couldn't continue. The remainder of her ex-girlfriend broke her. She now knew just how horrible Kate had been, and all of the terrible things Kate had done.

"You aren't mad anymore?" Annie asked softly. Cindy shook her head. Cindy wanted to ask why she was there, but she knew. It was her brother's gambling debt that had gotten Annie into the situation she was currently in. 

"I'm not mad," Cindy reassured. "We should have a proper catch-up, first I have to go and kill my cousin," Cindy said, closing the door and leaving the dim light on for Annie. 'My cousin' the words rang through Annie's head and a realization hit her. 

The reason Alexander reminded her so much of the boy she had been in love with, the reason his eyes looked so much like she loves, is because they were the same. The boy she had been in love with since twelve years old was Alexander. Annie wasn't sure how she felt about that. She wasn't sure what to do with that information. What could she do with it? She had been hopelessly in love with him for years, and yet when he was right in front of her he hadn't recognized her. She had always thought he would. Annie had dreamed that it would be a magical moment that ended with them living happily ever after. They would have a nice life, travel, see the world, and do everything she had longed to do throughout her whole life. Yet now, she wasn't sure. Annie started replaying that night in her mind. Holding onto the memory of the broken boy she loved. 

Cindy asked around, wondering where her cousin was. He had to be somewhere, right? Until eventually she called him. He didn't answer until the fifth time she called. 

"Where are you?" She demanded. 

"My house," Alexander answered. Cindy rolled her eyes. 

"Go nowhere, I'm coming over. You have some questions to answer," Cindy informed and hung up, not giving him the chance to speak. 

It took twenty minutes for Cindy to reach Alexander's house. This was his main, known house. He never actually lived here. It was a decoy house, only really used for Alexander to chill in between meetings and such. Cindy stormed in and found Alexander sitting at the kitchen side, drinking a coffee. 

"Kettles just boiled," Alexander said smoothly, although he knew he was in trouble. Cindy never got angry, at least not this angry. 

"Annie? Of all the people to kidnap you had to kidnap my best friend!" Cindy exclaimed, her blood boiling as the image of Annie huddled up on that poor excuse of a bed ran through her mind. 

"Leona is fine. What are you babbling about?" Alexander asked, although he gave the impression of being bored in reality Cindy had piqued his interest. Maybe he could get some answers on why Annie pulled at his heartstrings and attempted to summon his most inner, deepest memories. 

"My childhood best friend." Cindy corrected. "Of all the people, there was nobody better than my childhood best friend to kidnap?" Cindy let out a frustrated sigh, needing more answers than some dumb file could give. 

"I have no idea who you're talking about. You have lots of friends, am I expected to keep track of all of them?" Alexander purposely taunted. He wanted to find out more, the origins, the ins and outs, and most importantly how it affected him. 

"That party, Kate destroyed my cake. I blamed Annie." Cindy said, hinting at something for Alexander to grasp. 

"Nope, the name doesn’t ring a bell," Alexander smirked, he just wanted more. He needed more. 

"Don't be a twat. Something happened between you two that night, and you know it. You went after her, you disappeared for hours and when you came back you seemed... free." Cindy said, longing for Alexander to stop playing dumb. 

"Oh... Her..." Alexander frowned and looked into the eyes of his black coffee. The memory of her threatening to break through his well-constructed wall. 

"So, I'll ask you again, of all people in London that you could kidnap, why Annie Hill?" This time Cindy sounded calmer and darker. Her posture is firm. Cindy knew Alexander well enough to know that she had struck a chord. 

"Her brother owes me money, a lot of it. I just need him to pay up." Alexander said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Honestly, it was. To him anyway. He had been taught to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, and of course, he wanted his money. 

"The cells though? Really? It's freezing down there, she gets sick easily." Cindy sighed. She almost felt sorry for Alexander, who hadn't met her eyes since the revelation. 

"I know," Alexander mumbled. Cindy just turned to storm out. "I didn't know it was her," Alexander spoke out. Cindy paused and turned around. 

"Would you have still done it?" Cindy asked. Alexander's silence said everything. Maybe Annie wouldn't be in a cold cell, but he would've still taken her. He had to get what he wanted. It was vital. Annie was the only person Jack seemed to care about, in Alexander's mind he had no other option. Cindy continued her storm out, slamming the door behind her. The action made Alexander flinch, something he rarely did. Suddenly, he felt like a young boy again. He was searching for something to make him feel whole. He was searching for completion. His salvation came in the form of a small sad girl. The two shared their hopes, dreams, secrets, and then they went their separate ways. Until now that is. Until their dreadful reunion. Where they are both grown up. The little boy is now the big bad wolf, who lived and controlled the big bad world. While the little girl, a little lamb barely understanding the darkness of the world around her, lives on the edge of danger. The big bad wolf accidentally hunted it's the little lamb of salvation. His new fear is that his little lamb will be corrupted by the hunting world around them. 

"I'm such a twat." Alexander mumbled to himself. His coffee somehow got darker and colder as he stared into it. Staring into the depths of his coffee, he realized all the things he and his coffee had in common. None of its better qualities. His self-loathing growing.