Chapter 70: The Search Begins

"If he touches a single hair on her head, I'm going to kill him," Peter burst out in uncontrollable rage.

"Calm down, Peter. Maybe she managed to escape. You did say that she was a firecracker. Maybe she found a way out," Chris said to his friend, trying to calm him.

But Peter feared the worst. He didn't want to say it, he didn't even want to think about it but the thought did come to his mind, and he voiced it out.

"What if she's already been killed?" He said on his knees, already looking defeated.

Chris rushed to his side and grabbed onto his jacket and forced him to look at him.

"Look at me, Peter! Look at me. You can't think like that. You have to remain positive, and you need to stay strong and focused so we can find her and save her. You hear me?" Chris said to him.

Peter got hold of himself and got back up on his feet. He wiped off the tears that were already forming in his eyes.

"You're right, Chris. I need to stay focused, for Sharon. Judging by everything she's told me about Addicus, he probably has her tied up somewhere but surely, she's still alive, and we have to find her immediately."

"To do that, we'll need ammo. You said you had an arsenal here in your bunker. Is it still here or did they swipe them all along with your dame?" Chris inquired.

Peter went back inside the bunker and looked around for the weapons, but they were all nowhere to be seen. He punched the wall in anger and frustration and Chris walked up behind him.

"Don't worry, Peter. We can find other weapons," Chris said optimistically.

And then, Peter remembered the hidden compartment underneath the floor of the bunker. He moved over to the floor and noticed that the lid was locked shut. He took off his necklace, which had a key attached to the end of the string, and stuck it into the keyhole. Lo and behold, every single weapon was still there and they were all ready to be used.

"She still managed to hide all the weapons before she got captured? Wow! She really is a firecracker," Chris said in admiration.

"You have no idea."

Peter picked up one of the rifles and took out its magazine, making sure it was fully loaded and attached it back with a clicking sound.

"I'm coming, Sharon. I'm coming"

.

.

.

"Never! I'll never willingly give myself to you, not after everything you've done to me," Sharon told Addicus, not wanting to accept his "generous" offer.

"Really, Sharon? Are you really that selfish that you'd let another one of your friends die when you have the power to save them?" Addicus said to her, trying to get her into his bed.

**It was working!**

Sharon was seriously considering doing it. Although she put on a brave and defiant face, she considered his offer. But, could she really do it? As much as she wanted to save Victoria's life, she just couldn't imagine letting Addicus have his way with her and not doing anything to stop him.

"Just one night, Sharon. One night of passion. One night of you not fighting or rejecting me and your friend gets to live," Addicus assured her.

"Why not just force me to sleep with you as you've tried several times already?" Sharon asked.

"I want to show you that we can still salvage our relationship. The day you found out the truth about your parents, you came over to accept my marriage proposal, right?"

Sharon didn't answer but looked away, disgusted at herself by the fact that she had once decided to marry this monster; this savage.

"You love me, or at least you did until you found out the truth. But we can rekindle that love if you just give it a chance. All I need is one night with you, one night and I'll please you so much that you'll remember your love for me, and we can even get married, go back to Colorado together and start our family."

Addicus said this to her with what seemed like a truly genuine smile, almost like he really believed that they could be happy together despite everything he had done to her, everything he had taken away, and all the pain and suffering he had caused her.

"Oh, my God! You really have lost your marbles, haven't you?" Sharon said to him with a mocking and sarcastic smile which seemed to hurt Addicus' feelings.

"I never loved you, Addicus. Yes, I was going to accept your marriage proposal, but not out of love for you, but out of convenience. You were kind to me, you treated me well and you seemed to genuinely care about me and I figured that that was enough for me. But even at that moment, deep down inside, I was disgusted by you because I could tell exactly what you were; *a lonely, desperate, and horny paedophile who wanted a teenager in his bed but was smart enough to wait until she came of age."*

She said in an attempt to hurt him, if words could hurt him.

"No, that's not true," Addicus denied.

"It is! Admit it, Addicus. The idea of taking a young girl's virginity drove you mad with lust and that's all you ever truly wanted from me."

"That's not true, Sharon! I wanted you, all of you and not just your body. I wanted to give you the world, to fill your life with unfathomable joy the same way you filled mine with your grace, your aura, and your smile. I had never even considered the idea of settling down and getting married until I began to fall in love with you.

"My business was always my number one priority but all that changed when you came into my life. The older you got, the more my feelings grew until they reached a point where I could deny them no longer," Addicus poured out his twisted heart to her.

"Please, stop lying to yourself, Addicus. You hid your true nature from me for so many years and revealed it all in a single moment. At your office, in the mansion..., You savagely beat me and were ready to rape me. If it hadn't been for Martha, God only knows what you'd have done to me that day."

"I was angry," Addicus said in admittance, "I let my anger bring out the worst in me, and I'm sorry. I know that I have some anger issues, but I'll work on it, I swear, just...just give me a chance."

"You can do whatever it is you want to me, but I won't just lie down and take it. I'll fight you every step of the way." Sharon told him, making it clear where she stood about his offer.

Addicus dropped his head in disappointment. He sighed and stood up straight.

"You're really beginning to make me angry, Sharon. You know how I get when I'm angry." He said in an attempt to scare her into submission.

"I thought you were going to work on controlling your anger? Liar!" Sharon said to him and this seemed to make him even angrier.

He quickly closed the little distance between them and grabbed her neck with his one good hand.

"Don't play with me, Sharon! It won't end well for you," he warned her.

His hold on her was choking her badly, but she still maintained her defiant nature.

"You're... the one... who's playing, with yourself. I'll never... ever... be yours," she managed to say.

Addicus let go of her neck and she gasped out loud as she caught her breath.

"In that case, I guess I'll have to switch my tactics to something more... productive and convincing," Addicus said and walked towards the door of the room.

"Get some rest, Sharon. Tomorrow's going to be turbulent."

He went outside and locked her in, still tied up to the ceiling in a kneeling position. Sharon almost began to cry but stopped herself before she did.

"Peter! Where are you? I need you."