Chapter Three

James Kessler, Oscar, Ivan, Hael, Kane.

The names circled around in her head even as she blinked in and out of consciousness, her head rolling against the hardness of the truck’s floor.

The next time she came to it was with an alarming sense of awareness. There was no struggle to remember what had happened or why she wasn’t in her bed because there was no forgetting what her father had done to her, even with the amount of sedatives still coursing through her veins.

Her head was throbbing, and her stomach felt like it was full of lead, the pain too strong for her to move her muscles, nausea overwhelming her.

Slowly, she lifted her lids and let her eyes adjust to the light and room she had been dumped in.

A quick glance at her sore and chilled body had instant rage gripping her body, as the reality of her situation once again hit her like a one-two punch to the face.

Her hands were still tied behind her back, and the gag was still in place, but her feet were free, and the bag they had shoved over her head was gone.

She was all alone here with no way out and no white knight coming to save her.

Only one person knew where she was; the person who had gotten her into this situation in the first place, and she knew without a doubt that he was not coming for her.

She wondered if her old friends would notice that she was gone. And if they did, would anyone of them risk getting in trouble with the local gang?

She knew the answer was no. But, with no escape in sight, and no idea about what the future held for her, Saffron couldn’t help but hope for a chance at freedom.

Hope was a dangerous thing. But it was the only thing that would keep her alive here and ensure that she took her revenge against those who had oppressed her.

James Kessler, Oscar, Ivan, Hael, Kane.

They were all going to pay.

She had no idea how she was going to make them pay for what they did to her. But she would wait, and she would strike out when they least expected it. And, one day, she would earn her freedom.

Numbness had settled into her bound limbs as she waited for the arrival of either of her captors. Maneuvering herself into a sitting position, Saffron took stock of the cell she was in, acquainting herself with the plain earth-stained walls that seemed to be caked in a dark smear that appeared to be dried blood.

Blood of a previous prisoner? she wondered.

A grunt from outside her cell door had her lifting her lids and settling her gaze on the last of her captors, the man she was yet to know his name.

The sight of him sent a shiver race through her body, as he struggled to open the door. She knew better than to scream for help or to fight him, as he stepped in and pulled her to her feet.

”The fight has left you already?” He clicked his tongue in disappointment as he closed the door after them, dragging her body out into the hallway. “Too bad, I was rather enjoying the feistiness.”

Saffron ignored him in favor of studying the twist and turns they took before they arrived at a large cabin, and she was once again thrown on a hardwood floor.

“Kneel!” he ordered, grabbing a fistful of her hair in a bruising hold when she refused to comply.

A part of her bristled at the command, wanting to fight against the humiliation and degradation she had been subjected to. But another part of her knew that it was futile, and the reality of her situation was that she was a possession to the local mafia gang.

She rushed to comply, even as bile rose in her throat, as the men howled with laughter at her expense.

“That her, Ralph?” she heard someone ask as she pulled herself into a more comfortable position while still on her knees.

“Yeah. Such an eager submissive, no?” Ralph teased, as he used the hold on her hair to pull her chin upwards so he could gaze at her. “It’s a shame Alpha would destroy her. I wonder if he would let us play when he is done with her.”

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, she chanted inside her head, even as real fear gripped her insides at his words.

She had no idea what was going to become of her, now that she was here, circled by men who belonged to the mafia. She had heard stories about their ruthlessness, but never had she been exposed to it, until now.

“Oh, he definitely will,” she heard someone say.

“She is just a useless nobody who has been sold by her father for his debts. She is plenty lucky, I would say, the Alpha wants her alive more than he wants her father dead. She is not entirely useless,” another man added, but she refused to react to their jabs, nor let them affect her.

She wanted to leave.

She didn’t want to stay here or be a part of a mafia gang, but it didn’t matter either way.

She was screwed.

James Kessler had made sure of that when he made the deal with them. And now, she was left to suffer the consequences of his ill-made life decisions.

She wondered if this was his final punishment for being the reason why her mother was dead, for making him a single father when he wasn’t ready for that responsibility.

“Do you think he would send her to the whorehouse?” another asked, the question directed at Ralph, who was still standing behind her.

Whorehouse?

Bile rose up in her throat, the reminders of the food she had eaten threatening to spill out of her mouth.

No, she would slit her own throat first before she allowed any of these men touch her.

“Unfortunately for you all, and lucky for her, Alpha doesn’t want her there. A waste of potential bedwarmer if you ask me,” Ralph responded, stroking his hand through her hair, making her cringe from the touch. “I don’t know what he plans on doing with her, but I assure you, it has nothing to do with warming your bed or anyone else’s.”

“What a shame,” the man who had inquired about her fate stated, disappointment coating his words.

Raucous laughter filled the cabin as more men filtered in, while she remained on her knees, on display for them.

She hated every second of being here in this position of utter helplessness and being the object of ridicule from men she had never encountered in her life.

Every muscle in her body was ready to rise, to run away and exact vengeance on the six men who had done this to her. But weariness had settled in her limbs, and she knew that without a proper plan, she was setting herself up for massive failure.

She had to be patient until she found a way out.