Page 15 of Scarred in Silence (The Twisted Trilogy #2)

Astra

The handcuffs rest on my wrists, digging into the sensitive flesh. My ankles are also cuffed together, making an escape impossible.

I thought I earned his trust in the bathroom this morning, but I was mistaken. I just earned the title of being his whore again.

A burlap sack covers my face. The air inside is warm and smells Earthy. I sit in the back of a car, trying to relieve the pressure on my wrists, but failing miserably. The vehicle comes to a halt.

The sounds of car doors opening and closing surround me. I hear the faint voices talking in the distance. I listen closely, but I can’t tell what they are saying. Fuck this stupid sack.

The door opens, startling me, and I am grabbed out of the car.

Lucien dressed me in something modest, so I am wearing a pair of jeans and a band t-shirt.

He takes the sack off my head, and my eyes adjust to the early afternoon light. It’s bright as fuck outside. The summer sun is in full effect.

“Astra, this is Varek.”

“Hi,” I say shyly.

He is wearing a black suit, as if he works in the mafia or something. Weird. His hair is dark and buzzed. He has tattoos all over his neck, hands, and scalp. I imagine he has tattoos everywhere else, too. I shake the thought from my brain.

My loyalty lies with Lucien. I try to remind myself, but something seems off about Varek.

We are standing outside of an older home with a deteriorating exterior, which is odd since he is dressed in a suit.

“I’ll take you inside and get you settled,” Lucien assures me, as he places his hand on the small of my back.

He lifts me up, placing me over his shoulder since I can’t fucking walk. This would all be easier if he just took off the cuffs.

Th e steps leading to the front door creak with each step, threatening to give out. We enter the foyer, and I am taken aback.

The inside of the home is immaculate. The white tile floors shine brightly against the beige walls. Everything is so light. It’s the exact opposite of Dante’s house. Even Lucien’s house has a darker feel. This… This feels like a breath of fresh air.

This feels like freedom.

We continue down through the house, and he takes me into a bedroom down the hallway to the left. He opens the door, and inside is a bed, a vanity, and a nightstand. It seems as if he has women here often. I roll my eyes. They really are related, aren’t they?

Lucien places me down onto the bed in a seated position.

“Give us a second,” Lucien says to Varek.

“Sure thing.” He leaves us in solitude.

“Are you going to behave, little Siren?” He searches my face for doubt.

“Yes,” I say confidently.

He tucks my hair behind my ear.

“Good. He will kill you if you don’t.”

He stands and takes out a key, kneeling in front of me on the ground. He releases the cuffs at my ankles, followed by the ones behind my back. He stands over me, intimidating me with his nearness.

“I’ll be back Saturday. Don’t fucking run. Okay?”

I swallow the lump in my throat.

“Okay…”

He leans down, placing a soft kiss on my lips. It tastes sweet, but it’s laced with something darker. A threat.

“Stay here. He will bring you lunch.”

With that, he exits the room, enveloping me in silence. I stare at the door he left from, and I notice there is no door handle on the inside.

I’m trapped. Once again.

* * *

The silence of the house is eerie. Varek seemed nice, but not welcoming. He gave me my lunch on a tray, and then immediately left. He didn’t stay to chat.

I wonder if Lucien put him up to that. Probably.

The floor is tiled, matching the rest of the house. The bedroom is also decorated with beige colors. The black ceiling fan has been the only contrast that I have seen thus far. I stare into the sharp blades, mesmerized by the steady motion.

Th e fan moves as my thoughts race. I still do not know why he brought me here. I figured his jail cell was more than enough.

Apparently, he wants me to try to escape. A part of me wants to test the theory. After all… He always loves it when I put up a fight. I already checked the window. It’s bolted shut, and the glass is probably shatterproof.

I stand up, moving myself to sit at the vanity. I haven’t seen my reflection much over the last week or so. I saw it for the first time today. I look better.

My eyes aren’t as bright as they used to be. The blue looks muted, in my opinion. My blonde hair is smooth and healthy, but my face is still thin.

To be honest, I still miss the drugs. They helped me on my darkest days, when no one else would.

A loud knock on the solid wooden slab startles me. I break my eyes from my reflection and I turn to see Varek standing in the door frame. He wears his black suit, and his face is freshly shaven.

“What do you want for dinner?” He states dryly.

My brows pinch together. Lucien has just been giving me whatever he feels like. I didn’t know I’d get a choice. Or maybe this is another test. I shrug my shoulders.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not picky.”

A smirk paints itself onto his face. His deep brown eyes bore holes into my body.

“So you don’t say,” he teases as he pushes himself off the door frame, entering further into the room.

Alarms blare in my mind, warning me to run. I can’t run. Where would I even go?

He sits on the bed, next to the vanity, as he evaluates my body .

“You’re too fucking beautiful for my cousin,” he says in a low tone.

Goosebumps erupt on my skin. My chest tightens.

“No. I’m not,” I announce. I can’t be silent here. If I am, bad things could happen. Things that Lucien would never forgive.

“But you are.”

He stands, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I flinch at the touch. It’s not the same. When I am sober, the only touch I want is Lucien’s.

He pulls his hand back, and my body stays on edge.

“It’s a shame,” he says as he walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.

I regulate my breathing again, feeling vulnerable.

I move onto the bed and pull the white comforter over my head. If I fall asleep, I don’t have to think. I don’t have to make choices.

I press my eyes shut tightly, hoping that sleep greets me quickly.

* * *

The sound of arguing outside the bedroom door wakes me. I must have slept all night because the window has early morning light filtering in.

My stomach growls. He never brought me dinner.

I push the thought out of my head, focusing on what I am to do next. I stand up, moving over to the vanity, and I pull the chair over to the window, looking out into the dense forest surrounding me.

I wonder if there is a creek nearby.

My door swings open, and three men in ski masks ambush me. Before I can react, I am ripped from my chair and thrown down to the floor.

Heavy bodies dig into my back and shove my face into the cool marble. Pain explodes in my cheek from the impact, and the taste of copper pools in my mouth.

I squirm beneath their grip. Screaming as loud as I can. No one hears me.

A hand slaps over my mouth, and I bite down on their flesh, causing them to try to free their hand. I feel the skin pulling between my teeth. I refuse to let go. Fuck this.

He frees his hand, delivering a sharp kick to my ribs.

“Fucking bitch,” he snaps.

I curl over in pain, and my hands and feet are bound together. I’m hog-tied.

I scream some more, hoping someone will save me, but my screams are interrupted when I hear a female laughing from the door frame.

My hair is pulled back, and a piece of fabric is shoved into my mouth. I gag on the rough texture. Tape is slapped over my mouth, securing the fabric.

My bones rattle with fear. What the fuck is happening?

I snap my attention towards the heels clicking loudly on the tile.

“It’s so funny how revenge looks sometimes,” she giggles.

“It looks pathetic on you.”

She steps her heel into my back and I scream in pain. The sharp tip punctures my skin, no doubt leaving a bloodied mark.

She releases her foot, squatting down by my face.

“You would sell for so much more if you didn’t look like a drug whore.”

She rolls her eyes.

Fury building inside of me, as if I am a volcano ready to erupt.

“Do you know why you’re here, Astra?”

I shake my head no. Unable to think about anything other than killing this fucking bitch.

“You’re here because your best friend killed my best friend. An eye for an eye if you will.” She laughs. The shrill sound bounces off the tile, amplifying the noise.

“Lacey should never have died. It should have been Evelyn.”

She stands up and walks around me towards the window. The men press harder into my back. Pain throbs in my head as I crane my neck to track her movements.

“You know, I thought she would take the warning when we lit her house on fire.” She chuckles again.

“Instead, the dumb bitch set out for revenge. Something that she knows nothing about.”

She walks back over to me, stopping her heels inches before my face.

“But you do. You know all about revenge, don’t you?”

The silence strangles me. I can’t speak. I can’t move. I want to fucking die.

“I’m not going to kill you, though. I have better plans for you.”

She turns to walk towards the door.

“Take her to the breaking house. Call me when she’s settled.”

With that, she exits the room. I’m picked up by men in masks and ushered through the house.

Where the fuck is Varek?

Th ey throw me in the trunk of the SUV, my face smacks off the cargo mat, and I can taste the blood pooling in my mouth.

I don’t know what they are planning to do with me, but I do know Nicolette Vale will be a dead bitch if I have anything to do with it.

They pull out a syringe, and my body stiffens. Strong hands hold me down as the cool metal pierces my neck. My limbs go heavy. My vision fades to black. I’m at their mercy now.

* * *

My skin crawls, and the pungent smell of iron and decay fills my nose. My body aches, and I can’t move. My legs are heavy, and my arms weak, but they are no longer bound together. My head throbs, and my busted face stings, but the tape is gone. Where the fuck am I?

I blink my eyes open, trying to see something. Anything, but I can’t. It’s dark. I roll over on the frigid concrete floor, and the wet floor jolts my body to life.

What the fuck is that?

I roll back over, trying to scoot myself back against a wall, but my body gives out after a few shuffles.

There is no way out. There is no light. There is no noise. Only silence.

This is what death feels like… when you want to live.