RAVEN

I try to open my eyes, I do. I attempt to three times before I manage to finally open them to some degree, but the light that surrounds me seems absolutely blinding and I slam them shut, wincing.

I lift a hand to my head out of instinct, feeling the throbbing, pounding pressure in my skull. It starts at the base, spider-webbing its way up the back of my head to my forehead.

I try to lift my chin, but even doing that makes me feel both nauseous and dizzy. Like I'm having the worst migraine of my life.

What is going on? Where am I? The last thing I recall is being at the club. I found a bunch of paperwork that showed Luca and Adiv were cops. Luca and I talked about it and—

My mind goes blank.

Something must've happened. But why does my head hurt so much? What the hell happened? And where is Luca?

I breathe deeply, doing my best to keep calm. I need to figure out where in the hell I am before I start freaking out. I struggle, trying to force my eyes open again. This time I finally manage to get the one open and once it has its time to adjust, I do the other.

I'm in a small room. The blinding light isn't from windows—like I would assume—but it's from this fixture on the ceiling that can only be described as overkill. Fluorescent bulbs so bright you'd think someone was performing brain surgery in here.

I'm laying on a small twin-sized mattress on the floor in the corner of the room. There's a large bucket nearby and that's it.

It's like a prison cell. Only prisoners have it better because they have a functioning toilet, not a fucking bucket.

I move to sit up as slowly as possible. It makes me feel light headed and my vision blurs intermittently, but I manage to eventually do it. Once I'm fully seated, my head throbs like someone has stuck my skull in a vice and twisted the lever round and round until the jaws are squeezing the life out of me.

The pain originates at the back of my head and I instinctually reach there. I hiss when I touch something so sensitive that it must be a wound. When I bring my fingers before my eyes, I recognize the flakes of dried blood.

I must've been hit in the back of the head with something.

That's when I recognize that I'm in the dress from last night. Was that even last night? Or has it been days?

I'm still dressed for the date Luca and I were going on. So what happened between then and now?

I recall finding the envelope with information on Luca and Adiv. I remember discussing it with Luca, of him explaining why he kept it from me. I wasn't awfully angry at him, but I had a million questions that I wanted answered. I recall Nero stepping inside—which was out of character—and then Luca and him heading out to the street where there was some commotion.

I think I went to my office after that. Is that where I was hurt?

As I glance around the space, pondering how I arrived here and where the hell I am, it occurs to me that I've been kidnapped. It's fairly obvious that someone must've struck me in a vulnerable moment and somehow managed to get me away from Luca and all our security.

Why? There are copious reasons why. Who? It could also be anyone. We have far too many enemies to immediately single out anyone.

The room I'm in lacks any sort of window so I'm unable to stare outside to try and decipher where I am, which leaves me with little. I think the only way I'll be able to try and piece together what's going on is whenever whose taken me shows themself.

It feels extra isolating being in a room with minimal things. Isolation like this is the furthest thing from safety, too. The thought that if no one knows where I am, or how to find me, or even if I'm alive means the exact thought that I don't want to consider—I'm dead.

However, I know that even if Luca got told I was dead, he wouldn't cease in his search for me. I know he'd be relentless and he'd make sure my body—alive or not—was back with him.

As I'm peeking into every corner in the room for something to help me, there are footsteps in the distance followed by the sound of a key and I straighten up, taking a step backwards away from the door. It slowly opens and I can't hide my lack of surprise when Kash fucking steps into the room wearing the most disgusting smirk I've ever had to witness.

And that's saying something when I nearly married Marco.

Like a fly around shit, I can't seem to rid Kash from my life.

It's embarrassing to my own ego that Kermit is the one who managed to kidnap me. Jesus Christ, I must be slipping because this is ridiculous.

My head throbs, a reminder of him striking me in the back of my head when he took me from the club. Knowing it was him only increases my craving to kill this piece of shit.

"Good afternoon, Rae. How lovely it is to see you."

I narrow my eyes. "Fuck you, Kash."

"Ah, to think how different things would be if that'd happened. I would've been king. And you wouldn't have been a pig fucker."

Fucking gross.

"Do you ever shut up?"

"I don't need to. I have you right where I want you, Rae, and that means you're forced to listen. Especially considering that the two of you stole everything that belongs to me."

"Is that why you did this?" Fucking dumbass. "You think that, what? Luca's gonna' sign over the kingdom in return for my departure home?" Although, to be honest, I think if Kash has his way, the only way I'll be returning home is in pieces.

"No," he admits. "The best way for me to become king is to kill the king. And like a Phoenix from the ashes, I'll rise straight to the top."

Hearing his bullshit makes my head ache even more.

"I had to do this, Rae. I don't have any other choice. Your pig boyfriend needs to be stopped."

Just to taunt him, I ask, "And why is that?"

"'Cause he's a fuckin' cop!"

I laugh, "You and I both know it's more than that. You're simply using that as an excuse to turn everyone against him and attempt to take him down."

"'Cause he doesn't deserve to be at the top! He never did. I spent years working my way up under Cain!"

"Exactly what I'm saying, Kash. You're mad that he's better at it than you." He doesn't say anything to my accusation, so I continue. "So you concocted this scheme to try and tear him and I apart. I don't know what you were thinking I'd do once I found out he's a cop, but guess what? I don't fuckin' care. It didn't magically make me fall out of love with him and run into your arms."

That hits a nerve.

I always knew he was attracted to me—remember him assaulting me in the hallway when I'd just come inside from the pool?—but I didn't realize it was that intense. I'm not even sure if he's completely angry about Luca's rise to power more than he is over the fact that Luca got me.

His ego is more bruised because he didn't get the girl.

"I was wronged, Rae. He robbed me of everything I was promised."

Promised? Was I promised to him too? Did he make some deal with my father?

"In your fucked up brain, you've managed to warp yourself into some sort of victim. Some woman abusing, sneaky, disloyal, adrenaline junkie, addict."

He's fucking delusional. Trying to one-up everyone in the victim Olympics. In his own warped little world, he wins gold every time.

But I guess—like Luca once said about Marco—a snake safe in its own lair hears nothing but its own rattle. By Kash surrounding himself with yes men, he never has anyone challenging him. It feeds into his delusions, encourages him to do these things, makes him king victim.

In other words, he can be king alright—just like he wants—only he's king of fucking Delusionville. Population: him and Shaye.

"I'm not a victim. If I was a victim, I'd be all alone and I'm not the one alone right now."

"Okay, Kash, whatever you say."

Why feed into the delusions? It's like trying to explain rocket science to a cat.

I don't think he realizes that without Shaye, Kash is by himself. The men who work for him surely see his true nature and they'll backstab him the first moment they get. If their leader holds no loyalty to anyone, why would they hold loyalty to him?

Kash still hasn't figured out how important allegiance and respect are in this world. Without them, you have nothing.

There's no reason for anyone to do anything for you, especially if they feel as though they aren't gaining anything from it. The men of this world do things for one reason—to further themselves. They're all attempting to climb the ranks, to earn more money, so unless they sense loyalty from their boss and a sense of respect towards him, they don't give a shit.

"You're the alone one, Rae. Stuck in this tiny room. You're secluded, miles from civilization. Luca won't come to save you. He's not gonna' find you." He wears a sick, twisted smile as he speaks.

He thinks he's intimidating, but he doesn't even make me flinch. "You won't keep me here forever," I point out. "What's the point in kidnapping the trophy if no one will ever know?" His eyes narrow once I ask the question, but he keeps his mouth shut. "No one will ever see the one thing in life you have to be proud of. The one hairbrained scheme that you stumbled ass backwards into successfully."

I can see my words affect him, but he keeps a tight lid on his emotions. He's easily wounded by words, imagine if I'd actually done something.

This pattern with him is always the same. Like a goddamned ouroboros consuming its own tail, he messes up, does something massively fucking stupid, shit hits the fan, and he plays the victim and denies any and all culpability. It's no wonder he's spiraling and doing the dumbest thing possible like kidnapping me, his life is a constant revolution of chaos and it all begins with his incessant narcissism.

"Don't inflate your significance in this world, Rae."

I chuckle at his attempt to damage my self-confidence. "Kermit, if I wasn't significant to your little plan, I wouldn't be here right now, would I?"

This guy's so fucking dumb. I can't begin to figure out how he kidnapped me in the first place. Must've been a right time and place sort of thing because there's no way him and Shaye planned this out and were successful.

I mean, for Christ's sake, Kash's mom and dad are probably first cousins. I imagine the only thing taboo in his house is reverse cowgirl because you don't turn your back on family.

There's a crude Fast and Furious joke in there somewhere.

Kash closes some of the space between us, using his stature in an attempt to threaten me since his mouth is doing fuck all. "You need to tread carefully. You're playing with fire, Raven Brooks and you're about to get third degree burns."

I stand my ground, not budging an inch. "Has your tiny brain forgotten already, Kasimir? Luca handed me the lighter—I'm the one who lit the fuckin' flames."

He reaches a hand up to run a knuckle along my cheek, but I slap his hand away. "Luca's tainted you, my darling Raven."

I lift my chin, making sure to meet him in his cold eyes as I inform him, "It's the opposite. If you knew anything about the woman I truly am, you'd know that I'm the one who wrapped Cain's own belt around his neck and pulled until he stopped breathing."

If Kash thinks I'm going to sit pretty and do nothing, he's wildly mistaken.

I remember not too long ago—I think it was when I was engaged to Micro—and Luca had said to me that freedom isn't given, it's taken. He's right. Kash isn't going to suddenly have an epiphany and realize that I deserve to be let go. I need to claw, scrape, and fight my way out of this shit.

I'm not about to be some damsel in distress.

I already know that Luca is doing anything and everything to find me. There's no doubt about that. I also know that once he finds Kash, he'll tear him limb from limb for doing this.

Thinking of what he might be feeling right now—the panic, the worry, the fear, the anger—makes my heart clench tightly in my chest. I miss him and I wish I was with him. Without him here, it feels cavernous.

Being separated from Luca feels like someone's holding my head under the crest of a wave—like I'm tasting the salt of the ocean against my taste buds as I drown. Navigating this without him feels like I'm asphyxiating in the water, as if I'm numbing myself to the consuming feeling of suffocation and pretending it doesn't exist.

A look of surprise and confusion flash across Kash's face, but he does his best to conceal it quickly. He's still standing in the threshold of the room and he reaches to the outside, pulling a tray in, placing it on a small ledge in the corner.

I see the blade tucked into the sheath at Kash's waist and I know that I can grab it if given the right opportunity. I avert my gaze, feigning as if I haven't noticed it and glance at the scraps of food he's brought for me—two slices of plain bread and what appears to be a glass of water.

I don't trust anything consumable that he wants to give me. Even though I'm hungry, I'd rather starve than eat anything from him.

"Do you think I'm joking?" I inquire, deciding to press his buttons a little. I need him to hang around the room for a minute longer. Give me the opportunity to steal that knife from him and plunge it into his fucking heart.

He eyes me skeptically. "You wouldn't have the strength to do that."

If I had low self-esteem, his insult would probably sting more. However, it's better that he underestimates my strength and determination. That way, when I kill him, he won't see it coming for miles.

I'd never convince him otherwise anyways.

For now, I'll continue to play the offended woman. It strokes his ego and brings his guard down.

I steel my spine as I tell him, "I poisoned his coffee. Spiked it with something that would paralyze him. And then Luca secured one of Cain's hands to his desk with a letter opener, I did the other with his knife." I pause, more for dramatic effect. "Eventually Cain fell to his knees because the poison had kicked in. So I took the belt wrapped around his waist, looped it around his throat and pulled until he was finally gone."

I'm not even worried about it getting out at this point. Kash isn't going to live much longer, I know that. For doing what he's done—for kidnapping me, for injuring me—his life will end.

He seems to ponder it for a moment. I can't tell if he believes me or not, but I don't care either way. At least I've managed to distract him for long enough that hopefully his guard is down a bit.

I'm not dumb enough to outright question him on where he's taken me. He'd never tell me. The smart way to do it is to either catch him by inquiring about other things to see if he slips up and gives little hints, or to outright eavesdrop on someone saying something.

He doesn't say anything about my admission of murder. I'm having a difficult time reading him. I truly can't tell if he believes it or not. Instead of commenting on it, he tells me, "Eat."  He slides the tray across the shelf in my direction.

I don't want to eat anything though. I don't trust that he hasn't done something to it. I hesitate, picking the paper plate up off the tray to place it beside it. I do the same with the plastic cup.

He was smart not to give me proper dinnerware. I'd have smashed that plate so fast and jammed the sharpest piece into his neck when he least expected it.

When I'm finished, I slide the tray back towards him. We're only a few steps away, but I know I can rush to his side to grab that weapon in a matter of seconds.

I just pray he's not going to force me to consume the food. If he does, I'll have to force myself to vomit to be safe.

I patiently wait for my moment. Eventually, Kash turns to grab the tray and I quietly step forward and rip the knife from his sheath faster than he could ever realize.

He feels the movement and spins, but by that point, I've already lifted the weapon and am aiming it at him.

He lifts his hands in surrender, but laughs in my face. Laughs at the fact that he believes a woman could never inflict any real damage on him. "What're you gonna' do, Rae? Huh? You gonna' stab me? Then what? Choke me? Like you apparently did to Cain?" His tone is mocking. He doesn't believe me.

I use the knife as a way to maneuver past him to the open door way. I never take my eyes off him, never turn my back to him as we carefully switch positions so that he's the one deep inside the prison-like room standing beside the bed. "It's crossed my mind," I admit to him, never wavering in my threat with the thing.

His eyes narrow, but he still doesn't take me seriously. "You'd better make sure you kill me then, kitten, 'cause you won't get another chance."

I inwardly cringe at the pet name. "I won't need one, Kermit."

He steps towards me suddenly and I swing my arm, slashing the blade. It almost completely misses him, hitting the edge of his hand at the last minute to wound a shallow cut.

He glances at it momentarily, watching a few drops of blood begin to cascade down his wrist, but then his gaze focuses back on me. The way he's standing, it's as though he's poised like a coiled snake. He's still, but the expression on his face is nothing less of deadly.

When he takes a step forward again, I move backwards, ready to attack at any second. We don't break eye contact as he backs me a few inches from the doorway. However, for just a split second, I notice his gaze departs left of me—over my shoulder—and I react to it.

I'm too late, as a man wraps his arms around my waist and attempts to knock the knife from my hands. I take the opportunity to bring the blade down and I manage to give him a substantial cut up the length of the outside of his arm.

He hisses in pain behind me, sounding as if he has the tongue of a snake. I quickly realize from the sound of his voice that it's Shaye, come to save his bestie from being castrated and fed his own dick.

In fact, right now I'd love to cut off Kash's leg and shove it so far up his ass that his toes become his teeth.

I thrash in Shaye's grip, trying to get another cut in, but I'm unsuccessful. He traps me tightly from behind, which gives Kash the opportunity to do whatever he wants in front of me.

I manage to swing my legs out and kick Kash in the nuts—which, at another time would be fucking hilarious—but it merely knocks the wind out of him for a short minute and ends up enraging him even more. I swing the blade, nicking him at the side of his neck.

That's as far as I get before one of them manages to tear the weapon out of my hands and tosses it far across the room. Which only proves to me that they're not going to kill me. They'll torment me and torture me, but I'm far too valuable to them right now for them to end my life.

Shaye secures my arms to my chest and Kash slaps my face with an open palm. The sting is instant on my cheek, and I grit my teeth, more annoyed than anything else. 

"You'll pay for this," I warn them. "You both will."

I want to warn them of the infamous omen—before embarking on a journey of revenge, dig two graves—but I think it'll be lost on these two morons. If I knocked on either of their heads, all that'd happen is an echo.

"We all pay eventually, Rae," Shaye answers back. "Why do you think you're in this situation?"

Suddenly, I'm being forced to have my hands at my back and Shaye is looping something around them—rope? A zip tie?—and he tightens it so far that it aches. I try to fight against it, but it doesn't help that it's two against one.

Eventually, Shaye shoves me forward and I stumble. I want to use this newfound bit of freedom and book it down the hall as fast as I can to find an exit, but I don't think that's wise right now. Not when Shaye is here and Kash has help.

So, I stumble the few steps back into my room and spin to face Shaye. I quite literally spit at him, satisfied as it hits just above his mouth.

His face twists in anger at that and he lunges at me, swinging his fist into the space between my stomach and chest as hard as I imagine he can. I immediately feel out of breath, my chest seizes, and I wheeze as I drop to my knees. My diaphragm constricts and aches, bringing pain that I'm not sure I've ever felt before.

Dread washes over me, like that wave from earlier. Like Shaye is gripping my hair in his hands and shoving my face into the sand, holding me hostage beneath the water. I literally can't breathe.

The dizziness and blurry vision from earlier make their reappearance. I gasp and choke, my hands still bound at my back as I try to breath through the pain.

It takes me a minute or two, but I finally manage to sputter, "Jesus Christ, Shaye, what the fuck?"

"Don't think I won't retaliate 'cause you're a woman."

"Oh, fuck off with that bullshit. What we just did to each other was not on an equal playing field." I cough, moving to sit my ass on the floor with my legs out to the side as I lean against the nearby wall for some stability in my weakened state.

They glare at me, but don't say anything. Kash steps out of the room, grabs the knife and I flinch as he nears me. I feel pressure against my wrists as he cuts whatever was wrapped tightly around them and then they move to leave the room.

"Now, eat." He snaps at me before they lock me into isolation in the small room.

I listen to their footsteps and muffled conversation as they depart up—what sounds like—a flight of stairs. I'm likely in a basement, which isn't exactly a surprise. Where else would one keep their own personal jail cell? It's not as if they would've tied me up in their living room.

I go to stretch my legs out, wincing as I take a deep breath which forces my rib cage to expand with my lungs and create pain where Shaye rammed his fist into me.

Carefully, I manage to do exactly that. I grab the hem of my dress and wriggle it up my body until I'm able to see the wound Shaye created. It's already dark purple. In fact, I can see the faint imprint of four fingers and knuckles from where his fist made impact. It looks like a fucking tattoo of purple against my skin.

I yank my dress back down when it occurs to me that Dumb and Dumber might have cameras in here. At least I decided to fucking wear panties for date night with Luca.

I breathe through the pain. How in the fuck am I going to get out of this?