Jenna started to wake up as the truck barreled down the back road. She tried to scream, but there was a gag in her mouth and only a whimper escaped through the rancid tasting cloth. She choked and struggled to breathe as tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried to pull her hands free, but they were tied behind her back.
“It’s nice to meet you. I hope that we come to know each other real well in the coming days and weeks.”
She started to hyperventilate as her eyes moved left and right in an attempt to get a look at her captors. It was dark, but she could smell them and that was enough to make her close her eyes and wish she was anywhere else.
“Don’t even think about it. Anthony wants us to bring her straight to him.”
“Seriously? He already has that whore. He doesn’t need this angel. I would take such good care of her.”
“What’s gotten into you, Fred?”
Jenna looked to her right, to Fred. The thought of him even touching her was revolting. She choked on the gag and tried to push it out of her mouth.
“Nothing, Rick. I just think it’s bullshit, ya know? Who says Anthony gets to have it all?”
“You better remember who’s in charge… I don’t want to have to say anything to Anthony, but if you keep running your mouth I won’t have a choice.”
She could tell Fred was fuming mad. She closed her eyes as tears fell from them. Jenna hadn’t had a moment to process everything that had happened. She and Spencer had been asleep when there was a large crash from downstairs and the two men barged in. Spencer had run out of his room and there had been gunshots. She saw him get shot and fall down the stairs. Jenna rushed to his side without thinking and had been grabbed by one of the men. She screamed and the last thing she remembers was something coming toward her face and everything going black.
There was a sharp pain in her head, but it was the last thing she was thinking about. Jenna stared out the front of the truck as they turned right, went behind a large building and came to a stop. She closed her eyes and prayed for something to save her, even if it had to be death.
Fred jumped out of the truck and grabbed her. He pulled Jenna out and pushed her toward the building the moment her feet touched the ground. Jenna knew it was her only chance. She turned and started to run.
Rick caught her before she could even reach the back of the truck. He slapped her across the face, grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the building.
“What the fuck, Rick?”
“What?”
“You didn’t have to hit her.”
“Fred… don’t say another word. This is your last warning.”
Fred held his hands up and shook his head. He didn’t like what Rick was doing… but he didn’t want him to tell Anthony about his fuck up and how they went to the wrong house the first time.
Rick pinned her against the wall as he opened a steel door in the back of the store. He pushed the door open and waited for Fred to hold it open before he grabbed Jenna and forced her to walk in front of him.
“Get me a light,” Rick said.
Fred grumbled something before pulling a lighter out of a pocket. He handed it to Rick, who sparked it and used it to make their way through the store. Jenna’s eyes grew wide as she realized where they were. If these guys took over a place like this there must be a lot of them.
Rick led her to Anthony’s room and knocked on the door. There was no response and he knocked again.
“Coming!”
Anthony unlocked the door and pulled it open. The lighter illuminated his face enough for Jenna to see there was anger and hate in his eyes. She closed her eyes as Rick pushed her forward and Anthony grabbed her.
“And the brother?”
“Dead.”
“Good work… Rick.”
“Do you have a minute?” Rick said.
“Can it wait?”
“Maybe.”
Anthony looked at Jenna and then back to Rick. He pushed her into the room and stepped into the hall. Jenna turned and watched as the door closed and she was enveloped in darkness. She dropped to her knees and started to cry. She heard a lighter behind her, but didn’t bother to turn around.
Jenna felt soft hands on her shoulders… the hands of a woman. She looked over her shoulder, but the single candle burning in the room was behind the other woman.
“Here, let me help you.”
The woman helped Jenna to her feet and guided her over to the bed where they sat down. She untied Jenna’s wrists and threw the rope on the floor. Jenna reached behind her head and pulled the knot out of the handkerchief and spit it out. There was a lingering taste in her mouth… a mixture of sweat and something else. She shivered and pushed it out of her mind.
“I’m Beth… what’s your name?”
“Jenna.”
She stood as she answered and looked around the room. There was a chair, a dresser and an end table on either side of the bed. Other than that the room was fairly empty. Jenna looked back at Beth and she saw the bruise.
“Jesus… what happened to your eye?”
Beth touched her eyes as if she forgot about it.
“Oh, this? I… it was my fault really.”
“Huh?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Jenna frowned and took a step toward Beth. She wasn’t sure if she should try and console her or not. There was something about Beth that bothered Jenna, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Did… did he hit you?”
“Anthony… he’s a good guy. It was my fault though. I spoke out of turn and I said some things that I shouldn’t have.”
“So he punched you in the face?”
“I didn’t leave him much choice.”
Jenna turned around and took a deep breath. There was no way she was going to let some man beat her… she would rather die trying to escape. She walked over to the small square window and pulled on the bars. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. They didn’t budge.
“What are you doing?” Beth said.
“I’m getting out of here. You can come if you want?”
“Why? This is the safest place you could possibly be. Anthony will protect you, just like he’s protecting me.”
Jenna huffed and shook her head. She walked over to the door and pressed her ear against it. She couldn’t hear anything and she wondered if the two men had moved out of the hall to have their conversation.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“You’ll never survive out there,” Beth said. “There’s bad people who will hurt you and… probably kill you.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
Jenna turned the handle and pulled the door open. She started to run down the dark hall and instantly ran into what amounted to a brick wall as far as she was concerned. Anthony wrapped his hands around her wrists and spun her back around.
“And where do you think you’re going?”
“Let me go!”
He laughed, forced her to walk back into the room and shoved her. Jenna fell to the floor and bit her lip as she landed.
“I’ll talk to you in the morning,” Anthony said, before turning away from Rick and closing the door.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Beth said, lowering her head to Jenna and whispering into her ear.
Anthony grabbed Jenna and pulled her into a standing position. A wicked grin crossed his face. Jenna did the only thing she could think of—she spit a mix of saliva and blood, from her lip, onto his cheek. Anthony wiped it off and slapped her across the cheek. The impact knocked Jenna back and she fell onto the bed. Tears rolled down her cheek as she looked up at him.
“Do you even know why you’re here?” he said.
Jenna thought about her brother and she started to cry. He promised to protect her… he promised he would always be there for her… and now he was dead.
“Yeah… you killed my brother… and kidnapped me.”
Anthony shook laughed and shook his head.
“Is that what you think happened?”
She looked down. Jenna didn’t even want to look at him anymore. She prayed he would be furious enough with her that he would kill her. At least then I can be with Spencer… and Mom and Dad. Anthony walked over to the bed, put a hand on either side of her face and forced Jenna to look up at him.
“Let me tell you why you’re here… the truth.”
She twisted her head, but she couldn’t get it out of his hands.
“Look at me!”
She jumped and looked up at him.
“It’s your brother’s fault… that’s why you’re here. Did you know that?”
Jenna cried as she looked up at the man who was responsible for Spencer’s death. She would never believe this monster when it came to her brother.
“He came here, your brother. He begged for food and water. He said he would do anything for food. I made him a deal… he would kill this guy that’s a pain in my ass and in return I would give him more food and water. I told him not to fuck me over… all he had to do was shoot one man… one man! But no… he had to steal my food and water.”
“He would never do that! He would never agree to that!”
Anthony let go of Jenna and slapped her again. He stepped forward and stood over her.
“Where do you think he got the food and water? Where do you think he got the gun? Think about it you dumb bitch.”
Jenna was furious. Her brother had told her he found the food and water… and she didn’t know anything about the gun until he fired it at the men who broke into their house. Is he telling the truth? Would Spencer really agree to something like that?
“He had to pay for his transgression and now you’re going to pay off the rest of his debt.”
He grabbed Jenna and flipped her over. He squeezed her head and forced her to look into his eyes. She squirmed and he finally let go of her. Jenna knew there was no way she could overpower him. She was going to have to wait until the right moment and make her move then. There was no way she was going to let this man be the end of her… she had to avenge what he had done to her brother.
“I’m not going to do anything for you,” she said, trying to keep her voice level.
“I don’t need you to do anything for me. You’re going to realize, just like Beth, that you would have never survived in this world without me. Someday… someday soon you’re going to thank me for saving you from certain death.”
Jenna knew that day would never come. She was going to kill Anthony even if it meant she had to die to accomplish it.