Page 10 of Darkness

What the hell does that mean?

With a frustrated yell, I push him hard in the chest. He takes a step back, and I take one forward, getting right up in his face. “Tú hijo de puta.” “You think I can just let my sister go? She is everything to me. Everything. All I have left in the world.”

“Now, chiquita, I’m all you have left, so deal with it.”

He turns, heading for the door, and I follow, my feet stomping like lead weights. “Nycto.” He doesn’t stop. “Nycto, if you keep me here, I will make your life a living hell. This, I promise. Do you hear me?”

He turns back to face me. “I’m already in hell, sweetheart.”

With a flick of the handle, he opens the door. I rush forward, but he’s too quick. Nycto slams the door, keeping me inside his room. I slam my fists on it, banging as hard as I can. “You can’t keep me locked in here. You need to get my sister back. Please, I’ll do whatever you want if I get my sister. Please!” I scream, but it’s no use. I rip at the door handle, but it won’t budge. The bastardo has locked me inside.

With a sniffle, I turn and slide down the door. My eyes glisten as I take in my new prison. I don’t know where I would be right now if Nycto hadn’t kept me, but maybe I would have been with Ivy. Anywhere would have to be better than being locked in here. I don’t even know where here is. All I know is it’s a bedroom with no windows and a red light in somewhere called Tampa. I mean, who in their right mind lives like this?

I can’t sit around wallowing.

I have to fight.

Escape.

I need to do something.

So, I stand and go in search of something to break me out of this room.

I head to the desk first. One by one, I open the drawers, but there’s nothing in them except for some notebooks, pens, a pack of cigarettes, and a fucking line of condom foils. I grimace as I throw them back in the drawer, wishing I could disinfect my hands. After sliding the drawer closed, I notice the other door. My chest squeezes. Surely, it’s not another way out. Luck hasn’t been on my side today, so I doubt it’s going to be with me now, but there’s no harm in trying.

With quick steps, I make my way over to the door and turn the handle. It releases. I slowly nudge the door open an inch, cringing at the creak of the hinges. The room is dark, so I sweep my arm over the wall, searching for a light switch. I flick it on, and a dim but warm light fills the room. Better than the red, but I still have to squint to see.

What the hell is with the lighting in this place? Is this guy nocturnal or something?

As I take in the room, the basin hits me first. There’s a bowl—dark or black, I can’t be sure—with a copper faucet. I take in the tiles on the floor, black and white diamonds, leading to a spacious shower alcove. A black feature wall lines the space where brass fixtures are fitted for the faucets and showerhead, and a clear glass half-screen stands from the floor to the ceiling. This place is strange. Spend too long in here and I may never readjust to seeing sunlight.

I had no idea what was behind this door, but, of course, a bathroom makes sense. This room is something Ivy would love—the masculine industrial look.

I move to the edge of the basin and stare into the mirror. I’m a mess. My hair is knotted. There are mascara lines down my cheeks and blotches in places they shouldn’t be. Why Nycto chose me over Ivy astounds me.

A few tears run down my face as I think of my sister and what she may be going through.

She must be so scared. I wish I were with her.

I want to be there to help her through whatever hell she’s in right now.

All I know is, when I get out of here—and I will get out of here—I’m going to do everything in my power to find her.

Hold on, Ivy. Hold on. I’m coming.

Chapter Five

NYCTO

It’s been a long-ass night. My head is all over the place. Having that moment with Eva in my room confused me, though it solidified the fact I did the right thing in bringing her here. She isn’t the rollover-and-do-what-you’re-told kind of woman Andrés normally acquires. Honestly, I have no idea how she was picked to be one of his packages. Maybe because Eva would go searching for her sister and kick up a storm. Maybe Andrés was desperate.

Generally, the women Andrés sells are loners. Women who won’t be missed. Young, promiscuous, flighty women with no one in their lives. Women who are forgotten quickly make no waves. He’s all for quick, easy, and dirty.

Then again, maybe the buyer sees in Eva what I see—the angel beneath her fiery exterior. Or maybe he wanted a challenge, someone who wouldn’t break easily so they could push her to her limits over and over again. Who this nameless, faceless buyer is, I have no clue, but it burns like fire in my mind. If I find them, I will kill them. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure Eva remains mine.

Walking past the stairs to the lower bunker, I glimpse down. The lights are on, and I realize Void must be down there with the cargo. I know I have to check that situation out as soon as possible, but first, I need a shot of something.

I stride up to the bar, where Pepper is serving. Pepper is sexy as hell, but the one-shoulder black lacy see-through bodysuit she’s wearing isn’t doing it for me today. Her long, chocolate-brown hair flows over her back in waves, and her darkly shadowed eyes look me up and down as I approach, letting me know she’s ready for anything I ask of her. Today, I’m not feeling it. All I can think about is Eva in my room and how much she’s affecting me.

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