Page 42 of Taunting Tarran
‘Come on,’ the woman drawls. ‘We need to get going.’ She insets the key into the lock, the sound clicking as I take a deep, steadying breath. ‘Don’t worry,nena, I’m not that stupid,’ she adds with a smirk, lifting a gun and pointing it towards me. Her casual motion is as chilling as the weapon itself.
She motions for me to step out, and with reluctant obedience, I comply, walking into the corridor. Jessica’s eyes follow me, her face pale against the soft light. The icy breeze filters down from the steps, sending a shiver down my spine, biting at my skin as I edge closer. The woman’s grip on my arm is unnecessarily tight, digging into me as if to reinforce her dominance. The world outside blazes too brightly, forcing me to squint my eyes. And then, my breath catches.
There he stands, a familiar face twisted into a smirk that sends my pulse racing in all the wrong ways.
‘Ah, cariño,’ he says smoothly. ‘Long time, no see.’
CHAPTER 21
THE PUNISHER
Ah, yes, the existential dread that gnaws at my soul, leaving a gaping wound where emotions should reside. It’s no big deal, really. After all, aren’t we all just masterful puppeteers, manipulating our strings to feign genuine human connection? But alas, there always seems to be one person who sees through the performance. Sal, ever the perceptive can discern the truth behind my well-crafted mask, tethered not by love or commitment, but like a man sticking with his wife because she’s got the plastic card that keeps the lights on and the fridgestocked. I shouldn’t be so hard on him. Through every moment – every storm this family has faced, every bad decision my father made that dragged us into hell – he was there. Unwavering.
But it took one girl, this girl, not Sal to open my eyes to what I had been blind to for so long. I had been born into a gilded cage of power and wealth, where I have had and can have anything I could ever want. But beneath the veneer of opulence lies a shadowy secret, a secret darker than the darkest night. A secret so vile among the world’s elite, and that burden is now mine to bear. It’s become my burden, my… curse.
The Wilderness Warfare Games are no longer under his control – they’re mine now. With my ascension, I inherit the land, the power, the chaos. I can shape them, wield them, bend them to my will, or just burn the fucking lot down. But the shadow of my father stretches long behind me, a ghost that clings to this legacy, this nightmare, this burden, but soon, it will be mine to command.
Beneath the stone edifice lies a subterranean fortress, where the twisted dance of pain and pleasure intertwine. In this shadowy realm, the Wilderness Warfare Games can become my ultimate playground. The inevitable ascension will grant me the power to reshape this dark dominion as I see fit, but until that moment arises, I remain a mere pawn, meticulously plotting and biding my time, inching ever closer to overthrowing the king and claiming my rightful place on the throne.
Sal dealt with the Albanians while I kept my mouth shut, my silence the only choice with their numbers stacked against us.The transaction was quick – money for the cargo. No arguments, no commotion – just how Sal preferred it. They left as smoothly as they arrived, but the unease lingered long after.
Back at thecoto, Carlos and his wife were already waiting, the hatch yawning open as I reverse up to its entrance. The van doors creak as I swing them open, the cold air meeting the unsuspecting faces. One by one, I guide each girl down, their faces pale in the soft light of the corridor.
‘Stay here, Sal,’ I command, my voice low as I step into the shadows of the cells. The air is thick, damp, carrying the faint stench of sweat and fear. I knew that smell well. My eyes dart from one girl to the next, scanning their faces, their hollow stares.
‘Looking for someone, arsehole?’ a girl spits, her brown eyes peering from the shadows.
‘Maybe,’ I reply, unbothered.
‘Well, I won’t tell you shit.’
She’s not quite defeated. Not broken – not yet.
‘Do you know something?’ I step closer. ‘I’m looking for a girl. Yay high, with cinnamon-brown hair.’
She spits again, the glob landing near my boots, her eyes blaze, daring me to react.
‘Tell me, damnit,’ I snap, my patience fraying. ‘Sorry.’
‘What’s in it for me?’
I reach into my pocket, and pull out a Snickers bar, holding it as a silent bribe.
‘Give it to me!’
‘Tell me what you know first.’
‘A girl, as you described was here. They took her away, a couple of hours ago.’
‘Who?’
‘That bitch.’
I hand the desperate girl the chocolate, her hands clawing at the wrapper like a rabid animal, and when it falls to the floor, I pick it up, slowly shoving it into my pocket before anyone knows what I had done. I turn, heading back to the van.
I glance around, Carlos smirking. ‘We’ve got a full house tonight.’
I give a curt nod as I climb back into the van. It takes all of my strength not to get out and slit his throat for taking my girl, but I know it wouldn’t change anything. Not now. The invitations have already been sent out, and tonight, the place will be crawling with some of the world’s sickest fucks. If I lose control now, it’s likely I’d die before I can see Tarran, and these bastards would just carry on as if nothing had happened.
