You know the sound a person makes when they can’t breathe, yeah, this one is worse.
My head naturally spins in the direction of the noise, the bed.
The vision in front of me has me at a standstill. I’ve always believed myself strong and resilient, a fixer.
But this, this is something I can’t fix, this is something that I can’t be strong and watch.
This is a breaking point to witness.
This is torture.
What I see before me will become the reason I make a choice in the next few months that will take me on my path of ruin. A path so dark I will never see the end.
I will become the monster your parents warned you about, because it was at this moment that I opened my eyes.
At this moment my world became unlocked to that which I was too naive to believe.
It was at this place, a Clubhouse in Kanla on a sunny Friday that I placed my first foot in the fire.
This is when I began my journey. This is when I became Frost.
Beggar lays writhing, her back bending into a deep arch as her legs splayed open.
Her hands wrap around her long neck choking herself, until her face is blue, as she screams, and screams her tortured soul out with one word, Padrone, owner.
Zero is not here, he left sometime while I was in my mind.
Her top rides up as she writhes but still choking herself.
And I stand here, still, frozen, until I see the redness on her torso. A step or two I take until I’m right there. My knees touching the shaking bed.
I snap out of whatever it is, and the first thing I see clearly is that her skin is changing color, she’s going to choke herself into unconsciousness.
I spin into action jumping on the bed and go to grab her arms pulling them off her neck.
Her high pitch scream rings in my ears as she fights me.
Pulling it back, as I pull her hands to me, her body is like a wild beast.
“Zero,” I scream, “Zero.”
The door bolts open seconds later, but it’s those seconds I take my eyes off her and those seconds that spin my world on its axis.
Beggar opens her mouth like something is getting shoved inside and it doesn’t take a college graduate to guess what she’s picturing, what she must be reliving.
Zero pulls her hands easily into one of his. Her wild movement lifts her top up and the branded burn I see almost makes my knees buckle.
I can’t believe what I’m seeing but after I see it again my eyes widen, there’s no doubt what it is.
Zero lifts her up and crushes her to his chest.
“Sssshhh, Beauty, I got you, it’s me Zero, you need to wake up now, okay, wake up Beauty. Sssshhh.”
He is so strong, his words soothing, his voice firm, but I see the horror on his paled skin. I see it as I feel mine.
I rush out of the room and barely make it to the bathroom before I spill my guts out in the toilet.
My mind boggles. He said they didn’t do it; he said his people never took women. They would never traffic, never enslave. He lied, I know this, I know this as I know that the mark burnt into that girl’s stomach is the mark of his kind, the mark of possession, the mark of a slave.
The mark of the Famiglia.
I don’t waste time looking at the couple. I don’t waste time doing anything.
I don’t even rinse out my bile tasting mouth. I take the steps three at a time and rush to my gold Mercedes. My keys in my hand clicking buttons before I slide in, turn the ignition and get the hell out of there.
My foot hits the gas and I speed to the hotel. I get my phone from the compartment in the centre of the car and dial my baby brother.
It rings three times.
“Don’t tell me you miss my ass,” His way of greeting.
“You alone?” I ask through the car speakers.
He’s quiet for a minute,
“Yeah, hit me.”
My eyes on the road, I push the cruise control and sit back.
“I heard Kevin talking about a girl yesterday, came to Kanla with Diamond a day early to see her for myself. Her name is Beggar by the way.”
“Yeah, heard D asking Michael to do some digging. Some homeless girl they picked up in Washington.”
“Yup, but when I get there, she’s unconscious in Zero’s arms. A few minutes after he put her on the bed, she starts having some sort of seizure or nightmare. I’m not sure what the hell was that. I’ve never seen that fucked up shit Jace.”
My hand hits the hooter in frustration, this is my brother I don’t hide from my family.
“Fuck, I can’t even talk to Diamond about this because she’s having her benders again.”
He’s silent and I sigh, shit, me and my big mouth.
“Sorry, I wanted to tell you but I don’t want you worrying when you got enough shit going on.”
“Hey, it’s okay, I get it.” Jace says.
“You need to drop that smack down Jace, it’s not your fault, if you didn’t tell them they would’ve figured it out.”
His silence just pisses me off. I make another turn and head down toward the supermarket.
“You were kidnapped, it’s not your fault okay, Diamond is doing this for you don’t be ungrateful and squander your life away. You dropping out of a private school to go to public is one thing. Riding yourself with guilt is something completely different.”
I take a right at the four way and carry on straight.
“Can we just drop it. What do you need from me?”
I sigh again,
“Beggar has a mark on her stomach and brand, guess from who.”
“Biker or Outlaw.”
“Worse, it’s from good ole Vincent’s clan.”
“What. The. Fuck.”
“My thoughts exactly, it’s their mark, the one they brand on the soldiers and their possessions.”
I don’t tell him that where they put the mark makes a difference.
“Whatcha need Ky?”
“I need to find out who the fuck is Beggar but without drawing attention, so no P. I’s. Can you pull it off?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, how?”
“One word, golf.”
“Golf?” I park the car in front of the only hotel in this small dead town.
“Yup, Sabastian has recently become a fully pledged member, got his inheritance and full rights to the company.”
“Okaaay,” I drag out the word.
“Remember the Kents.”
I groan, “How can I forget!”
He chuckles through the speaker, so not funny.
“Yeah well, Dexter’s dad died last year, so he’s taken over all of Kent’s holdings including…”
“Being Delroy’s bitch,” I finish for him with a smirk on my face.
“Yup, if anyone can get it done, it’ll be him. I’ll talk to Sabs and get back to you by tomorrow.”
“I knew I loved you for a reason.” I end the call and hop out of the car.
I get into the 4-star dump of a hotel to go feed my friend while she creates another mass destruction weapon for the U. S government while losing apart of herself in the process with one thought in my mind.
How the fuck am I going to get close to Vincent Stone?