*Steve*
I sat on the cold floor, staring into the darkness. I can’t count the nights I have spent here nor the last time I saw the sun and bathed in its warmth. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Rex had betrayed me. That motherfucker. I will surely skin him alive. I had trusted that son of a bitch at some point. When I discovered his tricky move, I decided to end him, but he got me first. I looked down on my clothes in the darkness. I have stayed long enough in this room and could see a little in it. I rest my head on the wall, my mind returning to the day I stood under the dim light with Lucia. We were separated that night, and I don’t know what happened to her.
I don’t care if she was alive or not; she could go to hell for all I care.
I knew I would get out of this dungeon that I had been placed in. It’s going to take a while, but I will. Sarah must be looking for me. She should be turning the city over and preparing to bring me back. It shouldn’t take her time to know that Rex had held me hostage for reasons best known to him. I closed my eyes tightly and sniffed loudly. I could feel that freedom was near.
I heard the faint sound of footsteps and opened my eyes. It kept getting more evident as it got closer. The footsteps were familiar. I had gotten used to hearing it every evening. That was the time Rex visited me. Soon, the door made a creaking sound before opening. A wave of familiar cologne hit me immediately. Rex placed the first step into the room. He closed the door behind him and walked to the side. He turned on the light. The room was now a little bright by a dingy yellow bulb that hung above. I didn’t open my eyes.
I had nothing to say to him.
“You should at least say hello when you see me here,” he paused. I could feel his burning gaze on me, and “at least I make time to come check up on you.” He said, and one side of my lips pulled to the side. I opened one of my eyes before slowly opening the other. His legs came into my view first. He wore a black boot.
“One would think you care about me,” I said, not bothering to hide the anger I felt for him. This was the only time I could see the room. There was no other time. My hands were tied together. That was the only reason why I was still here. Rex smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. He laughed wickedly. “You don’t seem to understand Steve,” he said after a heartfelt laugh. I raised my eyes to look at him. Raising my eyes felt like a chore. I was in pain all over. “Why don’t you help me understand by releasing my hands? I have something to pick from your face,” I said.
“You must think I am a fool,” he said. My eyes finally rested on his face. He dragged the stick of burning cocaine he was smoking. His face held an indescribable expression as he pulled it before blowing it out through his mouth and nose. “I kept you alive; you should at least be grateful. I could have sold you off or, better still, taken you underground. Six feet far,” he said.
“Why then do you keep me?” I asked. I have always wondered. Why was I alive and kept like an animal? Rex bent down to meet my view. He was topless. Revealing his muscled and tattooed chest. “You betrayed me and kept me here; at least tell me what you need me for,” I said through gritted teeth, trying hard not to show my anger, but it was evident anyway. “I demand an explanation,” I said angrily.
“I don’t owe you any explanation, Steve. It seems you keep forgetting, so I’ll remind you one last time.
You are no longer my boss. And right now, I am your boss. Your life is in my hands, and I can decide to do whatever I want with it.” He said. Smoke puffed out of his mouth and hit my face. He smiled after saying it, showing me his colored teeth.
I smirked. I wasn’t frazzled. I would make him pay when I got out of here. He seemed to hate it so much that I didn’t give him the respect he needed as the boss. So he keeps repeating it. Once, he had slapped me to remind me, and another time, he wiped me severally with whips. I had endured a lot. I gritted my teeth. Then smiled. “You are still as stupid as you’ve always been. You think locking me up in a room and puffing smoke into my eyes would make you a boss?” I asked.
My words seemed to spit on him. He hit the wall behind me loudly. His eyes peered into mine as if he would launch one anytime. His chest heaved up and down. His voice hitched. “What do you want to hit? Come on, hit me,” I dared him. “You’ll soon receive double what you are doing. I know you are aware,” I said. My voice is authoritative and cold. He should know better how I never let anything slide without paying back.
He kept staring at me.
Slowly, he stood up and walked to the side. “You must think I’m scared of you, but remind me you were here before of your overconfidence and pride,” he smirked. I was about to speak when he raised his hands, “Save it. If you say one more word, I may change my mind and keep you locked up here instead of sending you off with your sister,” he said.
It took a few seconds before I registered what he said. My eyes widened, “Sarah is here?” I asked. He didn’t reply. Just then, I heard heavy footsteps. Soon, the door opened, and she stepped in. She stopped in front of Rex and glared at him. Rex stared back with the same intensity in his eyes. I felt relieved. I thought I was never going to see her. She walked past him and bent down in front of me, “Sarah,’ I called. My voice broke. She didn’t say anything, not even a soft smile. She tried to loosen the rope that I was tied with, but it was to no avail. She turned sharply to Rex, “loosen him this instant. Were you so scared that he would run away that you had to tie him up like an animal?” She asked.
She didn’t change. She had the same cold and oppressive aura. Rex muttered a few inaudible words under his breath. She must be the reason why he had not done anything silly.
I took a proper bath after so long. Sarah didn’t want to spend so much time there. We left as soon as I took a bath and changed my clothes. We sat in the car together. I sat beside her in the back. She has not spoken any words since we started moving. She kept her eyes outside the window. She must have a lot on her mind. The wind ruffled her hair, and she tucked some strands between her ears.
I hated this silence. I wanted her to speak to me.
I had failed her. But then it was my fault. She pulled her blue jacket closer to herself. Took a deep breath and slowly turned to me. “Do you know what I had to do to get you out? How could you allow yourself to be played by that clown?” She asked. I knew she was trying hard to control herself from bursting with anger. “I am sorry,” I apologize quickly.
She scoffed and shrugged her shoulders, “As if your apology would fix anything. You could not even carry out a simple instruction. That assignment meant a lot,” she said. I lowered my head. I had indeed failed her. She has asked for Lucia to be killed. “And now that bitch escaped. She was sold. What if Jason finds out?” She asked. When I took Lucia away from Jason, I had no intention of taking her to wherever he mentioned. I had received an order from Sarah to take her away from here.
“I didn’t know Rex was going to betray me,” I said in my defense. She rolled her eyes and then settled them on me. She stared at me as if I was the biggest fool in the entire universe.” That’s what you get from trusting too much. I warned you not ever to trust anyone other than me, Steve, but you disregarded my words. Now look what that caused you,” she sneered. I clenched my fist tightly. Rex was not going scot-free after all he had done to me.
“And what about Jason? What if he finds out? What should I tell him? I have been avoiding his calls because I don’t know what to tell him.” She says.
“I think Rex is working for Jason,” I said, and she arched her brows. “Is that a joke?” She asked, and I shook my head. I meant what I was saying. “I overheard Rex’s conversation with his boss once. It sounded like the boss had a thing with Lucia and had asked that she be sold.” I said. Sarah found it hard to believe.
“But he loves her. We both know how much he loves her and has refused any advances from me. He is the reason I had to take things into my hand. I wanted her dead because she was the only one in his eyes. He didn’t see me. He disregarded the feelings I had for him for over fifteen years. So how could he possibly sell her off?” She asked.
I thought those questions were for him to answer.
“I asked those questions, too. But who knows, maybe he got tired of her?” I said, but she shook her head. I wonder why she didn’t believe it. Isn’t that a good thing? At least Lucia was out of her way, and she could have Jason. “Now that Lucia is out of your way, all that is left is for you to win his heart. That shouldn’t be so hard.” I said. I know about her feelings for him. How she has been so crazy about him, only to be introduced to his girlfriend the day she confessed to him.
She was silent for a while. She inhales a scent of breath, trying to steady the different emotions that coarse through her veins. “As long as Lucia is still alive, I won’t be at rest. I have to wipe her off from the surface of the earth. Jason loves her too much; I’m not sure he will ever be able to remove her entirely from his heart if she is still alive. I have to wipe her off,” she said, clenching her fist. “I’ll find her,” she vowed. “And I’ll make sure to kill her without any mistakes this time,” she said and looked ahead.
“I heard someone bought her from this city. So she shouldn’t be too far. It should be easy to find and repurchase her,” I said, and she nodded. We would spend some time in the city, so we might as well finish her off. The car drove into King’s Hotel. This was where we would be staying.
The car pulled over at the entrance, and we got off. We walked side by side into the hotel. Sarah clutched her purse tightly and walked into the hotel with a slight frown on her face. She stopped for a while to look around. When she started walking, she bumped into someone. A girl is wearing black all through. Her face was almost covered with the face cap she was wearing. Sarah’s frown deepened. “I’m sorry,” the girl said; when she finally looked up, she stiffened. My eyes almost bulged out.
It was Lucia. She was standing in front of us. Sarah arched her brows; Lucia, who she was looking for, had just presented herself to her. One side of her lips pulled to the side.