by Bella Jewel
“Help me!” I say to them. “This man is taking me against my will.”
Vincent exhales loudly, and in a voice that’s so calm and so believable, he says to the couple, “I’m so sorry. My wife is very drunk. I didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of all those kids out there so I’m taking her home.”
The couple stare at me and I slur, “No, that’s not true.”
I sound terrible, no doubt I look terrible, and the expressions on their faces tend to favor Vincent as they scowl at me, no doubt horrified that I’d get drunk at a family Christmas event. They step out of the elevator not even giving us a second glance and Vincent drags me in, pressing a button. He doesn’t look aggressive at all as he holds me, close to him, even when I start to squirm. He knows there are cameras, and he knows where they are.
He’s clever.
Smart.
Putting on a show to make sure that nobody thinks he’s doing anything other than taking his drunken wife home.
“Calm down, sweetheart,” he says, loudly enough that the cameras in the lift would hear. “We’re nearly there. You’ve had too much to drink. Have you taken anything else?”
“You’re a liar!” I spit at him. “I’m not your wife. I’m not his wife!” I scream.
“Honey,” he soothes, holding me so close his fingers pinch into my skin, even though nobody can see. “It’s okay. We’ll go and see the nurse. I think you’ve been spiked.”
I try to protest but it’s really no point. He just keeps soothing me. Anyone that walks by, he gives them the same story. When we reach his room, the halls are empty. I try to fight him and cry out, do anything I can to stop him taking me in here but nothing works. The moment we’re inside his room, his face changes. Gone is the cool, calm, and collected man who managed to get me up here.
In his place is a monster. A cold-hearted monster.
His eyes harden, his mouth tightens, and when I try to rush past him, his fist lashes out quickly, slamming into my face. He hits me hard, so hard I tumble backward and land on the bed, bouncing a few times, my head whipping to the side. He reaches down while I’m dazed and confused and grabs me. Then he’s tying my hands in front of me with something. I don’t know what. I can’t focus on anything when my head is spinning like this.
“Let me go,” I croak.
“You won’t be going anywhere. That club will meet my demands, and they won’t be speaking to anyone about me. At all.”
“You’ll never get me off this ship!” I cry out.
“I don’t need to get you off this ship. I just need to hold you until it stops. When it stops, I’ll leave you tied here and exit. They’ll have nothing on me and will be too busy looking for you to get what it is they’re after. It’s a win win.”
“They’ll go to the police when they realize I’m missing!” I moan, trying to grip my head, but he ties my hands in front of my body with a tie.
“The police won’t believe them. After all, they’re the ones they’ve got their eye on, they’re not going to listen to some ramble about a drunk girl going missing. By the time they realize you’re gone, we’ll nearly be home.”
“You’re a monster!” I cry, squirming on the bed, my head pounding so hard I want to vomit. “Let me go!”
“You keep fuckin’ squirming and I’ll put you out of your misery. Do you want another black eye?”
I stop squirming, and my stomach churns. I’m starting to realize it’s not the greatest idea to get drunk on a ship. Now I’m lying on the bed, and I can feel the way it rocks just slightly, it’s making me want to vomit everywhere.
“I’m going to be sick,” I groan, trying to roll to my side.
“Fuck,” Vincent growls, reaching down and hauling me up before dragging me into the toilet and holding me over the bowl, his fingers clasped in my hair to steady it.
Tears roll down my eyes as I vomit, my head burns from where he pulls my hair and my heart aches so badly I want to make it stop so I don’t have to feel it anymore. Mack probably won’t even notice I’m missing. None of them will.
They’re not going to care.
They’re probably going to think I’ve just gone to bed to sleep it off.
We’re all screwed.
Because of me.
God dammit.
HOURS GO BY, AND WITH every passing second I become more and more sober. As I do, I realize that I’m in a really bad predicament here. I gave away their entire plan to Vincent and, in doing that, I’ve left them with zero options. We’re going to get into trouble for those murders and Vincent is going to walk free. All because I couldn’t keep my stupid, drunken mouth shut.
The more I think about it, the more I cringe.
I should have never let myself get to that point.
I shouldn’t have been there at all.
Vincent hasn’t left my side since he took me. He’s not stupid, he knows I’d find a way out, or yell until someone came to help me. He’s going to make damn sure I don’t get out of here. At the very least, he’s given me some water. I appreciate that because god knows I needed it. Lying here on this bed isn’t so bad either, considering my head is starting to pound.
I don’t think he’s here to hurt me, though judging by my throbbing black eye, he’s not going to take any crap either. He’s just holding me to make sure he walks away without any backlash. He is going to make sure he gets away with his plan, and we all go down for it.
“Even if you walk away, they know who you are, they’ll find you and make you wish you didn’t walk away,” I croak to him as he sits on a chair by the bed, using a laptop.
“They can try,” he says, not at all bothered by my threat.
“Why did you do it?” I mutter. “Kill those poor kids and blame it on us. You couldn’t have waited until you were on the damn shore to do your dirty work?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, still acting not at all bothered.
“I don’t have a recording device on me, if that’s why you’re choosing not to answer my question. I’m certain you’ve already taken my phone.”
“Indeed I have,” he agrees. “I also used your fingerprint when you passed out and sent a message to everyone saying you were going to bed as you didn’t feel well. That should keep them off your trail for the evening.”
What?
No.
I did pass out on and off for probably half an hour here and there when he first brought me in here, but I don’t recall him unlocking my phone. Gosh, I must have been so much worse than I actually thought. My stomach twists as I think about everyone reading that message and thinking that everything is fine. That’ll get him through the night and then he’ll only have to deal with a few hours in the morning.
By the time they realize I’m not in my room, that I’m not around, and start looking for me, our time on the ship will be over. Vincent simply has to get off and that’s it. He’s done. Walks away with nothing. God damn, why am I so stupid?
I think about Mack.
Will he go back to the room and wonder why I’m not there? Or will he figure I’ve gone to one of the other’s rooms so I don’t have to sleep near him? He’s unlikely to think twice about it, given the fact that we’re broken up and he hasn’t yet wanted to see me.
I’m alone.
Fucking alone.
“You’re a horrible person,” I say, my voice strained.
“I never claimed I wasn’t,” he mutters, tapping on some keys.
“Those were just kids you killed.”
“Kids that were smart enough to know what they were doing. I’m sure you’re clued on enough to know how my world works. You don’t mess with people like me. They messed with me, they paid the price.”
“Why turn it around on us? Why not just wait until you were back on shore?”
“You made it a fuck of a lot easier for me. Two clubs on a ship, I knew exactly who they’d look at. It was easy, really.”
“You’re going down for this,
I promise you that.”
He shrugs. “Dealt with far worse than a bunch of bikers.”
A bunch of bikers who know how to play dirty.
A bunch of bikers who won’t take any shit.
A bunch of bikers that don’t like being messed with.
They’ll take him down alright.
He just doesn’t know it yet.
11
CIARA
“IT’S WEIRD, DON’T YOU think?” I ask Santana, frowning. “She just sent us all the same message and that’s that?”
“She’s in a bad way, it makes sense she’d want to be alone. She was pretty drunk.”
“Still, I just feel like it’s off. Don’t you?”
“We can always go and check on her? Make sure she’s okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, I think I’d like that. Vincent still hasn’t showed up here so I’m sure we have a few minutes to spare.”
Santana nods. “Let me tell them we’re going to check on her.”
She disappears for a few minutes, and I glance around the packed dining hall, filled with happy families and Christmas cheer. My eyes fall on Mack, who is standing at the back of the room, leaning against the door, his arms crossed. I wonder if he’s thinking about Jaylah, and wondering if he’s made a mistake? Surely he has to be hurting? Surely this has to bother him? I know how much he loves her.
I just think he’s forgotten who he is.
Santana comes back a moment later, and we set out toward Jaylah’s room. I don’t know what it is, but something just doesn’t feel right at all.
I know she’s upset, and she probably does want to lie down and be away from the world, but it just doesn’t feel like that’s all of it and I’m determined to help her out. Nobody should go through pain like that. It feels shit enough as it is to wonder what’s going on in your partner’s mind when they’re down, let alone being told they want to leave you.
That’s a kick in the stomach nobody needs.
Nobody.
We reach Jaylah’s room and I knock a few times. I expect her to answer, but after a few minutes, she doesn’t. I bang louder, calling out her name, but nothing. Santana frowns, and says, “I’ll go and ask Mack for the key, I’ll be back.”
She disappears, and I keep banging on the door to no avail. I walk up and down the halls, banging on everyone else’s door, too. Just to make sure she hasn’t gone to any of their rooms, but nobody answers.
Something isn’t right.
I can feel it in my bones.
Santana returns about ten minutes later with Mack in tow. He looks at me, only for a second, then he opens the door and steps into the room. He flicks on the light and we follow him in. The room is untouched. The bed is untouched. Jaylah isn’t here, nor has she been here. My heart starts racing, and I look to Mack, “She’s not in any of the other rooms, either. We should search the ship.”
Mack nods, his eyes flicking around the room once more before he steps out. We all head back to the party and get a few of the girls on board to help us find Jaylah, and so the search begins.
We look for over an hour, in every single place on the ship she could be.
We can’t find her.
We also haven’t seen Vincent.
Panic starts rising in my chest, and I can see everyone else is getting flustered too when we all meet back at the party and nobody has any good news.
“Who saw her last?” Mack demands, scanning all of us.
“She was at the bar,” Santana says. “She was pretty drunk. That was the last time I saw her.”
“What if she’s hurt somewhere?” Ash says, her voice worried. “What if she fell off the side or ...”
“She didn’t fall off the side,” Maddox cuts in. “If anything, she’s in the wrong hands.”
“Vincent,” Mack grinds out. “You think he’s got her.”
“I think there is a chance he’s got her, yeah. He hasn’t showed here, and she’s missing. He might very well have her.”
“We need to fuckin’ find him,” Mack growls, pulling out his phone. “We’re goin’ to track that mother fucker and get her back.”
For someone who broke up with her only recently, he seems awfully worried.
“They’re not going to just give us his room number,” I say carefully. “Even if they do, he’s probably not there. He’s not stupid.”
“They’ll give me whatever the hell I fuckin’ tell them to give me,” Mack growls.
“Bro,” Krypt says, grabbing Mack by the shoulder, “we’re goin’ to get her back but you need to calm down. You hear me? You’re freakin’ out and it’s only goin’ to make things so much worse. Take a breath and let us handle this.”
“She’s in some fucker’s hands, and he’s doin’ god knows what to her. He’s murdered someone, he’s capable of literally fuckin’ anythin’.”
“Calm down,” Krypt says again, his voice hard. “It’s not goin’ to make things better you flippin’ out on us.”
Mack grinds his jaw, but he calms down. He knows freaking out isn’t going to get anyone anywhere.
We’re going to find Jaylah, we just have to be smart about it.
“Why would he take her when he knows he can’t get her off this ship without someone figuring it out?” Serenity asks, her brows furrowing.
“He doesn’t have to take her off the ship if he has plans that don’t involve her living,” Cade murmurs, and Mack shoots him a look that could sink this damned ship.
Things are going to blow up if we don’t get control soon.
“Let’s all figure out a plan, worrying about why he’s doing this or what he’s planning on doing is only going to make things worse. Right now we need to just focus on getting her back which starts with finding out where she is,” I say, putting a hand up to try and calm the fire before it explodes into something so much bigger.
“We should start by trying to get his room number,” Addison points out. “And go from there.”
“Wait,” I say, frowning. “If we go back up asking for his room number, they’re going to get suspicious. We’ve already called for him, they might wonder what the hell is going on.”
“Fuck them,” Mack says, walking off. “I’m findin’ out his room number.”
Maddox exhales and then we all follow Mack as he makes his way to the front reception. Thankfully, when we arrive, there is a different woman there so she’s not suspicious because she doesn’t know who we are. Mack strolls right up and asks, “I need a room number.”
“For who, sir?”
“Vincent. Don’t know his last name.”
He’s grinding his words out through his teeth, angry and frustrated. She’s not going to give him anything if he behaves like that. Thankfully, Santana strolls up the counter as the woman narrows her eyes and throws her arm around Mack’s shoulder. “Sorry, his bark is far worse than his bite. How are you this evening, Prinny?”
She glances at her badge and uses it so swiftly in a sentence, I’m thoroughly impressed. Way to go, Santana.
“I’m well, thank you,” Prinny responds.
“That’s wonderful. That Christmas party is going well. It’s a shame you’re not there.”
“I went last year; it is quite good.”
I hold my breath, just waiting, praying. I hope this goes smoothly and we can just get Jaylah back and be done with it.
I also know things never go to plan, so that’s highly unlikely.
Still, a girl can hope.
“We’re actually after Vincent’s room number. He’s a friend of ours, but for the life of me I can’t remember what room he’s in.”
“Of course, just let me check.”
My eyes widen, only because the other girl wasn’t going to just hand out room numbers but Prinny here doesn’t seem to give a crap. She’s more than willing to give it out. Maybe it’s not against protocol. Who knows?
“He’s in 17B.”
“Thank you so much, Prinny. Have a wonderful evening.”
&nb
sp; With that, Santana tugs Mack’s arm and we all head out, taking the elevator to room 17B. When we arrive, Mack strolls over and starts banging on the door. Over and over he bangs, but nobody answers. Frustrated, he leans back and starts kicking it. Krypt launches forward, grabbing his arms and hauling him back. “Whoa, Mack. If you do that, we’ll get ourselves into a heap of fuckin’ trouble and end up locked up. We can’t help Jaylah if we do that shit. Now, calm the fuck down.”
“If she’s in there, he could be fuckin’ hurtin’ her. He could be doin’ fuckin’ anythin’ to her,” Mack roars, slamming his fist into the door so hard it splits and blood spurts forth and rolls down his knuckles. “I fuckin’ made her think she didn’t matter to me. I made her think she wasn’t important. I made her think I didn’t love her.”
“Hey,” Krypt says, grabbing Mack by the shoulders and leaning in close. “She knows you fuckin’ love her. We’re goin’ to get her back, you hear me? I promise you we’ll fuckin’ get her back.”
“It’s doubtful he’s in there,” Jackson says, stepping forward, his voice careful. “If he took her, he wouldn’t want her found easily. He knows we’d be able to track her down by coming to her room. Which means he’s probably in another room. Anyone know who he was here with? Anyone?”
“No,” I say, “but I know who could find out.”
We’re going to get Jaylah back.
I’ll make sure of it.
“HEY, REBEL, HOW ARE you?” I smile, walking up to the girl who started all of this for us.
Without her, we would have never found Vincent and now, hopefully because of her, we’ll find Jaylah, too.
“Oh, hey. Sorry, I never caught your name?”
“Ciara. I was with the girl who had been seeing Isaac, you remember?”
She nods, staring over at the bikers and then with widening eyes she looks back to me. “You’ve got a few more with you this time.”
“Yeah, look, we have a bit of a problem and we were wondering if we could talk to you?”
She stares at the bikers again, and then finishes her drink and says, “Yeah, okay.”