by L. A. Casey
Any plan formed to keep myself tranquil went straight out the window when I closed my eyes and thought hard about how I came to be tied to a chair, with a stranger who obviously had me held captive. For a few seconds, my mind was blank, then like the snap of my fingers, images came rushing back one by one.
Ryder was cheating on me.
His brothers’ knew what he was up to and never told me.
A man attacked me in my kitchen and somehow knocked me out.
The strange man who was still in my presence while I was blindfolded, tied to a chair and completely at his mercy… remaining calm was no longer on my fucking agenda.
“Who’s there?” I asked, my breathing laboured.
This has to be a nightmare.
“A friend of the family,” the man replied on a guffaw.
His accent was semi-similar to Ryder’s and his brothers’, and that scared me greatly. The only Americans I knew were either bright light, or pure evil. There was no in-between.
I felt like I was going to wet myself as I asked, “What do you want?”
The man hummed. “I have a debt to fulfil.”
What kind of debt?
“This is a mistake,” I blurted. “This has to be some sort of mistake. My family has no debts, I swear. You’ve got the wrong person!”
My captor sighed. “I’ll explain all that in good time, but first, I need you to confirm something for me. You’re Branna Murphy, right?”
A fresh surge of panic set in. This wasn’t some kind of mistake, this man knew my name, which meant he purposely was in the right house and came after me for a reason.
“Ye-Yes.” I stuttered.
“Then there is no mistake, you are the right person,” the deep voice responded. “I’ve been waiting a few months to get you on your own”
“Why?” I swallowed down bile. “Who are you? What do you want from me?”
“Which question do you want me to answer first?” he asked, sounding bored.
A sheen of dread settled over me.
“The second,” I whispered.
“Well, Branna,” he began, “my name is Philip, but I believe you know me as Big Phil. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
My world stop spinning, and it hit me that every moment throughout my life where I had ever felt scared or alone didn’t come close to the emotions I felt during that moment. I was absolutely terrified, and almost instantly began whimpering and trying my hardest to get free because this man… he tried to kill my best friend and her son, and once upon a time he tried to kill Kane too… and now… now he was going to kill me.
“Oh, my God.” I cried. “Please, don’t kill me.”
I heard movement, and every muscle in my body tensed as I felt the monster approach.
“Why would I kill you?” Big Phil asked me and I could hear the smile in his tone.
The sick bastard liked that I was petrified.
“Why else would you abduct me?” I asked, now hiccupping from crying so hard.
“To draw out Kane,” he replied. “Why else?”
I swallowed down my fear, which was no small feat, and asked, “Wh-why would I draw out Kane? I’m n-not with him… I’m not even with his br-brother anymore. Ryder and I br-broke up.”
“How devastating for you,” Big Phil said, sounding like he couldn’t care less.
I was shaking as my fear amplified.
“So you see,” I sniffled, “I won’t draw Kane out be-because—”
“If you don’t draw Kane out then there will definitely be no use for you so I suggest you stop talking.”
I clamped my mouth shut.
“I like you.” He chortled. “You’re obedient, not like that fucking Aideen bitch. She had a mouth on her.”
I couldn’t begin to imagine how Aideen could backtalk him when he had her, I was almost too scared to breathe in fear he would hurt me.
“I made a mistake with her. I wanted her to suffer, like my boy suffered, when what I should have done is put a bullet in her head and stomach. That would have really killed Kane.”
“You bastard!”
It was out of my mouth before I realised I said it.
Big Phil laughed. “Ain’t that the truth.”
I continued to cry, and it grated on his nerves.
“Stop your blubbering, I haven’t got the patience for it. I’ve worn out every ounce of tolerance I have for your fucking family.”
I closed my mouth and tried my hardest to control my sobs, but it was difficult. It was like every ounce of strength I had up and left me, and I just accepted my fate like a coward. I wanted to be strong, but my body hurt, my head hurt, and my heart did, too—I honestly didn’t know how it was still beating.
After what I saw with Ryder and his… friend, I was positive it would never work right again. I thought for sure the shock alone would kill me.
I wasn’t stupid, in the back of my mind I knew we were all in constant danger from Big Phil. A man didn’t attempt to murder a pregnant mother for revenge then just disappear because he failed. No, Big Phil had an agenda, and it was obvious it was one he was going to fulfil no matter what—or who—it cost.
It was unbelievable, but the threat of him and what he was capable of faded to the very back of my mind when my relationship problems took centre stage.
To be honest, I just didn’t care about Big Phil, or the threat he posed to me when I thought about what my so-called partner did to me. I didn’t care about anything because I was so focused on Ryder and how much he, and our relationship, had changed.
It was then that I wondered why I was so scared. When I thought hard about it, Big Phil kidnapping me was kind of—in a twisted way—a favour to me. If he killed me, I would be at peace. No more sadness, no more bleeding for Ryder and the love we once shared, no more of anything. If he beat on me, maybe he would hit me so hard that it would erase my witnessing Ryder with another women. Maybe one solid knock to my head and he could wipe out all the heartache I carried and I could start over on a clean slate.
It suddenly became very tempting to anger him just to see if he would do it.
“You aren’t shaking anymore,” Big Phil commented, gaining my attention.
He was right. I wasn’t shaking anymore. If I was being completely honest, I didn’t really feel fear anymore either, what I felt was curiosity. This man could take all my suffering away, what the hell was there to fear about that?
“‘Cause I’m not scared anymore,” I replied, my voice firm.
This made him laugh before he asked, “Where are we, Branna?”
How in the Hell was I supposed to know? I wondered. I had a blindfold covering my eyes for God’s sake.
“Darkness?” I guessed.
“Why would I take you to a nightclub?” he curiously asked.
I managed to shrug. “It’s where me sister and friends were taken to when they were kidnapped, so I figured since you American arseholes and wanna-be gangsters are all alike, you would take me there, too. It’s unoriginal which makes it the best bet.”
Big Phil laughed loudly as I winced when I felt the sting of his slap as it tore through the side of my face.
Bastard.
“One of those American assholes you speak of was my friend, so watch what you say about him or I’ll make you bleed.”
There was a bro code between criminal scumbags, who’d have thought it? My mind sneered. Not me.
I wanted to make my thoughts know, but instead I grunted and kept my mouth shut because bleeding didn’t sound appealing in the slightest.
“We’re in my rented apartment.” He eventually said.
That surprised me.
“You took me to your place?” I questioned. “Why?”
I heard him move around.
“Because I want to spend time with you in a comfortable environment.”
Did that mean he wasn’t going to kill me? I wondered and was surprised that the thought saddened me.
“How long do you pl
an to keep me here?” I asked, hoping the fear I felt didn’t show in my tone. He would probably link it to fear of being killed if he did pick up on it anyway.
He hummed. “As long as it takes.”
I furrowed my brows. As long as what takes?
“What are you talkin’ about?” I asked in frustration.
I froze when I heard more movement close by and felt him approach me. The floorboards creaked under his weight as he stepped on them. I flinched then tensed up when I felt a rough pat on the crown of my head.
“You ask a lot of questions for a captive.”
I actually grinned as I said, “If you wanted peace then you should’ve kidnapped a mute.”
Things were silent for a few moments then Big Phil guffawed. I lost my grin, drew my brows together and glared at him through my blindfold. He was maddening.
“You’re amusing me greatly.”
I set my jaw. “Glad I can entertain you.”
Another chortle.
“Are you going to be silent enough for me to answer your earlier questions?”
I hesitated. “I kind of forget what they were.”
“You asked why you were here and if I was going to kill you, and I’m prepared to answer them.”
It was twisted that I got a tad bit excited at the prospect of knowing my fate. Would it end in freedom or death—in a perfect world, the latter would win.
“Oh, right,” I said. “Go ahead, I’ll be quiet while you speak.”
“Thank you,” he said sarcastically.
“You’re welcome,” I replied, just as sarcastically.
A snort or two later, the piece of scum began to talk.
“Originally, my plan was never to come for you, or even for Aideen, it’s always been Kane that I’ve wanted. You can’t catch someone like him off guard though. I created him, and I know first-hand what he is capable of doing when he’s backed into a corner.”
I gritted my teeth in anger. He was speaking of Kane like he was some animal he trained… I suppose for a time, he was that, but not anymore!
“Then I got to thinking,” Big Phil continued. “Who would it hurt if I managed to kill Kane? None other than his brothers, and I don’t want that, I want him to suffer. When I got here last year, I watched him for a while, to see if there was someone important in his life outside of his family, and that’s when I came to know about Aideen, and her pregnancy. It was like God Himself was gifting me the lives I needed to end that would finally break Kane and force him to live with the pain I do.”
Sickness swirled in my lower abdomen, and I fought with my body not to heave.
“You’re a ragin’ fuckin’ lunatic.”
“My son was murdered, of course I’m a lunatic.” Big Phil argued. “You think losing your child keeps you sane?”
Kane stumbled upon his ‘precious son’ violating a little girl; he deserved a medal for ending the waste of space’s life, nothing less.
I shook my head. “Your son was a dirty paedophile who hurt children, it was justifiable what he got. I personally think he got off too eas—”
Big Phil cut me off with a bang to the face. It was so forceful, that the knock caused me to surge backwards, tipping the chair until it fell and hit the ground. I cried out in pain as fire spread across my cheek and pounding pain erupted at the back of my head.
“I’ll kill you right now if you talk about my son like that again, do you hear me?”
Death—to just be gone from this Earth, was what I wanted, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask for it. I didn’t acknowledge Big Phil’s warning, I only continued to whine in pain.
“That’s why you’re here,” he pressed. “I can’t have Aideen, and your sister is always with Nico. Alec and his woman are together constantly as well. That other girl in your group is single, and Damien has no one so that left you. I thought you would be as hard as the others to snatch, but I’ve come to learn a lot about Ryder’s routine, and yours. He leaves you alone a lot with only Damien for protection when you aren’t at the hospital. That was the weak link in your chain, and I took advantage of it.”
It sent chills up my spine that a stranger knew so much about us. It was a feeling I couldn’t describe—it made my already churned stomach twist once more.
“So that’s the answer to that question,” I said, curtly. “What’s the answer to me other one?”
I yelped when the chair I was bound to was pulled back into an upright position, and the blindfold I wore was yanked from my face. My instant reaction was to close my eyes until they adjusted to the light. It didn’t take long because the room I was in was dimly lit, and thanks to the window facing me, I could see through the net curtains that it was dark outside.
How long am I here?
I felt a presence to my left, so I turned and looked at the man who stood next to me. He was taller than the brothers with a normal build, but his face was severely scarred. He reminded me of Freddie Kruger, and that thought didn’t bode well with me. I refused to show it though.
“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
He slapped me across the face, and then laughed.
“I think you’re a bigger pain in the ass than Aideen was.”
I scrunched up my face in pain before I turned my head back in his direction and glared up at him. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You shouldn’t,” he countered. “Mouthy pieces of ass give me headaches, and you and Aideen are a cut above the rest. I don’t understand what Ryder and Kane see in you both.”
I wasn’t fazed by the insult.
“You won’t ever want to meet Bronagh or Keela then, they’re worse than us.”
Big Phil lips quirked before he walked away from me and moved over to a fireplace across the room. He opened up a small bag of coal, threw two or three pieces into the already lit fire along with some wooden sticks. He reached over and lifted a poker from its stand and used it to move around the fire contents.
I used his distraction to take in my surroundings. I was surprised at what I saw because for some reason, when he said he brought me to his apartment, I envisioned it as being small, dark, cold and dirty, but it was the complete opposite. The sitting room I was in was really spacious and even with the lights dimmed, you could see everything clearly—the decor was beautiful. I wasn’t expecting such an evil scumbag to be living in such a nice place.
“Why’d you pick such a nice place to live?” I asked, still glancing around.
“Because I have standards,” Big Phil replied in duh tone.
I rolled my eyes.
“It wasn’t nice when I moved in,” he continued. “I decorated it because once Kane is dead, I plan on ending my life too. My son is gone, and once his life is avenged, there is no reason for me to exist anymore. I want the place where I’m going to die to be comfortable… the condition it was in before didn’t cut it.”
If I didn’t know what a scumbag he was, and what a monster his son was, I’d think him a pretty great father.
“I won’t kill you,” he suddenly said, regaining my attention.
He was still hunkered down in front of the fire, but the poker he had a few moments ago was still in the fire—the pointy end was anyway.
“Why not?” I asked, curious to know why.
I wasn’t pleased with his answer because if he didn’t kill me, it meant I would leave here and go back to my life of nothingness.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were sad with my answer.”
I shrugged. “I rather die than listen to you talk, but you can’t blame me.”
I wasn’t letting him know a thing about my life, it would only give him more information about me, and he had enough of that.
Big Phil laughed. “Smartass.”
I looked away from him and scanned the room once more. If I wasn’t going to die here, then I needed to figure a way out. The door leading out of the sitting room was closed, and the only other exits were two windows in the room.
I wasn’t sure how high up the apartment was, and from my angle, the window I could see out of, there was no fire escape next to it so I had no way down even if I somehow managed to get free and get it open.
“If you aren’t goin’ to kill me,” I said and returned my attention to Big Phil. “What are you goin’ to do with me?”
He smiled at me but it didn’t improve his face whatsoever, in fact, it only made him look creepier.
“You’re the bait.”
I blinked. “Lucky me.”
“I’m goin’ to contact Kane, tell him I have you, then set up an exchange. I’m not playing around anymore. He took a life, and I plan to reciprocate.by taking his.”
I felt like I was in a very bad non-fantasy Avengers film with the crap this man was spewing.
“He won’t leave his fiancée and son.”
“Bullshit,” Big Phil growled. “I know Kane, and he considers you family. He will come for you if I ask, he will know I hold your life in my hands.”
I set my jaw. “Fine, let’s say he comes, he won’t be alone and you know that.”
“I have more than one bullet, Branna. Kane will die tonight, and if another Slater brother or two being put down first gets that result, then so be it.”
“You disgusting son of a bitch!” I bellowed and fear shot through me. “Stay the hell away from me family!”
He laughed at me then took out his phone. “Give me his number.”
“Fuck you!”
He moved across the room to me in a couple of seconds and fisted his hand on my hair. He pulled my hair with such force that I felt him pulling clumps out at the root. I screamed and tried not to give into him, or the pain, but it hurt too much.
I cried out Kane’s number so Big Phil released me, punched the numbers into his phone and put it to his ear. He stroked my face as I cried from the throbbing in my head. He remained in front of me when he began speaking.
“Guess who?” Big Phil sneered.
I closed my eyes and wished for a way to get free so I could push this waste of space into the burning fire across the room and finish the job Kane started all those years ago.
“You know why I’m calling you. You’re missing someone from your close knit group, are you not?” Big Phil chuckled after a couple of seconds. “You always were a smart cookie.”