Balance (The Balance Series Book 1)

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Balance (The Balance Series Book 1) Page 26

by Janelle Stalder


  “That was my part,” he said through grasping breaths. “I was supposed to be the one to get her, it wasn’t supposed to be like this.” Artem gestured towards the limp figure of Vivian.

  Liam rolled his eyes and lit a cigarette. The smell of tobacco filled the air, causing Artem’s stomach to turn even more. “You need to pull yourself together,” he said with disgust.

  Kellan laughed. “Calm down, Artem. Your little girlfriend is barely injured, she just has a tiny scratch on her head,” Kellan said, walking over to the chair and pulling her head up. Artem could see her eyes were unfocused.

  “What is wrong with her?” Artem asked, as he stared, horror stricken, into her pale face.

  “She fainted on the way in here,” Kellan replied, shrugging. “She’ll come around shortly.”

  “What is going on here? This is not what was arranged,” Artem yelled.

  “Calm down there tiger, we are still following the plan. This was only a slight change, but nothing to get all worked up about. My father decided that your particular involvement in this would be a little different than what had been previously arranged. He has a new job for you, so we took over this one. I think we did a damn good job at that, might I add,” he said smiling at Liam. Liam smiled back as he pulled on his smoke.

  “What is my part exactly?” Artem asked nervously.

  Vivian began to moan suddenly, causing all three men to turn and look at her. She tried to lift her head, squinting at the bright light that hung above her. Artem could see more clearly the gash on her forehead, which was clearly the product of their abduction techniques.

  “Wh...where am I?” he heard her say softly.

  “Don’t worry, Vivian, you’re perfectly safe,” Kellan said in a soothing voice.

  It made Artem feel even sicker. There is nothing remotely safe about this place.

  “We’re going to give you something to help with that headache you’re probably feeling right about now,” he said, nodding his head at Liam.

  Liam nodded back, extracting a needle from one of the inside pockets of his leather jacket. “It will also help you calm down,” Kellan continued as Liam approached her. Artem wanted to run at Liam and push him down, but the fear and revulsion he felt seemed to root him to his spot.

  Liam held on firmly to her arm, as he prepared the needle. Vivian struggled uselessly as the liquid was injected into her arm. She looked up at Kellan in panic.

  “Why?” she asked groggily.

  Whatever they had given her seemed to take effect immediately. Artem watched as her pupils dilated and became unfocused.

  “Don’t worry, my sweet, everything will become clear to you shortly,” he replied. Vivian’s head dropped down as the drugs clouded her mind again. Kellan lifted her head up so she was looking at him again. “Damn it, Liam, how much did you give her?” he asked furiously.

  “Exactly what you told me to,” he defended.

  Kellan slapped Vivian on the cheeks a couple of times. “Stay awake, Vivian,” he said coldly. “I need you to do something for us before you go to sleep, okay?”

  Vivian moaned as he held her head in place. It was clear she had no understanding of what was going on around her.

  “Vivian,” Kellan shouted loudly into her face. “I need you to write a letter for Caleb, do you understand?”

  “Caleb?” she mumbled, slightly lifting her head.

  “That’s right, Caleb. He will wonder what happened to you, so we need to write a letter. Do you think you can do that?” he asked looking into each of her eyes. It was useless, even Artem could see that from the shadows.

  “I doubt she could lift a pencil, never mind write a sentence,” Artem said. “What the hell did you guys give her?”

  Kellan got up letting her head flop back down. He started to curse as he walked around the room. “Liam go to the car and get her purse, and see if there is something in there with her writing on it. I will just have to forge it myself,” he decided. Liam nodded and left the room.

  “What is the letter for?” Artem asked, keeping his eye on Vivian as he tracked Kellan’s movements.

  “To tell Caleb that she knows what he is and can no longer see him. He’ll need some sort of explanation as to why she is gone,” he answered briskly.

  Gone? Artem took a deep breath before asking the question he was afraid to have answered. “Where will she be exactly, when she is gone?”

  “Somewhere safe, don’t worry,” Kellan said looking over at him. “We’re not going to kill her. My father already explained to you that it would be a bad idea. He wasn’t lying to you about that. Caleb would be able to sense it if she were all of a sudden gone...permanently.”

  “Then he still plans on just showing her the truth?” Artem tried to confirm. He desperately wanted to believe that he hadn’t been taken completely for a fool. He knew he shouldn’t have trusted these people. The elders should have known better, damn it.

  “Of course, I told you he only changed a little bit of the plan. He stills intends on showing her what we are, so that she leaves willingly,” he said. Artem knew there was more to it than what he was telling him, but doubted Kellan would elaborate.

  Liam returned with her purse, and showed a note that he had found in it for groceries. Kellan started to forge a goodbye letter addressed to Caleb. Artem kept one eye on Vivian as he waited for him to finish.

  “What is my new job then?” he asked looking at the back of Kellan’s head.

  “You’re going to deliver the letter,” he replied casually. “Caleb should be on his way home by now, after surely sensing something is wrong, and you will be there at the airport to greet him.”

  Artem could feel his face set in a look of shock. He didn’t want to have to be the one to do something like this. How would he be able to face Caleb? Kellan looked over at Artem when he remained silent.

  “You will explain to him that you told her everything, and of course she believed you. Now she is going away to separate herself from us. Do you understand what you’re supposed to do?” he asked, observing Artem closely. “You have to make him believe that she wanted to leave, that she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Then give him the letter.” Kellan continued to watch him. It was as if Artem were a child trying to be made to understand an important task.

  “I...I don’t know if I...” Artem stuttered.

  “Oh you can do it,” Kellan interrupted. “You have no choice.” He turned back to the letter and continued with the forgery.

  Artem looked back over at Vivian to see if she was still asleep. The sick realization hit him about just how completely he had ruined this poor girl’s life. He didn’t even know how much worse it would get. He couldn’t trust a word anyone said to him at this point. He was totally helpless and guilty. He vomited then, in the corner of the room. Liam scoffed in disgust from the other side.

  “Here,” Kellan said handing him the letter. Artem took it into his shaking hands, then looked past Kellan to Vivian again. He didn’t want to leave her with them. Kellan followed his stare to look at Vivian. “She’ll be fine, don’t you worry. You will be given the job of taking care of her when we’re done here, so you’ll see her again.”

  This snapped Artem out of his gaze and he looked back at Kellan in alarm.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “When we’re done with her, she will be given over to you. My father will explain to you then what you need to do next.”

  “Please don’t hurt her,” he begged. He could hear Liam snicker in the background.

  “Take the letter and go Artem, we will call you when you need to come back,” Kellan said dismissing him. Artem took one last look at Vivian and walked out.

  As he came into the open he inhaled a deep breath. The fresh air didn’t help though, and he ended up vomiting again right beside his car. He got in and started to head back toward his hotel. He needed to change before he went to the airport. He also needed to call the elders and let them know how ter
ribly wrong the situation had gone. Hopefully they would know what to do, he thought as he sped off.

  Artem entered the hotel and walked briskly to the elevators. He hadn’t gone far before he heard his name being called behind him. He turned expectantly to see Murray running up to meet him.

  “Artem!” he called. “I’ve been waiting for you,” he said as he reached him. Murray looked him up and down. “What’s wrong with you? What has happened?”

  Artem felt like collapsing right there under the weight of his guilt. His legs shook from the effort to remain standing. To have to look into Murray’s eyes and tell him how horrible things had turned out would certainly kill him. Murray watched him closely under lowered brows.

  “Artem, what has happened? Where is Vivian?” he asked, alarmed now.

  “Wrong, everything, everything is wrong, Murray. They can’t be trusted,” he whispered urgently.

  Murray’s face went red. “What have they done?”

  “They have her, tied up at some warehouse. I don’t know what they will do to her, but she’s already been hurt,” Artem explained. He could feel the tears leaking from the corner of his eyes. “They promised me she wouldn’t be hurt – they’ve already lied,” he cried desperately.

  Murray stepped back from him in disgust. “I told you,” he accused. “They are evil, Artem. I told you they can’t be trusted, and now look what they’ve done. She was just a girl. An innocent girl.” His voice grew louder.

  Artem looked around distressingly, not wanting anyone to hear them. “You must help me,” he pleaded, keeping his voice low. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t beat them on my own.”

  Murray shook his head. “What can I do now? They have her, it’s over. You have sentenced her to a life in hell. You are going to have to live with that, not me.” He began to turn away, but Artem reached out and grabbed his arm firmly, forcing him to turn back. Murray wound up and punched him squarely in the jaw.

  Artem stumbled back, holding on to his face. When he brought his hand away he saw blood there. He could taste the iron from the split in his lip. Without another word Murray walked off, leaving Artem to look on in bewilderment.

  Before anyone took notice of their altercation, Artem slid into an open elevator and punched the button for his floor. He burst through the door and ran to the washroom where he was sick again. As he lay on the bathroom floor, he wondered how he would make it through that day. Or the rest of his life, for that matter.

  Finding what strength he had left, he pulled himself up and crawled over to the phone. He dialled Joseph’s number, knowing he was his last resort. Hopefully Joseph and the other elders would know what to do.

  Artem explained the current situation, and his concern for Vivian’s wellbeing, but to Artem’s despair none of the elders appeared to be as concerned. They instructed him to do whatever steps were necessary to separate the lovers. He was told to let them do what they felt needed to be done, and to take over after the fact, just like Kellan had explained.

  Hanging up the phone, he cried out in agony. The shame was overwhelming. He lay defeated in his bed, as the guilt drowned him. He could only hope that all the remorse he felt would be worth it in the end, if truly these two were as great a threat as everyone imagined them to be.

  Their voices had sounded far away, even though I could tell I was still slung over one of their shoulders. My consciousness slipped as soon as we entered the large building, so I had no idea where we were going, or how we’d gotten there. All of sudden I found myself slammed down and tied onto a chair that sat under a bright light. The sudden impact brought some of my senses back, but I still felt unfocused and groggy.

  The light made it hard for me to see my surroundings, so I kept my head hung down. There was a third voice that sent bells ringing in my head with familiarity, but my mind couldn’t focus enough to identify him. He sounded concerned, which gave me a slight feeling of optimism. Maybe this person would save me, I thought hopefully. They were arguing, the three men, I knew now that one was Kellan, but the other two were still unknown to me.

  My hands and feet were completely paralyzed. My shoulders felt as though they were dislocated, or close to it. Everything was sore and numb. I had no real idea of how bad my injuries were. I could only pray they wouldn’t get worse. I moaned in pain as I tried to move my feet, causing the ropes to cut deeper into my skin. Lifting my head slightly, I tried to ask where I was, not really expecting an honest answer.

  Kellan approached me and said something about helping with the pain, causing my brain to instinctively panic. Another man came and stuck me with something that felt like a needle. I tried to pull away, but it was useless. It dawned on me that I was being drugged, as I felt the needle already taking effect.

  My mind immediately began to cloud over and my eyes felt like they were going cross. Kellan said something about Caleb, but my mind was slipping and I couldn’t grasp anything that was going on. He was arguing with one of the other men, and then everything around me went black.

  I was lost in my own subconscious mind. Visions of Caleb floated by, but always stayed out of my reach. Kellan was there too, laughing at me mockingly. I didn’t understand Kellan’s betrayal. I tried calling out, but found I had no voice. Random images kept coming at me. I had no idea how long I sat like that. It felt as if the floor beneath me was slipping away, and all the walls were closing in.

  After an immeasurable span of time, my mind snapped out it, and my eyes opened to see I was still in the same room as before. I wasn’t sure how long the drugs had affected me, but my whole body felt worse, so I knew I had been sitting there for quite some time. I tried to roll my head around to ease the pain that was running up my whole spine. My mouth was dry and cottony, my throat burning every time I swallowed.

  As my vision cleared and the drumming in my head settled, my eyes focused to see Dermot sitting across from me. At some point someone had brought in another chair, which he now occupied. He sat there with a smug look on his face, as I stared back in confusion. I had already figured out that it must be Dermot who was behind all of this, but there had been some part of me that was still in denial.

  Seeing him sit there confirmed everything I had been dreading. My mind tried to make sense of his hatred for me, but failed.

  I waited expectantly for him to speak. My throat was so dry that I doubted my voice would come out very clearly. I didn’t know what to say regardless. I was speechless again around this man – although this time for so many different reasons.

  He continued to smile at me mockingly, as he watched me come to terms with where I was again. Then he finally spoke. “Hello, Vivian,” he said, his voice loud within the concrete walls.

  This really didn’t feel like a time for pleasantries, so I didn’t reply to him. Half of me wanted to say get to the point, but the other half didn’t want to push my luck with this man. His eyes made me shrink back into my seat. I hadn’t realized before, because my own eyes were still adjusting to the lighting, but now that I could see more clearly, I noticed Dermot’s eyes were completely red.

  He looked evil, almost non-human.

  A chill ran up my spine as I thought about Artem. Maybe it’s just the drugs playing tricks on me, I thought in disbelief.

  “You should have listened to me, my dear,” he said, splaying his hands out. “Do you see what happens when you don’t? I warned you to stay away from my son, but you chose not to listen, and now look at you. Tied up like some sort of animal.” He chuckled. “I tell you some people just never learn,” he commented almost to himself.

  He let out a sigh and regarded me with his red eyes. They grew colder as the amusement of the situation slowly dissipated from them. “You were to leave him untouched,” he accused.

  I was confused, and shook my head, trying to clear it. Was this man even making sense? Maybe he was insane, I thought. Could someone actually go to these lengths just to stop two people from dating? Was I so wrong for Caleb?

  �
��You were not supposed to make him fall in love with you. It goes against everything that he is. You see, what you’ve done now is confused the poor boy,” he started, getting up and pacing around the small room. My eyes tried to follow his movements, but he would often disappear behind me, and my bonds wouldn’t allow me to turn to look at him.

  “He is feeling all these new emotions, that aren’t right for him. Now he will have to live the rest of his life knowing he felt something and lost it. It will be tragic, he’ll get over it mind you, but it will leave its scar. You’ve done more harm than good for the man you claim to love,” he said, suddenly appearing inches away from my face. I held my breath at his proximity.

  I tried to speak, tasting blood as my dry lips cracked from the movement. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” My voice didn’t even sound like my own. It was that of a fifty year old woman who had smoked multiple packs of cigarettes a day. I badly needed water.

  Dermot laughed bitterly at me, walking away to pace once again. “Of course you don’t,” he said, shaking his head in disappointment. “Not only do you not listen to me, but you don’t even listen to those who really do have your best interests at heart. What a very stupid girl you are.”

  I was horribly insulted, but kept my mouth shut. It hurt too much to speak, and I was frightened beyond the expression of any words. I tried to wrack my brain to figure out what he was talking about, but was lost. He watched me work through it, and saw I was coming up short. He looked frustrated now, as he sat back down in front of me.

  “I don’t understand what he sees in you,” he said, tilting his head to the side as he regarded me.

  His words stung, and I could feel my face heat up with anger and embarrassment. Someone else snickered behind me making me jump at the unexpected sound. We weren’t alone, thankfully, although I doubted anyone would stop Dermot with whatever he decided to do to me. My eyes started to slowly fill up with tears. I wanted my mother and father, I wanted to be home. I tried to blink them back, not wanting him to see my weakness.

 

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