HIS PURCHASED CAPTIVE

Blood For Blood

AMOS

I stared at myself again; my life has always been hell, for as long as I can remember, even though Boss told me he adopted me to make me a great person one day.

Every time I tried to tell him I wanted to go to school, like Sophia, he'd have his men beat me until I passed out — and when I woke up, they'd continue.

Everyone sees Boss as a kind, gentle man, but no one knows his true nature. I've tried many times to understand why he pretends to be a kindhearted government official (yes, he's a prime minister in Austria).

Everyone sees him as a man of few words, but no one knows his real intentions.

He has killed and destroyed many happy families without leaving a trace. He kills brutally, and no one has ever discovered who he really is.

One thing I'm certain of he wants to bring down the president. Everyone knows the president is the richest in the world.

Boss is the kind of person who knows exactly how to manipulate people. For years, I've lived under him, and I've watched him manipulate his men — only to kill them in the end.

Now I'm stuck in this cell, all because of a failed mission.

Someone cleared their throat, and I looked up to see the governor.

"Boss."

"Why are you so useless?"

"I'm sorry."

"You've been on this mission for years, and now that it's time to finish it, you've ruined everything."

"I'm sorry, boss—"

"Will you be quiet? Your first mission, and you failed it. If you knew you'd fail, why did you wait all these years?"

"I never knew—"

"Well, I should have known you were nothing but bad luck, and yet I still waited all these years for you. I've wasted so much time."

"Just pray she's found — or I'll kill you slowly," he whispered, and I felt real fear.

"If you try to expose me to them, I'll kill you and everyone else," he concluded, and left.

CADENCE

I tried to open my eyes but felt them heavy, glued shut. I could hear someone speaking on the phone nearby, and fear crept over me.

"Ok, I'll take care of that now. She needs to rest, she already knows too much, and she might wake up any moment," a familiar voice said.

Wait ; isn't that our doctor's voice?

"Yes. So now we focus on her husband , once he's gone, we find every possible way to take over the estate."

"What?! The prime minister—"

"Please, move quickly. We need to act fast, my secret can't get out. If she already knows who Amos is, you need to handle this right now."

Oh. Is this how I die?

"Ok, I'll—"

"Good day, doctor," my husband said, and I felt a wave of relief.

"G-good day, sir," the doctor stammered.

"How is my wife's health?"

"Well, sir, we're still doing our best, but she isn't responding well to treatment, so she may need to stay in the hospital a few more days, and—"

"Baby," I called weakly.

"Honey! You're awake? Oh my God!"

He held me tightly, kissing my face over and over.

"How are you feeling? Are you still in pain? What would you like to eat? Should I call the doctor? And—"

"Hey, baby, one question at a time."

"I feel much healthier now, and I want to go home."

"No, baby, please — you can't leave yet. I want you to recover fully."

"I feel good now. We can go."

"Ok, Dr. Sam — thank you so much. I'll send your payment right away."

"Thank you, sir, and you're welcome."

"So, ma'am, how are you feeling now?"

"I feel much better."

"Are you sure, ma'am? You could stay a few more days to feel even stronger," Dr. Sam said, smiling.

"Thank you, doctor, I feel much better now," I said, faking a smile.

"You're very welcome, ma'am."

I need to investigate this. Who would have thought the prime minster and our own family doctor were working against us?

"Max."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Please, call me Amos."

"Ok, ma'am."

"Good day, ma'am."

"Sit down."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Who are you?"

"Ma'am, I'm Amos."

"Did you know I already know you work for the prime minister?" I said, and the shocked look on his face confirmed exactly what I'd suspected.

Amos explained everything about the prime minster to me, and I felt a rush of relief knowing my daughter was alive.

I was stunned to learn the prime minister had known my missing daughter's whereabouts for years, all while pretending otherwise.

I had never liked the governor from the moment I met him I had always told her husband so, but he would change the subject every time.

I lay in bed, thinking of how much I missed her daughter; how much she must have suffered at the hands of the people who raised her.

Would she ever forgive me? Would she believe how much I love her? Would she believe I've cried for years? Even if I told her everything, would she believe me?

How do I tell Amos that everything the prime minister said is nothing but a lie?

I don't even know. Maybe I should tell my husband but he trusts the prime minister so much, he might think I'm just saying this because I've never liked him, she thought bitterly.

Oh God, I'm so confused.

DAMON

I stared at them with nothing but pure hatred. I had shown Alex nothing but love ;and his reward was betrayal.

I looked at Festus next, the man he had trusted completely. Who would have thought even your enemy could pose as your closest friend? Their parents had killed my parents, and now they were coming for me too.

I sighed deeply, staring at Festus. I had sensed something was wrong many times before, but always ignored it. I had believed Festus would never betray me;I never imagine he already had.

Remembering how he had treated Mitchell, all because of what Festus had told him, felt like a knife twisting in his stomach.

I could still hear her angelic voice, the way she had begged me and yet I had kept hurting her anyway. I remembered how eager I was to finally meet her, only to end up hurting her, emotionally and physically, because of their lies.

This same girl , the one I had hurt so many times was the very angel who had healed me ten years ago, and the one who had saved me again recently. I know the damage I had done to her was beyond repair, and it fills me with even more rage, now that I understood that I had been betrayed by two people I trusted most.

I saw myself as a fool; foolish enough to be deceived without ever realizing it. I had felt the signs, but ignored them every time. I breathed in and out, trying to push the painful memories away.

For so long,I had searched for the girl who could heal me, the one who could end my nightmares. I had promised myself I would never hurt her never knowing that I already had.

"I want to know everything about Mitchell, from the very beginning," I said in a commanding voice and Tessa swallowed hard.

She knew this was the end for them.

TESSA

"Mitchell's father, your father, and Alex's father were all friends. There were actually four of them originally. What I remember is that Mitchell was kidn*pped on the day of her tenth birthday party.

Her father is the president of Australia."

"What?! You mean Mitchell is the president of Australia's daughter?"Damon asked.

"Yes — she's his missing daughter. We brought her to America to stay with us for a while, before we could find a way to eliminate her family and take over their property. We knew that only through Mitchell could we get access to everything.

We took her to the hospital you were admitted to, the day you fell into a coma after killing Alex's parents. She was the one who healed you that day. When we realized you'd want to see her again no matter what, we decided to hide her. We convinced her she was evil — we told her all sorts of terrible things to make her believe it.

I took care of her like she was my own daughter, but once I saw our plan nearing completion, I changed toward her. I treated her like trash. I treated her with pure hatred.

Honestly, I hated her from the start. I just had to pretend to be her mother for ten years."

"She was ten years old then — so why didn't she ever ask about her real parents?"Damon asked.

I chuckled and said, "Well, you don't expect us to have left her with her memories intact, do you?"

"Her memory was—" Before I could finish, Damon struck me hard with his power.

"You witch. On top of everything else, you all took her memories from her. I never knew you could be this cruel,"Damon said, his eyes burning with fury.

"Chris, take them to the torture room, and bring me my instruments," Damon said coldly.

AUTHOR'S POV

They entered the torture room, and Damon was boiling with rage. These were the people closest to him, the ones who had done nothing but hurt him for years, intentionally and without remorse.

It still stunned him that his best friend was, in truth, his greatest enemy. Now he understood he had trusted all the wrong people.

Knowing how much he had hurt Mitchell, both emotionally and physically, weighed on him. He remembered promising himself, years ago, that he would never be the one to cause her pain.

"Say your last words,"Damon said coldly.

"My last words are that I hate myself for never killing you, you bastard," Alex said.

"My last words are that I regret never having a taste of her," Festus said.

"My last words are — please, don't kill me. I still want to live. I promise I'll change, if you let me go. Please, you can kill them, but please, just forgive me and—" Tessa couldn't finish before they all felt fire tearing through their bodies. They screamed and collapsed to the floor. Damon smirked.

"Stand up."

Using his power alone, he brought forth three long blades and shaved their heads clean. He took a thin, sharp pin and pressed it into their scalps, and they screamed in agony.

"How about I mark you all; so you'll finally look the way you've always acted," Damon said, smirking.

He stood and drew out sharp tools, cutting into their skin as blood ran freely. Their screams filled the room,Alex included, though he fought to keep his composure.

Damon felt a grim satisfaction, though it wasn't enough. He continued the punishment methodically, each of them crying out in turn. Tessa was the loudest of all, having never known pain like this.Alex tried to stay strong but eventually broke, as did Festus and their uncle.

"Let's make sure none of you ever cross me again," Damon said coldly, continuing their punishment.

MITCHELL

I looked around, trying to figure out where I was. I had been kidn*pped the night before, and I still didn't understand why.

Was I really this unfortunate; cursed to be passed from one captor to another, over and over?

All I had ever wanted was a simple, peaceful life, and instead I was living through one nightmare after another.

I needed to know who I really was before anything happened to me. I still had so many questions I needed to ask my parents — if I ever got the chance.

The door creaked open, and fear gripped me the moment I saw the size of the man standing there. Just his presence made my heart race.

He grabbed my arm and yanked me forward, and I stumbled, crying out.

"Please, let me go — I haven't done anything," I begged, my voice shaking.

"Shut up and walk," he growled, dragging me down a narrow hallway.

I tried to think — tried to remember anything Aunty Lola had ever told me about staying calm, about surviving. My legs felt like they would give out beneath me.

He shoved me into a small, dim room and locked the door behind him without another word. I heard his footsteps fade down the hall.

I sank to the floor, my whole body trembling. Wherever I was, whoever these people were, one thing was clear — I wasn't the target for ransom or property this time. Something about the way he'd looked at me, almost afraid himself, made me think someone far more powerful had sent him.

I pressed my back against the cold wall and closed my eyes.

Please, I thought. Just let me survive long enough to find out who I really am.