Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Chapter 11 I still feel so tired

I run my fingers through my hair, disheveling it as I do so. Some other small gang wants to create an alliance with me by selling their daughter to me as a bride.

How could people offer their family like some object like that? It sickens me. Do they not realize how valuable and important family is? Surely they take their family for granted, because if my family was still alive, I'd treat them like royalty.

I refuse their offer, and get up from my desk.

I better go check on Dakota.

But when I enter the living room, I'm surprised to see that it's empty.

"Dakota?" I call out.

No answer.

I check the kitchen and bedrooms, and each time I come up empty.

"Dakota?" I call out again.

No answer.

I go outside, to check the gardens. Perhaps she has wandered out here, I'm sure she loves flowers.

But everything is silent. The flowers paint a scenic beauty, and the trees dance gently in the wind. But even though everything seems to be picture-perfect, it's not.

I desperately check everywhere in the gardens, but she's nowhere in sight. My palms were sweaty, and my heart was thumping.

Where the hell is she?

Something isn't right.

I pull out my phone from my pocket and dial Jordan's number.

"Jordan?"

"Yes Boss? You sound angry."

I growl, ignoring his obvious statement. "Call the men up. Dakota is missing."

I shove the phone back into my pocket and march to my office, where four of my best men await. Jordan, Joel, Krazy, and Jeremy all stand in my office, looking stern and serious. They are ready to fight if necessary.

Jeremy is a strong man of around thirty-five years old. With his greenish eyes, brown hair, sharp facial features, and muscular frame, he is a man designed to allure and trap others. He's also my best fighter, and can fight nearly everyone.

Joel is a young man around the age of twenty-five. His midnight black hair and dark brown eyes blend into the night as he completes sniper missions. He's my best sniper and is very skilled. If you find yourself caught in his cross-hairs, life will be over for you in the blink of an eye.

My last man is Krazy. He get's his name from.....well, you guessed it, his craziness. His hair is dyed light blue and his stunning, piercing silver eyes strikes fear into the hearts of many. He is skilled with knives and swords.

"Men. We have a situation." I begin. "The Viper Gang has taken Dakota, and we must get her back. This is a rescue mission. You will start your training for the mission as soon as I'm done speaking. Then, we will attack in two days." I say sternly.

Jeremy speaks up. "Why do you care so much about this girl anyways?" He asks, folding his arms over his chest.

Good question....why do I care so much for her?

Because you like her? My subconscious whispers.

I roll my eyes and ignore myself. I guess the thought of someone hurting such an innocent broken girl drives me insane.

The men look at me, waiting for an answer I can't really give.

"Because I'm the Boss." I say simply. "You are dismissed, go start your training now."

And with that, each man leaves to start his own task. Jordan stays behind, though, and I can tell he has something on his mind.

"You really care for this girl, huh?" He asks.

I sigh, and since I trust Jordan, I finally admit it.

"Yeah, I guess." I shrug. "I just feel really stupid though. I haven't had feelings since--"

"Look, you don't have to talk about it. This is good for you. Maybe a little love in your life will be refreshing for you." Jordan says, adding a cheeky smile and wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh shut up." I say, rolling my eyes.

But in a way, Jordan was right. I had been happier since Dakota showed up. I haven't liked someone for a long time, and it brings back some good feelings. Feelings of hope.

"So, how's you and Iris?" I ask Jordan.

Jordan immediately looks uncomfortable at the mention of his lover's name.

Ha! Now it's your turn to be uncomfortable.

"We-We're doing great....but are you sure you;re okay with me dating your assassin? I don't want to distract her...."

"I'm more than okay, Jordan. Because I'm not the one who would have to kill you when you screw up." I reply, chuckling.

Jordan laughs and says, "Nice one, Boss."

My smile quickly dims as an overwhelming sense of fear seeps into my mind. Negative thoughts plague my mind, and I find myself coming face to face with the worst possible outcome.

Jordan notices my change in mood, and says, "Hang in there, Boss. We will get her back."

"I know, I know." I reply.

But the truth is, I don't know.

I don't know if we will get her back safe.

I know how ruthless this gang we're dealing with is, and seeing what the leader has done to his own daughter just makes me realize how serious the situation is.

"I need to call Katelin to let her know...." I say, my voice trailing off.

"Alright Boss, I'll leave you to it then." Jordan says before making his way out of my office.

I take a deep breath and prepare to break the news to Katelin. Katelin had become quite attached to Dakota, and I know she won't react well to the news. She will probably end up blaming herself, even though she is not the one to blame for it.

I finally dial her number, and after many minutes of static dialing noises, Katelin finally picked up.

"Hey Katelin..."

"Ace, are you okay? You sound worried."

She knows me so well....

"I-I have some news to break to you. Dakota was kidnapped."

Just ripped off the band-aide.

"Wait...W-what? By who?" Katelin says, her voice becoming panicked.

"By the Vipers!" The very mention of their name makes me angry. "I promise I will wipe every single one of them off the face of the earth." I growl out.

"Ace....I'm coming home right now. I am letting my cousin know." She tells me.

"No, you don't have to. I can handle this." I try to reason with her. She enjoys working on that ranch, and I would hate to cut her time short.

"I am coming home. Don't argue with me." She says into the phone. Her tone has that 'and that's final tone.' And once Katelin has her mind made up, there's no stopping her.

"Bu-but Kate-"

I don't even get to finish my sentence because she hung up on me.

I sigh and continue to work on the case that has presented itself.

* * *

Dakota's POV.

I peel my eyes open as the light penetrates them. I found the lights to be very unwelcoming and bright, and only causing my raging headache to worsen.

I groan as I become more aware of my surroundings. I can feel that I'm lying on a cold, hard floor. I was still too weak to get up, so for now, I'll just have to sleep the rest of the drug off.

But the sound of the door to my cell loudly creaking open and the approaching footsteps quickly destroy that plan, and I groan out in pain as a swift kick to my ribs is delivered.

I shoot my eyes open, only to be met by the angry ones belonging to none other than Hawk.

"Get up!" He commands me.

I gulp nervously and nod, trying to obey him. But my head is spinning and nausea eats away at my stomach. I never could handle any kind of drugs very well. My dad agreed to have my wisdom teeth removed, and so when I woke up from the procedure, I was sick and completely out of it.

The anesthesia and medications caused me to throw up in the nice limo the entire ride home. I don't remember much though, it all seems like a foggy dream.

I manage to get on my knees. My head flops down against my chest as I struggle to get onto my feet.

Hawk growls in frustration, before finally someone calls him.

"Hawk, Boss needs to see you!"

"I thought he wanted me to teach the girl a lesson?" Hawk replies.

"He does, but not right now. He needs to speak with you." The unknown voice answers.

Hawk growls in frustration, before slamming the door shut and leaving me in peace.

I fall to the ground the moment he is gone, and let my weary eyes close. I still feel so tired....and I know that I need to sleep this drug off before trying to make any plans. My mind just isn't the brightest at this moment, and paired with exhaustion is only a recipe for disaster.

* * *

Hours later, I wake up feeling much more awake. I can move about and stand up on my own two feet.

I can now assess my situation.

The walls are white, chipped tiles. The floors are a dull gray concrete, and the cellar door is silver that is locked. Everything is covered in a thin layer of dust, and there's nothing in the room besides an old, wooden chair. On the floor lies blood stains, and I wonder how many people have lost their lives in this room.

Time passes, and I grow nervous and bored.

My eyes spot an old, rusty and bent nail lying on the ground, and I decide to pick it up.

I start to carve my name on the wall, when once again, the sound of approaching footsteps is heard. I drop the nail, and back into the wall, hugging my knees against my chest as if that will protect me.

The door opens, and once again, reveals Hawk.

Hawk never raped me or touched me inappropriately, but he would always be the one to beat me the most. And I can tell by that look on his face that he's come to carry out that act.

"Morning sunshine." He says as he stalks over to me.

"Get away from me you sociopath!" I yell.

Hawk looks irritated at my disrespect, in which I reply "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings by calling you a sociopath, I thought you already knew!"

"I see you've grown some sass on you! We'll have to fix that." He says before he lunges at me. He rips my cowering form from the wall and begins his assault.

He tilts my head up to look into his eyes, before landing a strong punch across my jaw. I cry out as my body goes sprawling across the floor. I cradle my injured jaw in my hands as I feel that the impact had broken some skin, causing it to bleed.

He doesn't give me enough time to recover, and punches the other side of my face.

He then throws me to the floor, and kicks me several times harshly in the ribs. I cough and pant as he delivers the blows. I manage to kick him a few times, but I can tell that he is a skilled fighter, and he overpowers me.

He pins me to the floor and punches me in the nose. I can feel the blood drip down my face as my vision becomes dizzy.

He finally stops beating the crap out of me, and stands up panting. His shirt is stained with my blood, and he looks down at me in a piercing gaze.

"Not so mighty now, are we?" Hawk questions with a smug look on his face.

My breath is labored and I can feel my mind fading away, but I manage to utter a few last words before falling into unconsciousness.

"T-thanks for sh-showing me what a heartless b-bastard looks like. B-but don't be ashamed of yourself, t-that's your parent's job." I breathe out.

And by the look on his face, I can tell I've screwed up.

Because I watch as his eyes burn in anger as his mouth forms into a scowl, before lifting his leg up and kicking the side of my hide in.

The force sends my head ripping to the other side painfully, and my ears ring loudly. A dull thud courses through my body, and everything sounds muffled. All I can hear is the sound of my own heavy breathing. My head painfully tingles before my eyes finally close and my mind sends itself into the void of darkness.