Chapter 42: Chapter 42

- Trigger

James's Pov

I got to the garage where they instructed me to wait. Looking around for any clue as to where they might be holding Zara, somehow I knew it wasn't here. Of course not, I concluded, they weren't stupid enough to leave us their actual location.

I stood on my toes, searching for something, anything that told me I was at the right place.

The answer I was got a hand wrapping around my neck and something soft clasping on my mouth, muffling my objections. It was a handkerchief. Someone was holding a handkerchief to my mouth and nose. There was something in it because I was being dragged inside and inside a tunnel until it was all darkness.

Wrinkling my nose, my first thought was; God, it smelt so foul in here. So foul and damp as it was misty and cold. The sound of rodents quirking was the only sound that hindered it from being as quiet as a graveyard—apart from that it was too quiet. Too quiet to be good.

Was I in a dump? Or some underground hole? I wondered, trying to open my eyes to see, but couldn't. The pressure from the side of my eyes and head told me I'd been blindfolded.

Then I heard a loud bang, and then the sound of a door opening.

"Where's he? Where's my love?" The voice was feminine and cruel.

Zara? No, it wasn't Zara. Apart from the very high possibility of Zara being held somewhere in this building, with her hands and legs restricted by a rope and her sounds being muffled by a duct tape, it didn't sound like her— it was sultry.

"Over ere' ma'am." Came a local accent. This time the voice was masculine.

Okay, it's a lady boss, I established in my head.

"Okay. Darling, I'll be with you in a jiffy." Wait, was she referring to me? because from the voices I registered there were only two persons in the room apart from me, and it was definitely not the errand boy she was referring to.

I listened as they talked about some merchandise and hoped with all my heart Zara was fine. They sounded so toughie, the way criminals sound. The lady mentioned taking permission from a person and I established a new knowledge—there was someone higher in command. The boss had a boss.

They talked for some minutes, then it was quiet, followed by a resounding clap.

"Let the show begin. Bring her in."

Minutes later, I heard muffled cries and whimpers.

God, Zara.

I started to wiggle, finding that my hands were tied to the back of the chair I sat on.

Let her go, let her go! I screamed inside my head as I couldn't talk, realizing there was duct tape on my mouth the way I'd envisioned one on Zara's.

"Poor baby." The sultry feminine voice cooed.

"You want to fight for your sister, yeah?

Wait a minute.

The voice was awfully familiar. I racked my head from where I'd heard the voice before, but couldn't place it.

"Remove his blindfold."

"Yes, ma'am." It wasn't the errand boy from before.

The blindfold was yanked away from my eyes. I winced, expecting light to hit me, but the light didn't hit. There was barely any light in here.

My eyes widened when I saw who was in front of me. The boss lady on black leather pants and jacket was indeed familiar, although she's changed the color of her hair. She had a smirk on, enjoying the reaction she got from me.

Surprise turned into anger when my eyes landed on Zara. Her clothes were tattered, her hair was all over the place. And her body, oh God her body had scars that looked to be gotten from fingernails on it. Her eyes were distant, she averted them when I met them.

Our abductor snapped her fingers at one of the 6 goons that all came from outside to surround her, he bowed before making his way to me. He forcefully peeled the duct tape from my mouth. I tried not to wince and was able to.

"What in the hell did you to her, Cassie?"

"I did quite a good job, didn't I?"

"Let her go!" I snarled.

"Oh honey, honey, calm down."

"Untie me."

She clicked her tongue, taking predatory steps towards me. "That's a little bit too fast honey. No foreplay?"

I snapped my head to the side when her long pawls cradled my face. "Huh-huh. Wrong." She grabbed my jaw, yanking it so I faced her. "You'd never do that again. You're mine."

"What is this joke? I'm not yours," I spat.

"Who're you really and why haven't you let Zara go?"

She laughed. A cynical sound that almost made me cringe. It sounded like noise to my ears.

"I'm Cassandra Perez, daughter to the head of this cartel Diablo Perez." She stretched her hands forward for a shake. "Nice to meet ya."

"What do you want?" I grunted, sick and tired of her games— which by the way she seemed to be enjoying.

"Oh, darling. I told them I wanted you and here you are." She spread her arms, gesturing to where I sat. "What else could a woman possibly want?"

"Let her go then."

"Who? Her?" She pointed to Zara.

"Yes," I snarled.

"Alright then." She turned to where Zara was being held by two bulky men.

God, I wanted to puke, what had they done to my sister? I swear if any one of these bastards laid a hand on her I'll come for them, I promised myself.

"Untie her," she told them, and with a flick of her finger and they did.

As soon as the ropes and duct tape came off her, Zara cried, running to where I was held.

"Jamy!" She wailed. "Why did you come? You shouldn't have come. Mum and dad could've stopped you, but I know your stubborn head wouldn't have listened."

"Oh, kid. What did they do to you." My throat closed and I willed my lids to not flutter, I wouldn't let it. I didn't want to appear weak to her when she needed me to be strong.

"It's you I'm worried about, she's going to-"

A loud clap cut her off. "Times up. I've had enough of the drama— the brother and sister. Season two is about to start in 1, 2, 3..."

"I'm sorry for bringing this psycho into our home," Zara said as the psycho continued counting."I'm sorry."

The next scenes happened in a flash— Zara flew back, landing hard to the ground.

I looked from Cassie to Zara and for Zara to Cassie. The girl sure had a vile strength that sent Zara flying when she slapped her.

"You're about to see what being a psycho is about," she said to Zara, walked up to her, and held a gun to her head.

Fear gripped me, my brows creased and my heart thumped faster. She was going to kill her. God no, she was crazy and would do it in an eye blink. She was going to kill her and all my effort would go to waste. I hadn't even done anything yet, I realized.

I wasn't beyond begging when it came to Zara's life, so I begged, "Please."

Her smile was sinister. "One more condition."

I looked blatantly at her as I knew she was waiting for me to say something.

When I didn't, she proceeded, trailing a finger from her lips to her chest. "Fuck me."

Shit. How had it come to this?

"I can't."

"Why? 'Cause of your pretty little black girlfriend?" I watched as she threw her head back, laughing. "Yeah, even better. I was sent by my daddy to attend the wedding reception of your little girl's sister, just to see who was who and observe you all. When I saw you at the wedding reception I knew I wanted you, so I told my daddy and guess what? You happened to be next in line to lead our biggest rival cartel. What could be better than seducing you, getting you to marry me, and making an alliance of our cartels instead of being rivals?

"And then I got myself to be friends with your little ignorant sister when it didn't seem to be fast enough, I got myself an intern position in the office you seemed to be spending so much time than yours—fortunately, your slut's family company isn't as secured as you thought. All I did was get Nat to slip my profile into the files for internship applicants. I wanted to see who was taking up your time there, yes, I had you followed. Lo and behold, your pretty bitchy girlfriend was at the cafeteria with you the day I made to make my move. When I saw you two I saw love." She paused to snicker.

"And you know what pissed me? I wanted that love. I wanted you to look at me the way you looked at her, but I knew I wasn't having that. I knew immediately the bitch had you wrapped around her fingers. You wouldn't even look at me and that hurt. So this was the only way I could get you—abduct your little Zara and ask for you in exchange. So now the climax will be you taking me to your apartment to fuck me senseless."

"Jesus," I muttered under my breath. "You are sick. You had all this planned up just for a few minutes of sex?" I was in aghast of the psycho in front of me and to thinks she's had Nat as an ally all the while.

A few days ago My life was so normal and now it was playing like a bestselling movie.

She snickered, nudging the gun further to Zara's head. "You could say that. A few minutes of sex would get me pregnant at this time in my circle. So I get pregnant with your baby and blackmail you into marrying me. And then the Alliance."

"God, you're sick."

"I thought we already established that?" She asked rolling her eyes. "So, which is it going to be? Fuck me or say bye to the kid?"

I shut my eyes tight. "I'd do what you want. Let her go." Just thinking of it made my stomach churn, so I swallowed, knowing that my puking wouldn't do anything to soothe the pride of the psycho in front of me.

"Perfect," she chimed, removing the gun from Zara's head.

I sighed in relief. "Go home, Zara."

"But what about you?" Her voice shook.

Why the hell did she have to be so stubborn?

"Just go," I grunted. "I'll be fine."

"Holup'. Take her." She motioned to one of her goons. "She's just going to stay here until the deed is done. How are we sure you're going to cooperate and oh, go so fast." She moaned the last part and by God, bile rose in my throat.

I swallowed. My disgust was just going to have to wait till Zara was safe.

"Alright then."

"James," Zara called. "Don't do it, Dei, she's going to-"

"You'll have to tell your sister to shut her rat voice up," Cassie's voice altered her.

I fumed. How reasonable of Zara to think of my love life when her whole life was in fucking danger.

I glared at her. There, that'd shut her up.

She already said she had me followed—Lord all these while—so how she reached my house, parked the truck where I'd normally park my car, and walked up to the door waiting for me to use my thumbprint to open the door wasn't a surprise.

While she drove, I thought of fighting her for the wheel so we hit another car, then I'd take the gun from her or maneuver so she bumped her head. I thought about raising an alarm that she was going to abuse me sexually. So many scenarios played in my head. Anything to stop what was about to happen. Anything. But I couldn't act on them, Zara's life depended on my cooperation.

I fisted on my palm when I remembered her there, all alone and with those vile men. Then I remembered how I'd seen her, so broken. Oh Zara, what've they done to you? I asked mentally if desperation.

She was alive, and that was what kept me going. That was the part that nudged me to place my thumb to unlock the door. That was the part that took me into my penthouse and stopped me from strangling the psycho when she praised the beauty of the house, voicing how she envisioned I and her making a beautiful family here with our kids running all over.

"Give me your phone," she demanded, palm stretched.

"Why?"

"Give me your damn phone."

I placed the phone in her hand. Sadly the psycho called the shots. I watched as she typed something on it before she threw it on the couch.

She proceeded to undress. I didn't have any desire to see her body that'd be as vile and sicko as her, so I looked away.

"Undress, I want to see you. You won't be depriving me of seeing a body as toned as yours."

I did as she asked. Chanting in my head a reminder of how Zara's life depended on me.

"Why aren't you hard? Don't piss me off, or your sister's dead. Get hard."

I cussed mentally. How the hell was a man forced to get hard? I did the only thing that got me hard— thought of Dei. Of her smiling. Of her lips on mine. Her body writhing beneath me, and that did it.

"Good boy. Now fuck me, make sure to cum inside of me. I don't take people trying to take me for a fool lightly."

I shut my eyes as I lowered myself to her before entering. The urge to puke was almost uncontrollable when she moaned and willed me to go faster. I prayed for it to end. All I wanted was for it to end so she could make the phone call that'd send Zara safe home.

I stopped moving when the door opened. I stopped breathing when I looked to see who walked in...Dei.

Shit, shit.

The look on her face was one I'd never forget but would never like to remember. Her face was pained and shocked. Her eyes were watery and the whole of her stiffened like she'd just walked in on the most horrific thing she ever saw, which it was.

I pulled out, standing up to grab a pillow to cover before walking to her. "Dei, I promise it's not what you thin-" I was cut off by her retreating figure.

And she was gone.

I glared daggers at the psycho when understanding hit me. She'd texted Dei when she took my phone. But how did Dei enter, how?

"Yes, I texted her, telling her Zara was alright and on her way home and that you," she pointed at me, "Found a way to escape and was home. And then me implying that you needed your rest, didn't want to see anybody else apart from her, and all that balderdash. If you're wondering how she entered, I used my shoes to stop the door from closing." She squealed, I had no doubt thinking in her sick mind she was a genius.

"Why the hell would you do all these?" I asked the obvious.

"Oh c'mon. I had to eliminate a factor."

"Now fuck me. Your seeds aren't in my stomach yet."

I shut my eyes in disgust as I lowered myself down and started thrusting into her. I had to think of Dei— the woman I'd just broken— to do the required.

"Now call your goons to let her go," I said immediately I pulled out.

She smiled, kissed my cheek then dug into her purse, calling her goons when she found her phone.

"Done," she told me happily, bending down to pick her clothes.

I waited for her to get dressed before I acted on what I'd thought up in my head the moment I'd seen her go to her purse.

It was adrenaline and anger that had me reaching for her gun just as she was going to put it in her purse. It was purpose that had me triggering and pointing it to her.

Purposefully angered at the pain she'd cause the ones I loved these past days. For Zara, her fear and what her goons might've done to her. For worrying my sick mum. For breaking the love of my life in a way I wasn't sure could be repaired. For breaking me, taking Dei from me, and lastly for abusing me.

It was my turn to snicker then. "Holdup sick head. Do you think you're leaving here? After you just abused me? Held my sister for days— where your goons probably had their wicked ways with her. And broke my woman?" I chortled. "You're the joker."

I saw her trying to dial her goons. I waited for her to think she'd be able to before aiming for her head. I pulled the trigger.

Once.

Twice.

As I watched her body fall lifelessly to the ground, I waited for guilt to consume me and nothing. I didn't feel a thing.

I just held a gun and shot a person for the first time in my life and I didn't feel guilty.