DAISY

What felt like hours later I woke up in an empty room, with not a single window but only a single wooden door positioned opposite the paper thin bed I woke up on. The walls were a dark grey, making it feel so suffocating and confined. I couldn't breathe properly and I'd been awake for what felt like hours , mindlessly staring at the wall. My tears were dried up on my face.

Not only was I alone and afraid, but my entire body was throbbing with an intense pain that I have never felt before. The glass in my back were taken out but the open wounds remained, bleeding and vulnerable to the germs. The back of my t-shirt was already red of blood, and I would have taken it off if it weren't for the fact that I only had a bra beneath. The only thing keeping me from passing out of the pain, was the thought of Jason. I imagined his smiling face in my head and his shining forest green eyes, and a weak smile of my own formed on my lips.

I imagined what he could be doing right now. It was only hours later, and I couldn't tell if it was day or night. The only light evident was coming from the small bulb on the ceiling. I doubted Jason was home yet and more tears slid down my face realizing that he would have no idea of my whereabouts. No one was going to save me, and a small part of me thought that this was what I deserved. This was my punishment for lying to the people I loved the most.

I deserved every second of the torturous silence.

I moved the slightest bit and felt pain shoot through me. Every bit of movement was utterly painful. I wanted to stand up because my legs felt numb. I hoped that the impact of my back on the glass table did nothing to harm my spine. That would be disastrous, and despite knowing that Jason was mad at me right now, he would never let Axel get away with it. I perched myself up against the wall, but my back ached when it came in contact with the cold wall. It was a stinging pain.

I never really expected Axel to do what he'd doneq. He was so much worse than both Jason and Lucien, and that scared me to the core. I ended up just sitting on the hard mattress, with my legs crossed. I was sweating and probably resembled a troll. My hair was sticking to my forehead and I had to push it away to keep myself from going absolutely crazy when it kept going in my face. The silence was frustrating as I became consumed with the worst of thoughts and assumptions.

To stop myself from complete insanity, I yelled out loudly. Anything to stop the silence. What I wasn't expecting was to hear the door rattling open. In came a guy with an extremely familiar face. I gasped in shock as realization hit me. He was the guy that blasted me in the face with a ball. The captain of our colleges football team. What the hell was he doing here? Was he kidnapped too?

"Daisy, shut the hell up." He suddenly scowled. "Do you want Axel to fucking kill you? Because trust me, he won't hesitate to."

"H-he's not that stupid, it could cause a war between the two gangs." I pointed out, my voice hoarse from not talking for hours and due to all the crying.

"Oh please, you're not that important."

I chose to ignore that. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Watch duty, obviously. I have to stand outside this door till Axel is ready to talk to you. So be the hell quiet."

"Talk to me, about what? And I meant what the hell are you really doing here?" A little bit of hope bloomed inside of me.

"I work for Axel, obviously." He rolled his eyes. He was so much more pleasant before, and I could have sworn he had Lucien's gangs signature tattoo on his neck.

"So being the quarterback of our football team is what, some sort of cover up story for what you really do?" I asked in disbelief.

"Exactly. And everyone buys my lie, so I'm not complaining." He smirked.

"Noah, was it?" I asked.

"No, doll. My real name is Cain. Fucking Noah." He laughed, filled with humour. "I had to choose some preppy ass name for when I applied to that college with my fake documents. It's fitting right?"

"Do you know what's also fitting? You being a maniac. I can't believe this. When I get out of here, everyone will know the truth." I promised.

"Trust me, you're probably not getting out of here alive."

I went cold with fear.

"Axel is not stupid like Jason and Lucien. He's not going to fall for your charms, and that whole innocent act you have going on."

"It's not an act-" I protested.

"Is that why you lied? Why you were fucking with Lucien and Jason at the same time and told neither?"

"Who the hell told you that?" I asked with wide eyes, disbelieving my ears.

"I found that out on my own obviously. I am part of Lucien's gang as well and I watched the whole commotion of how Elliot slapped you and Jason beat him up for it. Best entertainment I had in a long time." He chuckled.

I was utterly confused. "I don't understand. You were there? How are you apart of two gangs?"

"I'm spying on Lucien and reporting back to Axel. He has no idea who I really work for. Such a shame, how many slaps you recieved today."

I shut my eyes tightly and opened them again, hoping that this was all just a bad dream or an after effect of one of the horror movies I watched. But it was real and it was my reality.

"You don't have to do this, Cain. Please."

"Begging? That's rich. But I'm gonna have to pass you on that one. Sowwy." He said sarcastically. "I just really hope that Jason falls right into the trap to come and find you, he die and then we can all live happily ever after."

"No, please don't do this."

"Your motherfucker of a boyfriend is going to die no matter how the day turns out to be."

"Don't you dare fucking hurt him." I suddenly hissed out, feeling utterly angry. "I swear, you'll regret ever thinking of laying a finger on him."

He only laughed humourlessly and left the room with a bang.

"You bastard!" I yelled helplessly. I couldn't cry again, but I wanted to. I imagined something bad happening to Jason and tears filled my eyes for possibly the tenth time today. And all because of me. If I hadn't lied, Jason wouldn't of left me and Axel and his men wouldn't of been able to take me. Jason wouldn't try to come find me and none of this would of happened. I began sobbing again, crying my heart out. I wanted to hurt Axel, Cain or any one of the people doing this. That asshole had been spying on us the entire time, reporting back to Axel and allowing him to plot against us, seeking out our vulnerable points and striking when we least expected it. It was a low blow.

More time passed by so slowly, and I ended up lying back down on the bed. It was frustrating to be so lost and have no idea what the time was. My eyes stung from all the crying I had done. My throat was completely dry and I was in desperate need of water and something to eat. I felt so nauseous and even considered vommitting on the floor. The feeling was so terrible, the pain and the nausea plus all the overwhelming emotions of fear and anger. I couldn't think clearly and I was so overwhelmed that I ended up shutting down once again.

I awoke with the biggest headache, it felt like a train was parked on my head. My head felt so heavy I could barely lift myself up. I found myself in the same room. I groaned in protest, needing water. I felt like suffocating in my cold sweat. Just then, I heard the unlocking of the door before it being pushed open. I expected to see Cain, but I saw Axel instead. I backed away immediately out of fear, my body heavily protesting at the movement.

"Oh, you're awake." He stated calmly. "You must be starving." He chuckled.

"I just need water, please." Begging was always a last resort to me, but I found myself constantly begging in the last four hours.

"Hmm, I'll think about that. I was quite surprised when you remained silent and didn't thrown any tantrums by banging on the door or screaming. Most of our other victims does."

"Victims?" I asked in a whisper.

"Yes, the other girls we take."

I froze over in utter fear and disbelief.

"W-Why would you do that?"

"Do what? Kidnap suitable girls and traffick them across states? I don't know, because it brings millions of cash obviously." He said nonchalanty.

"You're fucking sick." I spat, my heart going out for all those girls and their families.

"As sick as your boyfriend? He used to traffick girls as well in the past."

What?

"You're lying, you asshole." I grew so sick to the stomach.

He laughed and came further forwards, bringing a stool with him before sitting down on it.

"You don't believe me? I would say 'ask him yourself' but oops, you won't be able to see him alive again when you get out of here."

"Please, please I'm begging you leave him alone."

"It's amazing, how you still care so much for him when he left you alone in your vulnerable state, and allowed someone to kidnap you." He laughed. "He's a real fucking charmer."

"I love him." I blurted out quickly.

"You don't get such a thing as love, Sweetheart."

"To you obviously, you're a maniac."

"Oh, please. I've been called worst."

"Why do you hate him so much? Is it the fact that you want this territory and he has it? Is it because he's a gang leader and you crave all the damn status in the world?" I asked in frustration. "Why would you try to kill him, and ruin an innocent live just go get what you want?" I hissed, impatient to get answers. I ignored the throbbing ache in my body.

"I want him gone." He said darkly. "I want him erased from this fucking earth, but not before he witnesses you die."

"I don't understand. Why?"

"He took from me something that can never be replaced. He took from me something that I fucking loved. And now I'm going to repay the favor."

"He. . . he stole something from you? What did he steal?" I asked curiously, my tone a few octaves softer. He looked truly hurt, and if he wasn't such a maniac I would have actually felt sorry for him.

"That's none of your business."

"It is my business, otherwise you would have let me the hell out of this place."

"You're staying how ever long your little boyfriend decides to actually find you. You and he can die together. It would be so beautiful, watching eachother die."

"You are sick." I spat, my hatred for him shining.

"What other kind do you get?" He asked rhetorically.

"So this is your grand plan? Enter this town suddenly and completely unexpectedly, and then start a war with Jason. You want to kill us for god knows what reason. Why now? You've been spying on us right? That's why you knew when exactly to strike, when to make your move."

"Precisely, Sweetheart. You have more brains than I thought."

"And you have none. Because if you did, you would know that Jason is going to murder you. You won't get away with anything."

His expression turned dark, and in the next second I felt a stinging sensation on my cheek. I winced in pain as he slapped the same cheek that had gotten slapped just yesterday. The pain was brutal, but I tried as hard as I could to keep the tears in.

"Watch your mouth, slut. I don't wanna have to really fuck up that pretty face of yours." His blank expression remained darker than ever, before he stood up and kicked the stool to the side of the room. I felt so relieved when he made his way to the door, but still anxious when I realized that I would be stuck in the agonizing silence again.

I rubbed my cheek softly but it only throbbed more. I ended up leaving it to burn as I craddled my legs to my chest, and for the tenth time that day I cried helplessly.

I awoke with the bang of the door, and lifted my head off the thin pillow to see someone walking in the room and shutting the door. I squinted my eyes, unable to see who it was given the fact that I'd just woken up, my eyes were still blurry and tears had dried up on my skin. I saw Cain walk forward with a tray in his hands. He bent down to the mattress' level and placed it down besides me. My empty stomach grumbled at the sight of food. It was a simple glass of water and what looked to be a sandwich, but I felt so hungry it looked like the best thing in the world.

"Eat up." Cain mumbled. I was absolutely surprised when he sat down on the mattress next to my legs. I pulled myself up and scootched further away.

"How do I know it's not poisoned?" I asked, my voice croaky from all the sleep and crying.

"Poisoning? Please, this isn't the eighteen hundreds. We don't do poison." He rolled his eyes.

That was the only confirmation I needed to dive straight ahead to the tray. I gulped down the water first, my throat feeling relieved when the cool and hydrated feeling slid down my throat. I sighed and bit into what tasted like a chicken sandwich bought straight from a supermarket. It didn't matter as long as it was food.

"Did Axel do that?" Cain suddenly asked, referring to my cheek.

"Yeah." I answered quietly, not wanting to remember it.

"I'm sorry."

My chewing stopped at the sudden announcement.

"What?" I asked dumbfounded.

"I said I was sorry." He sighed. "I never meant for any of this to get so bad."

"Seriously?"

"Is that so hard to believe? I guess it is. Axel took me in when I had nothing. He gave me a better life and I look up to him, but that doesn't mean that I always agree with his methods."

I gulped. "That's good to know."

"You're not the enemy, Daisy. Jason is. You're just collaterall damage. Axel is driven by hatred, anger, jealousy and grieve. I don't think he meant to hurt you."

"Oh, please. He traffick girls for money. He's a psychopath."

"I'm trying to make you feel better." He said in annoyance.

"With lies? It's not working. The only way I will feel better is if you tell me that you will do no harm to Jason, or his family. But you aren't gonna tell me that, so good luck with your failed attempts to make me feel better."

"Fine, whatever."

He remained seated in the mattress, looking towards the door. I was curious as to why he was here. After long silence, I finally finished my sandwich. I leaned against the wall, my stomach feeling relieved. The cuts in my back met the cold wall and I winced. I shifted myself in a position that wouldn't let it hurt.

"Do you know what time it is?" I asked.

"It's morning, just after nine am."

"I was here for a day already." I mumbled.

"A few hours more than a day, and Jason still hasn't found you. He has some shitty trackers in his gang."

"Well, you haven't given him much to track have you?"

"Doesn't matter. He has the resources and experience, he should have been able to find you already. But. . . maybe he doesn't want to."

"What?" I asked, a sudden panicked thought taking over my mind and overwhelming me with worry.

"You know, he did just find out that you have been fucking around with Lucien. Maybe he doesn't want to find you." He shrugged.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Lucien and I were nothing to eachother." I grew increasingly frustrated. "And you're wrong. Jason is looking for me as we speak."

I wanted to believe my own words, but I suddenly wasn't so sure about it.

What? No! Of course he's looking for me. He's loves me.

"Sure, he might be. But I wouldn't waste my time if I were him."

"Who are you to talk? You barely know us."

"I've been keeping track, remember? Since the day that Jason rescued you from Lucien's invasion at that party."

"That was four months ago." I said in disbelief.

"Exactly."

"You don't have to do this, you know? Please don't do this."

"What, help my boss kill Jason Black? We've been preparing for this for months. It's going to happen."

"A part of me feels like you know that this is wrong."

He suddenly stood up. "Don't try to talk me out of helping Axel. It's not gonna work."

He stalked towards the doorway, not sparing me another glance.

"Can you atleast tell me where we are?"

"No."

With that said, he left and locked after himself. I groaned, feeling miserable. Hours were passing and there was nothing to do, nothing to distract myself from the horrible thoughts that were going through my mind.

I estimated in my head and it seemed that another two days had passed. Cain didn't come back and niether did Axel. I was hungry once again and wished that water and food could magically appear in the empty glass and plate on the tray. I wasn't too bummed out by the lack of food, because things could have been much worst. The wounds on my back felt sensitive whenever I stretched, and they burned. It must have slightly heeled, with the germs that have probably went in. My throbbing face has lessened from the pain, and so have my stomach. An ugly, purple-ish and blue bruise was forming on stomach.

Given that I was sleeping, I lost track of time once again. I was sitting with my knees to my chest and my chin resting on it, staring aimlessly at the mattress when the door banged open. I was engulfed in fear when Axel entered, along with atleast three other men behind him, all looking equally as scary as the next. I gulped deeply and backed as far as I could into the wall. I waited anxiously as Axel approached me. When he came to a stop in front of the mattress, he bent down and grabbed my arm. I flinched when he harshly pulled me up and shoved me towards a bald and huge guy.

The man's hands gripped my shoulders from behind and faced me towards Axel. I didn't like the intrusion one bit and my heart's beating rate skyrocketed.

I looked in confusion at Axel when he showed me a tablet's screen.

"Look." He demanded. I looked at the screen curiously to see that it was some sort of digital surveillance footage. It was grey and white and I was confused as to why he was showing this, when a familiar face popped up on the screen.

Jason.

He was standing outside of what looked to be a house, with many more men surrounding him. I caught traces of both Ace and their father. What was happening and where were they?

"This footage was from exactly five minutes ago. And it takes eight minutes to successfully get inside without a key, given the reinforced steel plated doors. Knowing Jason, he would take the left entrance leading to the main parts of the house without anyone noticing them. In about two minutes you're going to hear an alarm sound, and the bang of the steel door falling off its hinges. Your boyfriend has arrived after searching for you for three days."

My heart skipped several beats in anxiety.

"I have men guarding every inch of this place, and a war is about to go down. You will go with these two, and you will listen to them. Once I have killed every member of Jason's gang that is here, you will come out and that's when you two will witness eachothers deaths. It's sounds like a romantic movie, right? You better listen to them, or I'll empty my gun in your head without hesitation. Am I clear?"

All I could do was nod, my head feeling heavy. I was anxious and afraid for what was about to go down. I wanted to cry and my heart throbbed in protest. I've caught just a glimpse of Jason over the surveillance footage, but it was like a breath of fresh air.

"Good. It was really an honor meeting the girl that let Jason Black fall in love, but I'm sorry to say that you have to go."

"You don't have have to do this. Whatever Jason did in the past, I'm sure he regrets it now." I said desperately.

He remained silent, and for a slither of a second hope fills me, until I here the blaring sound of an alarm go off, just like he said. It sounded in the distance, away from here but I was afraid for the lives of Jason and his gang.

Axel signalled the two men standing behind me, before pulled out his gun and went to the exit.

"Watch out for her, she's a feisty one."

The men nodded and sent me glares. I crumpled in fear and watched as Axel left the room. Seconds passed of silence in the room, the only thing heard was the sound of the alarm. It suddenly stopped. I waited at the brink of my own thoughts, and when minutes passed I finally heard the sound of the first gun shot. A series of noises and yells followed after that, before the sound of things crashing braced my ears. I winced and shut my eyes tightly. I felt the two men each grab one of my arms on either side of me before they began dragging me out of the room.

We passed many other doors in an empty corridor, before we entered what looked to be the kitchen. I felt myself being placed on one of the kitchen chairs. The two men made no sound before they guarded the entrance of the kitchen door. I tried to ignore the noise that sounded in the distance, and let my eyes scan the two men up and down. The one was short and slightly less muscular than the other, and I weighed the possibility of taking them both on. Luckily we were in the kitchen so many objects looks effective enough to use against them. They kept glancing at their watches I noticed, while I pretended to be staring into space.

My heart was beating so fast in fear of what was happening. It was frightening to know that Jason was in the midst of a gang fight and shooting. I knew this wasn't anything new to him and that it was part of his lifestyle, but Axel had this twisted agenda of killing us at the same time and letting us watch eachother's deaths. I wouldn't put it past his determination to let that happen, which increased my worry ten folds over. This wasn't a regular gang fight.

I looked at the wall clock and saw that ten minutes have passed with the chaos not stopping for even a second, and me building up the courage to fool these two men into letting me out. I had no plan after that, but I had get to Jason right now and do something to help. Anything, but uselessly sit here with my leg shaking up and down in nervousness. I was trembling all over when finally, the bravery and courage caught up to me and I stood up from my seat.

This alarmed Bob and John (my decided names) as their heads turned to me instantly.

"Don't worry, I just need something to eat. I'm starving." I held my hands up in surrender. I really was starving, but getting my stomach filled wasn't on the agenda. I spotted a frying pan, a bottle of spraying detergent and a stack of plates to use as defense. The kitchen was probably not the best option to bring me for them.

I stalked to the fridge and opened it up. I pretended to scan it's contents and ended up pulling out a block of cheese in the end. The frying pan was near the bread tin, as well as the plates. When I reached there, I dropped the cheese immediately before I grabbed the pan. Their eyes went wide and they advanced towards me. Grabbing a white plate, I threw it towards Bob as if it were a frisbee. He luckily dodged it but he wasn't expecting the second plate that I threw. It banged against his head and be groaned in pain. I would have smiled in victory if it weren't for John that was nearing me. I moved fast and grabbed the spraying bottle. He reached out to grab me when I sprayed his eyes, my finger not leaving the button till I was sure his eyes suffered enough. I then smacked the pan against his head hard till he kneeled to the ground in pain. I drew my foot up and kicked him in the crotch.

With John temporarily out of the picture, I smacked the pan against Bob's head as well, and I continued doing so till his body crashed entirely to the floor. They were so big and buff, and their body must have seriously weighed them down. When I have let out all of my anger and fear with the pan out on Bob's head, I ran straight towards the door. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was probably unusual to see a small girl best two grown men in a fight. Well, the pan did most of the work.

I would have cheered in victory if it wasn't for what was currently happening. I opened a few doors to see bed rooms, non of which led to the sounds. I finally found a hallway and entered through there. I bursted thought the doors and the sound got gradually louder. I seemed to be in some sort of lounge area. My eyes frantically searched another exit to see an opened steal door. I dropped my pan and tried to pull the door further open to give me space to walk through. I heard approaching footsteps and panicked, now using all my strength. It finally opened and when I was outside, I pulled it closed again to buy me some time from Bob and John's wrath.

I felt the fresh breeze of outside so unexpectedly and it was refreshing against my skin. Despite how my body protested in pain, I snuck around the corner to see the commotion. I held in a gasp to see all the blood shed and bodies on the ground. I kept my hand to my mouth to keep any sounds from coming out of it.

Jason and Axel were heatedly fighting, while the rest of their gangs watched. They must have come to some sort of agreement, as no one else bothered to help their leaders. I noticed Ace and Mr Black watching as well, their expressions worry filled. Jason was a good fighter but I had no idea what crazy skills Axel had hidden up his sleeve. They were going at it like dogs and I winced when I took in the sight of all the blood covering Jason's clothes. His expression looked extremely cold and filled with anger, I've never seen him this vile before and it honestly scared me. Not in the classical scared way, but in the way that was afraid for the fact that he could get like this.

I was joy filled when he seemed to have the upper hand, and Axel was desperately avoiding his blows. On a last minute punch towards Axel's completely bloody face, the enemy did something completely unexpected. He pushed Jason away suddenly and pulled out a gun. The men standing behind Jason pulled out their guns immediately and aimed it straight towards Axel.

"This wasn't the fucking deal." Jason growled. "Fire and they won't hesitate to blow your brains out."

"I don't care." Axel said in a raspy whisper.

"You little shit, you promised no guns."

"I don't fucking care!" Axel suddenly yelled. He looked crazed, and the blood covering him only made him look more like a mad man. "You killed her! You took her away from me in cold blood! I don't care if I die tonight, but you're going to die with me and so is your girlfriend."

"You're fucking crazy," Jason hissed. "It was an accident. I never meant to kill your little sister. I'm not a crazy fucker. I'm not you."

Jason killed Axel's baby sister? For a split second, my heart went out for Axel. In some twisted way, I understood why he would do this.

"An accident? A fucking accident! I'm gonna kill you! And my men are going to kill your slut as well!"

I noticed he took the safety off of the gun and aimed in directly to Jason. My heart started beating in fear.

"You're going to die."

"Axel, I'm sorry. I never meant to kill her. You have to believe me." Jason suddenly said.

"Fuck you. You're going to die right now."

Before I could stop myself, I ran straight towards Jason. His life flashed before my eyes, and in that second I realised just how much I loved him. How much I couldn't live without him. I would do anything for him,

Because I loved him more than life itself.

No one noticed the girl that didn't belong. The girl that wasn't supposed to be here. I threw myself in front of him just when the gunshot went off. There was a bullet hole in Axel's head, saying that one of Jason's gang members must have shot him. Axel's eyes were wide as he fell onto his knees, and then his body crashed towards the ground.

I wanted to sigh in relief, when an immense pain in my lower abdomen suddenly registered in my head.

"Daisy?" It was Jason. His voice was so soothing.

I looked down to see red flooding my white vest. I was about to fall to the ground when arms caught me.

"Daisy? No, no, no. No, please."

The whole concept of being shot flooded my mind and I coughed, my eyes wide in panick. I stared into Jason's panicked eyes as he lowered us to the ground, his arms supporting my head and body.

"Jason." I forced a smile.

"No, no, no. Shit, dad!" He suddenly yelled.

I heard people rushing around, I heard Jason's voice begging me to stay with him, but my eyes were slowly starting to droop close on its own. I felt intensely tired, like I had to go sleep immediately. I've never been shot before, and the feeling was like a miserable euphoria. It was painful but also calm.

"Baby, please don't close your eyes. Please." Jason begged. It was then that I noticed something unusual. His eyes were glistening with tears.

I lifted my hand to cup his cheek and his hand immediately enveloped over mine.

"That's it. Stay with me, Sweetheart. I'm right here." he said gently.

"Jason," I croaked out.

"Keep your eyes open, keep looking at me." He begged.

"I-I love you, and I'm sorry." I breathed out.

A single tear of his dropped onto my cheek.

"No, no, no, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry about. I forgive you. I'm so sorry." He croaked out.

"I love you." I repeated.

"I love you too, so so much. Don't close your eyes. The paramedics will be here soon. Please, stay with me."

I shut my eyes softly, my heart beat slowly slowing down.

"Daisy?"

No reply.

"Daisy!"

I slipped into blissful darkness, my hand slowly drifted away from his cheek.

***

I'm so emotional right now.

One more chapter left!❤️