Olivia, what have you gotten yourself into?
Drifting in and out of consciousness, Olivia had no idea how long she'd been held captive by Alejandro. But the flashes of the ranch -gunshots, screams, blood, lifeless faces- snapped her awake.
She was freezing.
Though her silk pajamas covered down to her wrists and ankles, they offered little comfort to her bruised and aching body. Her face was swollen, and there was the sharp, metallic tang of blood in her mouth.
Fully awake, she realized her limbs were tied to a stiff-backed chair. Slowly, she scanned the dim room, which reeked of stale smoke and beer. Four men played cards nearby, laughing and drinking as if she wasn't even there.
She recognized one of them.
Alejandro. Jasmine's father.
The man who stormed the ranch with his crew. The one responsible for the massacre, sparing no one but Canine and Razor, both still missing.
"Boss, she's awake," one of the men announced.
The room's energy instantly shifted. Alejandro stood and strode over.
"Where's Jasmine?" he demanded.
Olivia cried out when he yanked her head back by a fistful of hair.
"I told you on the ranch," she replied, voice trembling.
She had taken Jasmine to a friend, Samantha Burns, a social worker. She knew she was wrong for throwing Samantha under the bus but she hoped Alejandro would've left her alone.
"When we got there, guess what? My baby girl wasn't there!"
Alejandro struck her. She tasted more blood and swallowed hard.
"Samantha claimed not to remember where she sent her," he sneered. "So, we helped jog her memory."
"No," Olivia whispered. "Please don't say she's…"
"Dead? No. But after what we did, she probably wishes she was."
She had underestimated him. She thought he was just some low level street-level thug. But during the ride to this place, she caught enough bits of conversation to know better. Alejandro ran a serious operation: arms, drugs, and people.
"You son of a bitch!" Olivia spat.
"So you've met my mother?" he laughed dryly. "She really was a bitch that one. I put her out of her misery when I was just sixteen."
"You're a monster!"
If he could kill his own mother, there's no telling what he'd do to her.
I think that you bit off more than you could chew with this one.
Alejandro gripped her chin roughly. "Monsters earn respect. And today, you'll learn why."
His grin was tight, but his eyes were void of warmth. "The social worker gave up the address of where they sent Jasmine. I've got two men watching the house. But my daughter hasn't shown up."
Olivia's pulse quickened. Samantha had placed Jasmine with the Andersons, a foster family with two kids of their own, a girl and a younger boy.
"What are you going to do?" she asked shakily.
He stepped away and lit a cigarette, then pulled a chair to sit across from her.
"For starters, we'll ensure they have a good night's rest so they'll have strength for what they'll have to endure tomorrow. What do you think we should do to them tomorrow once they're bright-eyed and bushy tailed?"
Olivia answered carefully, "I think...you should just ask Mrs. Anderson where Jasmine is. And leave."
Alejandro exhaled a stream of smoke into her face, making her cough.
Alejandro chuckled menacingly. "Now, what would happen if my rivals found out that my daughter had been kidnapped and all I did was slap the perps on the wrist? That's bad for business."
"She wasn't kidnapped."
Alejandro's tone darkened. "Taking a child without the parent's consent is exactly that."
"You could say she was visiting family."
Without warning, he backhanded her. Pain exploded in her cheek.
"Is that how you justify it?" he growled. "Pretending she's off on some fucking family vacation? You people think you always know what's best for someone else's child. I'm asking you again, what should we do when we enter the Anderson's residence?"
"Please, I'm begging you just leave them alone. If you want to blame someone, blame me."
He stood and called out, "Dante, knife."
A tall man in a leather jacket handed over a blade before returning to his seat.
Olivia flinched as Alejandro used the knife to slowly pop the buttons of her pajama top, exposing her chest. The cold air met her skin as he trailed the blade lightly across her it.
"So you're the self-sacrificing type. Willing to trade yourself for strangers?"
The knife cut into her skin across her chest. She screamed.
Alejandro licked the blade. "Now, what should we do about the boy? What's his name again?"
"Jimmy," Dante offered.
"Jimmy. So, Olivia, what should happen to little Jimmy?"
"He's just a child," she pleaded.
"Wrong answer."
Another slash. Pain tore through her and she sobbed uncontrollably.
"Jimmy," Alejandro said firmly, "What are we going to do with him?"
"P-please don't make me," Olivia sobbed.
"See Olivia, this is a lesson for you. The next time you see a mother with her child, you don't get to decide what's right for the child. Now, Jimmy…"
Olivia could barely think through the agony. "Maybe…maybe shave his head…"
Alejandro chuckled. "Now we're talking. Dante, write that down. And where the hell is Yellows?"
"No one's seen him since this morning," someone answered.
"Hunn, call him again. He's probably wasting time at the strip club."
"On it, boss."
Turning back to Olivia, Alejandro continued, "We'll give Jimmy a haircut. And maybe we etch your name, Olivia Jackson, into his scalp. A nice reminder of the day's events."
Her stomach turned with dread.
She never told him her last name.
"How do you know my last name?"
"When people steal from me, I learn everything about them."
Her heart dropped. Did he know everything? Like everything everything?
Alejandro dragged the blade to her bra strap."Now, what about Naomi? She's been sneaking out to meet that twenty-one year old boyfriend of hers."
How did he know that?
"We can…shave her head too?" Olivia suggested weakly.
"Nope. New person, new punishment. Shaving a scalp and engraving it is a level two punishment. Let's give her a level six, for not obeying the rules."
He traced the blade over her again. She was lightheaded from the blood loss. And on the verge of exhaustion.
"You're beautiful, Olivia," he murmured.
"Water…please?" she whispered.
He paused. Then shouted, "Bruno, water for our guest."
Bruno, tall and wiry, fetched a bottle and handed it over. Alejandro held it to her lips, letting her drink. For a moment, she wondered if there was a shred of mercy in him.
When the bottle emptied, he tossed it aside.
"Back to Naomi," he said, blade returning to her skin.
"You know what you're doing is wrong. I only took Jasmine because McKenzie wasn't taking care of her," her voice was soft.
Alejandro sliced her bra strap and Olivia yelped.
"I trust McKenzie with our daughter. I know she isn't going to do anything to harm her."
"Not physically. But emotionally?" Olivia snapped before she could help it. "She's messing her up!"
She didn't see herself getting out of there alive anyway so she continued to add a bit of oxygen to the fire.
Why shouldn't she?
After McKenzie threatened her at the ranch?
Fuck McKenzie Tanner!
"She brings men into the house. Jasmine's always sick. You tried to get her from the hospital, didn't you? McKenzie is a bad mother! She doesn't deserve to keep Jasmine!"
This time, the blow landed in her gut. She gasped, slumping in pain.
""But, McKenzie, kept Jasmine and did her best. Can you say the same?" Alejandro asked coldly.
Olivia flinched but kept quiet.
"She never pretended to be something she wasn't. Unlike you, Doctor Jackson. Does your brother know the real reason why you missed your parents' funeral? Does he even know who you are?"
Feeling as though she was losing her sense of reality, Olivia threw her head back and laughed maniacally, "You seem to know a whole lot about me and the Andersons, however, you still haven't figured out that Yellows has been helping McKenzie?"
Alejandro's face grew pale and Olivia smirked.
"She's probably who he's with now. The reason he's not here. A shame you never noticed how many times he slipped away. Right. Under. Your. Nose."
Alejandro lunged, gripping her throat.
"You lying bitch! He'd never betray me!"
Olivia gasped as the world started to go black…
Just then, the door burst open.
"Boss!" Hunn panted. "We've got a situation. Both container yards, Long Beach and San Pedro, are up in flames."
Alejandro released Olivia and she coughed as her head bobbed weakly on her chest.
"Strip her. Chain her to the bed. I'll deal with her when I come back."
As Alejandro rushed out of the room behind Hunn, Dante and Bruno stalked towards her. Olivia's eyes darted around the room. It was then she saw it, a small rusted bed in one corner of the room that held a mattress.
"No, please. You don't have to do this!" Olivia pleaded.
Ignoring her cries, Dante cut her loose and did as Alejandro instructed. Olivia tried to fight them off but she was too weak. Then, Dante picked her up and tossed her onto the mattress. She cried out as pain shot through her chest. He chained her wrists while Bruno chained her ankles.
Olivia closed her eyes as tears rolled down her face. Ever since her parents died three years ago she had thought a lot about death and the many ways she might die, but nothing like this ever crossed her mind.
As her eyelids grew heavy, her last thought, before she slipped into unconsciousness, was the hope that death would find her sooner rather than later.