Jack nodded once, his grip on Ava firm but careful as he approached the couch. Every step echoed softly against the silence of the room.
Leo's eyes widened, disbelief sharpening his features. "Jack… are you sure?" His voice was barely a whisper, but it carried the weight of a man confronted with the worst news imaginable.
"Yeah, brother," Jack said without hesitation, his tone steady, unflinching.
For a few seconds, Leo remained frozen, the words unspoken hanging between them like a storm cloud. Then he exhaled sharply, regaining his control.
"Jessi is calling me again," Leo muttered under his breath seeing his phone buzzing.
"Fine. Go now." His voice was curt, clipped, but there was an undercurrent of tension that made the air in the room feel thick and suffocating.
Jack's gaze shifted briefly from the girl to Leo. "Where are the others?"
"They went with Jessi," Leo replied, his tone low and measured. "But she… she needs you."
Jack's eyes flicked back to Ava, noting the delicate rise and fall of her chest beneath his arms. His jaw tightened. "So you're alone? What do we do with her?"
Leo's lips curved slightly, not a smile, but something darker. "J-Just keep her here. I'll handle it," he said, voice a dangerous whisper, each syllable weighted with unspoken threat.
Ava stirred faintly, groaning in the haze of the chloroform. Jack tightened his hold, scanning the room with practiced vigilance. Leo's stare followed every motion, a predator watching prey, calculating, waiting.
In that moment, the mansion seemed to shrink around them. Every shadow, every flicker of light, carried a thousand threats.
Ava was alone, vulnerable, and at the mercy of forces she couldn't yet comprehend.
"Okay.." Jack said before leaving the girl in Leo's care.
________
Ava awoke to a pounding headache in a dimly lit unknown room. Panic clawed at her throat as she tried to recall what had happened. A key turned in the door, and a tall boy stepped in, his gaze unreadable.
"Good morning, sweetheart," he said, his tone smooth, controlled, but edged with something dangerous. "Everyone is waiting. Let's go."
"Who… who are you? Why am I here?" Ava demanded, fear and anger battling in her chest.
"I'm Mason," he said flatly. "And you've been kidnapped by the Eclipse Cartel, the Mafia Group."
Without giving her a single moment to gather her thoughts, Mason's hand gripped Ava's wrist like iron. He pulled her forward, each step deliberate, unyielding, like he was leading a reluctant lamb to a predator. Her protests were sharp, piercing the air, but his strength was absolute, unbending.
Outside the dimly lit room, six other boys leaned against walls, their eyes following every motion of her struggling body.
Shadows fell across their faces, half-hidden in the gloom, half-revealing something far more dangerous. Ava's heart hammered, a drum of panic and disbelief.
"Leave me! Aahhh!" she screamed, thrashing against Mason's hold. Her voice was raw, desperate, echoing through the sterile, cold hallway. But the boys only chuckled, their amusement cold, calculated, like predators observing prey too stubborn to surrender quietly.
"Why are you doing this to me? What have I done?" she sobbed, tears streaking down her cheeks, powerless against the force of the world she had never seen coming.
A deep voice, smooth and authoritative, cut through the tension. "Hey, leave her. She's crying."
It was John. He stepped forward, the room somehow feeling smaller under the weight of his gaze. His presence was commanding, sharp, yet there was an undercurrent of something Ava couldn't place, something dangerous, but not entirely cruel. The laughter of the others faded as he passed, a silent acknowledgment of his authority.
Ava's chest heaved, her breath ragged, as Mason loosened his grip just enough for her to take a staggered step forward. She stared at them, her mind racing. Who were these boys? Why was she here? And most importantly… how was she going to get out alive?
The six boys shifted uneasily, exchanging glances, and in that split second, Ava realized the world she had stumbled into was one ruled by strength, fear, and rules she didn't yet understand. Every instinct in her screamed to run, but every cell in her body screamed that running alone wasn't an option.
Leo's eyes locked onto hers, unreadable but commanding, and the weight of the moment pressed down like a vice. The laughter and chaos of the abduction had stopped; the game had changed. And Ava was just beginning to understand the dangerous, unyielding rules of this world.
"Why, John? I'm really enjoying this," Mason said, his voice low, dark, a silky threat that seemed to curl around the room like smoke. His laugh didn't reach his eyes, it lingered, hollow and dangerous, making Ava's chest tighten with fear.
John's jaw clenched. "Leo, tell him to leave her," he said, his tone firm but taut with controlled anger, the kind that promised consequences if disobeyed.
Leo, however, merely smirked, lounging against the wall like he owned the space. "Mason is right, John. I'm enjoying this too," he said, his eyes catching the dim light and glinting with something sharp, something dangerous, like a blade hidden just out of sight.
Ava's knees threatened to buckle. Her voice shook, fragile as glass. "Please… leave me… it's hurting… I have to-- my school… my job…" Each word fell from her lips like a desperate plea, the sound brittle and trembling in the cold, oppressive air.
Jack's eyes narrowed, his jaw tight. When he spoke, it was low, steady, a knife wrapped in velvet. "Bro, leave her. Don't forget why we brought her here." There was a steel behind his words, a warning that resonated louder than any shouted command.
Mason finally released her, his hands retreating slowly, deliberately, like a predator losing interest in its prey. Ava stumbled back, clutching her wrists, where pale purple bruises were already blooming. Her body quivered, not just from pain, but from the shock of survival. And yet, amidst it all, her gaze found Jack's. His eyes were the only anchor in the storm. "Thank you…" she whispered, a threadbare sound that seemed to vanish into the darkness.
A low, mirthless chuckle slithered across the room. "Ha!… you're thanking the person who brought you here?" Mason's tone was sardonic, the sound echoing in the tense silence like a knife sliding across glass.
Leo's expression darkened, the playful menace vanishing into something sharper, more calculated. He stepped forward, each movement slow and deliberate. "Sit down," he ordered, his single word hanging in the room like a verdict. The air thickened, every muscle in Ava's body screamed to run, yet her legs felt like lead.
"I don't know you guys--" she began, her voice a brittle thread against the suffocating atmosphere, trembling as the weight of the room pressed in.
"Don't play dumb !," Leo cut in smoothly, circling her like a shark scenting blood. "You know exactly who we are… and exactly why you're here." His eyes locked onto hers, icy, unyielding. Each blink felt measured, deliberate, as if he was savoring her fear, testing her limits.
Ava's pulse hammered in her ears. She could feel the faint sting of tears against her cheeks, the taste of panic rising in her throat. Her mind scrambled for an escape, any escape, but the walls seemed to close in, the shadows stretching longer and darker, swallowing the room whole.
John stepped forward, placing himself slightly between Ava and the others, his presence a quiet but firm shield. "Enough," he said, voice steady. "We're not here to break her. Just… do your jobs." His eyes flicked to Mason and Leo, sharp and unflinching. Even in this room of predators, his calm authority drew a sliver of tension away from Ava, though only slightly.
Mason's lips curled into a lazy, dangerous grin, but he leaned back, releasing some of the pressure. Leo, however, lingered, his eyes never leaving Ava's. There was a promise in that stare, one that whispered of consequences far beyond bruised wrists and trembling lips.
Ava swallowed hard, shivering despite herself. This was no ordinary threat. This was something far deeper… something that seeped into her bones. And in that room, under their watchful eyes, she realized the danger wasn't just physical. It was in the power, the control, and the dark satisfaction these men took in knowing she had nowhere to run.
"I said sit down! Don't you understand?"
Leo's voice thundered through the room, echoing off the walls like a judge's gavel in a silent courtroom. The sound wasn't just loud , it was final.
Ava flinched, her breath catching in her throat, before she slowly lowered herself onto the couch. Every movement felt like stepping into quicksand. Her back stayed straight, rigid, her knuckles white as she clutched the edge of the cushion. Leo's shadow fell across her like a storm cloud, his presence pressing down on her chest until even air felt like a luxury.
"I know who your father is," he said finally. The words weren't spoken , they were carved. They sliced through the room's heavy silence like a blade.
Shock rooted her in place. A dozen orphanage corridors flashed before her eyes, echoing with the memory of her younger self walking them alone. Her heart hammered against her ribs. How could he possibly know? Even I don't…
Her lips parted, but no sound came out. Her trembling fingers reached for the glass of water on the table, as though it could anchor her to reality. The cool condensation grounded her palm, she started drinking it like she was thirsty for eternity. She drew a slow, shuddering breath, gathering every shard of courage she could find.
"Tell me," she said at last, her voice small but steady. "Who is my father?"
The question hung between them like smoke. The room grew still. Every boy's gaze shifted, confusion and calculation glinting in their eyes like oil on water.
"Don't you know that already?" Leo asked, his brow furrowing slightly, his incredulity almost convincing.
"How would I know that?" she snapped back, her voice cracking but rising. Frustration spilled over her fear like a sudden tide. Her pulse raced , each beat a drum of defiance inside her chest.
"Your name is Jennie, right?" he said, his tone sharp but laced with something testing, probing.
"No." Ava's reply cut the air cleanly. She sat a little straighter, her voice gathering strength even as her stomach clenched. "My name is Ava."
The boys exchanged quick, subtle glances , a silent language she couldn't translate. Muscles tensed. Air thickened.
"I think she's lying to us," one of them muttered under his breath.
"Yeah, Leo. Dylan is right," David added, his tone calm but edged with suspicion.
Ava's blood boiled. "Are these guys insane? I'm not Jennie , I'm Ava. The words screamed inside her skull, but when she opened her mouth to unleash them, the world blurred—"
A sharp, stinging blow cracked against her head.
Did he just Smack me?
Leo smacked her head making her almost fell on the floor
Pain detonated across her skull, white and electric. Her breath hitched. She gasped, stumbling forward, one hand flying to her head as tears pricked her eyes , not just from the pain, but from the shock.
No one has ever hit her before. Not at the orphanage, not even in anger. She had been loved, protected, nurtured , and now, here, strangers treated her like a thing to be broken.
Her vision swam as she pressed her palms to her 'bruised' head. Fear churned inside her chest, but something else rose with it , something jagged, something burning. Fury. Guys around her laughed at her dramatic reaction after getting smacked. She felt more ashamed seeing them laughing on her face..
I don't belong here. I don't belong to any of you.
Leo's shadow loomed closer. He didn't need to raise his voice this time, the quietness of it was worse. His eyes, dark and unreadable, caught the low light, and for a split second Ava thought she saw something almost human flicker there, regret? amusement? , before it vanished.
To be continued