by J Marie
“Hello, Jaden. Remember me?” he asked me.
I rolled my eyes and flipped him off with my good hand. Maybe I should start taking up sign language.
“Of course, you do.” He smiled, looking back down at my chart.
I shook my head at him and looked away toward the window with white open wood blinds. I could see some vegetation growing around the windows, but they certainly weren’t plants I recognized. Definitely tropical.
And then I felt the room spin. Fuck, I was groggy.
“Jaden,” Sid addressed me. I turned my head to glare at him, blinking the random dizziness away. “We’re going to make you better, but we’re going to need your absolute cooperation, understand? Otherwise, your recovery will take longer than expected, and I know you don’t want that.”
If it hadn’t been so painful, I would have snorted with laughter. Everybody wanted my cooperation. Whatever.
“Now, if you can finish a little more of the smoothie, I’ll give you a sedative to help you sleep.”
Sleep suddenly sounded like a fantastic idea. I really didn’t want to be awake anymore.
I gave Sid another glare before I reluctantly turned and wrapped my lips around the straw to gently suck down more of the smoothie. At least, it tasted good. I managed to get another quarter of it down and that seemed to satisfy him. I laid back against the pillows, suddenly exhausted from the excitement and exertion. Sid walked over to my IV bag and injected something into it.
Within thirty seconds, I felt the drug kick in and my eyes felt even heavier than before. The moment I shut them, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be waking up for the rest of the day.
Chapter Forty-Two
Spark
The following day, I woke up to find Nurse Ginsby fiddling with something at the kitchen counter. It looked like she was preparing me another smoothie, the irritating sound of the blender confirming my suspicion. I groaned in protest, wanting nothing more than to disappear back into the blankness of my sleep. I didn’t even dream. There was just … nothing. Quiet, peaceful nothing.
“Oh, good.” The nurse turned to me with a smile. “Sorry I had to wake you, but it’s time for you to eat again since you didn’t eat much yesterday.”
I wasn’t even close to hungry. Just tired, groggy, and achy as hell. I wanted to go back to sleep, especially since I was sure Darren’s stupid ass would be visiting me today. Ginsby checked my monitor and my vitals before placing the smoothie cup into the holder by my face. I took a few sips here and there, tasting pomegranate, cherries, and raspberries … and fuck if it wasn’t amazing.
“On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain today?” Ginsby suddenly asked me.
I brought my left hand up, exposed five fingers, and then flashed her two more. I surprisingly didn’t feel as much pain today as I had yesterday. It must have just been the initial shock of things.
“Okay,” she said, nodding as she pressed a few buttons on my monitor. “We’ll up your pain meds just a little bit.”
She then returned to the fridge and brought back another bottle of water, cracked it open, topped it with a bendy straw and placed it in the other holder. I took a few sips of that, ignoring the pain in my jaw from the suction.
“I’ve been informed to tell you that Mr. Davis will be here to see you within the hour. He landed on the island late last night, but you were asleep then.”
Like that’d stop him.
I was sure Darren had already visited me last night; I just wasn’t awake to know it and thank God for that. If I saw him a hundred years from now, it’d still be too soon. The nurse then grabbed a small tablet and set it on the table beside my bed.
“If you need to tell me anything specific, you can use this. There are also several apps on there for games, movies, and reading. No web browsing, though, I’m afraid.”
Of course, not.
“Is there anything else you need right now?” she asked me.
Oh, the things I needed right now …
The list was way too long and impossible to accomplish, so I gave her a small shake of my head and she nodded.
“Okay. Just push this button if anything changes, okay?” she said, pointing to the small red button on the left side of my bed. I nodded at her and she went on her way, picking up a book on the table and sitting down to read.
For the next thirty-five minutes, I laid there, absolutely bored out of my mind and completely disinterested in the tablet. I didn’t feel like playing a game, watching a movie, or reading. I wanted my body to heal so I could get the fuck out of here. Sid came by for a few minutes to check on me, but he didn’t have anything useful to say. Just that I needed to rest and cooperate.
I spent quite some time analyzing my room and the world outside of the windows. I could hear birds; they sounded different, but I liked it. I could hear the ocean, so it didn’t sound like we were too far from the beach, but that was literally all I could hear. No cars, no horns, no people, just nothing. I had been isolated all over again.
A few minutes later, I heard the door to my left open, and I closed my eyes in anguish knowing it was Darren. I could feel him before he even opened the door, my body so well-tuned to his dominating presence.
“Out,” I heard him say, and the mere sound of his voice brought tremors to my skin.
The guard and the nurse both immediately stood and left the room without a word, leaving me alone with him. I kept my head turned away from him as I focused on the sunlight outside the window, but the slow rhythmic sound of his footsteps against the tiled floor made it hard to ignore.
He stopped at the left side of my bed, and I tensed from how close he was. He then leaned down and took the side of my still bruised face in his hand, rubbing his thumb along my cheek before placing a soft kiss on my temple. A wave of emotion came over me as I cringed into myself, two single tears falling down my face. Fear, rage, and pure unadulterated hatred all washed over me like a tidal wave and I instantly wished I was dead.
“How’s my princess?” Darren asked with that snide attitude of his. Yeah, he was considering this some personal victory. Fuck him.
I didn’t respond, just curled my lips in disgust while his thumbs gently wiped away my tears. He rose up then and walked toward the window, his hands resting behind his back. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He was in another suit of course; black jacket, black pants, white dress shirt, and black tie, clean-shaven, and hair styled to perfection.
Just go …
He sighed heavily and finally spoke.
“I expect you to cooperate with Sid and his staff to ensure your recovery. We will not leave the island until I’m satisfied with your progression. So in essence, I’m giving you some control of when we return home. It’s all up to you.”
Oh, how sweet of him.
Darren then turned away from the window to address me, his hands remaining behind his back as he glared at me from across the room.
“I hope by now you realize escaping is not an option, and something you will never want to consider again. As I’ve said before, things can always get worse, and as of now, they will be.”
I was already aware things were going to get worse. I had calculated that long ago, but I was worried as to how bad he would make them.
“You will not take a single breath without my knowledge of it. You will not move or speak unless granted permission by me. All of your “freedoms” have been revoked and you can consider the luxury of privacy nonexistent. From now on, you will have twenty-four-hour supervision with several bodyguards, and you will not take a single step without my say-so first. Not until you can be trusted—if ever.”
Darren then headed over to my bedside and pulled a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket. He unfolded it and tossed it into my lap, but I didn’t have the courage to move my eyes.
“And as for your little plan to save your family, you were not as successful as you thought you’d be. I have a strategy for everything, Jaden. Don’t ever forge
t that and maybe next time you can save yourself the wasted pain and energy.”
I winced my lips in absolute anger, but the pain radiating in my jaw brought more tears to my eyes. I fought against them, but they continued to well in the corners until one finally fell.
“I hope it was worth it,” he said, straightening his jacket. “Because, as of yesterday, you’re no longer a missing statistic. You’re officially dead to the world.”
I squinted in confusion as his words registered. What in the hell did he mean I was officially dead to the world? I finally looked up at him with my confusion, but he just smiled at me, leaned down, and kissed my forehead before righting himself.
“Get well soon, princess.” He smirked. “I have a whole new curriculum for you, and I can’t wait to get started.”
With that, he sauntered out of the room with his hands in his pockets, looking perfectly pleased with himself as he opened the door and walked out, the guard and nurse returning in his stead.
I looked down at the piece of paper he placed on my lap and instantly saw my name in bold letters. I picked the paper up with my good hand and realized it was a news article, but the title had me confused and horrified all at the same time. “Body found in Detroit Alley Confirmed as Missing 25-Year-Old, Jaden Wilder.” My eyes widened while my heart monitor practically blasted from my pounding heart.
“Local police confirm the body found in an alley in downtown Detroit yesterday was identified as the missing woman. Severe thermal burns prevented fingerprint identification, but dental records have provided positive identification. The cause of death has been determined as a drug overdose. The remains were later soaked with gasoline and lit on fire, possibly to prevent identification. Police have been unsuccessful in locating the woman’s mother and boyfriend to claim the body, but some of her distant family members have stepped forward. Funeral arrangements are being made for this Sunday …”
My mind swam in a whirlpool of panic and terror as I couldn’t even finish reading the article. I was dead. The world thought I was dead, and they were planning a funeral. A funeral where people who knew me might be, who would now unknowingly be placing themselves in danger. Not only that but another person, one whom I didn’t even know, had taken my place on my deathbed and would now be buried six feet under because of me. Her family would never know the truth and neither would mine.
I suddenly couldn’t breathe. My mouth instantly went dry and my vision spun like a carousel. I felt myself begin to hyperventilate while the heart monitor beeped like crazy.
“Jaden, Jaden, calm down,” I heard the nurse say. “Jaden, I need you to calm down!”
My body shook in uncontrollable terror. Darren had won. I had failed my family because he knew their hearts better than I did. They wouldn’t believe Jason if they were told I was dead. Thankfully, he and my mother and brothers were gone. He could keep them safe. I knew he could, but I couldn’t say the same for everyone else.
Nurse Ginsby panicked around me as she tried to get me to calm down, but there was no hope there. I didn’t even realize I was screaming until I noticed my tears fall onto the paper article. I crinkled the thing in my hand until Ginsby finally grabbed it and tore it away from me.
“Shit!” I heard her say as she started to pull a needle from one of the drawers nearby. I gripped and pulled at my hair as I practically thrashed in my bed. “Help me!” she yelled at the guard. He rushed over and held me down so she could stick the needle in my IV without missing.
“Shhh, Jaden. Shhh, it’s okay,” she said, trying to soothe me and she ran her hands through my hair, pushing it away from my face.
I felt a surge of exhaustion consume me and heard my heart monitor begin to slow again. My breathing eventually evened out as I rested my head against my pillow, tears still falling down my face, but it didn’t silence the terror that resided in my heart.
It was over. I had lost, and now, I would remain on this island, broken and powerless against the hurricane I swore I would destroy. I closed my eyes and choked back a sob. What more could I do now?
Stop it.
I had nothing left. Nothing more to fight with. I was so weak and pathetic. Broken.
Stop being a little bitch, Jaden.
My fight was useless. He would always win. Always. How did I ever think I could compete with him? He was ruthless. He was cruel. And he owned me.
Knock it the fuck off and wake up. You’re better than this.
What could I do? I was so weak.
You can stand the fuck back up because you’re stronger than this. Don’t be such a pussy.
I took a deep breath and relaxed, nearly smiling.
There was another fight that was always useless, one I constantly lost no matter how hard I fought it … and that was against my inner spirit. The one thing Darren could never break. She was right. I had to stop being a little bitch and stand back up. Darren chose me for my strength, and he would get nothing less. I might be broken now, but I would heal. I would regain that spark and light Darren’s entire world on fire.
It was not over. It never would be until I had Darren Davis dead at my feet and his entire criminal organization decimated to ashes. Only then would I be done.
Relief and pride filled me as I closed my eyes, finally giving in to the drug the nurse had administered. I would have my vengeance … right after this nap …
To be continued…
About the Author
J. Marie has been writing since she first learned the alphabet, but it wasn’t until 25 years later that she finally decided to take the deep plunge into the depths of publishing. Her written work conveys the darker side of writing, bringing in to light what most may shy away from and she loves every second of it.
Her inspiration comes to her in the form of a minefield on top of a snow covered mountain. One step and a new idea explodes in her head, and then before you know it, it's an avalanche of ideas rushing through her head and it does not stop!
When she's not writing until the late hours of the night, she's working as a legal assistant at a prominent law firm in Michigan. She enjoys practicing and teaching martial arts in her spare time as well as tearing up the neighborhood riding around on her super fun Honda Grom.
Connect with J. Marie
If you'd like to learn more about the author, her series, or to donate to charities for victims of human trafficking, check her out at www.jmarieseries.com or her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/JMarieSeries
Coming Soon!
Spark
A novel by J. Marie
Book Three of the Stronger Series
