"Nanna?" she called into the room. She was holding a doll by its leg as it hung upside down from her hand.

"Yes, precious." Millie walked over to the girl.

"I'm hungry," she said as Millie picked her up in her arms.

"Nanna will get you something. Let's go to the kitchen. Did you want to say h.e.l.lo to our company?" Millie spun her around to see Stephanie and Nate. Her tiny hand gave them a small wave before they headed down the hallway.

"Brianna's parents moved in not long after she disappeared. It's impossible to take care of Paige by myself with my hectic work schedule. They have been a blessing," Alden said.

"We're happy to help," Mark said with a sad smile. "Paige reminds us so much of Brianna."

"She doesn't remember her mother," Alden said. "Paige was only a baby at the time her mother was taken."

Every minute in the company of Alden, made Nate more restless. He seemed to be the only one picking up on his intensity toward Stephanie and his poor show of sadness. This man was not mourning his wife. Nate would bet his life that the man before him was a heartless man with no real connection to the family that still remained beside him. Nate wanted nothing more than to get Stephanie far away from him. He felt very protective of her and right now his instincts were screaming for him to get Stephanie out of there.

"I'm so sorry," Stephanie said.

"Yes, but in some ways it's for the best that she doesn't." Alden offered them a reserved smile. "Are you staying close by while you're in town?" Alden changed the subject.

"Yes, we are. We're*" Stephanie began but Nate felt the need to jump in. The less Alden knew about where they were staying or how long they would be in town, the better.

"We should get going, Stephanie. We promised Officer Carlton we would stop by the precinct to go over a few things."

Stephanie looked at him questioningly before nodding. "Yes, I'm sure we've taken enough of your time." Stephanie set her cup on the tray and stood up.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you wish," Alden offered.

"You are too kind, really, but Nate is right...we must be heading off," Stephanie said kindly. "It was nice to meet you, Mark and Alden. Please tell Millie and Paige goodbye for us."

"Yes, of course." Mark led them to the door.

Nate threw Alden one last glance as he left the room, which only reinforced his feelings toward the man. This was no family man, he knew his type well.

Nate ushered Stephanie out the door and placed his arm on the small of her back to quicken her step.

"Do you want to tell me why you practically ran us out of there?" Stephanie asked as they approached their car.

"I don't trust Alden. My bulls.h.i.t meter was going f.u.c.king haywire," Nate answered as he rounded the car and opened his door. He looked over the roof of the car to Stephanie.

"What are you saying?" Stephanie asked.

Nate looked toward the front window of the house where Alden was standing in the open curtains with a phone to his ear. He raised his hand in a stiff wave toward Nate.

"I don't know. Let's just get out of here."

CHAPTER.

TWENTY-THREE.

Lexie A bright light flooded the room when the curtains were wrenched open. Lexie turned her face away from the overly bright glare that pulled her from a very unsettled sleep. She tried to move her hands only to be reminded that she was cuffed. The movement caused pain to flare up the lengths of her arms.

Lexie opened her eyes and looked at her raw wrists that were bound to the old radiator in the room. She had slept on a thin mattress that had been tossed on the floor of the old house she had been brought to the night before.

Lexie scanned the room. The walls were cracked and stained in the light of day. A stale smell filled her nose as she took a deep breath. A few boxes sat in the corner of the room. The cardboard had grown soft and the contents rounded the sides. The entire room was coated in dust as if it hadn't been used in years.

Someone cleared her throat and Lexie turned to see a woman leaning against the wall next to the window with a severe scowl painted across her face. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and harsh eyeliner circled her eyes, giving her a very hard edge.

"Who are you?" Lexie asked. She tried to push herself up into a sitting position so she didn't feel so vulnerable. Her mouth felt dry and her head throbbed from whatever Flint had given her.

"I'm the b.i.t.c.h that's gonna make your life a living h.e.l.l," she answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Where's Flint?" Lexie asked in confusion. She gave up trying to find a comfortable position and stared at the woman looming over her. Lexie didn't have time to react when the woman lunged at her. She grabbed Lexie by the throat and smashed her head into the wall behind her. Lexie gasped as the pain radiated down her back and made her eyes water. Lexie tensed her body, unsure of what would follow as she cringed from the pain. She was defenseless.

Lexie snapped her eyes open when she heard the woman's laughter, her breath hot on Lexie's cheek.

"My brother told me what you did." She ran her fingernail down Lexie's cheek, hard enough to leave a stinging sensation along her skin.

"I didn't do anything." Lexie pulled away and rattled the handcuff in annoyance. "I'm the victim here."

"Hardly. I know your type. You manipulate to get what you want by batting your pretty little eyes. You're not getting away with putting a target on my brother's back. You better hope his plan works."

"Your brother has a target on his back because he's crazy, and apparently it runs in the family," Lexie spat angrily.

The woman wound up her fist and hit Lexie in the face. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth and pain throbbed in her lip. Lexie looked down and noticed blood dripping on her tank top but she refused to let the woman know how much it hurt as she glared furiously. She needed to stop aggravating her because she was unable to defend herself, but Lexie was angry that she was back in this position again. She hated feeling like a caged animal...at least this time her cage seemed more likely to have weak spots. This woman staring back at her was filled with rage so thick it blackened her eyes. People like this made mistakes, and Lexie would be ready to take advantage.

"Sabine," a man's voice called from the hallway outside the door.

"In here," she answered.

The footsteps grew louder until they stopped at the entrance of the room. His shadow darkened the doorway before he stepped into the room. The man's dark, curious eyes landed on Sabine before they swung to Lexie. His unkempt black hair hung loose against his shoulders. Piercing brows hung heavy over eyes that carried dark shadows.

"So this is Stodden's girl," he said as he strolled into the room, his eyes never leaving Lexie as he drank in her entire presence. Lexie tried not to recoil from his cold, raking glare. She didn't want to show fear despite the fact that she didn't feel so comfortable being outnumbered and at a serious disadvantage.

He ran his hand through his hair and walked closer to Sabine. "What are we going to do with her?" he asked in a tone that gave Lexie chills.

"Nothing, for now. Flint said not to touch her while he's gone," Sabine responded despondently.

"It looks like you didn't listen." He smirked as he stepped closer to Lexie. She pulled away when he reached for her face.

"Don't touch me." Lexie pulled back as far as she could manage.

He watched her like she was a fascinating piece of art and he was trying to determine its meaning.

"How long is she staying here?" He looked back at Sabine.

"G.o.d knows what my foolish brother has in mind."

The man walked closer to Sabine. Stepping behind her, he ran his hand around her waist and pulled her tighter to him. He leaned in to bite her shoulder before he continued up the curve of her neck, caressing her skin with his lips and teeth. Sabine welcomed the touch as she submitted to him. A satisfied moan escaped her as his hand ran up the inside of her leg and under her skirt. "Maybe we can have a little fun with her while we wait," he suggested in Sabine's ear.

Lexie's eyes widened in fear and she pressed her back into the wall behind her. There was no way she would be taking in part in whatever he had in mind. Adrenaline began fueling her body in antic.i.p.ation of what might take place.

Sabine's eyes snapped open and looked Lexie straight in the eye. A dark anger swirled beneath the surface as full and deep as Lexie's hatred for her. Sabine turned abruptly and shoved the man behind her. He stumbled backward with a shocked look on his face. "What the f.u.c.k, Sabine?"

"Not her," Sabine commanded. "You will never touch her and you will not think of her. Do you understand me?"

He nodded his head as his eyes flashed from Sabine and Lexie.

Sabine slapped him across the face with the back of her hand. "Do you understand me?" Sabine demanded.

"Yes." His eyes flared dark. Lexie only watched in disgust as these two danced some twisted game of foreplay. Despite the fact that this man was physically larger than Sabine, she exacted all the control. The harsher she became, the more willing and eager he was to please her.

"You want to make me happy, don't you?" Sabine cooed as she ran her fingernail along his chest.

"Always," he responded quickly.

"Then do what I say," Sabine said as she grabbed his chin roughly. Her nails looked like they were about to break his flesh as he looked down at her with exaggerated breath. His gaze dropped to her lips before he began to lean down toward her but she stopped him.

"Not now. I need to think," Sabine said, pushing him away.

The sound of a door closing on the lower floor claimed Sabine's attention. "Watch her." She pointed her talon-like nail toward Lexie as she stalked out of the room.

His eyes swung to Lexie and a subtle smile curled up the corners of his lips. Lexie didn't know what was worse, Sabine the aggressor, or her well-trained pet. They both gave Lexie the creeps. This entire situation did. They seemed unpredictable and danced on the boundary of insanity. This was nothing like being wrapped up in the carefully laid plans of John Stodden, whose moves were calculated and precise. This was like being thrown into a pit of fire when it was about to rain gasoline.

Lexie looked at her cuffs and gave them another tug. Her skin was aggravated from the chafing metal. She knew there was no way to be free of them on her terms. She pressed her head back against the wall and let out an exasperated breath. She could still feel the pain lingering from Sabine's welcoming embrace.

Every time she closed her eyes, even for a brief moment, she saw Cherry on the floor with blood smeared across her face. She prayed with every corner of her soul that she was well. Lexie was tired of the people she loved being caught in the crossfire.

This time Lexie was filled with anger. There was no fear of the unknown as she found herself at the mercy of these people. She had already been introduced to this dark side of humanity and had lost her mother because of it. Now she wanted revenge.

She knew Jackson would come for her this time...there was no doubt in her mind, but part of her didn't want him to. That part of her needed him to know she could take care of herself, despite the odds stacked against her. There was also the very real fear that something would happen to him, and she couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose anyone else in her life.

Jackson was supposed to have been a safe bet, someone she knew she wouldn't fall for. She knew he was dangerous, unstable, and capable of things she could only imagine. It was merely scratching a s.e.xual need, but she had been in denial from the start, and she knew that now. He was everything she thought she wouldn't want, and yet now he was the only one she could picture giving herself to. Lexie had always envisioned herself with someone safe and comforting like Alex, but Jackson had led her to discover more about herself then she ever thought possible.

Jackson fit her in ways she never imagined; on levels so deep it penetrated her core. It was terrifying and raw to the point that she knew she could never turn back. He was still very much a closed book, with dark secrets she knew should terrify her, but a piece of her now existed in him, just like a piece of her was buried with Alex.

Lexie looked up at the man across the room as he lit his cigarette. His dark eyes never left her as she was forced to remain in his company.

"What's your name?" Lexie asked.

"Why?" He narrowed his eyes as he took a long pull from his cigarette.

"I was just curious if you had a name or if I should just call you Sabine's little pet," Lexie said defiantly. She wanted to know exactly who she was dealing with, and pushing his b.u.t.tons seemed like a good place to start.

"You should be careful or I'll show you how not so little I am," he ground out through his clenched teeth. "The name is Neil." He blew out the smoke and watched it curl in the air around him. "Remember it." A sly smile curled up the edges of his lips.

"Well, Neil, is kidnapping women the norm around here?" Lexie asked.

"Depends," he said with a tilt of his head.

"Am I at least allowed to use the washroom?" Lexie raised a brow.

Neil glanced toward the door and then back at Lexie. "Yeah, I guess." He threw his cigarette down on the floor and stepped on it before he walked over toward the window and grabbed a key off the ledge. Lexie hadn't even noticed it until he retrieved it. "Don't try anything stupid. There are armed men everywhere in this house and they were ordered to shoot first and ask questions later."

"Fair enough." Lexie had noticed the gun tucked into his pants when he had turned his back. She needed to be careful.

"So what's it like to have John Stodden as a father?" Neil asked as he grabbed her wrist to unlock the cuffs.

"Terrible," Lexie answered honestly.

"Daddy issues?" Neil smiled mischievously.

"You have no idea."

"Give me your other hand." Neil said. Lexie tentatively held out her hand and Neil closed the cuff over her other wrist, securing her hands together. "Okay, get up." Neil stepped back to allow her room to get to her feet. He withdrew his gun and aimed it at her.

Lexie tried not to show fear as he waved the gun toward the doorway. "It's at the end of the hall."

Lexie walked slowly down the hall. The only thing she could think about was the gun pointed at her back. It left little room for thoughts of escape.

When Lexie stepped inside the washroom and grabbed the door, she turned around and closed it in Neil's face unapologetically. She tried to turn the lock, only to discover it was broken. She could hear Neil's snicker on the other side of the door.

Lexie walked over toward the sink and turned the water on. Water sputtered out of the old tarnished faucet before it began to run smoothly over her hands. Filling her hands with water, she splashed her face with the cool, refreshing liquid. She needed to think and the first person who came to mind was Jackson. He was the most resourceful person she had ever known and she tried to think about what he would do in this situation.

Lexie turned off the water and grabbed the towel hanging on the towel bar. It looked relatively clean as she grabbed the end to dry her face. Voices floated up through the grate on the floor and she bent down to listen. She recognized Flint and Sabine's voice immediately.

"...you don't need him, Flint. He was just your puppeteer for f.u.c.king years. Let's get him to give us some money for his daughter. I'm sure he'll pay a s.h.i.tload for his little b.i.t.c.h," Sabine said.

"He won't let me get away with that. I need to convince him that Lexie was telling lies. He'll see it my way when I deliver her and the files to him," Flint responded. His voice seemed strained as she listened.

"Why do you want that b.a.s.t.a.r.d's approval?" Sabine was losing her temper as the tone of her voice rang loud and clear. "Do you honestly think he values your loyalty? We both know he doesn't give a s.h.i.t about anyone but himself. You need to forget about your history with Stodden and think about keeping yourself alive."

"I'm as good as dead if I turn my back on him."

"He can't kill you if he can't find you. I can find a buyer easy for the girl and the s.h.i.t Stodden wants. Do you know how much people would pay to have that power over him? We can take the money and disappear."

A banging on the door startled Lexie and she jumped to her feet. "Just a second." Lexie flushed the toilet and barely had time to prepare herself before the door swung open.