Dark Desire (17 page)

“Mick, stop babying her, she’ll never fucking learn!” Sharleen snaps.

“Get on your fucking knees Sharleen, now.”

Sharleen’s eyes widen. “Excuse me?”

“Do as I fucking say and if you ever question me again, I’ll throw you to the wolves, now get on your fucking knees.”

She drops to her knees without another question, and her head bows. I stare down in shock. Seeing Sharleen like that almost makes me feel sorry for her.
Almost. I can’t feel entirely sorry for her, because she put herself here. She had a man who would die for her, and she chose his father over him. For that, she has no sympathy from me.

“Now, how about a nice shower?” Mick croons.

I don’t answer.

“Still silent?
That’s ok, we’ll change that.”

He pulls me out of the cells and barks at Sharleen to organize breakfast.
He leads me back up the stairs and we pass a few people with women glued to their sides on the way. I try to make eye contact with those girls, but none of them dare to look up. God, the poor things. I vow to myself then and there, that I would help these women. One way or another, I’d get them out.

“Now,” Mick says when we step into the room.
“A shower?”

I don’t say anything. He leads me into the room and turns on the shower, and then he
surprises me by walking out.

“Five minutes Willow.”

I quickly undress, desperate to remove the smell of rat from my body. I’m sure at one point during the night they chewed at my skin. One look at my tattered clothes, tells me they chewed on them. I check my skin frantically; thankfully there are no bite marks. I breathe a sigh of relief and get into the shower, scrubbing until I smell like a fucking rose.

When I get out, Mick walks in and I quickly yank up my towel. He puts some clothes down, but his expression lingers on my wet skin. When he walks over and leans down, licking the moisture off my shoulder
, I shudder. He takes it as a good sign and steps back grinning, when he’s gone, I drop to my knees and dry retch until my stomach screams at me to stop. Tears stumble down my cheeks and I swipe them angrily away. They won’t break me. Not now, not ever.

~*~*~*~

Sharleen brings breakfast in about an hour later. Mick stares at her a moment and then hands her a gun.

“I have to make a call, if she moves, shoot her.”

She smirks. “Yes Mick.”

Great, he’s leaving me with bat shit crazy woman and no doubt she’ll shoot me and just say I tried to move. She’s that kinda woman. When Mick walks out of the room, I glare at Sharleen and she returns it with full force.

“Why?” I snap. “He loved you.”

Sharleen looks shocked for a moment, and then her face turns stony hard again.

“I didn’t plan my life to go like this, but I was in trouble and Mick helped me.”

“Why didn’t you go to Jagger?”

“Because I was pregnant with a child that wasn’t his,”

My mouth drops open. “You cheated on him?”

“Yes, and when the other man found out about my child, he wanted nothing to do with it. I needed an abortion, but I couldn’t tell Jagger so I went to his father. I had met Mick a few times and I knew that he…knew people that could get it done for cheap.”

Oh my
God. I feel sick.

“Anyway, I made a deal with him and here I am.”

“Did you love him at all?” I whisper.

She shoots me a horrible expression. “Of course I fucking loved him. Jagger was my life but I had to make a choice.”

“You betrayed him, you could have made that better but instead you sunk yourself even further.”

“Mick’s good for me, I love him.”

“You think you love him,” I hiss. “But in reality, you’re nothing but a toy.”

She aims the gun at my head. “I’ll shoot you Willow, believe me.”

“Do it, do you think I’d care? I have no way out of this mess but I can tell you something. I’ll die before I betray Jagger.”

He face falls a moment, and she lowers the gun.

“You would do good to run, Willow. Mick is giving you a chance to be free when he has Jagger in his clutches. I suggest you take it, because if you don’t, you’ll never know the meaning of the word happiness again.”

Before I can answer, Mick returns. He smiles at Sharleen and rewards her with a sizzling kiss. When he pulls away, I can see the love and admiration in her eyes. He’s really mind fucked her.

“Go and prepare what needs to be prepared,” he says to her. “I’ll call later.”

When Sharleen’s gone, Mick serves me some food. Starving, I eat it but I’m full half way through. Not wanting to make myself sick, I push it away.

“Now Willow, won’t you eat more?” Mick says, pointing to my half empty plate.

“No,” I croak.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“No.”

“Very well, we’ll play it like that.”

His phone rings beside him and he stares down at the screen, grinning.

“Yes, my dearest.”

Silence.

“Ok baby, have them make room. We’ll be down in a moment.”

Silence.

“And Sharleen? You better be under my table with your mouth open.”

What the fuck? I want to be sick. The food in my stomach turns angr
ily. Mick walks over to me, strokes the hair from my face and then pulls me to my feet, pressing his lips down over mine. Don’t gag, don’t gag.

“I have a surprise for you, my dear.”

He takes my hand and snaps some cuffs on, and then he leads me out the door and down the massive halls. We step outside and the sunlight burns my eyes. I didn’t realize the house lights were dimmed until we step outside. Perhaps it’s another breaking tactic. We walk across a large, open field with planes and vans parked up in the middle. People are swarming about, moving bags and barking orders.

When they see Mick, they all seem to stop what they’re doing. It’s like they’re afraid of him, like they don’t dare look like they’re doing something wrong when he’s around. He barks at them all to get moving, and they all
continue rushing around as they were before. Mick leads me towards a huge, open building like structure. When we step in, there are about fifty people surrounding something.

“Move.”

Everyone moves on command and I see what they’re looking at. Jagger is sitting on a chair, chained to it. I open my mouth and cry out. His head snaps up and his gaze meets mine. He surges forward, toppling over. A man leans down and jerks him back up again.

“Willow!”

Mick leads me over, holding my arm so tightly I can’t move more than an inch; I wouldn’t dare to move even if I could.

“Hello son, how are we feeling?”

“You fuckin’ cunt, let her go.”

“Oh I plan to. First, how was your trip? Enjoyable I hope?”

“Just get to the fucking point, why am I here? And what are you going to do to her?”

“Well, see, I’m running the fighting rings again.”

Jagger’s head falls, he knows even before his father says it.

“All along, you wanted me?”
His voice comes out broken.

“Of course, and here I was thinking I
raised you to be smart.”

“You fucking bastard,” Jagger hisses.

“Now, here’s the deal. You trade yourself with her. I’ll let her go; I’ll make sure you know she gets home safely.”

“Done,
” Jagger says, not thinking twice about it.

“Jagger no!” I cry.

“Ah, but that isn’t all. If she tries to come back, or sends someone to save you, I’ll hunt her down and kill her family. Then, I’ll get her and use her as a slave until her dying day. I don’t bluff, I assure you that I will make sure she’s captured if she so much as thinks about trying to get you out of here.”

No, oh fuck, no.

“Deal,” Jagger says again.

“Well, my boy is smarter than I thought.”

“Jagger no, please, don’t do this.”

Jagger looks up and meets my gaze. He’s not showing any emotion now, not a damn thing.

“Let me talk to her, bring her closer.”

“Now son…”

“Do it or I’ll fucking do nothing for you!” Jagger barks.

Mick shoves me forward and Jagger ushers me closer. I lean down, my lips tremble and with my free hand I cup his cheek.

“Willow baby, you have to do as I say, do you understand?”

“No Jagger, I won’t leave you.”

“Willow, for once in your life you need to trust me. If you stay here, it won’t change what happens to me. You need to go, you need to get out of this place and then take your sister and leave LA. Go anywhere, I don’t care where just don’t stay there. I mean it Willow, don’t you fuckin’ come back for me.”

“Jagger, no, I can’t leave you.”

Tears are streaming down my cheek.

“You have to. Willow, this is your chance to start again. Get out of this world, get out and don’t come back. Forget me, move on and don’t you try and be a hero.”

“Jagger, no, I can’t. I love you. Please…”

He swallows down his emotion, and his eyes are glassy.

“You never deserved this, and now you have the chance to make your life right without all the danger. Coming back for me will only cause you to end up here.”

“I don’t care, I won’t leave you!”

“Willow,” He barks. “Don’t fucking be a hero. You have no idea what is in store for you here, do you?”

Mick laughs loudly and Jagger shoots him a glare.

“Yes, I do, but it’s worth it if I can be with you.”

“You won’t be with me!” He roars. “They’ll never let me see you. I don’t want you here Willow, do you understand me? LEAVE AND DON’T COME BACK!”

“Jagger…”

“Get the fuck outta’ here. I mean it, GO!”

I’m crying so heavily I can’t see. Mick pulls me back and I scream, lurching forward. My arms wrap around Jagger and I kiss him so furiously it hurts.

“
I won’t let this happen.” I whisper.

“
Leave Willow,” Jagger’s voice is like steel. Already he’s turned every emotion off.

Mick jerks me back and I struggle in his grip.

“Jagger, please…”

“Go Willow. F
uck, if you want to do anything for me, then listen. Listen to what I told you and do as I ask. We’re done, this is over. Move on and forget me.”

“No!” I cry, screaming and struggling.

Jagger’s eyes are pure agony as he watches me being pulled away, screaming and begging not to be taken. Right now I’d do anything for Jagger, but part of my injured soul knows he’s right. I don’t want to stay in this place, because even if I do, I won’t see him. They’d never allow it. Mick’s hand clamps over my mouth and one of the random stranger’s hands him that awful bottle of chloroform.

Jagger jerks in his seat as they raise the cloth to my mouth. The last thing I see is him whispering ‘I love you’. Then I’m surrounded in nothing but darkness.

FINISH WILLOW AND JAGGER’S STORY IN DARK ENDINGS, RELEASED APRIL/MAY 2013.