3. Grace

Chapter three

Grace

Present Day

" W ho the fuck do you think you're talking to?" My brother's voice cut through the chaos of the club, making me flinch. I was seated beside him on one of the couches in the VIP lounge, a glass of red wine in my hand. His entourage of goons surrounded us, including Shen, who stood behind me as usual, in case anyone managed to forget who I was and tried to talk to me or something.

The weaselly man in front of us sneered at my brother, which was never a good move. He kept glancing over at me, his eyes raking over my bare legs—his second mistake. His third was trying to lie to my brother's face, which was just asking for trouble. He really must've not known who he was dealing with.

"Gracie," Doug called out, and I sighed and sat up straight, my hair falling in waves down my back. Doug refused to let me put my hair up anymore, and the last time I'd tried to cut it short, he'd broken my wrist.

I looked at the sneering loser in front of us and let out a little sliver of my light, pushing it toward him. The effect was immediate, his sneer turned into a genuine smile, his eyes relaxed, and his shoulders dropped. "Tell me the truth," I murmured, leaning forward. He leaned toward me, beaming under the attention.

"I knew I was selling in your territory, I just didn't care. Nobody takes you seriously anymore. There are new up-and-comers, moving in right under your nose, and you haven't stopped them, so what was the harm in trying?" he told me, and I felt Doug's rage bubbling to the surface. Doug grabbed my wrist, digging his nails into my skin, and I drew back on my light, leaving the man dazed.

"Nobody takes me seriously, hey?" Doug snarled, standing and dragging me up with him. The man cowered in front of him, looking at me like I could help him somehow.

"N-n-no, I didn't mean it, I swear. I don't- I didn't…" Two of Doug's men grabbed him by the arms and pulled him toward a nearby hallway. Doug tugged me along beside him like a dog, and together we followed the men toward the back entrance, shoving it open into the alleyway.

"Stop, please, don't hurt me!" he begged, and I jerked back, unwilling to leave the safety of the club. Doug wouldn't let go, instead, he wrapped his arms around me—like he used to do when he were kids—and he forced me to watch as his men kicked the shit out of the weaselly guy. His breath was hot and smelled of whiskey as he gripped me to his chest, pinning my arms to my body so I couldn't twist away.

"Do it now," he hissed, squeezing me so tightly the wine glass dropped out of my hand, shattering on the ground and splashing droplets of red across the alley. I hated this part, when he toyed with his prey. Why couldn't he just kill them quickly and be done with it?

I let the light ebb out of me, and the man stopped writhing, his body relaxing against the muddy ground. "Thank you," he moaned.

"W-what are you most afraid of?" I asked, and Doug sighed against my neck, his nose buried in my hair. His excitement was palpable, and it made my skin crawl.

"Drowning, I'm terrified of drowning," he told me earnestly, gazing up at me with wonderment. I flinched and closed my eyes as Doug pinched my ribcage, reeling back my light and tucking it safely inside my chest. I wish he hadn't said drowning… I hated drowning.

"W-wait, what's going on?" the man whimpered, and Doug chuckled. I tried to block out the sounds, but when his screams of horror turned into awful gurgling sounds, my stomach lurched painfully. I twisted in his grip, my throat clenching as I held back the sobs that threatened to escape as Doug's fingers bit into my side. When the man on the ground finally stopped thrashing, my brother's hold loosened, allowing me to escape his grasp and run back inside.

Shen was waiting for me, blocking the hallway, and I gestured at the women's bathroom before disappearing inside. My chest was heaving, and I felt the bile rising in my throat. I beelined to the toilet. After my meager stomach contents had successfully vacated the premises, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and walked to the sink. Rinsing out my mouth, I took a few sips of water out of the tap, then tried to do something about my ruined makeup. Doug would no doubt comment on it later, but if he didn't want my mascara to run, maybe he could stop forcing me to witness him torturing people to death.

Doug didn't let me carry a purse, so I couldn't touch up my lipstick or pop a stick of gum for my breath. I settled for rinsing my mouth out a few more times, then blotting my face with a paper towel.

My nerves were fried, so I didn't pay attention at first as a shiver ran down my spine. At least, not until my curls shifted, ruffling around my face. I blinked and looked up at the ceiling, checking for an errant fan or something that would generate a random breeze, but there was nothing. I looked behind me at the empty stalls, feeling suddenly and inexplicably like I wasn't alone.

Of course I was alone. The bathroom wasn't big, and I could see every corner of it. I heaved a sigh and tossed the paper towel in the trash, shaking my head. I was starting to crack. Doug had finally made my poor mind snap under the pressure of his overbearing existence. Then, it happened again. I froze halfway to the door when I felt something brush against my hip, like the ghost of fingertips trailing over the fabric of my dress. I whirled around, facing the empty room behind me, my breath shaky as I focused my gaze, staring into the space as if willing someone to appear. "H- hello?" I whispered. My mind was playing tricks on me, I was sure of it. Because if I closed my eyes right now, I could swear on my life that someone was standing not even a foot away, looming over me in this small space.

My hand rose, slowly, in front of my face. If I reached forward right now, would my fingers touch something solid, or would they simply move through the air? My skin prickled with nervous anticipation as I moved my hand out in front of me-

The door banged open, and I dropped my hand, my heart lurching in my throat as I spun around. Shen was staring at me, his lips turned down, and he jerked his head in a silent order. I was such an idiot, just hallucinating by myself in the bathroom.

I followed him back to our table, where Doug was seated once more, this time with a random girl on his lap, his hands roaming her body, uncaring of their audience. I was forced to sit beside them, pressing myself into the arm of the couch to avoid being bumped by any of their limbs. I sat silently, ignoring them and thinking about my lapse of sanity in the bathroom.

Nobody tried to talk to me, or even looked at me for that matter. They knew if they did, they'd earn Doug's swift and immediate wrath. I sank into the cushions, trying not to listen to the sounds the blond bimbo was making as she gyrated on Doug's lap. All I could do now was wait until he got bored so we could go home.

"There he is! The man of the hour!" I jolted out of my reverie and sat up quickly, glancing over at Doug to see if he'd noticed my inattention. I must have been zoned out—maybe in shock?—for a while, because the bimbo was gone, and my brother was standing to greet someone new. When Doug sat back down, I was able to get a good look at the man, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Sergio Gorechec was a slimy prick, who had been trying to worm his way into Doug's good graces for years now. He did everything but get on the ground and lick my brother's shoes, and I was sure he would have, if Doug asked. I hated the oily feeling I got whenever his eyes lingered on me, which was often, unfortunately. He was a pig and, for some reason, Doug hadn't taken his eyes for it, yet.

"Gracie, move over and let our guest sit down," Doug ordered, patting the couch beside him. I plastered a bland look on my face and scooted over, tugging my dress down as it began to ride up over my hips. Sergio landed heavily beside me, and I pressed against my brother to avoid having my leg trapped under Sergio's thigh. He was a big guy, as tall as my brother but at least twice as bulky. He put his arm up, along the back of the couch behind me, and I sat forward to avoid touching him.

"You need a drink. Shen!" Doug snapped his fingers, and Shen vanished, appearing moments later with a glass of some brown colored liquor. I wrinkled my nose—Doug knew I wasn't much for whiskey—but I took it anyway, not bothering to thank Shen. He would just as quickly put a gun to my head and pull the trigger, so he didn't get politeness from me anymore. A small act of rebellion in my sad little world. Both men stared at me in silence, until I raised the glass to my lips, trying not to grimace as the liquor burned my throat.

"Such a good girl," Sergio commented, his booming voice shaking the entire couch. What was it with these men? They treated women like dogs or sex toys, never humans. Doug laughed, and I took another sip, masking my scowl.

"Gracie, Sergio did me an enormous favor this week." Doug smiled, his eyes flicking to my drink in a silent warning. I brought the glass up to my lips, and he took his finger and pushed on the bottom, tipping more into my mouth, making me cough and sputter. "I promised that, as a reward, we could show him a good time tonight." I nodded dully, feeling a little lightheaded. "So why don't you try to lighten up a bit and help him relax?" I frowned, not quite understanding his meaning. Did he want me to use my power? Or just smile and simper at him? I turned to Sergio, craning my neck to look up at his face. He was openly leering at me now, and I felt a heavy hand land on my bare thigh. He was being way too forward, people had been blinded for less. I glanced at my brother as I shifted on the couch, trying to get away from Sergio's hand.

"Finish your drink, Gracie," Doug ordered, and someone—maybe Sergio?—tipped the glass up to my lips, trickling the rest of the whiskey down my throat. I didn't remember setting the glass down, but I must have, because my hands were folded neatly in my lap as I rested back into the couch. The whiskey was making my head spin, and their voices drifted over me faintly, so I only caught snippets of their conversation.

…Return in the morning…

…No permanent damage…

Hands lifted me off of the couch, and I hadn't realized that I had closed my eyes until I blinked them open, trying to focus on the shape next to me. Shen never touched me if he could help it, so it seemed strange that he would be helping me stumble through the club. My feet kept tripping underneath me, and I heard him click his tongue in amusement.

That's odd, Shen is never amused…

The cold air outside hit me like a slap in the face as we left the club, and I shivered, looking for Doug's black SUV. To my surprise, there was a white Escalade parked out front instead, and Shen ushered me toward it, practically tossing me into the back seat. I struggled to sit up, wishing the world would stop spinning for just a moment so I could get my bearings. What the hell had been in that glass? I tugged on the seatbelt, missing several times before I finally got it buckled in. Why are the seats cream coloured? I blinked rapidly, forcing my eyes to stay open. Wait… this isn't our car. Where was Shen? And Doug? Fumbling to get my seatbelt off, someone grabbed my hand, stopping me, and the car took off with a lurch, jerking me back into the seat.

I looked up to see Sergio leering at me, and I scrambled to pull my hand away from his, but his grip was like iron and my muscles felt like jelly. "Lemme go!" I insisted, my tongue refusing to obey my brain's commands.

"You're such a beautiful doll." He smirked, and I flinched away from him as he stroked my cheek. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with you." He smiled, and my heart hammered in my throat. I slipped my hand out of his and grabbed the door handle, trying to get it open. He must've put the child-locks on, because it didn't budge.

"Don't worry, doll, I won't be too rough." He chuckled, and I felt his stale breath on my cheek as I wrenched on my seatbelt, trying to crawl out of my seat. His hand shoved between my thighs, and I slammed them closed, but he just grabbed my knees and jerked them apart. My consciousness was starting to fade, the world dimming around the edges, as I struggled and screamed, scratching at his face with my nails. I heard him swear, and a hand gripped my throat, cutting off my breath. "Be a good girl now," he snapped, and I clawed at his arm, stars dancing in my vision as my lungs burned from the lack of air. He was shoving my dress up, his hand forcing itself between my legs, and I tried to scream, the sound muted as he squeezed my throat.

A bang sounded from somewhere underneath us, and Sergio's hand fell away from my throat. I let my mind slip away into the safety of darkness as the world flipped upside down.