12. Sienna

12

SIENNA

I never considered myself a liar.

And even now, as I walk in behind two other scantily clad women into Fisher's party, I still don't think I'm a liar. I never told Lash that I wasn't going to the party. In fact, I told him several times that he couldn't order me around. I'm not his personal property. But the second I step over the threshold into this swanky sex fest, I feel like my soul is just a little bit darker. I made him believe that I wasn't going. I made him trust that I would stay home and wait for him to come up with a plan. I just couldn't do it.

There's no telling if Max and Lia are here tonight or if Fisher is planning on taking any other women. The note Uni gave me made it clear that women going missing at these parties were normal occurrences. The next time I see her, I'm going to have to find out what she is doing knowing about a party such as this. I really hope she's not mixed up in this in some way.

I don't even know who Fisher is, but I'm hoping I can figure it out just by scouting out the one man everyone is trying to get next to. I'm wearing a dress I haven't put on in years, mostly because when I bought it, I was firmly in my "I don't care how provocative I look" phase, and now I'm a bit more conventional. I'm super uncomfortable. With every step I take in the tight silver dress, it feels like the hem is trying to ride up my ass. I paired the bodycon dress with a nice pair of black pumps and a black clutch. My makeup is overdone, and I'm forcing a smile on my face for anyone who looks my way.

It was easy to get into the party. It's not like anyone was checking invitations as I walked in. The only issue with wearing a dress like this was the fact that I had nowhere on my person to hide my blade. At least not anywhere I could access it quickly if I needed it. I pray it doesn't come to that.

I told Lash about the party, and the only promise he could make to me was that he would talk to his club about it and try to work something out. He didn't tell me that he'd ride in guns blazing and get all these women to safety. He didn't tell me that I wouldn't have anything to worry about; the best he could give me was that he hoped he could help.

I know I can help. I know I can, even if it's just one person at a time.

I move through the party, making sure to keep myself approachable but never letting my gaze linger on one person long enough to be memorable. All the women I see in attendance are laughing and seem to be having a good time. I wonder if they know what this Fisher is about. I wonder if they know this could be their last night as free women. I'm sure they don't.

I scan the room with little hope, checking to see if I can find Max or Lia. I'm not too disappointed when I don't see either one of them. After all, if they were drugged and forced to submit to this Fisher person, I doubt they'd be willing to go to a party for him.

"Wow, I love these parties," a man growls in my ear, and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. I have to act like I want to be here.

I turn and face the man talking to me. He's wearing a purple polo shirt and tan slacks. His hair is greased back, and his goatee is uneven. I wouldn't find him attractive even on my worst day, but here I am, going to have to act like he's the sexiest man in the world.

"Yeah, these parties are the best. I won't lie; this is the first one I've been to—at least one this big." I nod my head and try to take a subtle step back from him. The man's cologne could knock out an elephant; it's so strong.

"Oh, I come to them all the time. It's nice to be in the company of such gorgeous women. You're at the very top of that list, you know." He leans in further.

"No, I'm nothing compared to some of these women." I shrug and do my best to keep up the coy act.

"Humble. I like that. I bet you take orders very well," he says with a sinister grin on his face. I gulp down hard. He must think I'm a prostitute. I'm assuming most, if not all, the women here are in that line of work.

"Not really. I'm more of a top," I tell him.

"I'm sure that'll change." He tilts his head and looks me up and down. His gaze makes my skin crawl.

"What's your name?" I ask, praying that he's the only man I'm going to have to talk to. If he's Fisher, this is all the information I need.

"I'm Sumi. What about you, gorgeous?" My mind goes blank for a second as I try to think up a name. I don't want to give him my real name, but at the same time, I don't really have nicknames at the ready. I can only think of one. "Red." I smile and put out my hand for him to shake.

"Red. I love it." He grabs hold of my hand and shakes it lightly.

Slowly he turns his head in the opposite direction, and I watch him give a slight nod to someone across the room.

This man is in the corner, just sipping on his drink. He's watching everything that's going on around him. I don't know if that's Fisher, but he's most definitely in charge in some way.

The man in the corner nods in my direction. Before I can ask Sumi who that is, he lets me go and walks off like he wasn't just having a conversation with me.

The new man stands in front of me. He stares into my eyes and then down at my body. "Who are you? I didn't invite you." He snaps, but his voice is low enough that he doesn't disturb the other people at the party.

"Who are you? Are you Fisher?" I ask, giving away the information I've been trying so hard to keep close to my chest. I didn't want anyone to know that I didn't belong here. Now this one knows without a doubt.

"If you don't know who Fisher is, you really don't belong here. Don't worry, we've got a special place for party crashers. It'll be a lot of fun." He grabs me around my waist and pulls me close to him. I open my mouth to scream out, but before I can even get a sound out, I feel something cold and metal pressing against my skin through the thin fabric of my dress.

"Oh God," I whimper and feel my knees start to knock together.

"Yes, that's right. It's a gun. Now, you're going to come with me, and you're not going to say a word to anyone. Then you, me, and Fisher are going to have a very long talk about what happens to little girls who crash other people's parties."

"Listen, wait... wait." I try to talk to him, but he presses the gun harder into my side.

"No, shut the hell up, just walk," the man orders me.

We weave through the crowd, and I feel like I'm screaming through my eyes. I fight back the tears that threaten to fall. I don't want to give this bastard any reason to pull the trigger. I catch a few people's eyes, but either they are looking right past me or they just don't care. That's how it is with people like Max and Lia—they're invisible.

The man pushes me through the crowd until we come to a long hallway that is away from the rest of the guests. He's leading me to a place where no one is going to be able to see me.

"Listen, I'm not here to start any trouble. I was just looking for some friends of mine. Maybe you've seen them. Max and Lia? Do you know them?" The questions pour out of my mouth at a rapid-fire pace, but the man at my side doesn't bother to slow down.

"You should've left those lowlives alone. Yeah, I know Max and Lia. The both of them have been giving us more problems than we want. At this point, it's not even worth it to keep them around. But don't you worry; I'm sure Fisher is going to be more than willing to put you with your friends. Who knows? Maybe you'll be able to get them in line," the man says.

All thoughts drop from my mind.

I should've listened to Lash. He told me that something like this would happen. He told me to be patient and wait for him. I'm too stubborn for my own good, and now I'm going to have to pay the price.

We walk out of a back door and into the freezing cold night air. I'm certainly not dressed for any time outside. I look to the side, and in the distance, I see the twinkling lights of the town. Everyone is running around getting ready for Christmas. It's almost fitting that this would be the last bit of freedom I'll ever see—an homage to a life I'll never get back.

I wonder what Lash will do on Christmas. If he'll be sad that I'm not there? I wonder if he really meant everything he said to me as we spent the last few days together.

I look down and shake the doubts out of my head.

He meant it. I know with every fiber of my being that he meant every word he said to me. That man fell, and fell fast for me.

I messed it all up by just not listening to him.

The man at my side continues to drag me forward, and I realize that he's taking me to a car. There's no use in trying to fight him—not with the gun still pressed firmly to my side. I let my head tilt upwards and feel something cold drop onto my nose.

Snowflakes.

People always say that winter signifies an ending, so I guess it makes sense that this would happen now.

I'm not going to stop trying to fight my way out of whatever hell I just got myself into, but right now I'm going to wait for my moment.

My moment comes faster than I expect it to.

In the background, I hear the sound of a large engine rumbling in our direction. Then two more. Then more.

I turn my head in the direction the sound is coming from, and at once, I see a line of Chrome Creed members coming in my direction.

My eyes lock on Lash’s, and for the first time since I've known him, what I see truly scares me.