Ace - Book 1

Chapter 65.

Sorry for the wait - this is a short one but I promise the following ones will be better! I hope you enjoy and my break from University is coming up so I hope in that time I can finish 'Ace'.

Elle

15th February

      Monday came by so quickly and then dragged past so slowly, not even Carrie and Jordan could entertain me out of mind-numbing boredom in class. I was bored to near tears, just counting down the minutes until the end of my class came. Ace had dropped me off to class in the morning, he was still keeping an eagle eye on me even though it had been weeks since we had seen Theo's friend and I was going to be picked up from outside of my class by Kit who would take me back to the dorm and wait until Delilah got back.

Some might think that Ace was being overbearing but I knew what Theo was capable of and so I didn't mind him trying to keep me safe. He had a class that finished later than mine, so he couldn't drop me himself which he was kicking himself over but I was fine with. It would be nice to spend some time with Kit and Delilah.

Class wrapped up a couple of minutes early and I sighed in relief that my torture was finally over, I grabbed my bag from the floor to shove my books in before walking out with Carrie and Jordan. "Are you coming?" Carrie asked me as we walked out, motioning to the student cafe on campus.

"I would, but I'm meeting someone here, I'll see you tomorrow," I told her and she nodded, walking with Jordan towards the cafe as I stood outside of the building in which our class was in, waiting for Kit to arrive. I knew we had been let out early, but five minutes later I was still stood outside staring at my phone.

 I clicked on Kit's number but it rang continuously until cutting to his voicemail. Not wanting to just wander home alone, I scrolled down my contacts and tried calling Ace's number. Once again, his phone rang until going to his voicemail, which wasn't unusual because I knew he has his phone on silent for class. 

 I debated in my brain what to do next and after calling Kit a further four times without an answer, I decided I would have to walk to the dorms by myself as I didn't want to stand outside in the cold for any longer. I slipped my phone into my back pocket and began my stroll home, my mind wandering to why Kit wasn't answering and why he hadn't picked me up like we had planned a mere few hours beforehand.

 I didn't want to dwell on it, but a feeling at the pit of my stomach unsettled me slightly. Kit knew how much Ace was doing to ensure I was safe at all times, and he's not the type to bail out on a promise he made to his best friend.

 I didn't have much more time to allow my brain to overthink the situation before I heard the booming sound of an obnoxiously loud engine from a car behind me. I whipped my head around to see where the noise was coming from, and to my horror the black vehicle pulled up directly beside me and a man jumped out of the passenger seat.

 I let out a blood curdling scream before a calloused hand was pressed harshly against my lips and I was harshly yanked towards the car. I wriggled and fought with all of my might, ensuring in the moment to drop my bag on the floor so anyone trying to trace my steps would at least know something unsettling had happened to me. "Stop fighting, bitch," the man snarled, forcefully shoving me into the car. He swiftly pulled shut the car door behind him and without a second to spare the car began hurtling down the street. "If I remove my hand from your mouth and you scream, I'll kill you. Are we on the same page?" The man asked, slipping a handgun from his pocket and I nodded in sheer fright at the sight of a firearm.

 The hand was removed from my face and I quickly shuffled away from the man to my own seat in the back of the car. "What do you want?" I asked, my breaths coming out shallow as I struggled to fight off a panic attack.

 "We are doing as we are told," the man said blandly, before ordering the man driving to put his foot on the acceleration as if we weren't going fast enough already. 

 "For Theo?" I asked.

 "Smart girl. Now stop asking questions and sit back," he snarled at me, his piercing eyes burning holes in my skin.

 I clenched my jaw and sat back in my seat, I was trying to figure out an escape plan in my mind but every single situation was leading me to a dead end. I thought about trying to call someone for help discreetly, but then I saw my phone in the hand of the man who captured me and so that was out of the question. I could open the door and drop and roll for it, but not only would I die on impact by the sheer speed of the car, but I had also heard the distinct click of the internal locks as I got in and so that was also a no-go. I couldn't think of any other rational ideas and so I slumped back in my chair, just hoping Ace would realise I was gone sooner rather than later.

 "Does this make you feel good about yourselves?" I asked aloud in a sarcastic tone, clawing back some of my confidence so I didn't seem like a scared little girl. "Stealing innocent, young girls from the street. Does it stroke your ego?" 

 The man who snatched me narrowed his eyes at me. "Shut the fuck up."

 "Hit a nerve?" I asked with a smirk. Ace's voice was screaming in my head to stop angering them and to just shut up, but I couldn't help myself. These men were scum of the earth, and it was likely I was going to be dying at the hands of Theo today and so why not get some fun out of it?

 "I said shut up," he snarled. 

 "When did you know you wanted to kidnap young girls? When you were asked in kindergarten what you wanted to be, did you answer 'I want to be a piece of shit' or was it a career change later in life?" I asked, watching his face become redder as he became angrier. 

 "You think you're funny, huh? Won't be so funny when Theo gets his hands on you."

 "I might be dead in a few hours, but you'll forever be a piece of shit. I hope you are aware of that," I said matter-of-factly, and before the man could answer we had pulled up at our destination. It wasn't what I had expected, it was a normal house on a normal street. 

 The driver got out and came over to my side, pressing a gun to my back as he walked me into the house. I assumed I'd go somewhere deserted, where nobody could hear me scream, but the inside of the house looked like any other home. I was confused until Theo hobbled out on crutches with one leg bandaged up. It seems Ace and Kit had only broken one of his legs after all.

 "Nice to see you again, Elle. Gorgeous as ever I see," he said with a sinister smile.

 "I wish I could say the same, Theo. Why am I here? Doesn't seem like the best place to murder someone discreetly," I said, looking around the home in confusion.

 He laughed. "I'm not going to kill you, Elle. I'm going to teach Ace a lesson," he said matter-of-factly. "He took everything from me, tortured me for years by ripping my career from me. Now I'm back on my feet I think it's my turn. He doesn't care if I hurt him, he couldn't care less, not that I'm much of a match for him anyway. But God does that boy have a soft heart," he said with a shrug. "Silly really, isn't it? To be in this career, you need to not care about people. I'm going to teach him that as long as he's happy, I will continue to torture the one he loves the most until one day I eventually kill you."

 I swallowed thickly at that chilling threat. "He won't let you do that," I said confidently, although the nervous wobble in my voice deceived me. 

Theo chuckled again. "Nobody can be with somebody twenty-four hours of the time, Elena. That's why you're here now isn't it? He tried to protect you and he still failed miserably. All I had to do was slash your little friend's tyres and steal this," he said, holding up Kit's phone which was lit up with my countless missed calls. "It was a little too easy actually, a little boring. So, Ace will eventually realise I've taken you to my home and he'll come to get you. In the meantime you're not going to have a great time," he said with a pout.

 "What-" before I could even ask my question, a fist was pounded straight into my face and I collapsed onto the floor in a pained heap. I let out an agonising scream, helpless tears streaming from my eyes as the man I had antagonised in the car drove his feet into my chest, and countless punches to my face until I dropped into unconsciousness.