Venus is stupid. She's literally stupid. A stupid fucking dumb, ass-for-brains, dense, brainless idiot. Did she mention she's stupid? Maybe she was better off with the League; at least then her senses would be sharpened and nothing would get past her. Then she wouldn't feel like a complete and utter moron.
She couldn't help but to feel like a failure, like she disappointed someone. Which wasn't far off from the truth; if Verlac was still alive, and Venus is ninety-nine percent sure he isn't, he would spontaneously combust or have a heart attack and fall dead from her sheer idiocy. Actually, Venus felt like she was going to die from embarrassment.
Anyways, Sebastian Verlac, the second most wicked person she has ever met, did not train her like this. He didn't spend almost a decade torturing her and teaching her every possible style of combat for her to get tricked by someone she trusted. Venus had always took pride in her instincts, but it seems they aren't what they used to be.
No, Ryder Stratford did not get kidnapped by Venus's mysterious stalker. Ryder, one of the only people she opened up to, is a big fat liar. Which makes her angry; it's just her luck that the one person she spills her guts to actually wants to kill her. Ryder Stratford, if that's even his real name, killed Doctors Dunn and Cayne and practically bulldozed her car with a truck. He probably also sent that group of men after her that very first night.
Venus realizes all of this once she regains consciousness. It was like all the scattered puzzle pieces in her brain fell neatly into place at the worst possible moment. She had to refrain from slamming her head against the cell bars she was placed behind; she had all the pieces, she just didn't do anything with them.
After her little pity party, Venus silently vowed that she would never be so ignorant again. Then, she finally analyzed her surroundings. She was in a cell, it seemed, with dark walls of smooth rock and thick bars that she definitely couldn't bend. Based off of the damp ceiling and the steady drip of water in the corner of the cell, Venus was underground. She wasn't cuffed, which was strange. Either Ryder was stupid, or he truly thought he could take her if she tried to escape.
Outside the cell was a spacey, circular room containing a medical table and UV machines placed in the center, with empty cells in the walls surrounding it. There was a stone staircase embedded in the wall between two cells that Venus assumed led up to the surface.
It was completely unfamiliar, meaning that this was a new base of operations. She tugged at the bars, frowning when they didn't budge. So, she did the next logical thing.
"Stratford!" She screamed, her voice strong and unwavering. "Get your ass down here!"
Her voice echoed creepily, and Venus rolled her eyes. It was annoying to be a prisoner. "Stratford!"
She took a deep breath and was about to scream again when she heard footsteps ambling down the stairs. Ryder Stratford came into view, his brown curls neatly gelled out of his face. Raising her brows, Venus pursed her lips amusedly. She's never seen him look this put together. And the fact that guards didn't come rushing down at her screams assured her that he just might be working alone. Wonderful.
"Real friends don't kidnap each other, you know," Venus spoke, scowling slightly.
"Good thing I'm not your real friend then," He said, face hard. Not the slightest hint of his usual carefree grin was shown, and Venus had to admit that he was a fantastic actor. He crossed his arms and stepped forward. "This must be new to you, no? The invincible Venus Carter trapped behind bars."
"And what a foolish name that is, Eden. It made you very easy to track down. Your mother's middle name was also Venus, did you think we wouldn't make that connection?" Ryder added, a chilling smirk growing on his lips.
