The Illusion

Twenty

Leo didn't need me to get all the way to him before I could see him realizing something was wrong. I grabbed his jacket pulling him down to my height.

"Zane was here. He's drugged everyone in the family and he's got Alara." He stood up straight.

"Did he touch you?" I shook my head.

"I've only had the one drink you brought me and it was in my eyeline the whole time." He nodded and grabbed my hand. He whacked a hand over the guard besides him, whispering in his ear before getting me out of the room. I was trying not to panic. Panicking wasn't going to do a damn thing. He'd given us 48 hours before he started seriously hurting her. He knew she didn't know a thing so torturing her for information was useless. It also meant that he didn't have a reason to give her even half the luxuries I had in there and I sure as hell was not leaving my best friend to go through what I did. The lift doors closed, Leo tapping in a code to get us to my dad who was in his office.

"What did he say?"

"That he will be getting what he wants and we have 48 hours to pay up before he starts ripping her bones from her body and posting them through the letter box." He stared at me. I nodded. Not joking. I was not fucking joking.

"Well, it's a damn good job I taught you everything when I did isn't it?"

"Now is not the time for jokes Leo. I have no idea what he's doing to her, my entire family is about to black out for fuck knows how long and if he's been able to drug them, he's got to have Vance running around here somewhere doing that for him. It also means he was able to get past security." Leo grabbed me, pulling me into a suffocating hug as I started to hyperventilate. "He's doing this to hurt me. Me specifically, not everyone else. For getting out."

"I know Ray. It's gonna be okay though. We'll get her out like we got you out. We knew he was going to pull some shit eventually. He's given us enough time to put a plan together, only difference is now we have to act sooner than we wanted. You said Vance was here?"

"Probably. Wouldn't surprise me if Zara and Elizabeth were too." He nodded slowly, pushing his fingers into mine. "If he hurts her Leo-"

"He won't Freya. We're not going to give him a chance babe." The lift doors opened and he pulled me out, almost running down the hallway to my dad's office. He didn't knock, just pushed the doors open. It was chaotic inside.

Dad stood over his desk, hands wide as he pressed himself up, the entire room was kitted out with cameras of the entire casino. Not a thing went on in there without someone up here knowing about it so how on earth Zane got in here and managed to slip something into everyone's drink was beyond me.

"Dad-"

"I know."

"He has Alara." The room stopped. All movements ceasing as security officers stared. Alara was an adopted member of this family. Like my other half. Twins that never went anywhere without the other. Especially here. They knew if they'd taken her, he wasn't pissing around because he could hurt her and it not damage us. It was purely emotional torture and nothing about business. Hurting me was a direct hit to the family. Hurting her, effected nothing.

"Shit." Dad sunk into his seat and started dishing out orders, men running from the room in different directions. Amongst them all, the only ones I recognised were her parents' and brother's names. I hadn't even thought about the possibility of them being hurt too. What a fucking shit show.

"Dad."

"Not now poppet." I glared shaking Leo's hand off mine and marching across to his desk. "Freya-"

"Look at me." He did. "What the fuck did you do that's got that man so determined to destroy me?"

"Mind your-"

"Don't you fucking dare tell me to mind my language. The man raped me, abused me, beat me and is now threatening to do much much worse to the only reason I was alive for him to do that. She is my fucking world and you-" I grabbed his tie, yanking him over the table. "You are going to do whatever the fuck you need to to make sure she isn't hurt. Because so help me god, if I find out whatever caused this was done out of pure greed, I will personally burn your casino's to the ground with you inside. I don't give a damn who you are."

I don't know who the hell I was right now, nor did I completely understand how I'd been able to threaten to kill my father if Alara gets hurt like I was telling him not to tell anyone a playground secret. What I did know, is my father was looking at me with a fear in his eyes I had never seen before.

I have never had anyone look at me like that. Completely terrified. My father was a stoic man. I'd seen him with broken bones and not a flinch. He'd had broken ribs and still lifted me as a child. I've been told he's been shot and still woken up the next morning and made my breakfast with a smile on his face. But right now, he was trembling. I guess when you have never put a pinkie out of place and suddenly you snap, it hits a little harder than if I'd always been like this. I don't think me being calm was helping that either.

"SIR." He turned his head to a guard at the side of the desk, panting and red faced, dressed in his all black suit and teal tie. "We got Vance." Dad looked at me and I turned to Leo. He pushed his hand into the back of his suit, pulling out my gun and holding it out.

"I think it's about time we took our practice to another level huh?"

"Take him to The Box Christian. Leo, you better know what you're doing with my daughter."

"I do John. A little light torture never hurt anyone."