The truth about August

Ten

"Let me get this straight" Said a voice, echoing inside my beating head. "She sneaked into your home and stole it from you? This woman?"

"I have reasons to believe she was assisted by them, she did not do it alone" A thunderous voice sounded from the other side, vibrating through me.

"It's all very confusing, Frost." I opened my eyes just slightly when I heard the man speak. What was he talking about? Did he just say Frost? Why were they talking so loud? Couldn't they keep it low? I was trying to sleep, for heavens sake!

"How did she even get inside without you noticing? Haven't you just installed a high end security system? Wasn't it impenetrable? She's just a girl for god's sake!"

Security system? I frowned. What are they saying? What girl? What girl broke into his-

I realized what the conversation was about in that second, they were talking about me.

"That is of no importance, Sir. The thing is-"

"Ha" I couldn't help but let out as I tried to lift my face high enough to look at the men in front of me, but I found I was too weak to do that.

"What was that?" The man said. I opened my eyes wider and adjusted my sight to notice I was sitting on a metal chair. I feebly moved my eyes to my hands and, fair enough, they were handcuffed.

"Don't mind the girl" Sounded the grave voice I found particularly familiar, too familiar...

In that moment, everything came back to me. The job, the Ravens, the suitcase, August Frost appearing in my home and kidnapping me. It all came back like a big, heavy, striking splash of water falling onto me like a waterfall. I snapped my head to the front.

"We need to focus on the fact that-"

"He let me inside" I whispered, facing the men discussing me. My eyes were still sleepy and unfocused but I didn't care. A grey man was looking at me with a peculiar frown on his face, which told me I had just said exactly what I needed to. The other man, oh, that man was staring at me with a look I knew too well, a look that promised me I would probably be dead in a few minutes and I didn't doubt it for a second. My lips slowly turned up and I smirked at him.

"Excuse me?" The grey man, which sported an amusing mustache which resembled an old shoe brush, asked me, turning towards me.

I looked around me. We were inside a grey room, a lonely white light was hanging from the ceiling, casting strong shadows on the men's faces. I held my chin up towards their triggering scowls.

"That man" I directed my gaze towards August, who's eyes were physically burning me, and I relished on it. "August Frost. He let me inside his flat" I pronounced each word slowly and watched as his eyes became darker and darker with every passing syllable.

The older man snapped his head towards August, while he just continued to watch me with the most paralyzing glare I had ever witnessed in my short life.

"Frost, I beg you to tell me she's lying" The man said, exasperated. I held August's gaze, it was burning me from the inside out, but I didn't care. He had it coming the moment he stepped inside my flat, I wouldn't let him get away with everything without first giving him a fight.

August clenched his already-tense jaw and I noticed as his thick, left eyebrow slightly throbbed upwards in an almost imperceptible way.

"She's not" The sound of his low voice reverberated through the small square room and I absentmindedly shifted in the chair. "I let her inside"

The older man groaned exasperatedly, but August and I held our cutting gazes, I didn't flinch.

"How did this happen? Heavens, Frost! I would have expected this from anyone but you" The man said and this earned him August's attention, he turned to him and the man stopped himself before saying anything else.

"A word. Outside" August said and I watched everything with extreme attention.

The older man sighed and after giving me one last assessing scrutiny, he turned towards the door and walked out, being followed by August who didn't dare to gift me another look before he exited and closed the door behind him.

I was left there in that small room alone, handcuffed to what strongly resembled a torture chair, feeling the cold metal burn me through the small dress I was still sporting from earlier. I felt dizzy, and nauseous. I wanted to cry but I also wanted to laugh at how ridiculous this situation was. I wanted to hit someone, while aching for someone to rely on, but the longer I was stuck inside that small, claustrophobic room, the more I knew I was alone, lonelier than I had ever been in my life.

By the time the door in front of me began opening again, my breath had already transformed into slight panting. The situation at hand had welled up on me, so when I reconnected eyes with August Frost again, I was ashamed to admit I probably wasn't looking as strong as he had left me.

I pressed my lips together when he walked inside, being followed by the same old man. I pressed my hands into fists, demanding myself to calm down and gather myself together.

I had gone through bad situations, I could make it through this one too. I only had to remain strong, I had to keep a straight back and a raised chin. I had no other choice.

August leaned on the wall right in front of me, eyeing me like an ice demon, watching me struggle to remain composed. He knew I was vulnerable, and I was sure he would use it to his advantage.

"We want to know everything" He said. His voice never stopped startling me whenever he started talking. It was so striking and powerful I needed a second to recompose myself.

"You can't keep me here" I said, holding his hard gaze.

"I'm sorry, but if you haven't noticed, that's exactly what I'm doing" He tilted his face with no amusement in his voice or in his strong scowl.

"It's illegal" I snapped.

That's when a bitter smile crept onto his mouth, letting go of a short snort, it was barely a sound. He pushed himself from the wall and moved his crossed arms to his sides, sliding his big hands inside his pockets.

"Illegal you say?" He asked while he paced closer to me, looking down. "Would you consider illegal to have snaked your way into the homes of at least twenty men and stolen approximately four hundred thousand Euros worth of jewelry and cash in the span of just five years. Not to mention associating and collaborating with international terrorists in a foreign country, lying about your identity countless of times, stealing everything from scarfs to designer bags..." He stopped right in front of me, his eyes slowly lifting to stab mine, I held my breath as I listened to him rant about my life, not believing my ears. "Anything to add about that, Serena?"

My heart stopped.

"H-how-"

"I know who you are. You can't escape this one. It's over. You've long played the naughty reckless part, living your life without consequences, thinking it would always be that way. Foolish. Pathetic" His eyes were digging inside me and I snapped my head to look elsewhere. "You know, it's about time someone put an end to it. So you..." He placed his finger right below my chin, pulling it harshly and lifting it even higher, making me strain. "-You're mine to control now and you will finally do as you're told. Are we absolutely clear?"