Leira [Completed]

Chapter Twenty Three

"True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice."

—

JUSTICE'S POV

"Tyler! He turned himself in!" My sister's voice rang just as I entered my home.

Hope had absolutely no idea what I had been up to and I felt rather guilty. I planned to tell her when the time came. In the meantime, I intended to inform only one person of the entire truth. An individual I had never deceived and was exceptionally close to me—my uncle Grayson.

Today, he would visit and I was impatiently waiting for his arrival.

He had a child now who was younger than I was, but despite being a husband and father, he still had time for me. He had been a best friend to my sister and Tyler for years and was a frequent visitor. But he had been occupied for the last weeks and it had been quite a moment since I saw his face.

So when a few knocks sounded, I dashed to the door expeditiously like greased lightning. I expected to be greeted with the face of my favorite uncle but was instead surprised by two men and my niece, Constance.

She was supposed to be in school, not in the hands of guys with murderous expressions.

Constance had a tear-stained face and seemed breathless. Her mouth was forced shut with tape and her hair was in a relatively royal mess. Her eyes concerned me the most. Fear was reflected, but she wasn't just scared; she was terrified.

Muffled screams called for me and instinctively, I reached out in hopes of having Constance beside me. She was roughly jerked back by one of the guys who had a firm hold on her.

"Hope!" I yelled but received no response. I could faintly hear some noise from the room.

"Your sister's not coming. She's being dealt with more of us," the man on the right exclaimed with an intimidating gruff voice.

"What do you mean 'dealt with'?" I said slowly, alert for any sudden attacks. "You didn't call some guys to attack her, right?"

A sly smile crept across both of their faces and I widened my eyes.

"Oh God," I mumbled.

"Your sister will be the least of your worries soon," the male on the left told me with a menacing look.

"It's not her I'm worried about," I notified them. "It's your guys."

It was then a man dashed from the room, panting and with an apprehensive look on his face. He rambled, "Quick! Take him right now! We have to go before the woman comes."

I could barely register anything before something was shoved towards my nose. For a brief minute, I felt as if I was playing a game of tug of wars with consciousness on the other side of the rope. It had baffling power and with every passing second, the grip I had on the rope loosened.

The last I heard was Constance's muffled scream. I let go and soon, darkness engulfed my vision.

**

"Justice, wake up," the voice sounded tremulous but it was laced with a soft and silvery touch. It brought me back into reality where memories came crashing down harder than bricks.

It was a dull setting and not much effort was required to open my heavy eyelids. I blinked, letting anxiety flush my system.

"Constance," I murmured before looking into eyes that matched my sister's. It reflected uneasiness.

It was like having a conversation without words that ended with her scurrying towards me. She threw her arms around me and the sound of her sobs filled the cold and dark atmosphere.

"I'm scared," she uttered. The words that escaped her lips were unstable and breathy.

"I know," I answered. I was afraid too, but I tried my best to conceal it. "We'll get out of here, I promise." 

I did not even know where 'here' was. Around me was a gloomy and tiny room with what seemed to be cells locking us in. 

I did not fully understand the circumstance or how dangerous anything was. One thing was for sure, though—Constance would come out of this alive and safe. I was going to protect her with my life.

My head was on a wall and my body was aching. Constance pulled away and sat beside me with a face full of tears.

"Why us?" she asked. "What did we do?"

"I don't know," I replied. It was not fully honest. I might not recognize the situation, but I knew it involved my father one way or another. 

I struggled to my feet and trudged towards the bars that locked us in. There was a lock that required a key.

The place around me was a prison cell. There was a single bed, a table, and a toilet. 

We waited, starved and thirsty for someone to appear. I needed to bargain for food to provide Constance.

She was Hope's daughter, a strong girl like her mother. However, I could tell she was struggling after some time. She was battling the throbbing ache and the additional unbearable pain.

It was about an hour later when I heard footsteps. I was thankful that my prayers were heard. I hastily scrambled to meet the visitor—the man who was present inside my home. He was the one that came rushing with desperation to inform another of Hope.

He held a single loaf of bread on a plate. Unlocking the cell with a key, he entered and precipitously placed it on the ground.

I had no energy to fight him and leave. I just blankly stared as he headed out of the opened gate.

"Wait," I stopped him with a weak voice. "Why did you bring Constance here too?"

"Leverage," the guy said in a deep tone. "You'll see."

"What did my father do? Where are we?" I tried my luck with a few more questions.

"I don't think I owe you any explanations," he spoke up.

The man stayed silent, lingering outside the locked bars. He was still and solely staring at the wall. It made me reckon that it was his job to stay still and guard us.

"Constance, eat up," I told my niece. It was just one piece of bread and dividing it would not fill any of us up one bit.

"Everything?" she asked and I nodded. "You have to eat too."

"I'm not hungry," I lied and forced a smile. She frowned, eyeing me with skepticism before grabbing the bread to eat.

The man turned slightly to glance at us. Then, without warning, he left the room.

Hush descended over both of us. Quietly, I watched her eat with the strongest cravings. I did not even hear when the man returned to his spot, this time with more bread on another plate.

He entered the cell and placed it gently on the ground.

"Thank you," I told him genuinely and this time, I took one and gave Constance the rest.

He did not reply, but his eyes were set on me with pity. Unexpectedly, he said, "I was Calvin Woodland's worker. I was disloyal and agreed to work for him only because I wanted to get back at him. When he first escaped prison, my sister was immediately found killed."

"Why...are you telling me this?" I questioned. I know I inquired, but I did not anticipate a reply.

The guy shrugged. "I think it's how you treat that little girl," he said after a while. "It brought back memories."

Maybe he would come to his senses and release me and Constance, but I doubted it. He gazed at me for a few more seconds before he turned and proceeded to look at the empty wall. All my questions were ignored after that.

I scanned the area for a way out. I could not resort to fighting because of my lack of strength and there did not seem to be an easy way to escape.

We could only helplessly wait for rescue.

—

it's crazyyy how weeks pass so fast...