Tainted Souls

Chapter Twenty-One

"I thought that the case would have been closed weeks ago, but with what Maverick, his awful mother, Ginerva, and Midori said..." I shook my head as I mumbled to myself. "No, this can't be it. Midori said that something awful could happen months ago. It's already March. I can't just continue thinking about this."

I heard a knock on the door. "It must be Maverick. He left a note for me earlier, telling me that he had a present for me," I spoke out loud to myself.

Taj and Keisha were out on a date. It had been a week since Maverick and I had slept together when we were drunk. I still couldn't stop thinking about that day. It only seemed like yesterday that Maverick had kissed me, but it felt like eons when he had avoided me after that kiss. And now, we slept together when we were drunk? I was more confused than ever. Plus, there was still that family drama to think about...

I opened the door, only to see...nothing.

"Maverick, where are you? Maverick?"

Maybe someone had pranked me. It was rather immature of people to pull a prank like that in college. Maybe it was Maverick. Just as I was about to shut the door, that was when the worst thing ever happened.

I was knocked to the floor. I felt my throat tighten at that moment out of fear. This didn't seem right. Maverick wouldn't do something like this. There was a masked figure with a build and a height that was far different from Maverick's. That was when I felt a syringe on my shoulder.

"You deserve this. You sided with him."

"Let go of me, awful creep! I swear, if–" I began to say, but I suddenly began to feel sleepy.

Dammit! I usually wasn't the type of person to curse, but right now, that was what I felt like doing. I was going into this dream-like state without even wanting to...

________________________

"Where the hell are we?"

I overheard a voice. Panicking, I opened my eyes and moved away from the direction of where the voice was. "You get the hell away from me!"

"Whoa, relax. I'm not one of those evil mafia members that freaked you out and kidnapped you. Technically, I was supposed to be a part of the mafia, but I stubbornly defied my parents."

Wait a moment...that voice was familiar. It wasn't the same nefarious voice that I heard earlier. Although, I had viewed Maverick Medici's voice as nefarious in the beginning. It was back when I first met him and when he made me miserable at SFCU.

Just thinking about those times made me realize how much had changed. I was relieved that it was none other than Maverick because I felt the safest around him. As twisted as it sounded, Maverick's evil was the type of evil I needed to protect myself in this awful world.

"Aera, you're finally awake. I tried to stop him when I found out that he was going over to your dorm as well. But goddammit, Henry injected that syringe through my shoulder when I least expected it. I didn't think he of all people would be the one to fucking betray me like that. I was getting drowsy by the time that he reached your room. Fuck! It's all my fault! The last thing that he said before he injected that syringe is that he's too smart to the point where he can outsmart all of us. He's the one that murdered my father."

What?! I was trying to focus on the fact that I had gotten kidnapped in this weird, dark, and creepy place that I couldn't even process that it was Henry Valentine of all people that had done this. He seemed so innocent and nice. He seemed like the angel within the Valentine and Medici bloodline.

Then again, people like that were good at deceiving others...

Maverick punched the brick wall that was next to him. He cursed in pain. "I'm so fucking stupid. If I hadn't kissed you, had that intimate night with you, and gave away all of my secrets to you...you'd be safe. You wouldn't be in this situation right now."