Page 23 of Scarred Redemption

“No, Isabel. He will not.”

I allowed him to help me up, still dazed. Hate tore through me, more so than I’d experienced for anyone else in my life.

Except my father.

Why was it that I had a feeling whoever he was, he’d known my father? My heart ached even more than before, but at least I knew Maxsim was alive. That meant there was a chance. If I played along.

Whatever this bastard had in mind, I had a feeling it was all about mind games. Why? At this point it just didn’t matter.

All that did was finding a way to get out of here. “What do you want from me?”

He was partially appeased, returning to the other side of his desk and pulling out a piece of paper. “I want you to record this. That’s it for today. Nothing too difficult.”

I stared down at the paper, reading over what he wanted me to say several times. Was this man nuts? “You want him to pay ransom?”

His laugh was boisterous. Even his eyes were dancing. “Do you think I need money? As I said before. I want him to suffer. Nothing more. Nothing less. And you’re going to help me do it.”

This was crazy. This was insane. I touched my face, tasting blood from where I’d bitten my tongue.

“Then I want a few things in return.”

“You’re not in a position to bargain for anything.”

“Just a shower. Food. Clothes. That’s all I want. She’s a little girl, for fuck’s sake. You dare say anything about Maxsim when you have every intention of making a little girl suffer? You are the fucking monster. Not Maxsim.” She’d been taken to use against me. What kind of a twisted evil person did that?

He took a deep breath, finally looking away. My actions had made him furious. As if I gave a shit. “Very well. We can arrange that, but only if you do exactly what you’re told. Any attempt at warning him and you will watch her suffer.”

No, I wouldn’t. What the man didn’t understand was that Maxsim would indeed burn down the world to ensure we were brought to safety.

And I was looking forward to watching every moment of the hell on earth he created.

CHAPTER 5

Maxsim

I’d waited the appropriate amount of time to talk with Sara Brighten, Mina’s teacher. I’d had her followed to make sure she hadn’t been a basic foot soldier in an invisible war. There’d been no clandestine meetings, no money drops. I’d given her time to come to me, which she hadn’t done.

Until now.

Her call had been unexpected, her voice expressing her nervousness. She hadn’t wanted to meet at the school or at her house, which I understood.

Whatever she had to tell me also couldn’t be handled over the phone. I couldn’t blame her for the excessive caution and her behavior indicated she’d realized something sinister had been ongoing.

I’d suggested a coffee shop a couple of miles from where she lived. She’d been nervous when she’d called, even more so now that she was sitting in front of me.

Just the way she twirled her coffee cup back and forth while darting her eyes from side to side was telling.

The woman was terrified.

I sat back in the seat, my position allowing a clear view of the street. The shop was off the beaten path and given the time of day, there were few customers inside.

Sara took a deep breath, finally able to look me in the eyes. “On the day Mina was almost kidnapped, I had to leave early.”

“So you’ve told me.”

“That wasn’t entirely true. I didn’t think anything about it at the time, but after what happened, I’m concerned I was sent away on purpose.”

Every muscle in my body tensed. “Meaning?” I tried to keep my voice even although my anger was already on the rise.