Chapter 3 The Devil's Bargin

Abigail's POV I awoke to blinding darkness and sharp ringing sounds in my ears. I felt helpless and weak as the effects of the tranquilliser still ravaged my body. “Help!!! Get me out of here, please!!!” I yelled with all the strength I could muster. I tried to stand but my legs refused to respond, so I could only get in a sitting upright position. My scrambled mind finally relaxed a bit and I could think once again. ‘Where the fuck am I?’ In a futile effort, I tried to make up what structure I was held in. A cell, I could only presume. No windows, just bar slits in the door. Judging from the distance of the room to where I was, the cell was small. I wasn't alone, giant rats roamed free, nibbling at my feet at random. Devoid of hope, tears flowed in turrets down my cheeks. I had never undergone a lot of emotions at the same time, hate, betrayal, neglect, and fear. Even in years to come, I never thought my father would throw me off my feet without warning. The flashbacks of our good times painfully rushed in, I gripped my head in anguish. We went fishing together, visited amusement parks, and played darts. Every year on my birthday, he held a birthday party for me. Although it was the best, the memories had attached their roots in my mind. He would always say he loved me, that he saw my mom in me. He didn't promise me the whole world but I cherished the little he did. But now, it turned out to be a fattening process for the time he will sell me out like a goddamned pig to a butcher. The memories continued to roll for a while, and then like a movie, it began to fade out replacing itself with darkness fueled by utter hate. 'Just you wait. I'll kill you with my own hands.' I clasped my dress so tightly that I thought I'd tear it. I calmed myself, casting aside my despair. I'd find a way out of this mess, somehow. Just then, the door made cranky unlocking sounds and creaked open. A tall figure stood menacingly at the entrance, I tried hard to recognize the face but it was too dark to see. "Hey. Follow me closely." He commanded and turned to leave almost immediately. I struggled to my feet and trailed behind him sheepishly. We walked through a long red neon dimly-lit corridor with iron doors at each side. I could tell people occupied those cells by the thrashing and banging on the doors, pleading to be released. I couldn't help but pity those poor souls held up. Lost in my reverie, I had strayed too far from the man and was too close to the cell doors, a hand reached for my neck and squeezed it tightly. "Get me out of here!" I saw a messed up face that owned the hand howl at my face. The man I followed stepped forward in a flash like he tore through the very fabric of space. With a precise arc of his dagger, he cut off the hand that held me, warm blood sprayed all over my face. I shrieked at the sight of so much blood. I doubled over and puked everything that I ate last. "I clearly said you follow me." The man said, wiping off blood on his dagger with a cloth before putting it away. "That's what you get when you don't listen to simple instructions. Come on." I rolled my eyes, mimicking his words. Good thing he ignored me and continued walking, his moves back there were rather scary but I disliked being picked on. Duh. Soon, he reached a room and knocked in an unusually rapid rhythm. He held the door and gestured to go in with a quick tilt of his head to the side. I walked in cautiously, looking around like a scared puppy. There was a table at the end of the room and a chair behind it and it's back facing me. I got to the centre of the room and halted, waiting. My heart thumped against my chest, the tension in the room could be cut with a knife. The chair spun around, revealing the man I met back at my "father's" house. My heart stopped momentarily. He fixed his gaze on me and I returned the gesture. He broke the gaze and broke into a fit of laughter. "She's quite the strong one. Isn't she?" The men stationed all around the room also joined in the laughter. They sounded like they were forced to laugh and it was weird. He stopped laughing, and so did the men. He rose from his chair in a rather graceful manner that I found oddly hot. He circled me like a predator. "I'd love to apologise for the little discomfort you had to go through yesterday." He said, amusement dancing in his voice. ...Oh, It was already a wonderful day, wonderful. "I must say the drug was rather effective, I'd never had a good sleep in a long while. I have you to thank you either way." I retorted, playing along despite the fear that gripped my bones. His lips slowly curled in a smug smile. "Defiance even in the face of terror. I like that." I gulped, still maintaining a straight face. "I'm glad you do, punk." "You! Watch your tone, bitch." A bodyguard rushed at me in quick strides in an attempt to slap me. I closed my eyes, anticipating the impact but it never came. The "strange" man shot past me, blocking the guard's hand, and kicked hard in the belly, sending him flying and crashing hard against the wall. His voice came out laced with venom. "Nobody touches her apart from me. Am I clear?" The bodyguard shuddered, nodding hard. I hate to say this but I kind of like this guy. "Forgive my guard, he acted out of duty. My apologies." He arranged the hair that fell loose, this act I found sexy. 'Don't be ridiculous, Abigail. he's your fùcking captor.' He continued. "Ahh, where are my manners? We don't introduce ourselves properly. My name is Carter, Carter Dean, the leader of this humble cartel and your host. I sensed the mockery when he added "Your host." Just as I was about to tell him my name, he cut me off. "I know your name already. Don't bother." I swallowed my words, embarrassed. "Why am I here anyway?" I blurted out. My question was met with deafening silence for a minute. "You are mine, Abigail. You are mine." Carter uttered calmly. Raising a brow, I chuckled completely perplexed. "Excuse me?" Carter retired to his seat at the table. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured himself a drink before answering. "You heard me, Miss Abigail. You're mine. What part of the word do you not understand?" I stood akimbo, staring daggers. "What do you and my father have to do with each other?" Carter gently put three cubes of ice in his glass. "Here's a simple way to put it. Your father took some money from me and failed to return the sum as we agreed. You were his collateral, that's why you are here. Need a Spanish interpretation?" I felt the need to laugh and cry at the same time. I wasn't only kidnapped against my will, I was also sold to a notorious Cartel Boss. I fought back tears. "I want to go home, please. I can pay you back, I just need to scramble up my savings." Carter's whiskey glass stopped halfway to his mouth, his eyes brightened with assumption. "Are you serious right now?" "Dead serious." I countered. Bemused, He placed the glass on the table intertwining his fingers. "I won't mind. The amount your father owes me isn't much." My body tensed up, I really hated the suspense. "How much was it?" Oh God. I feel jelly. "$800,000 flat." He said casually and resumed drinking. I feared my heart stopped, blood rushed to my head and I staggered slightly. "$800,000?" He nodded as a reply. The gravity of the whole situation weighed on me. The damage has been far done. The option I had left was to accept my fate because there was no way I would pay eight hundred freaking dollars, I only earn about 100 bucks a month. Carter still had his predatory eyes on me. "Still want to pay?" I chose to remain silent, averting his gaze. *Alright. I have a solution for you. You're a decent girl and I kind of like you, luck has smiled on you today." He emptied the glass and resumed speaking. "Here's the deal... Be my wife for a span of 6 months and let's say we forget all of these. You'd be heavily compensated and be sent on your merry way. Refuse, and—Well, let's just say you'd find comfort within your cell in time. What do you say? Your call." Carter sat at the edge of the table, crossing his long fingers. God knows, I've fallen into an abyss. I bit my tongue so hard the taste of copper filled my mouth. My next words and actions would determine my fate by the hand of this beast in the skin of a man.