"Breaking News! Charles Hadleigh, one of California's finest lawyers, murdered in a New York hotel room!... From sources that were on site, we have information that America's most powerful business tycoon, Xavier Thorn was spotted on the murder site, along with the FBI... Since the investigation, his mystery girl, that's been at multiple locations with Thorn Inc's youngest CEO, has also been missing from the picture...Although the young billionaire has yet to confirm his relationship with this mystery girl, her sudden disappearance has posed many kidnapping rumors... Several FBI officials have also been spotting at the scene and we canâ"
"What the fuck is this?!" Xavier shouted, hurling the remote control into the flat screen TV that hung up in his office.
He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep all night and had arrived back at the company as soon as the sun rose.
Staying at home wasn't an option for him. Each part of that house reminded Xavier of Raine. He tried to sleep, but the bed was so cold without her warm body hugging him. The whole house felt empty without her loud giggles and cute smiles that she had sprinkled in each corner of the mansion.
"Who let this news come out?!" His voice was nothing less then a growl and Jordon didn't expect anything less coming from him.
He had tried to get Xavier to stay home but the stubborn man refused to listen to anyone. "Mr. Thorn, we cannot stop the press from saying anything." Jordon resounded.
"Bullshit!" He shouted. "Don't you get it?! If the media keeps running this breaking news, Killian will see it! And once he finds out that Charles is dead, he'll know something is up!"
"I understand. But there's nothing we can do to stop the media from reporting this." Jordon stated. "The only good news is that Raine's name wasn't mentioned."
"Raine..." Xavier said, throwing his head into his hands as he shut his eyes tightly.
It had been so long since he had seen her. Since he had held her in his arms. He always knew that she meant a lot to him. She was his shining star from day one. But he hadn't ever thought she meant this much until she had disappeared from his life.
"We have to find her." He breathed out. "Jordon we have to find her. It's been so long. Who knows what Malin will do to her. We don't even know if she's alright. What if he hurts her. What ifâ"
"Thinking of all the 'what ifs' won't bring us any closer to Raine." Jordon interrupted.
"You're right." Xavier nodded. "We need to go find her. We have to find her before Killian does."
"Killian has probably already heard the news, Mr. Thorn." Jordon reasoned.
"Come on then." Xavier shot out of his chair. "Let's go find her."
"Mr. Thorn, the number of places Malin can take her to, is limitless," Jordon said. "It will take us days to search every place. We don't even have the slightest clue of where she may be."
"It doesn't matter," Xavier said. "It doesn't matter if it takes an eternity. I won't stop until I find her."
* * *
The pain was intolerable but the only thing that kept her lungs moving and her heart beating was Xavier's face, that popped up in front of her eyes every time she shut them.
How had life been so cruel to her when she had never wronged anyone?
The air was cold and trembles occasionally ran through her body as Malin's words pierced her heart.
She couldn't leave with Malin. She couldn't let him take her away from the one thing in her life that she had began living for.
Nothing mattered anymore. She didn't care about the revenge, nor did she care about avenging her parents. Nothing mattered more to her than Xavier.
She wanted to crawl into his arms and to never leave the warmth of his body. She wanted to drown herself in the oceans that lived in his eyes and she'd willingly surrender her heart and soul to him.
Maybe she didn't deserve love. Because every time she thought she had gotten everything she'd ever want, it was snatched from her within a blink of an eye. She was robbed of her parents and now when she had finally gotten what her heart had craved for so long, he was stolen from her by the devil himself.
She couldn't ever marry Malin for she no longer had her heart.
Xavier had taken it and treasured it like no one else and she knew that she had lost it for good.
She was broken out of her thoughts when the door opened, letting the light pour into the dark room behind the silhouette that stood in the doorframe.
"Raine Woods," Killian said, smirking as he walked into the dark room.
Malin was nowhere to be seen but she was unsure of whether that was a good thing or not. Malin terrified her, but Killian was someone she detested. He was the murderer of her parents, the reason for her misery. Sure, Malin had his fair share in her painful life, but he would have never been a problem had Killian not sabotaged her happy family.
"It's really you, isn't it?" He asked, circling her as she sat on the old bed frame, bound by the ropes that were burning her wrists. "The daughter of the devils."
"Don't you dare!" Raine spat. "You're the only devil here! Don't ever say a word against my parents!"
"How pathetic Raine, how pathetic." He mocked. "You're really defending those people. The same people that didn't give damn about you! They were stupid enough to open their goddamn mouths and risk your life!"
"I will defend them!" Raine shouted. "Because they did the right thing! They didn't want devils like you, winning!"
"Well, news flash! In the end, the devil himself won and your pathetic parents lost!" He chuckled. "It was so much fun watching their flight crash into the ground, like fireworks in the night sky. Watching their bodies burn in the fire they had brought upon themselves. Truly, Raine, it was the perfect example of karma. Do bad things to people, bad things happen to you."
"Shut up!" Raine cried out, her eyes shut as tight as her eyelids could hold them. "Don't say a single word about them! You killed them! You killed my parents! It's all your fault! They died because of you!"
"They died because of their own mistakes!" Killian stated. "I gave them the chance to walk away unharmed. I offered them an amount that would give you, their one and only daughter, a life people dreamed about! They could have had fountains of champaign and tables of gold! But they were so caught up on their foolish honesty track to make the right decision."
"My parents weren't objects that you could buy at a single wave of your checkbook!" Raine shot back. "Honestly is priceless! But you wouldn't understand honestly because you're nothing but a piece of shit!"
"Shut up, you bitch!" Killian shouted, slapping her across the face. "Shut the fuck up!"
"No!" Raine screamed. "You may have silenced my parents, but you'll never be able to silence me! You will be punished for your sins, Killian! Your ugly truth will come out and the world will know that you're not only a fraud but also a murderer!"
"Just a murderer, baby?" Killian smirked. "Looks like your parents didn't leak all the details after all."
"What are you talking about?" She frowned in confusion.
"Ever heard of Edwardo Tenzinini? Europe's biggest drug lord and a mafia boss." Killian flaunted. "You're looking at him right now. I'm not some stupid murderer that you can have arrested with one call. I'm a fucking mafia boss! I get want I want and no one ever gets in my way."
"What..." Raine whispered, shocked. "You're...youâ"
"I rule all of Europe, Raine. And anyone who's ever tried to come in my path had never survived! Your parents were onto me but even they didn't know what they were chasing after. No one does."
Raine stared at him in shock. From the tapes that her parents had left behind, she thought she knew everything. But life was an unexpected surprise and every time she thought she had figured it all out, more shocking news had be tossed into her life, causing havoc.
"Eden and Abby thought I was selling secrets to other countries. Getting a hold of federal security information and giving it out to the rest of the world. They thought I was selling information to the mafia or using it to smuggle drugs." Killian shared. "What they didn't know was that I was the mafia. I was the drug lord. I didn't sell a damn secret to anyone else! I used the information for my own benefits. How to smuggle drugs into the country without having the FBI ever intercepting my path... Everything was going smoothly until your parents intercepted one of our data extractions. They traced it back to the servers at my company."
"So Killian Hawthorne doesn't exist?" Raine said with shock. She knew that he wasn't a saint, but to know that he ran a mafia was even more terrifying.
"Oh, he does," Killian smirked. "To the world, I am Killian Hawthorne. No one had ever lived long enough to see Edwardo Tenzinini. You though are quite lucky."
"And what makes you think that I won't go tell someone?"
"My girl, you will never be able to prove anything. Edwardo Tenzinini is a ghost that no one has ever been able to trace." He said. "And you'll be off with Malin soon. Far away from America or anyone who'd willingly listen to you."
"What makes you so sure of that?" Raine asked, ignoring his comments about Malin. "I have everything I need to take you down."
"You really think that you have anything against me? No one would believe a girl like you! You're a runaway from California and nothing more than that. You're poor, pathetic, and ugly. Babe, this country supports people that have money. The title of truth is rewarded to the highest bidder, not someone so small and worthless like you."
"My words may mean nothing but my parent's words will mean everything." Raine gritted out, anger coursing through her body.
"I know you've got something on me," Killian smirked. "I've got spies of my own to keep eyes on you. "
"What are you talking about?" Raine asked, her heart dropping slightly.
"Did you really think that I forgot about you?" Killian asked. "That I would be foolish enough to forget a threat like you. I've kept my eyes on you since the day you're parents kissed this world goodbye. I tried killing you at first, but you were too damn lucky to ever fall into the traps that I had set out for you! So I asked Malin and Charles to do the job for me. But that fool of a man ended up throwing my orders in the trash and falling for you!"
"So why didn't you kill me then?!" Raine shouted. "Why make me live this pathetic life!"
"Because you looked harmless," Killian growled. "But I was wrong! You and your boyfriend turned out to be the biggest threat of all!"
"Boyfriend?" Raine asked.
"Ah, yes." Killian grinned. "Xavier Thorn. That bloody billionaire fool that actually saw something in your worthless self."
"How do you know Xavier?" Raine said, her heartbeat picking up.
The whole reason she had landed herself in the current situation was so that she could protect Xavier from her ugly past. But here it was, her nasty past standing right in front of her with Xavier's name on his lips.
"Oh stop playing dumb Raine! I know of your plans to use Xavier to get back at me! You think that just because he'd be my business partner, you'd have the upper hand?!"
"Business partner?!" She frowned in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Oh, don't you act all innocent now." He mocked. "I was really surprised when Thorn Inc reached out to me. After years of ignoring my company, Xavier Thorn all of a sudden approached me for a business deal. But I've got sources of my own, Raine. I've had my eyes on you and once I found that Xavier was at the site of Charles Hadleigh's murder, I knew you'd have him involved in this."
"What business deal?"
"Oh, so lover boy didn't tell you?" Killian mocked. "Thorn Inc signed a deal with my company just yesterday."
"Xavier met you?!" Raine said in shock. Raine had insisted that she be included whenever they were planning on meeting Killian. So to find out that he had gone behind her back was quite shocking.
"Yes. Yes, he did." Killian confirmed. "It's such a shame though. His father and I used to be great friends. It will be hard to kill that boy. If only you hadn't involved him Raine. If only..."
"No!" Raine screamed. "Don't do anything to Xavier! You can do whatever you want with me but don't touch him! Leave him out of this mess! It's between you and me."
"I didn't put him in this mess Raine, you did!" Killian shot back. "You shouldn't have ployed to take down my company through him in the first place!"
"I wasn't even there!" Raine cried. "How could you have possibly known that Xavier was there because of me. I didn't know a thing about Xavier's meeting with you! You're mistaken, Xavier wasn't setting you up for anything."
"You think I'd believe you?" He smirked. "He's head over heels for you Little Miss. Raine. Of course, he did this for you!"
Her relationship hadn't been a secret to anyone at the company, but the world certainly didn't know about all the details. The media had gossiped a lot about Xavier's new mystery girl but they hadn't ever gotten a picture of her, nor had they know her name.
"How do you know that?" Raine whispered.
"A little birdie told me."
Raine's face contoured into one of the confusion when Killian turned around. The door to the dark room opened up and in walked in a man that Raine had once stood up for. He was someone that she had trusted and fought back for. Someone that she had considered a friend.
Shocked would be an understatement to describe what she was feeling. Had he really been on Killian's side all along? Had he never considered her a friend? Were the moments they spent together all one big lie? A game?
"Hello, Beautiful." His green eyes sparkled under the dim light lamp. The man that once helped her around the office now stood in front of her, a menacing grin plastered to his face.
"Brooks..." She whispered.
"Aw, Ms. Woods." He cooed. "Nice to know you still remember me. I thought you ought to forget while you were busy fucking the CEO all day long." He growled, grabbing her face harshly until she screamed in pain.
"Enough Smith," Killian ordered, causing Brooks to push Raine and walk back. "Like I said before, I've always had my eyes on you. I didn't think you were a threat but when you joined a high profile company for work, I had to make sure I wasn't underestimating you. I hired Brooks Smith to watch you from afar, making sure you didn't spill the tea."
"You walked in so innocently and frankly, everyone was curious about you," Brooks said. "I've had my eyes on you this entire time Raine. I just didn't think you'd be a threat. Not until this morning when I see my trusted man's murder featured in the headlines of every news channel! I knew you'd have something behind it and damn, I was right, wasn't I?"
"I didn't kill him." Raine sobbed. "He was blackmailing me! I didn't do anything. It was all Malin."
"I don't give a fuck about Charles' death." Killian snorted. "I was going to kill him after I wrapped up my work here anyways."
"I knew you had something." Brooks pointed out. "You and that fucking CEO had been lodged up in his office making plans all day following your visit to California."
"Brooks simply informed me of suspicious activities and I did research of my own." Killian added. "I've been doing this for years now. I know how to keep my enemies in control. The only thing that's sad is that you got Xavier involved."
"Xavier is innocent." Raine stated.
He's just as guilty as you are Raine." Killian spat. "He knows just as much as you do. The world will call him a fool for falling in love with you."
"The world is already calling him a fool." Brooks laughed. "He's turned the whole company upside down searching for his pathetic Raine."
"He has?" Raine whispered, her heart filling with warmth at his mention, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
She wasn't even sure why she was asking. Of course, Xavier was looking for her. She had no doubt about it.
"Doesn't matter." Killian gritted out, making Raine's smile vanished. "He'll never find you here. And once I've gotten what I want, you'll be far far away."
"No." Raine cried. "Please, please don't send me with Malin. Please." She begged.
But Killian's heart was colder then the Arctic Ocean. He simply ignored her request.
"What is it that you have Raine?" He asked her in a cool voice.
"Like I'd ever tell you." Her laughed lightly, wiping her tears from her face.
"Oh, you will." Killian sneered, turning around. "Malin! Get over here."
Raine blood went cold at his mention and soon enough, the person that she had been dreading all along was back in front of her.
"Yes, boss." He said, looking at Raine with a side-eye.
"Malin, I know you've yet to get married, but why don't you give your future wife a dose of what she'll be getting on your honeymoon." Killian suggested with an evil smile.
"With pleasure." Malin grinning, stepping forward.
Raine's body went cold and her eyes went wide as Malin approached her. His eyes were already raking her body in the most disgusting way and Raine felt bile rising in her throat.
"Now let me put it this way, either you tell me what the hell it is that you have against me, or Malin gets to have his way with you." Killian demanded.
"No!" Raine screamed, trashing on the bed as she tried to get free. "No! You can't do that! Please!" She begged.
"You deserve this, Raine." Killian snickered. "Now I'll leave you and Malin alone. And Malin, make sure you're extra rough for her."
"No!" Raine screamed, as she watched Malin unbutton his shirt and walk up to her.
"Finally." His whispered against Raine's skin, shoving his facing into her's and kissing her roughly. He bit her lips, drawing blood and began groping her body.
Raine tried to push him away before she was helpless with her hands tied against the headboard. Tears were stream down her face as with every touch that Malin forced upon her, she found herself dying a little.
Killian watching with amusement, satisfaction in his eyes at the sight of Raine's torture.
"Stop!" Raine screamed. "Killian! Tell him to stop! Please..." She sobbed, her skin crawling as Malin began unbuttoning her blouse.
"He'll stop as soon as you start opening that mouth of yours."
"I'll tell you!" Raine crying. "Please just tell him to stop."
"Enough Malin!" Killian ordered.
Malin released her shirt, forcefully capturing lips one more time before getting off of her and walking to the side of the room, waiting until Killian would hand her over to him once and for all.
"Good girl." Malin laughed. "Would've been must easier if you spoke the truth from the start, wouldn't it?"
The tears that fell from her eyes were never ending and slowly she felt her world crumble before her eyes.
"I have tapes." She slowly started to talk once the sobs died down. "My parents recorded a video where they exposed you."
"Good girl." Killian nodded. "Now, I'll give you a choice of course because I am so generous. Give me the tapes and I'll let Xavier live. If not, tonight will be the last day of his life. If you refuse, then I'll kill the both of you."
"No!" Raine said. "I'll give you the tapes. And once you get them you can... you can kill meâ"
"No!" Malin shouted, running to Raine. "You're mine and I am not letting you die!"
"Shut up you lunatic!" Killian kicking Malin aside, causing him to fall to the ground.
Raine gasped, tears falling from her eyes. "The tapes are in the flower pot." She confessed.
"What flower pot?"
"The room... the room where Charles called me. There's a flowerpot by the door. I put the memory card in there. It has all the evidence."
Killian smiled, happy with the answer that he had received. "Good." He nodded, turning to Brooks. "Tell our men to go get that memory card."
* * *
"Malin is smarter then we are putting him out to be," Xavier said. "He must have kept Raine in a location that we'd never think of. Someplace he knows we'll never go looking for."
Xavier and Jordon had been out for hours now, searching the city for any hints that might lead them to Raine. But everywhere they went was nothing but a dead end. And sun was dropping and soon it would be another night that he'd have to spend without her. Without his Raine.
"Malin is not familiar with New York City. He does not own any properties here, nor has he ever lived here." Jordon commented. "If he is planning on keeping Raine at a safe location, it would have to be a rental or a hotel. The city is too packed and we've checked all of the abandoned buildings that he could've gone to.
"Any links?" Xavier questioned, driving past the skyscrapers. "Does he know anyone here? What if he has an accomplice?"
"That chances are slim to none Sir," Jordon responded. "While he was staying under a false name, he was lodging in a hotel. If he really did know someone here, he wouldn't have risked his identity coming out by staying in a public location."
"What if he took her to a hotel?" Xavier suddenly asked.
"A hotel would be a very populated place to keep a hostage."
"I know, but think about it." Xavier urged. "He took Raine out of the City Plaza Hotel without a single person being suspicious. If he is carrying Raine around in a wheelchair, no one will even know that he's holding her hostage."
"I suppose since a hotel is something we'd be unlikely to check, he may use that as his hideout." Jordon agreed. "I'll tell the men to go through each hotel and look around for him and Raine. If she's in a wheelchair, I'm sure people will be more likely to notice her."
It had been a hour but no calls of success were made. Each hotel came back with a negative response and Xavier felt as if he was loosing his mind.
"Where the hell is that son of a bitch?!" Xavier growled with frustration. Time was running out and if Xavier wanted to save Raine, he had to be fast. Killian had already seen the news by now. And he didn't even want to think what the outcome of that would be.
"What if he fled the city?" Jordon asked.
"Fuck!" Xavier cursed, rubbing his hands all over his face.
Jordon took the moment of pull the car over to the side of the road and let Xavier relax a bit. He was losing his mind and the constant searching they had been through all day had tired him out.
He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep nor had he eaten a bit of food.
How could he eat when he had no idea if Raine was starving or fed? How could he sleep when he had no idea if Raine was even given a bed to sleep on? And even worse then that was the thought of Malin in bed with Raine, touching her in ways that she'd be haunted by for the rest of her life.
"We need to know how much information Malin had on Raine. It was obvious that he got her phone number from the application that she submitted to Axel's company, and that he got her address from our servers that were hacked. But what else does heâ"
"Wait a minute." Jordon interrupted Xavier. "What about the cafe?!"
"Cathy's Cakes & Coffee?" Xavier asked.
"Yes!" Jordon nodded. "He was the one who vandalized the coffee shop. Who knows, what if he took her there? The cafe should be closed by now since it's already seven. And Malin would know that we'd never search anywhere near the company and he'd slip his way under our noses."
"You're right! Let's give it a shot." Xavier nodded as Jordon pulled the car back on the road, headed straight for the cafe.
After a short while, they were right in front of the cafe. They both ran out the car, banging on the glass doors to get them open. Unfortunately, Daisy must have been long gone since the lights where turned off and the door was locked.
"Break the damn door." Xavier ordered.
"Are you suâ"
"Do it!"
Jordon nodded, pulling out a gun from his coat and aiming for the glass, shattering it into a million pieces.
Xavier kicked the glass bits out of the way and rushed into the cafe, looked around for any hints. He burst into the kitchen and entered the back but not a sound could be heard besides that of his harsh breathing.
"There's no one here." Jordon said, walking into the kitchen.
Xavier ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Where the hell did he take her?!" He let out, his shoulders falling in defeat.
"Let's get out of here." Jordon said. "I'll tell one of my men to clean the mess up."
"Wait a minute." Xavier stopped. "Remember when you told me that Malin was spotted lurking around places that Raine would be at?"
"Yes?" Jordon nodded.
"The apartment!" Xavier said all of a sudden. "Raine's old apartment! That place was in a poor part of town! It's the perfect place to keep someone hostage!"
"You're right!" Jordon agreed.
"Let's go!" Xavier ordered, running out of the cafe and to the car.
* * *
Crying is the act of shedding tears in response to an emotional state. But after a certain threshold, even the tears ran out.
Her tears had long run out and yet another sun was on the verge of setting. Another sunset without Xavier's arms that wrapped around her every night when they'd go to their balcony to watch the sun disappear in the horizon and the moon rise, brightening up the night sky.
It had been their thing. A tradition that they'd never miss. She remembered how Xavier would rush through meetings to make it back in time for the sky to be painted in the various hues of purples and oranges. He'd kiss her softly as the last sliver of orange disappeared and she'd feel like the happiest girl in the whole world.
Xavier.
He had probably found out everything by now. The hotel, Charles' death, the missing memory card. He had come to save her, but he had been too late to save her from the demons that haunted her life.
Had he found the ring that she'd left behind for him?
Life could have been so much easier if she had simply told Xavier the truth.
He would have been able to save her like he always did. He would've found a way to escape Charles' empty threats. He would've protected her from the demons.
But it was far too late now. All that was left of her life was the love that she had for a man that had given her limitless happiness. And for him, she'd give everything up. Even her life.
Brooks and Killian were right. Xavier was a fool. He was a fool for falling in love with her.
He deserved the world, yet he fell for her. A nobody who didn't know anything but ruining people's lives.
As soon as Killian got the memory card that he'd need, he would kill her and Xavier would finally be free.
Free from all of the problems that had arisen in his life due to her appearance.
He had given her happiness but she had only repaid it with sorrow.
He was the Prince Charming she'd read about at night with her mom. But she was no princess. She'd never be.
The heavy footsteps brought Raine out of her pit of thoughts. Killian must have found what he was searching for, she thought. And soon enough the door banged open.
"You fucking little bitch!" Killian shouted, storming to her and yanking her off the bed by grabbing her hair.
"Ahhh!" Raine screamed.
"Stop playing these goddamn games and tell me where the tapes are!" Killian shouted.
"I told you already!" She cried out. "They're in the flowerpot from the hotel room!"
"My men checked the entire room!" Killian spat out. "There's no damn memory card and there's no damn flowerpot by the door!"
"I swear to god." Raine pleaded. "That's where I left the memory card! It has to be there!"
"Stop lying!" Killian yelled, tossing her body back onto the bed.
"I'm not lying, I promise Iâ"
"Shut up!" He cut her off. "You're so into play games aren't you, then fine. Have it your way... I gave you a chance to save your boyfriend's life! But looks like he isn't that important to you, after all!"
"Please don't do anything to him." She cried out. "He's innocent."
"Shut up!" He shouted. "You're of no use to me now! I'll find the tapes on my own and I'll be sure to make Xavier regret ever falling in love with a fool like you!"
Killian glared at her before a menacing smile crawled up on his face. "Get ready to meet your parents one more time, Raine. And don't worry, Xavier will be joining you very soon."
Raine's heart stopped and her body gave out. This was it.
"Brooks!" He shouted. "Give me the gun."
______________________
A/N: Hey guys! It's been so long since I've updated but I hope this part was worth the wait!! Intense stuff going on right now and Brooks is a traitor!? Can you believe it?! Also, this has got to be the longest chapter I've ever written! A whole 5,200 words! Anyways the fun continues to the next chapter that I will try my best to update soon! Show some love and vote!! Let's get Forever Raine to 100K reads!!
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