Chapter 5

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I ran my hands over my face as I was showered in warm droplets of water. I had made sure to lock both bathroom doors so that no one could walk in on me with a knife. Ha!

No, really: that was why I had locked them…

I sighed leaning my head against the wall and let the water run down my back while I inhaled the steam. I assumed my schedule would be the same as the previous day: Breakfast, a few hours of whatever and then a few hours learning about my 'merch' with Walter. The worst part about all of that was that I knew there would be no Sasha to hang out with today. I had overheard Clyde telling Sergio she was staying at her mom's for a couple of days. I assumed they were not married. I don't know, I guess Kent and Sasha made this a little bearable.

A loud knock snapped me out of my thoughts but I didn't move from my position.

"I have work to do! Would you hurry up?" Sergio's annoyed voice came.

I didn't reply as I lifted my hand to the glass handle and turned the water off. I stepped out of the shower and dried off before I frowned at the clothing I had been wearing for the past two days. It looked bad, it smelt worse.

"Alexander!" Sergio's voice shouted as banged on the door more.

I groaned shoving on the clothing before I unlocked his door and walked towards mine. He opened the door.

"You know, this is optional for you. I can take it away." Sergio said behind me.

"Do it, you've taken everything else." I replied without turning to him before I walked out shutting the door behind me.

I sighed falling onto the bed on my back deciding I was going to be sleeping the entire day until I was forced to go where they wanted me to but I heard the bathroom door open again. I glanced to see him lean against the door frame crossing his arms over his chest. He was wearing track pants... that's it. I shifted my eyes to the roof annoyed that I wanted to know what those tattoos were or said, but I was not going to find out by staring at him.

"What do you want?" He asked with a sigh. I clenched my teeth, there's obviously one thing I wanted, I wasn't going to get it.

"My phone. Clothes. My work." I replied. I figured telling him I wanted to go home was not an option, it would only result in more arguing and I then I would get nothing.

"I'll have some guys break into your house and get your stuff, but you're not –"

"Break into my house?" I cut him off as I looked up at him, "How do you know where I –?" I sat up, "You can't break into my house, I have a roommate –" I was saying.

"Who is currently in a lecture, so he isn't a problem. You aren't getting your phone back." He said.

"It doesn't matter what I do with it to you, I'm stuck here anyway and it's not like I would tell anyone how I ended up here or even where I am." I said annoyed.

"Yeah, but it's entertaining making you angry." I glared at him as he smirked.

"Is there a reason you rushed me out of the bathroom or...?" I looked at him. He chuckled.

"I figured you would want to see more of this, since you couldn't move your eyes yesterday." He said smirking as he ran his right hand up his left arm. I felt my heart drop and my face heat.

He noticed? Damn it.

"I've seen better." I replied strongly.

"Sure you have." He laughed, "The men in your magazines don't even come close to me." He added pulling the door shut. I frowned. I don't think I've ever met someone more arrogant than Jordan... until now.

I got up and locked the door that lead to the bathroom. I heard him laugh and clenched my fist as I rolled my eyes before I walked out of the room. I made my way downstairs and found Clyde in the kitchen. He had a bottle of beer in his hand, it was what? 9 AM? Actually, beer didn't sound so bad right now, but my nicotine intake had already skyrocketed in the past couple of days, did I really want to add to that?

"Good morning, Alex." Kent smiled at me.

"Morning... can I have one of those?" I motioned to Clyde.

Clyde snorted. "You're what? Fifteen?"

"You're what? An idiot." He rolled his eyes, "I'm old enough, thank you. And besides, I doubt people like you care about the legalities." I said, "Thank you." I smiled at Kent as he handed me a beer.

"You're welcome. Well, seems like you two had a rough night." He said.

"'Night'?" I gave a sarcastic laugh before I sighed.

"Shut up, before I do what I should have done when I found you in that park." Clyde said.

"Your threats don't scare me." I looked at him.

"How about now?" He pulled his gun out swiftly and aimed it at me. I tried not to react but felt my heart jump into my throat amplifying my instant fear.

"What the fuck, Clyde?! Not in here! Put that away!" Kent said.

I glared at Clyde as he ignored Kent and stood up still aiming the gun at me. My head turned when he nudged the gun against my temple. I was trying not to flinch. I wasn't going to let him get what he wanted. I wasn't going to show him how much this actually terrified me.

"This is not your playground; no one here is your friend. You better learn to watch your fucking mouth before you get so much worse than this." He said. I let out a cry as his gun smashed against my head before he hit it against my jaw making me bump into the table, "Watch yourself." He hissed before he walked out.

"Alexander, are you alright?" Kent grabbed an ice pack from the freezer before he stuck it against my temple.

"Fine." I muttered sarcastically while wiping the blood from my lip, "I'm just fucking fine, thank you." I grabbed another beer along with my already open one. Mind you, I had only ever drunk beer twice before in my life with Shiloh and Jordan.

I began making my way back upstairs after I convinced Kent I didn't need the ice pack, but I stopped as I heard Sergio's stern, angry voice. I really shouldn't have went towards it but my curiosity doesn't work that way so began walking down the hall until his voice was clear.

"Boss, all we heard –" I heard a shaky voice.

"You think I give a fuck about what you heard? No, Kevin because I only care about how much fucking money I just lost. So listen here, I want my money back within twelve hours and I want the snitch here or the three of you are fucking dead. Did you hear that?" His tone of voice made me cringe and I could only imagine how the men in front of him felt.

"B-but we don't know where –" Another voice began.

"Oh, I trust that you'll figure it out." Sergio replied. I stood my ground as he walked out and he stopped in front of me. He didn't look anything like how his voice has sounded. He looked calm. "Is there a reason you're standing here, Alexander?" he asked calmly. Geez... It's like his emotion had a switch...

"Just exploring." I brought the beer to my mouth. He grabbed the other bottle from me and frowned as his eyes ran over my face.

"You got into another fight? Didn't I tell you to behave?" he asked.

"Actually, you asked me if I couldn't." I replied.

He looked amused and I froze as his hand lifted to my lip and his thumb brushed over the cut taking some blood with it. "These bruises not enough for you?" he asked lifting his eyes from my lip to meet mine. I kept quiet as my hand tightened around the bottle I was holding "Thought so." He gave a chuckle before he shoved by me roughly making me stumble back against the wall and he walked away. The three guys he had spoken to followed behind him barely giving me a glance.

I glared at his back as I grit my teeth. If he thinks he can push me around like he does with the rest of his 'gang', he has another thing coming.

I drank the rest of my beer in a few quick gulps before I looked down the hall and decided to explore the house. I walked through the office they had just come from. I assumed it was Sergio's office. It was really bland. If you wanted it to tell you anything about him, it would say he was hollow and boring. His room might have suggested differently but anyone could have decorated that. There was basic office furniture everywhere and a computer on the desk, as well as a lot of papers. There was nothing that decorated the place apart from a framed painting in a glass cover of ocean waves on the wall opposite the desk. Judging from the position, he obviously spent a lot of time staring at that, I couldn't understand why.

I walked out of the office and made my way down the hall. I found what looked like a gaming room, a couple of almost empty bedrooms that I figured were for people that slept in there but didn't live in the house because they were undecorated and a library that I guessed was just there to hide things. What things I didn't know... yet. I was about to start looking when I heard Clyde call me from the hall.

"Alexander!" He sounded pretty annoyed. I smirked to myself and kept silent. "Damn that guy... Why the hell are you keeping him here, Sergio? Kill him, we'll have fewer problems. There are so many other people we wouldn't have this trouble with."

"Yes, but he's interesting. It's fun too. I mean, when was the last time you were so worked up about something as small as a dealer?" Sergio's chuckle sounded closer.

I moved behind one of the shelves that kept me hidden from view if anyone peaked in from the door. Sergio's threats on my life were for his entertainment and Clyde just seemed blood thirsty, as everyone else around here did. How little did life mean to these people?

"'Fun'." Clyde snorted. "You're keeping him around to annoy everyone? Have you seen Ben's face?"

"Ah. I warned you not to take everyone so lightly, didn't I, Ben? Now you know. Well, he also reminds of someone." My ears perked up, "I can't place my finger on it but I know..." he drifted, "I can't figure it out but I know I've seen that face somewhere." I furrowed my brows. I had never seen him before I entered this house.

"You say that about everyone." Clyde's voice was flat.

I heard the two men laugh and my eyes widened. I listened as they walked into the library.

"Hide and seek, Alexander? I didn't think you could be any more child-like." I clenched my teeth as Sergio spoke. I couldn't see him. How did he know I was here? Child-like?

I opened my mouth to reply but my eyes caught a book across me. It looked weird... I reached for it but immediately pulled back and hit my arm out when someone jumped out next to me yelling 'boo'. I heard a grunt and stepped back.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Ben hissed, his hand cupping the cut on his face that I had just re-opened.

"Ben, I think it would be best if you stayed away from him." Clyde gave a chuckle as he grabbed Ben's arm and pulled him back.

"Uh... I have... diarrhoea." I was looking for a reason not to go anywhere with them.

"Grab a bucket and let's go then." Was Sergio's reply before he gave a dry laugh. I wondered if the laughing I had heard earlier was from Ben and Clyde considering that Sergio was probably physically incapable of laughing, but I guessed that was how he showed people he was not to be messed with. "Do I look like I care?" he asked before he shook his head and walked away. "Ben, Clyde. Move, we're off schedule already." He called back.

I glared at Ben as he grabbed my arm roughly but I didn't try to pull back because he pulled a knife from his pocket. I knew if Clyde had not just been a few steps away from us with Sergio at the door, he would have used it on me.

He gave a look that told me I was going to pay for his face and I decided then that Sergio was very right. Ben and I needed to be away from each other. Far away.

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