Page 2 of Taking Over the Dark

I was never willing to do the depraved shit my father and his brother were always dabbling in, and it always seemed to get worse and worse as the years went on. I made it very clear where the lines I kept were. I’ve killed in the most ruthless ways, but it was at least people I knew were deserving of it. But when they started trafficking drugs they weren’t supposed to, fucking with other families’ businesses and money, and then cutting those drugs with shit that would kill people with the smallest amount, I dipped. That was right before I left for college to play ball. Whatever bits and pieces of information Alex is able to pick up from his father, he always relays it to me… none of the information is ever anything good.

“Alex… watch your back. I don’t have a good feeling about any of this. This whole thing has to be somebodyveryclose to us.” I hope he takes that to heart because the very man he’s in the same room with could be the reason all of this started.

* Give - Sleep Token

TWO

NASH

My eyes peel open unwillingly. They feel as though they’ve been forced open while sand has been poured into them. I’m vaguely aware of a faint light illuminated above my head. A cold, wet feeling engulfs my whole body, and the only thing on repeat in my head is, “Where’sMi Amor?”

Then, I’m pulled into the darkness once again.

As I come to again,saliva fills my mouth in the way it does before I’m about to puke. Holding my tongue to the roof of my mouth, I hope the feeling will subside. My head has a steady heartbeat, and my eyelids feel as if they’ve been super glued shut. I fight against the pull this time… I need to know that Ellie is okay.

I turn my head against whatever surface I’m lying on, and all I see filtered through the dim light are walls caked in mud and rock. The ominous light hangs from the ceiling, and my eyes land on another body lying on the floor.

?*“Ellie!” I’m yelling in my head, but my voice is coming out choppy and barely audible.

The body doesn’t even flinch.

Adrenaline takes over my body. I push up on my forearms and move to sit all the way up. It takes me a second to breathe through the nausea… if I’m puking, I’m helping nothing. Finally getting to my hands and knees, I start to crawl over to who I’m hoping is Ellie.

Dragging each of my legs forward, all I can wonder is what the hell they drugged me with to fuck with my body this bad… or how long we’ve been wherever we are to become this weak. I’m hoping it’s the former so we can get the drugs through our system and be able to break out of whatever hell this is.

I get close enough and see that it’s definitely Ellie—a weak-looking Elliebut nonetheless,Mi Amor.

I run my hand down her cheek and bask in the warmth of her skin, taking that as a good sign. My fingers find the pulse point on her neck, and her strong heartbeat meets them. “Ellie, it’s Nash, I’m with you.” I run my hand up her forehead, pushing back her unruly hair. Searching her body for injuries with what little light we have in here, I’m thankful to find I don’t see anything concerning besides mud and dirt caked on her clothes.

Still whispering to her, I ask, “Can you open your eyes for me,Mi Amor?” I lay beside her, lift her head to rest on my shoulder, and let the darkness take me a little easier this time. Now I know the next time I come to, I’ll have a little more energy once more of the drugs have left my system.

* Die For You - The Weeknd, Ariana Grande

THREE

MARCELLO

“Do we have a mirror of Zamir’s phone yet?” I’m nearly screaming into my car speaker at Noah on the other end. He’s back at his apartment, which happens to be one of the units in my building.

Ellie’s tracker went black about ten miles north of the Club, but Noah has endless programs checking traffic cameras and nearby businesses they could’ve passed. Whoever did this, planned it out perfectly. They had to have anticipated the traffic from the game giving them extra anonymity to grab them from the club, which means they’ve likely been watching us for a while to know our schedules so precisely. The anonymity the traffic gave them was not to our advantage. They were easily able to hide in the traffic and then took the extra step of wiping the footage from cameras they passed across the city.

Once I was done screaming at Zamir, I put Vin in charge of calling everyone we know in this city to have them keep their eyes peeled and to stay on high alert until we find them. With my reputation, nobody would be stupid enough to keep any vital information from me. They know if they keep anything from me that could help us find Ellie and Nash, I’ll be pulling outtheir organs as my stress relief. People are quick to turn on one another when they know I’m after them.

“I’ve got it, Boss. It looks like somebody else had just been in here and had it mirrored as well. This all could be from them…” I’m half-ass listening to Noah explain when I peek over at Vin to see what expression he’s wearing. There’s no way in hell Zamir didn’t have something to do with this. Everything is pointing at him. Trusting him may have been the biggest mistake I’ve made since taking over my empire. This is precisely what I get for trusting new people and bringing them into my circle.

?*“This could all be an elaborate setup to get us to the stadium. I don’t trust him or his fucking family,” I snip at Noah through the speaker.

This is why I’ve kept my heart so closed off. This obsession, the soul-deep pull to keep Ellie protected, is a double-edged sword. Allowing Ellie into my life so openly brought nothing but danger to her—I knew this. But I couldn’t hold off anymore once Zamir and Nash worked their way into her life. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to be pushed to the side to watch as she fell head-over-ass for these two. I’ve sat by and watched as her exes treated her like shit, which led me to scaring the shit out of them—causing them to run off like little bitches.

Pathetic.

Taking a breath in, I count while holding it in for a couple of seconds before I release it, trying my best to stay calm to get the answers we’ll need to find out where myRagazza Dolceis. A couple more minutes and I’ll have my hands around Zamir’s goddamn throat. Vin looks over. “I would ask if you’re okay, but I know that answer is a no… we’ll find her, Cello. I promise.”

As I fly through red lights, dodging cars left and right, I send a silent thanks to whoever the hell is listening that the traffic from the game has dispersed. After answering Noah’s call back in my office and hearing him say shit was hitting the fan at ClubOnyx, it took everything in me not to act on instinct and run into the night looking for them. That’s exactly what they want though. I have to keep my head on straight if I have any chance of finding out who has them.

“It’s not only her that I’m worried about, Vin… and that scares me even more.” I see the wheels spinning in his head. He’s trying to process what I just said.

It finally clicks, and he hums. “Ahh, got it, Boss. We’ll find both of them. Nash will protect her. Actually, I take that back. Ellie will be the one protecting. We’ve trained her, Cello. For this exact reason.”