The Cost of Silence
The pain was a living thing.
It crawled through Jack's leg, up his spine, into his skull. Every nerve ending screamed. Every breath felt like swallowing glass.
He was in a basement. Concrete walls. A single bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, swinging slightly, casting shadows that danced across the floor.
His hands were zip-tied behind his back, the plastic cutting into his wrists. His leg—the one Kain's man had shot—was on fire. Blood had soaked through his jeans, pooling beneath the chair they'd strapped him to.
Kain stood in front of him, arms crossed, face unreadable.
Behind him, two of his men leaned against the wall. One of them—the guy with the scar on his cheek—was holding a crowbar.
"Let's try this again," Kain said. His voice was calm. Patient. Like he had all the time in the world.
Jack didn't respond. Couldn't. His jaw was clenched so tight he thought his teeth might crack.
"Who are you?" Kain asked.
Silence.
"Who sent you?"
Silence.
Kain sighed. He nodded to the man with the crowbar.
The man stepped forward.
The first blow landed on Jack's ribs.
He heard the crack before he felt it. Then the pain hit—sharp, blinding, stealing the air from his lungs.
He gasped, his body jerking against the restraints.
"Who are you?" Kain asked again.
Jack didn't answer.
The second blow hit his shoulder. The third, his thigh—right above the gunshot wound.
Jack screamed.
The sound tore out of him, raw and animal. His vision went white. His body convulsed.
Bella. Think about Bella.
"Stop," Kain said.
The man with the crowbar stepped back.
Kain crouched down in front of Jack, his eyes level with Jack's.
"You're tough," he said. "I'll give you that. But everyone breaks eventually."
Jack spat blood onto the floor. His mouth tasted like copper.
"Fuck you," he rasped.
Kain smiled. It didn't reach his eyes.
"Who was the girl?" he asked.
Jack's stomach twisted.
Bella.
"I don't know," Jack said.
"Bullshit."
"I don't—"
The crowbar hit his leg again.
Jack screamed. The world tilted. His vision blurred.
Don't say her name. Don't say anything.
"She ran," Kain said. "But we'll find her. It's only a matter of time."
"She's nobody," Jack gasped. "Just—just some girl. I picked her up at a bar."
"A bar." Kain's tone was flat. "You picked her up at a bar, and then you brought her to my trap house. Where you killed two of my men."
"They were going to kill us."
"Were they?" Kain stood, his hands sliding into his pockets. "Or were you sent to take them out?"
"I wasn't sent by anyone."
"Then why were you there?"
"I told you. We were just—"
The crowbar hit his ribs again.
Jack heard another crack. Felt something shift inside his chest.
Breathe. Just breathe.
But he couldn't. Every breath was agony.
"You're lying," Kain said. "And I'm getting tired of it."
He nodded to the man with the crowbar.
"Break his fingers."
No.
The man grabbed Jack's hand, wrenching it backward. Jack's shoulder screamed in protest.
"Wait!" Jack gasped. "Wait, wait—"
Kain held up a hand. The man paused.
"You ready to talk?" Kain asked.
Jack was shaking. His whole body was shaking.
If I tell him anything, he'll find her. He'll find King's Paradise. He'll destroy everything.
He thought about Bella. About the way she'd looked at him in the car, her eyes wide with fear.
Run, he'd told her. Just keep running.
He thought about King's Paradise. About the money she'd spent, the risks she'd taken, the dream she'd built from nothing.
I can't let him take that from her.
"I don't know anything," Jack said.
Kain's expression didn't change.
"Break them," he said.
The man grabbed Jack's pinky finger and bent it backward.
The snap was loud. Sharp.
The pain was worse.
Jack screamed until his throat was raw.
***
The house smelled like stale beer and cigarette smoke.
Bella sat by the window in Marcus's living room, staring out at the empty driveway. The sun was rising now, casting long shadows across the cracked pavement.
She hadn't moved in over an hour.
Her hands were folded in her lap, her face blank. She'd cried so much that her eyes felt swollen, her throat raw. Now there were no tears left. Just emptiness.
He's gone.
The thought kept circling through her mind, over and over, like a mantra.
He's gone, and it's my fault.
She should have stayed. Should have fought. Should have done something instead of running like a coward.
But Jack had told her to run. Had screamed at her to go.
And she'd listened.
What if he's dead?
The thought made her stomach twist.
What if Kain killed him? What if he's lying in some ditch somewhere, bleeding out, and I'm just sitting here—
"Bella."
She didn't turn.
Hela's voice was sharp. Impatient.
"Bella, we need to talk."
"I don't want to talk."
"Too bad."
Hela crossed the room and sat down on the couch across from her. She was still wearing the same leather jacket from earlier, her dark hair pulled back in a messy ponytail.
"Why were you with Jack?" Hela asked.
Bella didn't respond.
"Bella."
"I told you. We were just—"
"Don't give me that bullshit." Hela's voice was cold. "You were at the trap house. With Jack. And Kain's men. So I'm going to ask you again: why were you there?"
Bella's jaw tightened.
She's still with Rider. She has to be. This is a trap.
"We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Bella said quietly.
Hela stared at her for a long moment. Then she laughed—a short, bitter sound.
"You're a terrible liar," Hela said.
"I'm not lying."
"Yes, you are." Hela leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "But you know what? I don't care."
Bella blinked. "What?"
"I don't care why you were there. I don't care what you and Jack were doing. That's not what this is about."
"Then what is it about?"
Hela's eyes were hard. Calculating.
"I heard you divorced Ronald," she said.
Bella's stomach dropped.
"How did you—"
"Word gets around." Hela's tone was casual, but her gaze was sharp. "So. Is it true?"
Bella hesitated. Then nodded.
"Yes."
"And the settlement?" Hela asked. "What did you do with the money?"
Bella's pulse quickened.
Why is she asking about the money?
"I don't see how that's any of your business," Bella said carefully.
"It's my business if I'm going to help you save Jack."
Bella's breath caught.
"What?"
Hela leaned back, her arms crossed.
"You want Jack back, right?" she said. "You want me to help you find him. Get him away from Kain."
"Yes," Bella said quickly. "Yes, I do."
"Then here's the deal." Hela's voice was flat. Matter-of-fact. "I help you save Jack. And in return, you give me money."
Bella stared at her.
"You're—you're extorting me?"
"I'm making a business arrangement." Hela's expression didn't change. "You have money. I need money. It's simple."
"Why do you need money?" Bella's voice was rising now, anger cutting through the numbness. "You're with Rider. You have everything you—"
"I'm not with Rider."
The words hung in the air like a gunshot.
Bella froze.
"What?"
"I'm not with Rider," Hela repeated. Her voice was cold. Hard. "Not anymore."
Bella's mind was racing.
She's lying. She has to be lying.
"I don't believe you," Bella said.
Hela's jaw tightened.
"Believe what you want," she said. "But it's the truth. Rider and I are done. Have been for a while now."
"Then why—"
"Why do I need money?" Hela's laugh was bitter. "Because Rider took everything. My connections. My resources. My life. He burned it all to the ground the moment I tried to leave."
Bella stared at her, her heart pounding.
"He drained me dry," Hela continued. "Turned everyone I knew against me. Absorbed my crew into his operation. And now I'm here, living in my cousin's shitty house, trying to help him run a gang that's barely holding together."
She leaned forward, her eyes locked on Bella's.
"I need money," Hela said. "To rebuild. To keep Marcus and his crew safe. To take back what Rider stole from me."
Bella's throat was tight.
"And you think I'm just going to hand it over?"
"I think you want Jack back," Hela said. "And I'm the only one who can help you get him."
Bella's hands clenched into fists.
She's using me. Just like everyone else.
"How much?" Bella asked quietly.
"Enough to make a difference."
"That's not an answer."
Hela's expression didn't change.
"We'll figure out the details later," she said. "Right now, I need to know if we have a deal."
Bella stared at her, her mind racing.
Can I trust her? Can I trust anyone?
She thought about Jack. About the way he'd looked at her before Kain's men dragged him into the car.
I have to try.
"Fine," Bella said. "But I don't trust you."
Hela raised an eyebrow.
"I don't trust you," Bella repeated, her voice harder now. "And the moment I feel like you're trying to fuck me over—the moment I think you're working with Rider—I'm out. I'll burn everything to the ground before I let that happen."
Hela blinked.
For a moment, she just stared at Bella, her expression unreadable.
Then she smiled—a small, cold smile.
"Fair enough," Hela said.
She stood, brushing off her jeans.
"Get some rest," she said. "We've got work to do."
She turned and walked toward the door.
"Hela," Bella called.
Hela paused, glancing back over her shoulder.
"Are you really done with Rider?" Bella asked.
Hela's expression darkened.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I'm done with that small prick."
And then she was gone, the door clicking shut behind her.
Bella sat alone in the empty room, her heart pounding.