The first thing I thought when I woke up was, "Wow, my head hurts like a bitch." I opened my eyes to survey the room around me.

I was on the ground, my hands retrained by what I thought was chains. Giving it a soft pull, I realized that there it was retrained to something. Even if I had the strength to stand, I was stuck. So, there goes my plan of running out of here. It was dark and smelled of mildew. There weren't any windows, so I had no idea if it was day or night. I could hear something, it sounded like voices. A sudden woman's yell for help caused me to widen my eyes.

"Ash!" I yelled for my sister. I heard something again, but I couldn't tell if it was her. It was then that I felt someone watching me, and I had a sinking suspicion of who it was.

"You going to keep hiding in the dark?" I asked, scanning the room for any movement.

"Just for you," came his voice.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"You broke the rules," he said, still remaining wherever he was in the room.

"You destroyed my apartment…What did you think I was going to do?"

"I thought," he said, and I felt his breath on the back of my neck, "that you cared for your family."

"Leave them out of this," I said. "You have me. There is no reason for you to have them anymore."

"That's where you're wrong," he said.

"Then let me see them," I demanded. "I'll…I'll do whatever you want, just let me see them." I had to see if they were okay. They had to be okay.

They had to.

"We'll see about that."

"What do you want from me?" I asked. "If you're going to kill me, just do it."

"I was in prison for four years," Nicolas said, his voice sounding farther away. I no longer felt his presence behind me. "Do you know what that was like?"

"I imagine your friends were always willing to help you," I said, trying to figure out where in the dim lit room he was. "You have contacts everywhere, so I'd imagine that it wasn't as miserable as I hoped it would be."

"I was caged," he said, his tone softer now. "No freedom, no nothing. Do you know what I did to fill my days?"

"No, and I really don't care," I said, still unsure of where he was, adrenaline running through my veins.

"I thought every day how I was going to fix the problem that caused me to get there," he said. "And that problem was you."

"Blaming me for your mistakes," I said, laughing to hide the fear that was growing within me. "Classic."

"You ruined everything!" he said, stepping in front of me. He looked almost the same he had four years ago when I saw him arrested. He wasn't as tan as he was then, and his face had hallowed out. His attire indicated he was utilizing connections. His hair was recently cut and cleaned, and he was wearing a suit. But his eyes were the same. Steely, grey and void of emotion.

"You are the one who sold and bartered people like property," I said, avoiding his gaze. "It was only a matter of time before you got caught."

"You ruined everything," he said, ignoring my words. He pulled out his hand from behind him and before I knew it, he had a knife to my throat. It was a cold blade, and I winced slightly at the sensation of it against my neck. "And I had a lot of time to think about what I would do when I got out."

"Then what are you waiting for?" I said, breathing deeply. "Just kill me, then."

"So quickly?" he said, chuckling as he removed the blade from me. "That would be too easy. And besides, I am no fool."

"What do you mean?"

"If I kill you now, how will I guarantee safe passage out of the US?"

"You know that they won't trade for me," I said. "My only value is as a witness at your trial."

"You'd be surprised," he said. "You're worth more than you even realize."

"Then let them go," I said, unsure of what he meant, but concerned for my sister and her family's safety, I decided to play into it. "If I am as valuable as you say, then they aren't playing a part in the bargain…They have nothing to do with this…"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" he asked. "You won't do anything I say when they're gone. You always try to play the selfless hero, Danielle, when really you are a just a scared little girl."

"If you know me so well," I said, ignoring the pang of hurt I felt at those words, "you know, I won't do anything until I see them, alive and unhurt."

"Fine." He backed-up, removing the knife from my neck. A few seconds later, I heard the sound of a door closing shut. I surveyed the room again, searching for where the door might be. I hadn't seen any light change, so I could only assume the door was behind me. With my eyes adjusted to the light, I could see room was bigger than I assumed it to be. But there was nothing to indicate where I was.

The sound of the door opening and people entering drew my attention. There was a quiet click and the room filled with light. Grimacing, I shut my eyes to give myself a minute to adjust to the change in light. When I opened my eyes, I realized there were three chairs in front of me. And there were three people being retrained to them. My breath hitched as I saw the cloth covering their faces, praying that it was them.

As the men who were restraining them finished, they left. I stared at the figures, unmoving and silent. Before I could call their names, I yelped as my arms shot up, pulling me up.

"I am so glad to be here for this charming family reunion," Nicolas said from behind me. He appeared in my vision and walked to the three figures in front of me, ripping off the cloth over their heads. First Charlie, then Ash, and finally, little Ben. My breath hitched. Charlie's face was bruised, and he was sporting a black eye. Ash had a bust lip, and her hair was messed up. Ben, thank God, was unharmed to the naked eye. Physically, that is. They all seemed to be malnourished.

"Ash?" I asked, trying to get her eyes to open for me. "God, Ash, please, open your eyes!"

"Dani?" she murmured after a second, fluttering her eyes open.

"Ash," I said. "I am so sorry, I never meant for this to happen."

"Aunt Dani?" I turned to look at the boy.

Ben.

"Ben. God, Ben," I said, trying not to cry. "You've gotten so big…"

"Dani, how are you here?" Ash asked.

"I…I couldn't let him kill you and then they got me," I said. "Ash, I am so sorry. I didn't think that they would get you. That's why I had you guys separated from me, I thought it would safer for-"

"Now, I think that's enough small talk for now," Nicolas said, interrupting me.

"No, why isn't Charlie waking up?" Ash said, ignoring him. Charlie hadn't opened his eyes, or responded to any audible stimuli. "Dani, why isn't he waking up? Charlie? Charlie!"

"No…" I said, looking at Charlie's unmoving figure before whipping to face Nicolas. "If you killed him, I swear to God-"

"We keep him drugged up, calm down ladies," Nicolas said nonchalantly.

"Please," I begged. "Let them go. They haven't done anything."

"As I already said," he said, stepping towards me, "no."

"Just Ben and Charlie." Ash interrupted, causing Nicolas to look at her. Her face was firm with resolve. "Let them go. You don't need us all. Besides, two women is easier than four people to control and transport."

Nicolas seemed in thought for a moment. A sick smile spread on his face as he faced me again.

"Let's make a deal," he said, his face centimeters from mine. "You do what I say, Ben and Charlie get taken to a hospital, unharmed. If not, I kill one of them…Deal?"

I didn't answer at first. But seeing the desperation on Ash's face and the terror on Ben's solidified my resolve. Meeting that monster's gaze, I narrowed my eyes.

"Deal."