Chapter 27:

Ana sat on the cold cement floor with her knees drawn up to her chest. All of the clothes had been stripped from off her body with the exception of her bra and panties. It was freezing cold and she was worried like hell. Chains rattled to her right across the way. She squinted her green eyes in the darkness and surveyed the rundown warehouse. There were several other women around her. Each of them was locked up in a separate cage with shackles on their hands and ankles. All of the young women were drugged, along with herself, with a form of tranquilizer so they wouldn't struggle. Apparently Brooklyn had gotten into the business of human trafficking along with the drugs.

*TWO DAYS EARLIER*

His smile wasn't charming in the least. There was nothing in his facial expression that was trusting. She had watched the maid walk in a few minutes earlier and whisper something. His eyes had darkened to a dangerous deep sea blue. The smile looked vicious and Ana suddenly felt as if she was one great big target.

"So tell me." he began while walking in a circle around her. "I've heard some rumors about you Ana Svetlana."

"What more is there for you to know about me? I'm already a filthy worthless slut by your standards." The auburn-haired girl shrugged.

"I was looking forward to us working on our relationship and starting things off better than it ended."

His tone was becoming lethal in his voice. A feeling of dread began to fill her at that moment. It sounded as though her worst fear was about to come true. That lump of terror was forming in her throat again.

"Word has gotten to my ears that you may have a child."

His words were beginning to stab at her now. Thoughts raced through her mind trying to figure out an excuse or something. She needed to deter him from wanting to find out more.

"Had." she corrected in a stern tone. "You changed that remember?"

"Oh really?" he raised an eyebrow high.

"Ye..yes." she swallowed hard.

Brooklyn reached out quickly and wrapped his large hand around her throat. Never had his hands seemed so big until this moment. He squeezed tightly, slowly cutting off her air supply. The young woman knew his threatening tactics all too well. This wasn't the first time he had held her like this.

"Now you either tell me the truth or I will crush your esophagus." the tangerine haired young man was sounding deadlier by the second.

"I..have..nothing." she glared angrily at him.

His grip lessened and he let go to back away from her. He raised his foot and kicked her chair backward roughly. The piece of furniture fell to the floor while she was still chained to it. Her head hit the back of the chair hard causing her to see double. Something cold rested on her forehead between her eyes. She couldn't tell what it was until the stars began to fade. The same gun she'd seen him use to kill someone else. Ana closed her eyes welcoming it. She would rather die than tell him anything about Issac. That little boy was the most important thing and person in her life.

A door flung open somewhere to the side. She heard footsteps hurrying toward them. It wouldn't surprise her in the least if he killed this person too.

"Brooklyn!" Garland interrupted all of a sudden as he walked briskly to them.

"I'm busy." he answered never looking away.

"We found the information you were looking for. We know where he is." the martial artist continued.

Brooklyn stared down at her for a moment longer before removing the gun from off her. He stepped back and straightened his jacket.

"He who?" he asked turning his gaze to his second in command.

"Your son." Garland held up a packet of paperwork.

A grin formed across Brooklyn's lips. Him. There was no need to say it. The bastard had already known the entire time while threatening information from her. Apparently he had found from the stupid old maid. She felt the color drain from her face as she leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling. Fuck.

*PRESENT*

It had all taken place two day ago. Her worst nightmare had come true. Ana felt like a failure; as a human being, and as a mother. She had always told Issac to never be afraid, that she would protect him at all costs. Now with her body and mind beaten all to hell she truly felt like nothing. Her spirit was shattered and there was nothing that could be done to keep her little boy safe from harm. A single tear slid down her cheek as she struggled to not weep in front of her captors.

Once Brooklyn had discovered the existence of an heir, and a way to completely destroy Ana, he'd put her into the ring with all the other women he had abducted. In just a few short hours an auction would begin and each woman would go to the highest bidder. This would be the second time in her life that someone she'd loved at one point signed her life away on a piece of paper. He was in high hopes to get some if not most of the money back that his family had spent on her as she'd lived under his roof. Brooklyn had screamed and shouted at her that he would take whatever he could in order to make her pay.

"I'm sorry." a female voice floated through the stagnant air to her.

Ana slowly lifted her head to glare angrily across the room. Julia was in another cell not ten feet away from the Russian woman. Their green eyes met with one looking deep into the glistening tear filled eyes of the other. She had done this to her. Ana felt no remorse for the Spaniard. If she hadn't been so jealous and hell bent on making Tala…oh for fuck's sake there was absolutely no way to fully understand the actions of such a person. Even if it was written down on paper there is still no way to truly understand a woman that could not let a man she no longer wanted go.

"Don't apologize now." Ana all but spat.

"I never thought things would get so bad, I'm..I'm a fool." the other woman admitted as more tears ran down her cheeks. "I don't know what I was thinking."

Ana rolled her green eyes. Jeeze this broad was getting dumber by the second. She could honestly say she hated someone almost as much as she hated Brooklyn.

One of the far doors screeched open. Several pairs of footsteps echoed down the hall that led to where they were being held. She saw a couple of flash lights heading her way. The lights grazed over each woman in every cell until they landed on her.

*MEANWHILE*

Issac screamed and cried. The tantrum the child was throwing was driving him bonkers. Tala frowned at the little boy who was balling in the farthest corner of the living room. He had tried getting the child to go to sleep for the past couple of hours, but he was clearly fighting a losing battle. He looked at his phone again as he sat on the black sofa. The red-headed Russian was getting worried since Spencer and Ana were taking so long to get home. A sigh escaped him without notice. He had a strange feeling in his gut, and usually his gut wasn't wrong. The last time he'd felt this way Julia had told him her dirty secrets and had left him. His mouth twisted into a frown at the same time the room had grown awkwardly quiet. Tala looked over to where Issac had been standing to see the child was gone.

"Crap." he grumbled while getting up.

At that same moment Bryan walked out of the kitchen holding Issac tightly. He had a solemn expression on his face that pulled the knot in Tala's gut much tighter. Behind him the front door opened and his blonde Russian friend walked in with the exact same look on his face. Tala turned to look at the front door gazing at the doorway, waiting for her to walk in looking slightly exhausted, but still smiling.

"Mommy!" Issac shouted clearly expecting the same thing.

Quietly Spencer closed the door causing Issac to start crying again. He heard his lilac-haired friend trying to comfort the mini looking version of himself. The room faded away. It was hot all of a sudden. Hundreds of emotions welled up within him threatening to burn him from the inside out.

"We need to talk." Bryan finally spoke.

Tala looked down at his feet. He clenched his fists tightly as he glared over his shoulder. Ever so slowly he turned around to face his best friend. The hair on his neck was standing briskly. Every fiber of his being tense making him look very similar to an angry predator.

Ian flung the basement door open emerging from the depths of the house. All of the color drained from his face making him look even paler if it was at all possible. The air in the room was growing thicker with tension as time slowly ticked by. It was Tala to break the silence among the four of them. Even the little boy across the way had grown quiet with fear. This was the Tala from long ago…the one that had led them all while they survived together. The man who had given them the strength to believe that there was a greater evil out in the world they'd yet to see whey they were younger. He was becoming the soldier Boris Balkov had created and trained. This was the original Tala Ivanov.

"Where is she?"