C3 The Ashen City

Soren let out an unhinged chuckle at Callie’s remark. As a debt collector for the mafia, he must have seen dozens of different reactions to the mention of Vincent Baros, but he somehow found Callie’s reaction the most fitting.

“I knew I liked you. Sit tight.”

He didn’t need to force Callie inside the waiting vehicle, she went without resistance. Soren followed inside. With only the two of them sitting in the spacious backseat, Callie sat as far away from Soren as she could.

Callie didn’t know what to expect once the car started driving toward the Ashen City. She had only heard rumors about it, and some stories from her university buddies who have dared to sneak inside for a peep at what life in the city was like. All their stories were horrifying.

For the first few miles, after the car drove past the border, Callie felt the anxiety grow in her chest. The place was extremely gray. Most of the buildings they passed were either destroyed or unlivable. And though the ashes from the great fire washed away after all these years, the memories are embedded into the streets.

But as the car drove closer to the heart of the city, the more it looked like its former glory. Ahead of them, lights had started to twinkle in the distance. Lights that grew and bloomed brighter the deeper into the city they got.

“What is this place?” Callie asked as the car slows to a stop. Outside, neon lights decorated the storefront of what looked like a nightclub. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, save for the looks the club goers sent her way.

“What, didn’t your parents ever teach you about the Ashen City?” came Soren’s reply.

Callie ignored his sarcasm, already used to it from her clients who belittled her. Instead, she answered, “They did. But back then, it wasn’t like this. Santa Barbara used to be filled with people and their colorful lives. And now…”

Callie let the sentence hang in the air, and she watched Soren’s sardonic smile dissolve into one of acknowledgment.

“Now it’s better. Vin made it that way.”

Soren turned and, with a tilt of his head, instructed Callie to follow him. Looking at the area closer, Callie remembered this place. Not the club per se, but the general area. She didn’t remember much about the city, except for the places her parents took her to when she was a child. Especially the theater where they would watch plays and musicals whenever her father’s schedule allowed it.

Suddenly, a memory of her father rose to the surface of her mind. The one where her parents promised to take her to the amusement park as an after-show gift because she played a lead role in a musical. They never got to go.

Callie shivered at the memory. It has been a long time since she recalled something so vivid. Maybe being in the city gave life to the ghosts and memories that still haunt her.

With the bass pumping louder and louder, Soren had to shout to be heard over the noise.

“Wait here,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

Callie couldn’t be bothered to respond. She noticed Soren practically skip out from the corner of her eye, but she was too overwhelmed to say anything.

This was too much. The scent and heat in the club weren’t good conditions, and Callie brewed in her emotions. Nasty emotions that she was forcing herself to get under control. But the booming music and writing bodies around her were too much.

So much has happened in the past hour, from spending time with her best friend Sienna to walking into her trashed apartment, and being sold out by her own blood relative.

“Sienna,” Callie muttered to herself. She wasn’t even able to say goodbye. Knowing Sienna, she would worry and start looking for her. Maybe her owner would be kind enough to allow her a phone call or two.

Suddenly, Callie laughed to herself. Her new owner was Vincent Baros, one of the city’s most wanted. There was no way in hell he would be kind about anything.

“Oh, look what the cat dragged in. What’s so funny?” Callie, lost in her thoughts, didn’t notice three men had come up to her. “Are you new here, darling?”

She recoiled in disgust. Is this to be her new life? She refused to believe it. Callie was a survivor, she wouldn’t let these dogs have their way with her.

The men looked at her with curious interest that immediately turned sour when Callie wouldn’t speak.

“What’s this?” the one in the middle said, sporting a mullet that didn’t suit him and his slanted eyes. “Is she mute?”

“Soren brought her for the boss,” came a reply from one of the thugs that beat up her uncle. Callie didn’t notice that they followed inside the club as well.

Mullet guy was obviously drunk because he pushes past his two buddies and grabbed Callie’s arm. With her injured hand jolted, Callie yelped in pain.

“So, you’re Soren’s girl, huh?” he said, then reached out to brush Callie’s hair. Callie flinched away in both fear and disgust. She didn’t know these people and what they were capable of, but she assumed the worst. In her desperation, she spared a glance at the thug who spoke for her, but he made no move to interfere. “How about you and I get to know each other a little better, sweetie?”

With a painful twist, Callie managed to get away, “Don’t touch me!” she yelled and backed away from the group as much as she could.

Around them, the club was still in full-swing, uncaring of the harassment taking place a few feet away.

“You dare disobey me?” Mullet guy yelled, following Callie and delivering a hard blow against her face.

Callie didn’t even see the blow coming. Before she could register what had happened, pain bloomed in her left cheek as she staggered to the floor. The impact felt like it shook her brain a bit with how powerful it was.

Before she could get her bearings, she felt the man yank her to her feet by grabbing the front of her dress, ripping it in the process, exposing her bra and midsection. Callie’s screams overpowered the loud music as she tried to cover herself up.

“How dare you?!” she screamed and glared at the man and his little posse. “Don’t fucking touch me!” she added when the group started to circle her, trapping her away from the crowd of people who had begun to notice the commotion.

Mullet guy opened his mouth to speak, but Callie could barely understand his words because she was pushed down to the dirty floor. Strong hands grab each of her arms, effectively pinning her down, helpless to their sinister plans.

“You belong to the boss.” Mullet guy dropped to his knees to level with Callie, giving her a full view of his unpleasant face. “It’s time you learned your place—” and he grabbed her left breast, eliciting an angry scream from Callie and causing the men holding her down to chuckle behind her. “Maybe I should break you in— tame you before you meet the boss.”

Callie glared harder until she saw red. “I doubt your boss would appreciate that,” she spit out, kicking and struggling to keep the man away from her.

“Quite a mouth on you, huh?” Mullet guy muttered before nodding to his men.

“Stop! What are you doing?” Callie struggled against their hold, but the men were too strong. They managed to put her into a kneeling position in front of their boss. Her arms were still firmly kept in place and this time, the men holding her had the gall to step on her ankles to keep her from moving.

Callie refused to let them see her tears, but the pain from her sprained wrist and the pressure on her ankles were too much. She cried out in pain and fear as she watched the man in front of her unzip his pants.

“Christ, what a bunch of animals,” a familiar voice said, but Callie was panicking. She was about to be raped.

Struggling as much as she could, Callie saw an opportunity when the mullet guy exposed his filthy excuse of a cock. With what’s left of her strength, Callie pulled her head back once the man was close enough and delivered a swift blow to the poor member.

Taking advantage of the man’s poor screams, Callie twisted away from her captors’ holds and bit hard on the only hand she could reach—the one on her shoulder.

Callie bit down so hard she tore the skin, but she couldn’t care right now. She spits out the blood and scrambled away as best as she could. When she tried to stand up, a sharp pain shot up her leg from her ankle.

If it weren’t for the strong hands that wrapped around her shoulders to steady her, Callie would have fallen to the floor once again.

Callie looked up with thanks on her lips when she was stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the most beautiful man she had ever beheld. With dark hair framing his striking blue eyes, Callie thought that she was seeing an angel.

It wasn’t until she heard Soren speak again that the fantasy was shattered into a million pieces.

“See?” Soren said. “I told you she was spunky, Vin!”

Shivers ran down Callie’s spine as she registered the notorious name against the man before her. Callie’s heart hammered in her chest at the implications.

Well, people did say that the devil wore a pretty face.