Thinking Of A Plan

Marcus smiles at her.

"Can you, hand on heart say he wouldn't? Nothing at all has happened that would make you think he has?" She thinks back to the last year, it was bad before but this year has been worse. He would leave at 6 a.m., and not come home till two days later. He claimed so many times there were issues and he couldn't get away.

The gift she found in his bag, was a perfect locket engraved with 'forever in my heart, I love you' which nearly a year later he hadn't given her, and she hadn't seen it again.

Her mind keeps telling her things, like the holiday they booked, a week away. Only when it came to them leaving, she found herself sitting on the plane alone; Cain didn't even call, he just didn't show up. He agreed that morning he would meet her on the flight after work.

"Look, all I know is he doesn't care. We sent him pictures of you in the van, in here everything. His reply was, 'Good you will save me a job'." Her eyes widen. She should have known, yet for nearly a year she just hoped she was paranoid. Would he really leave her here to be killed? Then again, he already has.

"Give me some time; I will come up with some ideas. I will go through everything I have on Cain, everything. I will find something, a way to stop this ending badly. I'm sorry Avalyn, you were meant to be used to get him to listen; clearly, I fucked up there." Marcus smiles at her and walks out of the room, walking through he sits down, Jace looking at him waiting.

"Come on, plan? She can't go home, Marcus." He nods, he knows she can't. He also knows if he gets the reply he needs that he won't be telling Jace the whole plan. Parts will be hidden from him.

"I know she can't. No way can she go home, Cain will finish what we started and pin it on us. Even if we hadn't taken her, it sounds like soon she would have turned up dead anyway." She doesn't deserve to die just because Cain doesn't have the guts to walk away.

"I don't care if he kills her Marcus, it's a fact she will confirm it is us. I mean it, if you don't find a way to use her, to stop this blowing up on us, she is dead, or I leave the country and leave you at risk." Jace looks at him, he doesn't want anyone confirming to Cain it was them, there is no way they will survive. The text comes through, a plan, he will tell Jace the parts he needs to know.

"Remember Cain? Mud Love?" Jace glances at him confused, his shoulders shrugging as he looks at him confused.

"Yeah, Cain always made a point of saying Avalyn was Mud love in her past, what has that got to do with anything?" Marcus laughs, of course, Jace doesn't understand that term.

"Mud love is a word given to someone who is in the BDSM lifestyle; it's a derogatory term; it's like being racist towards them. It gets said to people who do things to kids, so it's disgusting of him to call her it. He didn't like the lifestyle she lived, so he used that to describe it." Jace nods still not understanding how this helps them.

"What does that matter Marcus?" Jace looks at him.

"It gives us a way. Just listen, before refusing and arguing." Marcus looks at Jace, and he nods. He has had slaves before, just not ones in this context, his slaves were always for fun.

"Because she was a slave, Jace. To a Master, a full slave. Twenty-four-seven, where she followed his orders, who she spoke to, where she went when she was allowed out." Jace laughs looking at Marcus. "Give me some time." Marcus walks off, going back to Avalyn's room, he opens the door and goes in. Locking it behind him, he sits down. Now to see if she will agree.

"I have a plan if you trust me. I know that sounds crazy, but let's get the revenge on your husband we all deserve, one job, then we don't have to worry about money again. You will have money to leave him Avalyn, to start your own life again." Marcus looks at her. If she hates her husband and will go back and act like she has no idea he was involved, maybe she can find the stuff. Then he won't need to step foot in the devil's lair.

"I...I don't know. I'm not sure." The tears start spilling out her eyes as she realises she has lost her husband, her house, everything. Her body starts shaking, Marcus's arm wrapping around her.

"You will be fine; I will make sure. I may be a crook, but one thing I had beaten into me, is respect women, especially your own. He should have." She cuddles into him as she cries, trying to remember the last time Cain even cuddled her, he hasn't. Even when he comes home, he faces away from her; he avoids her.

"Sorry." Her word is quiet, as she clings to him. The past few years have been far from easy.

"My dad died a year ago; he was gone the whole time. He didn't even come back for the funeral, I am a fool, then I lost the baby, and he didn't even come to the hospital. What has he done to me?" She sits sobbing into Marcus's arm, his hand stroking her.

She wonders how she went from being happy in an illusion, to being kidnapped, to being comforted by the kidnapper, although she doesn't care, she has no one. Not one bit of support through everything, and right now, she will take anything she can get. Everyone she knows Cain knows, she can't do this with them, they would tell Cain what she said.