Finding Amelia

 Los Angeles

Blackwood's Estate

***

Belle and Sandy stood at the foot of the stairs watching Eve getting wasted. She has drowned three bottles of tequila amidst tears and yet she's still drinking.

"Those motherfuckers.." Eve mumbled drunkenly as she stood up hastily from the stool and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Girl., she's so wasted," Belle said, looking at the downcast Eve with pity in her eyes. She was dressed in shorts and a tube with her black short hair sprawled over her head and shoulders, concealing half of her face stylishly giving her a tomboy look.

Sandy threw her a side glance, shaking her head. Eve has only been the strongest person in keeping emotions at bay but Miami was something none of them could comprehend.

"I know right.. it's just too much for her"

"What is too much? This is no place for emotions" Belle retorted, coldly.

"You think so?" Sandy asked with raised eyebrows knowingly.

"Stop whatever shit is running through your head" Belle glared hard at her.

Sandy chuckled "yeah.. let's take her outta here" gesturing to Eve who was hugging the tequila bottle, mumbling incoherent words on the floor.

"You want to carry her,so you'd pass out," Belle said sarcastically, brushing shoulders with Sandy's. She bent low and picked Eve up like she weighed nothing and tossed her over her shoulders but unfortunately Eve's stomach chose that time to react to the excessive alcohol and boom! She threw her guts out soiling Belle's clothes.

"What in the mother fucking world..!!" Belle shrieked in terror as she felt the warm liquid run down her spine. 

She flinched, nearly throwing Eve away while Sandy burst out laughing hysterically.

"Finally.. finally I'm justified" she continued laughing like her life depends on it till her sides hurt.

Belle glared at her angrily before marching upstairs to clean up Eve and herself.

Lara watched the little drama from the LED TV whose connection has been made with all the CCTV downstairs, upstairs. All the rooms in the building including the gardens and beyond the gates into the streets,not like there's anyone living on rentals in the streets. It was empty but Lara felt it was good to have many eyes.

Sandy's laughing voice resounded in her head. She internally grumbled within herself ' when last did I smile? Or laughed like her?

Would I ever smile genuinely?' 

'Killers don't ever smile or laugh genuinely coz they're cold-blooded monsters' Another tiny voice refutes her inside her own head.

Lara let out a chuckle at that statement. They have become killing monsters,

 " Thinking about killers, I've got something to do" She muttered entering the bathroom.

She stood naked under the shower as the water ran down her body in slow motion. She let out a gasp when the water came in contact with the serpent tattoo on her chest as memories of how the tattoo came to existence resurfaced stinging her painfully.

****

The Oldies Mines

"Let me go..I don't want to" Young Lara screamed at the hefty man dragging her to a coal stand in the mine. The mine was located in an underground railroad tracks in an remote area,the government has abandoned that part of the country undeveloped and the bad guys took it upon themselves to make it their territory.

The oldies Mines is best defined as hellfire on Earth, where young children are trafficked by unsuspecting old men and made to do illegal things. It is a place one would never want to be.

"Shut up..!" the hefty old man slapped her hard across the face.

Young Lara gasped in shock as pain steer through her, anger found its way to her chest and she kicked the old man in the area where the sun never shines upon.

"Arrrghhh.. you little bitch!" The man screamed loudly and fell downward heavily, attracting the attention of other men in the mine.

On seeing the situation of their fellow evil doer, seems like Lara has kicked him a little too hard and had his balls bursted, the man has given up the ghost. 

The men crowded around her, kicking her all over in utter fury.

"Order..!!" A loud stainless steel pan was hit loudly, momentarily saving Young Lara from her assaulters who moved backward creating a space in the middle as her saviour emerged. She painfully raised her head to see her saviour who knelt before her gazing at her through his mask

Lara struggled to catch a glimpse of what her saviour looked like but it was as if the mask was made of steel and she couldn't get a glimpse.

Her masked saviour signaled to two men who grabbed hold of her and torn her dress opened. Her eyes stung with unshed tears and hatrd for them, she thrash and thrash underneath their strong hold but her strength was no match for them.

Her masked saviour held up the craved serpent iron hot coal from the coal pot and approached her in deliberate slow steps and he was what he wanted to see.., FEAR. Her eyes widened in fear

"Take it away from me..you bastard take it away" she said fearfully, trying to pull away from the grip of the men who held her down rather her masked saviour pressed the hot iron against her chest, in-between her breast.

Her scream rent the air in two as the smell of burnt skin filled the air.

The serpent tattoo has appeared almost immediately on her chest

"Now..you belong to me" Her masked saviour stated, wiping her tears with his fingers. 

That very night Lara became something her mother would have never imagined her to be.

Something dangerous that even her team members couldn't imagine her to be, this was her little secret.

****

Lara punched the bathroom wall angrily, she had thought at first glance that he was her saviour buy he turned out to be her worst nightmare. She turned off the shower and stepped out.

Soon enough she was dressed in black baggy short and shirt,she finished her look with a face cap on her head. Checking out her appearance with the mirror,she picked her sling bag and exit the room.

Sandy and Roses were playing video games while the others cheered erractically. The once dull household seems to come alive.

The girls froze and their cheering dropped dramatically when they noticed Lara standing on the foot of the stairs

"Sandy come with me" She muttered, walking away. 

Sandy immediately dropped the controller and dashed after her inwardly thanking her stars that she was at least dressed properly in a sweatshirt and joggers with flip-flops.

"Boss.."

"Where's Eve?" Her ever stonic expression on. Sandy peered closely at her face hoping to catch a glimpse of any emotions ,perhaps pity but nahh Lara's face isn't made for such.

"She got drunk and is asleep"Sandy replied

"Find out about the girl from Diego's with his dealings and send me the coordinates asap" she threw a pad to Sandy who caught it immediately and started operating it

"And you are coming with me" Lara added walking briskly to a black sport car in the garage. Sandy's head dropped low in resigned defeat before following her. She had thought Lara would let her go back to her video game.

They entered the car and Sandy changed the settings to automatic mode and the car started moving by itself while Lara bruised herself with fixing bullets into her sling bag.

"I've got something" Sandy breathed out only for a pair of white canvas to be shoved into her face, without a word she collected it and kept it beside her.

"Diego runs a strip club in Italy,it wasn't just a strip club but it is the center of trafficking mostly girls whose parents were unfortunate to be his debtors",She paused on hearing the sound of Lara's clenched fist.

"The call was made to the club for them to find her"Sandy concluded.

"Set the location,we burn the clubhouse and then go find the girl"Lara stated, stepping on the car's acceleration highlighting the automatic mode.

"I've gotten the location, she's in the house of a doctor..,a male doctor" Sandy deadpanned.

"Seems like the girl is a little bitch,she escaped from Diego's dick only to go fuck another" Lara chuckled softly.. before adding

"Change of plans.. we find the girl first"