The knife skimming the skin of my throat had Jace visibly wavering, the stiff expression that had previously been occupying his face faltering into one of confliction and confusion. For the first time, it was clear to me that Jace didn't know exactly what to do and that thought terrified me. My hands clawed at the threatening one gripping the blade held against my neck to no avail, the hold was unrelenting. The man squeezed his arm around my torso, a warning to halt myself in my movements to free myself.

Desperation had begun to flow steadily into my chest. The fact that Jace had yet to lower his gun was not helping my anxiety and with every passing second, my fear continued to grow. Fat tears wetted my cheeks causing shame to fill my chest as I stared down the man who held my life in his hands.

"I mean it, Kingston." My captor's finger's tightened threateningly around the weapon resting against the column of my throat, his significant words merely a low growl. The arm looped tightly around my waist held me against his body, making no plans of escape possible. "Listen, because I won't hesitate to kill her. Drop your gun."

The emotionless gleam which had entered into Jace's eyes masked his reaction to the man's words. Panic flared through my chest at the sight of it. I knew that look and it wasn't something that I ever wanted aimed at me, nor the person holding a blade to my skin.

Jace's gaze briefly flickered across my face and his jaw promptly tensed at what he must've seen written across it, yet he didn't lower his weapon. At his refusal to do so, doubt was beginning to make itself present in my mind.

"Interesting." The man laughed, the sound cruel and almost sadistic as he watched amusingly. "You see that, Savannah? He won't drop his gun, even with promises of me slicing your throat open. This shows exactly how he feels for you. You're just his whore obviously - something that can easily be tossed away."

His words made the lump in my throat grow significantly. Pressing my hands against the tops of my thighs, I wiped away the sweat that had made them slick. Uncertainty weighted itself in my gut and I sunk my teeth into my lip, hoping that my dubiousness wasn't making itself known through my expression. I didn't want Jace nor the man to see how much his words had effected me, though resisting the need to sob was becoming increasingly more difficult.

"Jace, put it down." The girl behind him finally spoke up, her voice displaying a surprising amount of calm for the current situation. The image of Stella I had drawn up in my mind was anything like the girl I was staring at before me. Instead of the weakened one I had pictured, her strength was clear in the way she presented herself. Her chin was tilted upwards in a defiant fashion, her arms crossed loosely in front of her chest, though the muscles that lined them were clear. Her stance was one of strength, her legs spread slightly apart, her back straight. There was no obvious fear written across her face. She watched the scene playing out in front of her carefully, her eyes clear of any emotion. "Don't be stupid. He'll kill her - you know he will."

"Stay out of this, Stella." Jace shot back, the quiet edge to his voice only increasing the amount of intimidation his figure imposed. "Stop talking."

My lungs stopped working at his words and my knees had begun to seriously quake.

Stella merely sighed, looking irritated as she shot Jace a hostile glance. Ignoring his words, she tossed her head back. "You're being stupid. He has a knife to her neck and you're not going to put down your fucking gun? What is wrong with you?"

"Put the fucking gun down now, Kingston!" The convict roared, causing an audible whimper to release from behind my lips. At his words, the convict's fingers bit deeper into my skin, his bruising hold causing me to squeeze my eyes shut in pain. His hot breath panting heavily against my neck had shivers of revulsion twisting down my tensed spine and I forced myself to keep breathing, though the task was proving to be difficult. My hands twisted into to fists to hide their obvious shaking.

"Don't be an idiot, Jace. Put it down." Stella's voice was calm, no panic evident in her accepting tone as she stared at Jace's rigid form. Her eyes flickered to mine briefly, before she turned to the him once more. "You know you have to. There isn't any choice. There wasn't a choice from the beginning. You know I'm not staying with you all."

"Please." I whispered, willing Jace to do it. I couldn't resist the small feeling of betrayal that had begun to register in my mind. I watched tearfully as his gaze moved briefly to Stella's, the hesitancy in it causing my stomach to drop sharply. "Please."

Jace didn't seem to acknowledge my plea as he studied Stella with a severe look written across his face. "What the fuck do you mean?"

"You know that this was all just a setup. Ricardo wouldn't let me go that easily." She ran a hand over her face, a look of confliction settling on his features. "I can't figure out his plan."

"You-"

"Five." The man interuppted, his shout causing my eyes to widen in alarm as I realized what his words meant exactly. "Four. Three. Two-"

"Fine, fucker."Jace spat, bending to place his gun flat against the floor, his movements jerky and full of agitation. His fury was plausible as he stood straight once more, his thick arms moving to cross themselves against his torso. "Motherfucker."

Ignoring Jace's curses, the man jerked his head backwards. "Kick the gun towards me." He ordered, sounding confident as he jeered at the muscular man in front of him. "And don't think I won't cut through her pretty skin if you try anything, Kingston, because I will."

"Please, don't hurt me." I finally cracked, my words only a mere whisper, though my words were broken and weak, even to my own ears.

"Shut the fuck up, Bitch. I'll do what I want to do with you." He replied, his words causing me to flinch.

Signs that Jace's calmness was beginning to break were clear when he began muttering explicit curses underneath his breath as he kicked his booted foot out to send the gun skidding in our direction. The man dropped the blade briefly from my neck to bend and collect it, shoving it into waistband of his pants.

"Stella, come here." The order was met upon deaf ears and the girl shot him a hostile glance, full of defiance. Blatantly ignoring her malicious gaze, he continued his directions, staring with narrowed eyes at Jace. "And, you - stand against that wall." He lifted his chin towards the surface opposite of us.

To my surprise, Jace was compliant with what had been commanded of him. Sending hostile glances towards the man still holding my body against his, Jace walked jerkily to the wall closest to him, resting his big figure against it as he helplessly watched the scene in front of him.

"And if you move, I'll slit her throat. Best to remember that."

Stella refused to move from her place, planting her hands on her narrow hips as she glared at the man.

"What are you doing, Greg? What is he up to?" She spat in our direction, her features stiff.

Greg let out a laugh, the sound making me wince at the cruelness that seemed to saturate it. "He has big plans, none of which I'm going to let you in on."

"Well, that's helpful, isn't it?" Stella sarcastically bit back at him, tossing her head back. "And you're just another pawn in his games, aren't you? Like always, so that really isn't a surprise."

Stella's words didn't seem to mix well with Greg, as his grip seemed to tighten on me. I could practically hear him grinding his teeth as he exhaled sharply.

"I mean it, Stella. Get over here." Greg barked at her, waving the knife threateningly in her direction. "You know what will happen if you don't and you know I'll do it."

She didn't seem to pay any attention to his words. The blonde, instead, focused on me. Curiosity gleamed in her eyes as she stepped closer. "Hi, Savannah."

I jerked back, surprised she knew exactly who I was and shocked that she had turned her attention away from the situation at hand to greet me. A tiny smile twisted the corners of her lips upwards as she took another small step in my direction.

"Stella..." Greg warned and I could imagine the dark look he would be giving her.

She merely rolled her eyes, before focusing on me once more. "Savannah, this is a dominating world, something that no one can be prepared for. Now that you're involved, I fear you can never go back. And I'm sorry for that, I really am. Jace should have never involved you this much."

She took another step forward, her heels tapping against the floor as she shot a calculating glance to the man still gripping my figure. "My advice to you is to-"

"Hurry the fuck up!" Greg insisted, seemingly antsy as he shifted from foot to foot.

"-go with your gut, don't let anyone push you around, and stick with your beliefs. There's no use denying and resisting what your world has been submerged in. Accept it and use it to evolve." She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she was weighting something in her mind. Pursing her lips, she tilted her head. "And don't run. The boys will help you. They'll always be there for you, you can trust me on that." Finally reaching Greg's side, she nodded at me once more, her blond curls shaking around her face. "I wish you all the luck, Savannah."

"Stella..." I whispered, wanting to reach out to the girl. "You-"

"Don't talk." Greg snarled into my ear, his fingers digging into my side once more, causing me to cringe.

"It's okay." Stella insisted, ignoring the his words, as she stared at me with determination in her eyes. "Everything's going to be okay." Turning away from me to focus on the man beside me, she spoke once more. "What now?"

"Now is the fun part. Any last words to Stella, Kingston?"

Jace's lips pressed together into a thin line, the only indication that he had acknowledged what Greg had spoken.

Another laugh left the man's lips. "Okay, then!" I could feel his chest tighten as he inhaled. "Let's get this over with now, I suppose. Jace, remember to not try anything." The knife was pressed back against my skin, causing me to tense instantly. Jace's lips were pressed together into an angry line as Greg spoke once more. "And Stella, don't fight. Is that clear?"

Stella, reluctantly, voiced her confirmation.

"Perfect." Clearing his throat, he increased his hold on me once more. "We're clear!" Greg shouted, causing me to jump in shock at the volume his voice had risen to.

The sound of the door being slammed opened resonated to me. With frantic eyes, I watched as two men entered the room, their shotguns drawn as they scanned the area. One stayed back, his gun aimed pointedly at Jace while the other moved forward, latching onto Stella and quickly pulling her towards the doorway. She didn't resist, instead sending me one last calming smile.

Jace straightened immediately, his shoulders tensing as he cast a dark look between Stella and I, as if lost on what to do.

"Not so fast, Jace." Greg wagged a brow at him. I stared, unblinking, at Jace's frozen figure as his eyes flickered to the weapon held against me. I could see the controversy written across his expression, his clear confusion on what exactly he should do.

"Don't fucking move, Jace, I mean it!" Stella ordered him loudly, a dark look in her eyes as she stared him down. "I'll be okay."

"Fuck!" Jace shouted, his hands balling into two fists as Stella was pulled through the doorway and it was slammed shut. "Fuck!"

To my shock, the knife was pulled away from my skin and Greg shoved my figure away. My weak legs, unable to hold the entirety of my weight, and his push sent me hitting the concrete ground with a cry I couldn't hold in. In the next seconds, Jace had drawn his spare glock from it's place strapped to his ankle and had sent a bullet spiraling towards Greg.

I pulled my arms over my head, a squeak of shock exiting my lips. Horror at the events that had just taken place finally registered to me and I found myself paralyzed with panic. Jace's shot must've been pretty well aimed because Greg let out a loud grunt before the sound of what only could be a body hitting the floor echoed around the empty room.

I clasped a single hand over my lips to keep any sound of my distress from exiting my body. Refusing to look over at what I knew would be playing out before me, I squeezed my eyes shut.

"I didn't kill him, Savannah." Jace spoke, his voice stony and cold. "I shot him in the thigh and I grabbed his guns before he could reach for any. Then I knocked him out. We need to get out of here."

Shakily, I forced myself to sit up. "I-I have a key." I managed to spit out, running a single hand over the skin of my neck, unable to deny the clouding relief that I was alive.

"Give it to me." Jace ordered, stooping down beside me to rip the key from my fingers. His lips pressed together into a thin line.

"It's for where R-Ricardo locked the guys up." I stammered out, wiping at my eyes. "He said-"

"I don't want to talk about this right now." Jace snapped, turning away from my stiffened figure. "There are more important things to do. Like rescue the guys. You can tell me exactly what the fuck happened after."

Standing upon shaky legs, I watched as Jace yanked his tie off, expertly tying it around the man's wrists quickly.

"Stay here and make sure he doesn't try anything. He should stay knocked out since I hit him pretty fucking hard, though if he doesn't, just shoot him in the leg again. I need him alive." Jace instructed, reaching over to pass me a gun and not bothering looking in my direction. "I'll be back once I have the guys."

"What!" I exploded, flickering my gaze to where the man was bleeding. I swallowed thickly at the sight, memories of the knife being held against my throat and his bruising hold already assaulting my mind. I turned away, sickened at the thought. "You're going to leave me here with him?"

"You're fine." Jace sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm not in the mood, Savannah, don't make this any more fucking difficult. You just have to watch him." He didn't say anything more as he started for the door.

"How can you do that?" I hissed out, wishing that the overwhelming urge to cry would disappear. "After everything that happened tonight, you're just going to leave me alone with him?"

He paused, turning briefly to meet my eye. "Ricardo won't be back. You have a gun and I just have to unlock a room down the hall. Don't be dramatic."

"You're heartless." I spat at his back, sinking away from Greg's terrifying body as Jace turned away once more.

Without any words of comfort, Jace left, leaving me bruised both mentally and physically.