I walked to the location Harry texted me, wanting to get it over and done with quickly so I could go back home.

However, when I reached, all I found was an abandoned dock. Cigarette stubs were stamped into the damp wooden floor, and a lamp flickered eerily. The pearlescent moon cast a glow on the scene and I shivered in the wind.

Where are you Harry? I thought, you wouldn't leave me-

Oh wait.

"Oh Snickerdoodles," too late, I realised this was an ambush.

I heard shoes squelching on the ground and I whipped round with my gun raised. I fired it and the bullet hit him in the heart. He convulsed and was still. Sadly, more men took his place and I was quickly overpowered.

"Lights out," a woman raised a metal bar above her head. My hands were held behind my back and I was kicking and thrashing.

"Wait!" I screamed, "please don't hit me with a metal bar! Do you know how much pain I'm going to be in when I wake up? I'd rather avoid that."

"Too bad, because that's the point," she whammed the bar on my head and I was out like a light.

X

As predicted, I woke up a couple hours later with a pounding headache. Groaning, I pulled myself into a sitting position and rested my head in between my knees.

"Finally, the sleeping-" a male voice started, but I cut him off.

"Could you shut the snickers up?" I snapped, "I have a huge headache due to your lackey hitting me with a metal bar. I'm not in the best of moods right now and would appreciate it if you could keep it down."

The other person was stunned into silence. They cleared their throat, "let me start again. You have been kidnapped," he paused for dramatic effect.

"Oh really? I thought the people who ambushed me were fairies with metal wands and were going to take me to Disney Land!" I retorted, sarcasm oozing out of every syllable. I get cranky when I have headaches.

I looked up to see a tall, thin man with red hair and icy blue eyes. His eye was twitching and he looked as if visibly restraining from strangling me.

"Take these," he growled, throwing me a pack of medicines, "I'll be back in an hour."

Sighing, I took two of the tablets and dry swallowed them. I curled up into a ball and decided to get some sleep.

X

The next time I awoke I no longer had a headache! My thoughts were clearer and I could now formulate a successful plan to get me out of here.

"Little girl," the same man as before was in front of me. I think I'll call him MK- main kidnapper, "what do you know about the West-Brown business?"

From experience, I've learnt that the nicer you are to your kidnappers, the more is drives them crazy. I flashed MK a dazzling smile and said, "they're my brothers. I wasn't told about the family business. I apologise for not being more help, sir," I had to lie.

MK seemed taken aback for a moment. He quickly regained his composure, "so you know nothing about the business? Well, let me tell you, then. They are the leaders of the Italian Mafia."

"Really?!" I gasped, "oh no! That means I've been living under the same roof as murderers!" I proceeded to burst into carefully planned sobs.

MK rubbed my back 'comfortingly' and it took everything within me to not slap him, "there there, Iris. I understand this news is traumatic. Your family are dangerous people. I consider it my duty to eradicate such scum from the Earth."

I wish I could slap MK with a wet, stinky fish and kick his behind for slandering my family.

Where would you get the fish from?

Shut up conscience.

"That's why I have kidnapped you," MK continued, "so that I can hold you for ransom and your family will hand over the ownership of the Mafia to me."

"What happens if they don't?" I asked.

"I'll kill you," MK said bluntly. Well, at least he's being honest about it.

"Oh okay sir," I said beseechingly.

"Until then, we're going to have to torture you, you know, really sells the image. Plus, I don't believe you when you say you don't know about the business," MK stated. Welp, this is gonna go great.

MK hoisted me up and slammed me against the wall. I wheezed, winded, but didn't cry out. He picked me up and slammed me again, this time strangling me. I kicked and desperately tried to breathe in some air. This situation brought back disturbing memories with John.

"What do you know about the Italian Mafia?" MK demanded, eyes blazing.

"Can't-breathe," I choked out and MK squeezed before letting go. I crumpled to the ground like a rag doll and began coughing.

"What do you know about the Italian Mafia?" He seethed, towering over me and trying to intimidate me.

"Absolutely nothing, sir," I smiled brightly, "I don't care for all that stuff."

"But you are in a gang, are you not?" MK scrutinised me.

I frowned, "not really... I'm an ex-member. Boss and the others will occasionally call me in for important deals. That's how I got caught."

MK studied me carefully, "I still don't trust you," and left the room.

Two guards swiftly took his place. They both wore black masks which obscured their faces completely.

"Hi!" I grinned cheerily at them.

"Hello, how are you?" The one on the right asked. His partner jabbed him in the ribs, "ahem, I mean, we are going to torture you. Sorry."

His partner sighed, "you don't say sorry you idiot!" She snapped, "let's get on with it."

The duo punched and kicked me. After all I've been through, this was equivalent to getting hit with a hard pillow.

"Damn, I've now got bloodstains on my clothes!" MT- male torturer- groaned.

"I apologise for bleeding so much," I coughed.

FT-female torturer- glared at me, "he wasn't talking to you! Come on, let's go," the pair left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Currently, my family and I were in Dad's study, waiting for Iris. She should've been back from her outing by now.

The door burst open and our heads snapped towards it. However, it was only Jax.

"Where is she?" He demanded, eyes blazing.

I rolled my eyes. For some reason, I didn't like Jax. Julian also didn't like him.

You're just jealous that Iris likes Jax better.

Shut up.

-And dance with me. You know I'm right! I'm you, after all.

I'm NOT jealous!

Sure buddy. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

You know what? I'm not even going to talk to you anymore.

You have conversations like that with you brain, right? It's totally normal.

"She still hasn't arrived," Lisa said worriedly.

"Do you think she's been kidnapped?" Dad asked quietly.

Jax brought out his phone and called someone, "Aiden, where did Iris go after the outing yesterday?" He paused while Aiden answered. His face paled, "okay, thanks. No, no, everything's fine," he ended the call.

"What did he say?" I asked, fear wrapping its dark tendrils around my heart.

"He said that Iris got a text message from her boss about something important and she left," Jax whispered.

"So?" Elijah questioned.

Jax gulped, "our Boss is currently out of the county to deal with private matters."

There was a heavy pause.

Suddenly, Dad's computer started ringing. Hastily, he accepted the call. The scene illuminated on the screen made my blood boil.

Iris was strapped to a chair. Her clothes were torn in places and her hair was plastered on her red face. There were dark bruises on her neck and I swore to kill whoever hurt my sister.

"YOU ARE LITERALLY BEING HELD FOR RANSOM!!!!" A man screamed and gesticulated wildly at Iris- who was doubled over with laughter, "WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!"

Iris looked up and smiled, "because it's funny!" She noticed us and her expression brightened- if that was possible, "hey guys!"

The man straightened and calmed himself down. He turned to face the camera and his lips twisted into a cruel smirk, "give me the Mafia and your Princess will be set free. Failure to do so and-"

"I die!" Iris stated cheerily. How can someone be so happy in such a dire situation?

The man huffed, "will you let me finish?"

"Nope," Iris replied, popping the 'p', "I offer you my humblest apologies for my discourteous manners."

A vein was throbbing dangerously in the man's forehead. I saw why it was angry- it was impossible to handle your prisoners when they were being so damn nice to you.

The call ended, leaving us all facing a moral quandary.