Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
He sighs and lets out a shaky breath. “At first, it was okay. We were left on our own. Jackson only had one rule. We weren’t allowed to wander beyond the wooden gates of the chateau, but we were kids. Pretty soon, we got bored of running up and down the floors.
“But that wasn’t the only thing that piqued our interest. At odd times, helicopters, ships, and trucks arrived somewhere on the island. We tried finding out what those were, but we got caught. The first time it happened, Jackson asked one of his men to beat us with his belt buckle. The second time, Jackson did it himself.”
With his eyes still closed, I cup the side of his face. “Alec, maybe that’s enough for now. You don’t need to do this anymore. I’m sorry I asked. We can talk next time.”
When he opens his eyes, there’s a firm resolve behind those baby blues. “No, Zara. You need to know everything.”
“I don’t want to force you.”
“You’re not. I have to do this.”
“Okay.”
“After the first beating, the lesson still didn’t land. We continued to follow the sounds of helicopters, trails, even Jackson’s men. Of course, we got caught again. And again. And again. All the time, we received beatings that would make even grown men cry.” Alec’s handsome features harden. “Jackson eventually abandoned all pretense of punishing us. It became clear that he enjoyed it. There was this almost manic glee on his face when he saw welts, bruises, cuts, or bleeding. He didn’t stop until we begged, which was why Justin received the worst of it.”
“Justin?”
“He refused to cry or beg. He’d continue to glare at Jackson even as his skin turned black and blue and his mouth bled. He wasn’t the biggest among us at the time, but he had always been the strongest and fiercest.”
“Oh, God.”
“When Jameson turned 12, he was sent to boarding school. Jameson’s plan was to contact our parents’ solicitor and go to the authorities. But Jackson was one step ahead of us. He said if Jameson did any of that, he would never see the rest of us again. That was his threat. When Jasper and Justin turned 12, he threatened they wouldn’t see me too.”
“No one else looked out for you? How about other relatives? Your parents’ friends?”
“Jackson could bring out the charm when he wanted to. His lies always sounded convincing, and he was our only living relative.”
“How about the boarding school headmaster? Didn’t Jameson or anyone try to tell him what your uncle’s been doing to all of you?”
Alec grits his teeth. “They did. The next day, Jackson showed up to chat with the headmaster and hand him a cheque.” He pauses and closes his eyes. “Every single person we told either didn’t believe us or were too afraid to go against Jackson. None of them wanted to make an enemy of him. My brothers and I were rich, but we were still kids. No one else was on our side.”
“But your brothers tried to find the island?”
“They did, and whenever Jackson found out what they were busy with, he’d magically show up in their rooms in the middle of the night and drag them somewhere where he could remind everyone of his cruelty.”
“Those adults failed all of you. What else did your brothers do while you were alone on the island?”
“They were busy dealing with their own issues. We all had some, Zara. After living with Jackson, no one slept peacefully.”
Fuck Jackson. He really deserves to spend an eternity in hell.
“But what happened after you left the island?”
“By that time, Jameson was already seventeen, just a few months before his eighteenth birthday. He was about to inherit a hefty amount. He already had a well-thought-out plan. Jackson couldn’t threaten us anymore because we were already together. But, all the paper trail for the island was gone. Anyone who ever knew it existed conveniently died. It’s only been eleven years since we made it a full-time job to find him.”
“A full-time job? What have you been doing?”
“Tracking whatever evidence that links to him. We found out he was the head of a massive human trafficking operation. He had politicians and other influential people in his pocket.”
“Jesus. What a monster.”
“You don’t know half of it. We suspect that he was behind my parents’ deaths, too, because he needed that 15 million. He somehow found out Mom planned to give him some money, so he wanted to speed up the process.”
“Did this stabbing mean you’re getting close?”
Alec lets out a genuine smile. “Yes. The last rescue operation we had, we found photos of the chateau basement.”
“Rescue operation?”
“We don’t just look for him, Zara. We rescue his victims and either return them to their families or make sure they end up in a safe place, far from his clutches.”