Janelle hadn't had such nightmares in a long time.
The scenes within them were suffocating.
Back then, she and her mother had been thrown onto the border.
A beautiful woman driven mad, and a stunning fifteen-year-old girl.
Surviving in that place that consumed people without spitting out the bones was incredibly difficult.
"Janelle, don't be afraid. I'm here." A familiar voice sounded in her ear.
Janelle pushed the man away.
Seeing the tear tracks on her face, Erik felt as if a sharp knife was slicing through his heart.
He gently kissed away the traces of tears on her cheeks, one by one.
Janelle froze. She hadn't expected this man to do such a thing.
His warm lips brushed away the evidence of her distress.
At this moment, Erik was tender and reverent, devoid of any hint of impropriety.
"Erik?"
"I didn't think you cried."
Yet the tear stains she wore in her sleep were enough to make his heart ache.
"I wasn't crying." Janelle frowned.
"Only the weak cry. And I am never weak."
To live well, to live freely, one had to become strong.
"Mmm, you weren't crying." Erik readily agreed.
Janelle ignored him, opened the car door, and got out.
Seeing this, Erik followed suit.
"Why are you following me?" Janelle stopped and asked when she saw him trailing behind.
"Didn't we agree on dinner tonight?"
"?"
Who agreed with him?
"Let's go. Relax, whatever you want to do, I'll be there."
Janelle was speechless. Who needed his company?
Not wanting to argue, she simply ignored him.
When Janelle arrived, Simon was already waiting outside.
Simon wore a black T-shirt, black cargo pants, and black combat boots. A single, dazzling stud gleamed in his left ear.
Seeing Janelle, he opened his arms.
Janelle walked over and gave him a brief, light hug.
"Janelle, they're all inside. Waiting for you to question them." Simon's eyes were only on Janelle, completely missing the dangerous look the man beside her was giving him – specifically the arm that had hugged her.
"Mmm, let's go in." Amber dared to send killers; she should be prepared for destruction.
"Who is he?" Simon finally noticed the man behind Janelle, whose gaze seemed fixated on the arm that had embraced her. Just being looked at like that made Simon feel his arm had committed some heinous crime.
"Someone irrelevant." Janelle offered no explanation. Erik's identity was too complex; explaining would be troublesome.
"..."
Erik was deeply displeased. This kid dared to hug his woman? What was his relationship with Janelle? Why were they so familiar?
While Erik scrutinized him, Simon scrutinized Erik back. Who is this guy? Janelle never lets anyone follow her... why him? The man triggered a sense of crisis.
"Lead the way." Janelle prompted when Simon remained frozen.
Simon started walking ahead.
"Who is he?" Erik finally asked aloud. How could she let this kid hug her? That embrace was his exclusive right.
Janelle couldn't be bothered to answer. He had no right to know.
Erik was sharp; her dismissive look told him everything, twisting the knife of discomfort deeper. He grabbed her hand.
"Let go." His possessive expression was truly infuriating.
"Won't."
Simon turned back just in time to see the man grabbing Janelle's hand. Did he want to lose that hand?
"I don't like you getting too close to other men." This kid was her subordinate; he was showing restraint by not breaking his arm right now. But he needed her to know he hated this feeling.
Janelle pulled her hand free and ignored him. Damn male possessiveness. Just because he took her first time, he thought she belonged to him?
Erik didn't get angry. There was time. He'd make her slowly get used to his presence.
Simon led them inside. Twelve men hung suspended from the ceiling. They had been hanging there for a day.
Since they were brought here, Simon and his team hadn't uttered a word.
Everything was unknown.
And the unknown bred the deepest terror.
"It's you!" Finally, the leader reacted upon seeing Janelle.
A smile curved Janelle's lips, but it sent chills down the spines of the suspended men. This girl was terrifying. Multiple cars working together couldn't stop her. She fought like a demon from hell, utterly fearless.
Because she feared nothing, her actions were terrifying.
"Will you talk willingly, or shall I make you talk?" Janelle picked up a nearby leather whip.
"What do you want?! I'll have you know this is torture! Running a private prison!" the leader yelled. His shout roused the other eleven.
Seeing the whip in the girl's hand, fear flooded the eyes of all twelve men. None could forget how she had smashed their cars to scrap metal.
"Who sent you?" Janelle began the interrogation. These men were vicious, willing to run people off the road. She owed them no courtesy.
"Not talking, huh?" Janelle's whip lashed out. The crack echoed, followed by the sound of flesh splitting open.
Janelle didn't ask again immediately. She just gave them a look.
"We don't know anything!"
"We really don't know, Miss Rovella! Spare us!"
"Seems it wasn't painful enough." The whip cracked again.
"Ahh!" Another bloody welt appeared on the leader's body.
Then, the basement was filled only with the men's agonized screams.
"Help! Help me!" the leader screamed in despair. This beautiful girl targeted the most painful spots.
"Miss Rovella, I really don't know! I just follow orders from above! They tell me what to do, I do it!"
"We brothers were just trying to make some money!" Unable to endure, the leader spilled everything he knew.
"How did your contact reach you?" Janelle still held the whip, the very image of a hellish demon.
"Phone call. Said we'd each get a hundred thousand after the job was done."
The other eleven hadn't been whipped yet, but just hearing the crack of the lash and the sound of tearing flesh was enough to imagine the excruciating pain.
"Cut him down," Janelle ordered Simon.
Simon walked over and unclasped the rope. The leader crashed to the floor.
Simon searched the man's pockets, pulling out his phone.
"Which number?"
"The first one."
Simon handed the phone to Janelle. She glanced at the number.
"What's your boss's name?"
"Miss Rovella, I dare not say! If I tell you, I'm a dead man!"
"Don't tell, and you die right now," Simon stated coolly.
Despair filled the leader's eyes. These people were indeed more brutal than his boss. Who the hell were they?
"Speak." Janelle's patience was gone.
The man had no choice. He revealed his boss's identity and everything about their operation.
"Hand them over to the police." Having learned what she needed, Janelle tossed the whip aside and instructed Simon.
"Boss, wouldn't it be better to just kill them all?" They dared try to kill their boss; they shouldn't see tomorrow's sun.