"I thought after falling in love you will be less ruthless, guess I was wrong." Ace teased Atlas as they both stared at their masterpiece hanging on the wooden cross.
It was the leader of the Scillian mafia, the ones who manipulated Ace's car. After a year, they had finally finished their revenge.
They had kidnapped him, and put in through the
white torture for three months. It was a type of psychological torture in which a person would be placed in a completely white room, without windows, given food in white color, having footwear to muffle sound and many other things.
It relied on isolating the victim, causing him/her to lose his sanity, identity and due to the sensory, the person can start hallucinating, suffering from anxiety and eventually from depression.
After that they forced him to drink milk and honey. They then tied him to this wooden cross and poured honey all over him. The honey attracted insects and other pests to his eyes, ears, mouth, face, genitals, and anus.
They then left him out in the sun whilst floating on a pond while the insects feast upon his sweet skin and breed within his exposed flesh.
Atlas had put him through all the stages of helplessness he had gone through when he got the news of his brother's accident. This was his revenge.
"I'm not going easy on anyone who hurts the ones I love." Atlas rolled his eyes.
He looked at his watch and a smile etched on his lips.
"Okay.it's time for me to go home. My angel is waiting for me."
Ace scrunched his nose in disgust, "Look at you being a love puppy. Ey you're totally whipped man. You should marry her if you love her that much. You're getting old."
"Marriage?" A glint passed through Atlas's eyes. He knew if there was anybody he wanted to marry it was his angel but was he ready to start a family? Marriage was a huge step and he didn't think she was ready with everything going on.
Even though things had been going too smoothly this past year he knew it was just a matter of time before they came for her.
"Yes, marriage stupid. Don't tell me you haven't thought about that. You're almost 30, not getting young."
Ace patted his brother's shoulder.
"You're also getting old, Ace." Atlas teased back.
"Well.since we are done with our revenge. I think it's time to focus on us. We have suffered enough already. Mom would want us to be happy." Ace said.
Atlas nodded, "Yeahshe would."
"So do you have anyone you have set your eyes on?"
Atlas asked, turning to look at his brother.
Ace's lips pressed into a thin line.
"No, not really."
Atlas nodded, "I hope you're happy again."
*******
Atlas dialled Meredith's number and a worried frown marred on his face. It was not going through. She had called him about two hours ago that she was going home from work and knowing her, she would have sent a message to Inform him she had reached home but it's been two hours and he still hadn't heard anything from her.
Atlas rubbed his hand down his face while pacing
around restlessly. Calling her again and again like
a madman.
"Answer the damn phone,Angel," he shouted worriedly
He was afraid that something had happened to her.
He shouldn't have removed the bodyguards. Fuck.
His heart thumped in his chest as dread filled him.
He halted when Sofia's name flashed on his screen. He immediately picked the call.
"Atlas, don't tell me you're keeping Merri from having a girl's outing with me today. We were supposed to go out in an hour. Let her pick her damn phone or let her come home." Sofia yelled on the phone.
"She is not with me. She closed two hours ago, so if she hasn't come home then."
Atlas trailed off.
"Something is wrong", Sofia continued hesitantly.
Atlas's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach.
He disconnected the call immediately and opened the tracker he had installed in the watch he had gotten her a few months ago when she asked him to remove the bodyguards.
The location shown was in her neighborhood. Grabbing his car keys, he drove to the place.
Atlas followed the location on the tracker and appeared in her neighborhood. He drove through the neighborhood and appeared in an alley.
He took a gun and got down from his car. He scanned the area for any sign of her but dead silence greeted him.
He saw her bag lying on the ground, restless he walked towards it and picked it up from the ground. All her things were inside, meaning this wasn't a robbery attack.
Did they find her again? Atlas thought as he racked his hands through his hair.
Desperate, he looked around. She was nowhere.
Panic was eating away at his insides. He gulped
dry and whispered her name.
"Meredith ," dread laced his voice as he anxiously
searched high and low for her.
"Angel," he raised his voice. He walked into every alley and searched every corner of the neighborhood but she was nowhere to be seen.
"Where are you, love?" he rubbed his hand down
his face in anxiety and rushed back outside.
"Angel, where are you, baby?" he exasperatedly ran his fingers through his hair, looking everywhere for her. He was losing it. His nerves were close to
bursting.
He didn't even know where to start his search from.
Was it his enemy or someone from the city of Arkaans?
Where did they take her and was she alright?
"Angel.Where are you?"
Atlas muttered to himself. He needed to find her, find her before anything happened to her.
He dialed Ace's number.
"She is gone." His voice croaked as he complained to his brother the moment the call was connected.
"Don't worry, we will find her." Ace cooed softly.
"Try your best to be okay Atlas.She needs you and you won't help her much if you're not stable."
Atlas clenched his fists, even though he was on the verge of losing control he knew his brother was right.
He had to be strong for his angel. He would find her no matter what.. And he wouldn't rest until he has her back in his arms again.