MadisonFrom Melina’s stories, Fernandez is obsessed with his appearance. She told me he showers and washes his hands constantly. He insists that each item of clothes he wears is starched and ironed. The gold chains he displays his wealth with are absent today, but his dark chest hair shows in the open vee at his throat surrounding the rolls of fat at his neck. Add his small, dark beady eyes and I want to puke.When I don’t immediately respond to his threat about removing my clothes, he waves the knife in front of my face to gain my attention. I glance down at my dripping wet skirt and blouse. The blouse and my bra are too sheer to offer cover now that they’re wet. Losing my clothes might make Fernandez think I’m more defenseless and he’ll be wrong. I’m more than willing to lose this small battle if it gives me a mental edge. I need to see Cori alive with my own eyes before I fight back.I pull the shirt over my head, which isn’t easy because it’s sticking to my skin. With perfect acc

MadisonI don’t sleep. Every time I’m almost out, Cori whimpers. It’s been roughly eight hours according to my internal clock since I was dumped into this room with her. She’s running a slight temperature and she threw up bile earlier. We’ve had no food or water and I had to bring Cori tap water from my hands and cajole her until she drank it. I’m lying on the scratchy mattress without benefit of a sheet. I grimace at the ceiling, which I can see clearly because the light above us never turns off. The damn switch by the door doesn’t work. If my only complaint was a scratchy mattress to sleep on and a bright light, I’d be in good shape.Another groan from Cori makes me roll over and face her. From the sound of her slow, shallow breathing, she’s asleep and I don’t plan to wake her. I stand up and walk to the metal cabinet, ignoring the blood on top again. I’ve already searched it but can’t stop myself from doing it again. Nothing is inside but a metal shelf. I would slam the damn door s

MoonIt’s 3 in the morning, fourteen hours since Fernandez took Madison. I can’t sleep, but I can probably drum up the energy to knock Alex on his ass. He’s silently pacing the living room while I stare at my phone. Dax and his crew are on the streets hitting bars to test the wind and see if any information is floating around about someone wanting girls and those girls never returning. I should have thought of searching the prostitute route for Fernandez before Madison went missing. I snap my mind closed on the thought. Blaming myself won’t help find my wife.“Let’s go for a drive,” I tell Alex. I can’t sit still either. Usually I would be charging full steam ahead knowing the likelihood of someone kidnapped and returning alive was extremely low. The plan would be pure vengeance—find and destroy. But this is Madison and I cannot allow my mind to think that way or I’ll fall down a hole where I can’t return from. I’m living in a void where darkness fills every square inch.I can’t lose

MadisonSlowly, as I’m able to breathe again, absolute clarity enters my consciousness. I’ve been stupid since the moment I walked outside and stepped into Fernandez’s vehicle. My one thought has been that Moon will come for me. He’ll save me. He’ll kill Fernandez. The old me, the one before Moon dominated my life, would never think this way. Cori and I can’t wait for my husband. To do that will get us killed. I need to kill Fernandez with my own two hands and feel the life drain from his body. As soon as this conclusion settles in my brain, a sense of calm rolls through me. I calmly stand and walk toward Fernandez, who’s at the end of Cori’s bed with his fat hanging jowls, dead animal eyes, and absent soul. He’s ready to strike me and pulls his fist back. I rest my hand on the top of the cart already covered in Cori’s dried blood. I look into his eyes, swearing to myself that he will not win. Even if Cori and I die, Moon will eventually find him. Fernandez is a dead man walking and h

MoonThe escort service Cartwright runs is in the older Encanto area of Phoenix known for its lower rent, shady dealings, and dead bodies. The location goes hand-in-hand with his workforce of women. They would probably do better standing on a street corner. He provides services for a less discerning clientele than what Elegant Escorts has. If you want to get laid cheaply by women with drug habits and missing teeth, Cartwright is your man.The office is in a strip plaza off the main road. The four of us enter with Alex in the lead, me next, then Dax with Duke last. I’ve figured out what was bugging me about Duke. His eyes and ears take in everything. He’s smart and alert, but his unusual quietness gives off a strange vibe. But with his size and dislike of men who hurt women, I’m glad he’s on our side.The older dark-haired woman at the front desk looks up and quickly hits a button on her desk phone. “Moon, Gomez, and friends are here to see you and I don’t think it’s a pleasure call,”