Written in the Scars (The Damaged Souls #1)

Reagan

Bringing the dress up my body I savor the feel of the luxurious fabric as it glides over my skin, the movement feels slightly erotic.

Quickly snapping myself out of my head, I’m a hot mess of nerves and unease.

Still unsure of whether or not to go, I have no idea of what I’m going to say to him when I get there.

Orion has this power over me, a power I can’t quite understand.

I swore I'd never let anyone control me again.

This man is practically a stranger, yet I’m here willing to give him my whole self.

I stand in front of the floor length mirror, admiring his taste in dress choice.

Not to be big headed, but damn, I look fucking good.

I opt for a pair of flats tonight, my feet have been screaming at me for torturing them with six inch heels the past few nights.

About ready, I quickly add a black velvet choker, a small ruby sits perfectly at the base of my neck.

I think he will appreciate the resemblance to his belt.

Popping my notepad, pen and phone into my clutch and make way for the door.

I decided to walk to the bar, it’s a nice evening and I could definitely benefit from the fresh air, having been stuffed in my apartment all day.

The crisp air immediately fills my lungs and my entire body relaxes.

I slip in my ear buds and hit play on my mixed playlist, adding a soundtrack to the hustle and bustle of the busy streets.

I watch as people jump in and out of cars, already tipsy women are singing along the paths and men ogling them as if it’s their own personal show.

I enjoy watching from afar, not in a nosey way, I just enjoy watching, wondering what people are thinking as they go about their day.

There are times I’m fascinated by a certain person so much that I want to deep dive into their life story.

Sometimes I find investigating other people’s lives is better than focusing on mine.

A blow to my shoulder sends a bolt of pain though my arm as a large frame barges past me, an oversized black hooded jacket casting darkness across his features.

Removing an ear bud, I’m pissed, shouting after him “HEY, PRICK!”, yet he doesn’t even flinch.

“Watch where you’re going!”, I yell, angry.

Instead, he picks up speed and disappears around a corner and he’s gone.

Shoving my ear bud back in I carry on my walk, a little faster and with more of an attitude now.

My thoughts revert back to the last person who bumped into me and how that situation has escalated and brought me to tonight.

I give myself an internal pep talk, I have questions I need answering and I know he is going to have questions too, but I’m not sure I’m ready to answer them, not yet, if ever.

I round the last corner, the streets are busier and louder now, my stomach starts to do somersaults as Crawl comes into view, I’m not close enough to notice if he is there yet though.

My nerves are really getting the best of me, maybe I should have had a drink before leaving.

I stop for a moment, steadying my thoughts and calming my breath.

Putting the earbuds back in my clutch I notice a familiar large dark frame, standing a little further down on the opposite side of the street.

I watch him for a moment, as he takes a drag of the cigarette between his lips the bright red cherry illuminates the end of his nose.

I slowly move further down the street, trying to get a glimpse of his face.

I jump at the noise coming from my phone.

Pulling it out my clutch I see it's 7:05 and a message from the unknown number.

Hello, Ace!

I hope you didn’t change your mind.

Not when you’ve already given your whole self to me.

Orion.

That sweet tingle between my thighs starts up again.

Argh, it’s only a message, yet my pussy betrays me.

I attempt to rush across the street, to make my way to him, I hate being late.

Shoving the dark figure to the back of my mind.

A loud car horn and screeching brakes alert me, my body jumping back onto the pavement.

I watch as the black SUV pulls into the alleyway behind Crawl.

There it is.

Finally, I have something.

While it may be nothing, it’s the first detail that has stood out and might be a possible lead to this dead end story.

Keeping my phone in hand, I follow in its path, crossing the road successfully.

This time I notice the dark figure has moved and I’ve still no sight of Orion.

I will only be a few minutes, I slowly make my way through the alley, it's grim but well lit from the orange lights above the side doors of each building.

The loud engine cuts off, leaving only the sound of the streets behind me.

I open the camera on my phone and begin to record.

Who knows? It might be nothing, but I trust my gut and go for it. Quietly.

The SUV comes back into view as I see three tall scrawny men in suits stand by the bonnet, they are speaking between themselves, but not loud enough for me or the camera to hear them.

My movements are slow and cautious as I try to approach, using the large bins to cover me as I try to get closer to the back of the car.

I’m overwhelmed by the whiff of some god-awful smell.

And then, nothing.

Orion

Her face told me everything I needed to know when she put that dress on, how she enjoyed the feel of the fabric caressing her skin and adding the choker.

That small detail had my cock begging to be back inside her.

Clever girl, she knew exactly what she was doing there.

I sent her another message twenty minutes ago, apologising for being a few minutes late, walking up the steps hesitantly as I enter the front entrance, maybe she came in already.

I wouldn’t blame her, it's unusually busy tonight, maybe there’s an event of which I wasn’t aware of.

Making my way past the large queue to the cloak room, I assess everyone, hoping to link eye contact with those big green jewels of hers.

Regretting blocking my number as I wander round the bar and not seeing her anywhere.

The place isn’t too busy inside, so it doesn’t take long to do the rounds and the majority of the people in here are men, which is the norm here.

I notice the 5ft blonde bartender I saw speaking with the first night I saw her.

“Excuse me”, I say, pulling my phone out of my pocket, “Have you seen this woman?”

I sound desperate and slightly stalker-like, but I stand my ground as she looks at the picture of .

“No, not since my last shift.

Got stood up?”

Her voice is lower than I expected, but playful as she gives me a wink.

“It's starting to look like that, thanks anyway.”

I head back to the entrance and slump against the handrail, opening up the camera footage from her room.

I rewatch as she puts everything in her bag, puts her shoes on and leaves the room.

She was dressed to be here, so I pull up her number and press the call button.

The obnoxious sound of the dial tone fills my ear, it rings twice before it cuts off.

Did she just hang up on me?

I try again, looking around in case she is close by, but nothing and the call cuts out again.

I’m starting to feel a little pissed off now, it’s been nearly an hour at this point.

She could at least have the decency to answer and say she isn’t coming.

Standing up straight I make my way towards the busy streets, pushing my way through the groups of people.

I keep the camera footage on my screen, watching for her to return.

I keep calling as I make my way towards her apartment building, anyone would tell me that my actions are somewhat extreme, to wait longer or to just forget about her.

Firstly, I am extreme, everything I do, all or nothing.

Secondly, I’m not forgetting about this woman, I couldn’t if I tried, the hold she has over me, has me obsessed and I’m not letting her get away.

Reaching her building, I make my way straight to her door.

I may knock a little more aggressively than necessary, but I’m agitated, I ring again as I wait, and I hear nothing.

No footsteps, No TV, and No ringtone.

Unless she is passed out on the sofa and her phone is silent, she isn’t here.

I knock again to make sure Selene doesn’t answer, I swipe my hand along the top of the door frame.

Not so clever, little girl.

I grab the spare key.

Way too many people leave a spare key on their door frames.

A stupid mistake, if you ask me.

Opening the door, a lamp is on in the corner of the living room but no .

“Ace?”, my voice carries down the hall, my eyes scanning the kitchen as I walk further away, opening doors as I move past them.

She’s not here.

Orion

Sat in my recently redesigned home office, I keep flicking through the different video feeds playing across the four screens in front of me, the desk opposite tormenting me.

She should be here, I keep imagining her sitting there, wearing only one of my t-shirts as she continues to work on her stories and free for me to take her whenever I want.

I added more cameras around her apartment while Selene was at work.

I've been monitoring her whereabouts in hopes she would lead me to .

I’ve noticed she has grown concerned over her friend not being home now, she keeps checking her bedroom and trying to call her phone.

Her phone’s been off since I made hundreds of calls the night she went missing.

Now not even Frank can track it.

The last pin from her phone was by Crawl, so she did come to meet me, she just didn’t make it.

I’ve been back each night in hopes that someone has seen her.

Frank is in the process of hacking street cameras, he’s turned his phone off now too.

Sick of all my calls for an update.

My phone pulls me out of the staring competition I was having with s front door, Chuck, he’s been pretty pissy with me too, since I went dark.

He doesn’t seem to understand that nothing matters without her by myside.

“Yes, Chuck?”

I’m blunt, I have no patience for his whining.

“Orion, Finally, just wanted to check in. See if…”

“I need to keep the line free”

I grunt, a sigh coming from his end.

“Look, there’s been talk between the security at Glass, some of them being offered jobs elsewhere with a much more generous pay”

he’s hesitant as he goes on.

“What do you…”

I interrupt him a second time “Then let them go, I’ll talk to you later”

I hang up as I see Selene enter the apartment, it's late morning so this seems unusual.

I rest my elbows on my desk running my fingers over the stubble growing across my jaw as she walks through the apartment calling out for .

She enters ’s bedroom and sits on the edge of her bed, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks, her eyes turning a deep shade of pink as she rubs at them.

I feel an ache in my chest as I watch her.

They must have been closer than I thought.

I make my way to the bathroom, I need to smarten myself up.

I plan on visiting her office today, maybe she called in after the weekend.

I feel like it's going to be a waste of time but until I hear from Frank, I have nothing but watching the camera footage and visiting Crawl to keep me burning this world to the ground to find her.

Everything’s the same as I exit the elevators, walking towards the same receptionist I met on my first visit.

She meets my gaze, standing straight to her feet.

Her fingers reach for a button next to the phone “Hello again, are you here for ?”, she forces a smile as she looks over my shoulder, but I don’t bother to look.

“Yes, is she in her office?”

I play along, as if I have no idea that she is missing.

“No, I’m afraid she isn’t in today.”

Her voice is low not far from being a whisper.

“She is working from home, I believe.”

Well, I know that’s not true, does she know something.

Confusion must cross my face as she shakes her head slightly, but then goes back to sitting in her chair and continuing to answer the endless incoming calls.

I turn myself to leave, my mind planning on how to get this woman on her own and ask her what she knows.

She had a nervous demeanor about her today.

As I head back to the elevator, I look down the hallway, getting a glimpse of Nathan round the last corner, I consider following him but in my current mood it would only end badly, for him.