Page 2 of Taint My Soul

It festered.

It grew into something vicious.

Before he escaped his prison, it became something he couldn’t completely control. Some days, he wished for his uncle’s death. Other days, he wanted to do it himself.

Even when he had been free, it lingered.

But Elio never did it.

He was terrified of that part of himself. The part that wanted revenge for the hurt. The part that wanted to burn the world down for taking his parents away from him.

Even with the years of freedom he had, Elio walked back into the cage of the monster, not as the ten-year-old boy who lost his parents, but as the twenty-seven-year-old young man who was a university graduate and had a degree in Finance.

As Mason Cole.

A different name earned him a new identity, but that identity was stripped down to nothing when the monster found him again and buried its claws into his heart to rip it out.

He survived.

Mason was alive, but he was very different now. Different from the boy who wanted a quiet life. From the boy who had dreams and aspirations.

He was now the pawn of the monster who had trapped him, used to save himself.

CHAPTER ONE

MASON

The alley smells of stale urine, dampness, and exhaust fumes. I keep my head down, keys threaded between my fingers, boots scuffing against the cracked asphalt as I walk through the neighborhood.

It’s oddly quiet tonight. Too quiet for my liking, and a part of me wonders if it was a good idea to take this route back to my apartment.

The other part brushes off that intense, ominous gut feeling. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? I have been taking this path for months now.

I reach the end and take a turn, then stalk down the dimly lit path. The menacing feeling twisting in my belly doubles down, and my steps slow, gaze watchful as I take in the open street.

It’s safe.

I’m only three blocks away from home. Even if something happens, I’ll run. I have done that a lot in the past.

Shoulders rolling, a deep breath pressing into my lungs, I move, stride long and purposeful, as I step out into the light, keeping to the pavement.

That’s when I hear it. A low, consistent hum that approaches. My body springs forward to make a run for it, but the vehicle moves faster. The engine rumbles, rubber tires biting into asphalt as the van parks in a curve, cutting me off.

Before I can turn, the door slides open with a metallic scrape, and three broad-shouldered men spill out onto the asphalt quickly.

Too quickly.

My body moves on instinct, but the sharp click of a gun forces me to halt.

I put my hand up, rooted to the spot as tremors race through my entire body. My keys hit the ground as the men stomp toward me. They pull my backpack off my shoulder and toss it across the street before they force me into the car at gunpoint.

My back slams against the van, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs. The putrid smell of cologne, bleach, and blood lingers in the air. Before I can adjust to the dark, rough fingers grip my jaw and tie a thick fabric over my nostrils.

I struggle. Body buckling against the strength of the bigger and stronger man as he focuses on holding me still. The nauseating smell from the fabric mixes with my breath and spills into my lungs. My head becomes light as the shadowy space warps in and out of my vision, knocking consciousness out of me.

When my eyes flutter open, light floods in from every direction of the small room. I gasp and sit up, slowly scurrying away to the closest wall I can find, body seeking anchorage. Quick breaths drill out of my lungs as my eyes adjust to the intensity of the light. My throat works, and my gaze lands on the red door.

It’s the exit.