A Flame Divine ♕

XXXVI. B L A M E

e v e r l y

Everly hailed a cab as she left the recording studio on 5th Avenue. She had just wrapped up the final track on her EP, and she was basking in the glow of completing something she'd always dreamt of.

It was an EP of covers for now, but she was so happy to be able to give Stellan a late Christmas gift—a way to listen to her sing whenever he wished. She especially hoped it would soothe him after the tragic events around the holiday.

The cab pulled over and she jumped in, directing the driver to take her to their apartment in Edison Park. She was excited to show Stellan her EP and then go to Merrik's for their New Years Eve party. The last week had been hell, so Carmen and Everly had planned a night of fun for the boys. God knows they needed it.

Thirty minutes later, the cab pulled up in front of their apartment, and the sun had begun to set. "Thank you!" she chirped, paying the man the fare plus a fifty dollar tip.

"Wow, thanks, Miss," he said gratefully.

She flashed him a smile as she got out of the cab. "Happy New Years."

He drove away and she turned to walk up the sidewalk to the building when she felt a hand close over her mouth and a sharp object poke into her back—a knife.

"Scream, and I'll kill you right here," a voice mumbled in her ear.

Everly's eyes widened, and she writhed around in a pitiful attempt to get away from her captor.

"Stop struggling and fucking walk. Now."

Everly did as the man said, and he led her around the building and to an obscure black sedan. She felt the tears on her cheeks, frigid in the cold air. With each step she took away from the front door to her home, the faster the tears fell, and eventually, she began to shake.

Everly knew it was a risk, to be affiliated with Stellan and the business, but she never actually thought anything would happen. Now here she was, being shoved into the back of the car as it drove away from one of the only people who would realize she was missing.

Sitting awkwardly on the seat, she felt her iPhone stabbing her in her jean pocket. If only she could contact Stellan!

She moved around, trying to draw little attention to herself. She watched as the man drove away, and he didn't so much and look at her in the rearview. She didn't chance reaching for the phone though, so she just looked out the window, trying to see where they were going. But she wasn't familiar enough with the city yet to tell.

Pretty soon the scenery changed from their quaint suburban neighborhood to a dark, dingy part of town with rundown facades and sketchy looking people lurking in doorways. She shifted in her seat and when she felt she had a moment, she slid her phone out of her back pocket and into her bra. When she looked up, the driver was staring at the road, and she exhaled quietly.

Finally, they stopped at an old garage, and he yanked her out of the car, dragging her inside and throwing her into a chair.

She didn't say anything for a moment, but when the man sat in front of her, she narrowed her eyes. "What do you want? Money?"

The man laughed, a low, evil sound. "Money? No. I have plenty of that. Your father wants his precious princess back."

Everly gasped. Her father? No. No, this could not be happening. "My father sent you?"

The man grinned, showing a gold tooth in the front. "Yeah. And I'm supposed to send you back unharmed, so let's make sure we behave."

She bit her lip. She could not go back to her father. She had to get to Stellan.