abandon all hope.

Elena Cortez


Garrett O'Connor





Annabelle Harris


Carter Wright

If there was one thing that Annabelle had learnt it was that gang life wasn't for everyone. She had grown up watching her dad and older brothers get dragged deeper into the lifestyle, but it wasn't what she wanted anymore. It had been so easy to get in and Annabelle had done everything asked of her without hesitation, but getting out was another story all together.

Gang life came with many perks and if asked a year ago if she'd give it up the answer would have been no, but then she met Garrett.

***

Carter's hands were sweating from nerves as he made his way to the Bosses office, it wasn't very often he was called on specifically and he was trying to figure out if he had done anything to piss the big man off. Things had been pretty quiet over the last month, jobs were handled smoothly and there had been no hiccups from his end as far as he could remember. Reaching the door, he braced himself for whatever he was about to face and knocked.

"Enter," came a gruff voice from the other side, causing him to hesitantly open the door and step inside, "Ah, Carter... take a seat."

Garrett slammed his fist down on the desk, looking around the room angrily. "what do you mean she's gone? Who was meant to be guarding her? This isn't going to go down well" he said gruffly, beginning to pace around. He had no doubt in his mind that Tony Cortez already knew of his Daughter's disapearance- he evidently just hadn't decided who was going to pay for it just yet. He sighed loudly, running a hand through his hair as he turned to face the wall. He had been a right hand man to the leader of the gang for a number of months, and he knew he would be expected to help come up with a plan of action, just what that would be though he didn't know.

Declaring all out war on the rival gang wouldn't be an option, not when they had Elena. He rubbed his team.ples his eyes dancing across the room. "Get out of here, all of you" he demanded, allowing himself to collapse down on to a chair, his eyes landing on Annabelle. "What are we going to do?" He asked her defeatedly, checking his watch briefly. He had no doubt Tony would want to talk to him soon.

***

Elena groaned as she opened her eyes, a sharp piercing pain running through her skull as what little light came through the window hit her gaze. She took a minute to look around the room, fear filling her stomach as if in slow motion. "No nonono" she murmered under her breath, the movement of her mouth revealing what she assumed to be a large bruise on her cheek when she moved. Her body felt cold, as she only now realised how badly she was shivering. Her wrist red and swollen where they were bound.

She started to scream, but her voice gave out- her throat dry and sore from the dust that hung around the room.

@ AngelicWasteland;

The news of Elena's disappearance had spread fast and the gang were on edge, but Annabelle didn't really care all that much. She had never really liked the spoilt brat anyway and maybe some time away from daddy would clue her into the life she was really involved in, although Annabelle very much doubted that.

They had butted head's often, but she knew that Garrett would be the one in charge of getting her back and for the reason alone it bothered her. Watching as he sent everyone away, Annabelle stayed where she was leaning against the wall and shrugged in answer to his question.

"We know that there's only one person that would have the balls to go anywhere near Elena," she said, "Viktor knows Tony too well, he knows that he will give anything to get his precious little girl back and he'll use that to his advantage."

***

After receiving his orders from Viktor, Carter loaded his pistols and placed them in the waistband of his jeans as he headed down to the basement. He wasn't expecting much of a fight from their prisoner just yet, but he'd learned early on that you should never underestimate your enemy and that went for scared girls.

Nodding to the guard that was stood at the top of the basement stairs, he headed down and unlocked the door to what Carter referred to as the holding cell. The room was only dimly lit, but he could make out the clear shape of a person and knew from how they were huddled that they were bound.

"Welcome to the basement hotel," he stated cockily with a smirk, "We sure do hope you enjoy your stay and that the service you receive is satisfactory."

Garrett rubbed the side of jaw, his eyes tired as he glanced up at Annabelle. "Well yes... I had assumed it was him. This isn't going to be easy" he added, standing up and kicking the chair back in place as he began to pace again. He had just thought things were settling down, that business might run smoothly for a while and now this.

To top it all off, it had been months since he'd gotten any free time, and he was feeling it. Garrett had not found himself this sexually frustrated since he was a teenager. (Did you want them to be together already, or for it to build?)

***

Elena lifted her head as she felt the room brighten slightly as the door opened and closed. She eyes wandered towards the face of the man in front of her. He was tall, chiselled and looked like he could've eaten three of her for breakfast. She could feel her eyes brimming with tears as she shook her head softly looking back away from him. "Please don't hurt me, I don't know anything" she said quickly, pulling her body in as small as she could make it with how she was tied.

She hated the arrogance of this boy, how he so clearly had the upper hand.

@ AngelicWasteland;

Following Garrett's movement with her eyes, Annabelle pushed herself away from the wall and stepped in front of him to stop him from wearing a hole in the floor. The situation wasn't good, but stressing out wasn't going to help and neither was giving up.

"Hey, when have we ever had anything be easy," she joked softly, offering Garrett a smirk and placing her hands on his shoulders, "We'll figure this out."

Shoving him slightly, Annabelle chuckled and left him to his thoughts.

***

Carter could tell by the tone of the girls voice that she was lying, but then he could have told you that before she opened her mouth and spoke a word. She knew everything, which was why Viktor had taken her and left her in Carter's care. He didn't care if she spoke or not, in all honesty, he was just there to make sure that she didn't give them the slip and go crying back to her father.

"Why would I hurt you?" Carter asked, crouching down next to the girl and tilting his head, "We may not be on the same team, but I'm not a monster... behave yourself and we'll get along just fine."

Garrett came to a sudden stop as Annabelle stepped in front of him, sighing and biting down on his lip. He let his head roll back staring at the ceiling for a moment before he let his eyes fall back on her, offering a weak smile as she gave his shoulders a squeeze and trying to set his mind straight. Garrett often wondered why Annabelle stayed in the gang. He understood her father and Brothers were here, but don't was usually good to give an out to the girls in the mob families. Yet here Anna had been all these years. "We will, we'll figure it out" he echoed softly, a question running in the back of his mind- how did she seem so nonchalant about this.

He smirked as she shoved him away, quickly turning on his heels toward the opening door, his face growing a little paler. "If you two are done flirting we have a serious issue here" Tony growled, clearly meaning business. He sat, motioning for Garrett to do the same. He followed suit before turning to Annabelle "I'll catch up with you lat-" "let her stay" Tony cut him off, and motioned for the pretty girl to sit too.

***

Elena tried her best to bite back the tears, but she could feel them running down her cheeks. She wanted to act tough, and like she wasn't afraid- but this wasn't her life. She had never gotten involved in the Cartel's business before and she hadn't intended on starting.she could feel her body shaking as the guy crouched down beside her. She didn't know if it was cold or nerves, but either way she couldn't control it.

"Let me out!" She called out as loud as she could, trashing her leg out as much as she could with the tires, messing the boy by a long shot. "You don't get it... I'm not any good to you guys... I don't work for the Cartel" she told him.

@ AngelicWasteland;

Glancing at Garrett, Annabelle joined the two men and took a seat. Something about this situation made her nervous and she wasn't liking it one bit, but she knew better than to argue with Tony. The man had spent his life protecting his daughter and had killed men for less than kidnap, which meant that nobody was safe from his temper in that current moment.

"Any news on Elena?" she inquired, not wanting to show fear and swallowing nervously as Tony looked at her.

***

Frowning slightly as the girl kicked out, Carter stood up and moved back towards the door. She was a feisty one that was for sure, but she wasn't very smart and he wouldn't mind admitting that he found it kinda cute.

"I'll be back shortly with some food, try not to hurt yourself in that time," Carter told her, stepping out and locking the door behind him.

Why was he the one that had to babysit the prisoner? It wasn't as though he was the newbie, he'd earned his spot and still he got stuck with the low level jobs.

Garrett placed his hand on Annabelle's knee giving it a soft reaffirming squeeze as they stared across the table at Tony. He knew what the man could be be like if he lost his temper and he wanted Anna to know she was alright. "Tony, this is bullshit, I me-" "GODDAMN right it bullshit." The man snapped, hitting the table with his hand."fucking Carmichael couldn't even do his fucking job an look after my baby girl. Fucking prick, you better bet he'll pay for it" he raged. Garrett had no reason to believe that Tony wouldn't make the man pay, he had seen him do it before. He had to admit, he felt sorry for the guy though. He knew that Elena had a history of sneaking off to be on her own.

He glanced over at Annabelle as she spoke up, raising his eyebrow slowly. It's definitely Mendoza, the guys found footage of his men bundlin' her up" he said, clearly getting a bit worked up. Garrett bit down on his lip, looking at his female friend. "Anna and I have been talking Tony, and we bet we can figure out a way to fix this" he said.

***

Elena's eyes filled with dread As she watched the guy back up towards the door and shook her head softly. "No no stop please... Don't leave me on my own.. can't you into my hands or something please?" She begged softly, trying to move after him but she was unable to. She sighed loudly as she heard the door lock shut and began to look around for anything that could help her. She didn't know what they wanted to do with her, but she guessed it wasn't going to be pleasent.

@ AngelicWasteland;

Annabelle flinched as Tony slammed his hands down on the table, focusing on Garrett's comforting grasp on her knee and trying her hardest to stay calm. She had known Tony for a long time through her dad and looked to him as family, but he scared her more than anyone she had had ever known. She'd seen him shoot a man in the head at point blank range and walk away as if it was an every day chore to him.

"Starting a war isn't an option right now, especially with the deals that we have in place and the money we stand to lose if things go wrong," Annabelle added, placing her hand on top of Garrett's and continuing, "This needs to be done quietly."

***

Ordering the guard to keep a listen out, Carter headed to the kitchen and threw together some food. Glaring as a few of the boys teased him, he made a quick stop to make sure his other job was running smoothly and took the food down for the girl.

"Here," he said, placing the plastic plate on the floor with a cup of water, "It's nothing special, so don't get your hopes up..."

Having other things to do, Carter left again without another word and went to make a few deliveries.

Garrett nodded, glancing at Anna to make sure she was okay as she took his hand. "Anna has a point sir, there's no point making a big deal out of this.. you don't want to alert anybody else that were in a spot of weakness either. We need to keep this low profile" he said, backing up her statement, watching Tony's face carefully as they spoke, trying to Gage his reaction.

The man began to nod slowly, looking between the two of them. "Garrett, you've worked hard.. I trust you have my interests at heart and I extend this trust to your friend here. What do you think I should do?" He asked, crossing his arms. Garrett let out a flabbergasted sigh, shrugging softly. "You got any men on the inside?" He suggested.

***

Elena's face lit up a little as the guy came back again. She watched as he put the food down before her, and gladly a glass of water too. "Can you just untie- how am I meant to eat with?" Elena called out as the guy started to leave again, shaking at the ties around her wrist hoping to loosen them, only resolving in a little Yelp of pain from her as they dug further in to her skin.

El let out a loud grown, her stomach mimicking the sound as she rolled on to her side on the cold, dusty ground. She hated this, not knowing what was going to happen to her or if she would ever get out. She felt she would go crazy in here on her own.

@ AngelicWasteland;

"None that I can afford to be found out," Tony answered honestly, turning his attention to Annabelle and her heart suddenly clenched, "What about sending your girlfriend in?"

"Me..." Annabelle started, falling silent when Tony glared at her and lowering her gaze to the ground, "Sorry sir, but there is no way that I will be able to get in there and convince anyone that I'm not apart of the Cortez Cartel anymore... they all know my dad and brothers."

***

Checking his watch, Carter sent the guard a message telling him to untie the girls hands and returned to the conversation he had been having with one of his contacts. He hadn't forgotten to untie them, he was trying to push her and break her down... he wasn't a complete monster though. It was already nightfall by the time he returned to the house, reporting back to Viktor about his deliveries and heading down to check that the girl was still secure.

"How was your food?" he asked as he watched the girl closely, noticing for the first time that she was actually quite pretty and far from what he had expected. Not that he had ever really imagined what the enemy Cartel boss's daughter looked like or anything, but she just wasn't the typical Cartel girl.

Garrett rubbed his neck as he thought for a second more, raising it up quickly as he heard Tony mention Annabelle. He tightened his grip o her knee as she began to speak back, only clearly making the man angrier. Gartett had to admit he didn't think it was the worst idea, but it was clear Annabelle didn't think so. "Maybe we could keep thinking sir" he said softly, although he knew that wasn't what the boss wanted to hear.

"You're a woman, wear a tight top, sleep with one of them.. they'll assume your weak it'll be perfect" Tony said, staring straight at the girl. "We can dye your hair, although I don't think they'll know you anyway.. it's unlikely" he said, slowly starting to stand up. "This is your chance now Annabelle, prove to me your worth" he threatened before exiting the room.

Garrett turned to look at his friend, not sure what to say. "You alright?" He asked.

***

Elena had eaten the food slowly, leaving a little behind on the plane too just in case. She had only sipped at the water wanting to make sure she could make it last. This guy who kept checking on her clearly had other things on his plate, and she didn't want to be left I a situation where she would get dehydrated. She had just started to fall asleep on the floor when she heard the door opening. She opened her eyes slowly, not moving from her position on the floor as she tried to see who it is without alerting them that she was awake.

She sighed as she realised he was staring staright at her and slowly pushed herself up off the ground. "it was fine, when I could eat it" she answered back, rubbing at her sore wrists a frown on her face. This guy was handsome, and that scared her a little. He had no evident scars or the look of a broken nose- which just meant he was good at his job. "Are you going to kill me?"

@ AngelicWasteland;

The idea of even touching any guy from the other cartel made Annabelle cringe, but it was clear that Tony had already made up his mind and arguing would only cause more problems. Hearing him talking about proving herself enraged her a little, since she had already showed her loyalty on multiple occasions and had earned her stripes just like every person there.

"Prove myself? He wants me to prove my worth... like I haven't done that already," Annabelle stated, standing up and pacing angrily, "There's no way around this, but I refuse to lower my standards for anyone and that includes Tony Cortez... this is going to be done my way."

***

Carter saw the way Elena looked at him, saw the way her eyes scanned his features and knew exactly what she was thinking. Noticing the way she was rubbing her wrists, he went to the door and left for a few minutes to grab a first aid kit.

"I'm just here to make sure that you stay put... you're not in danger with me, unless you try to escape," Carter told the girl as he re-entered the room, opening the first aid kit and motioning for the girl to show him her arms, "They look sore..."

Garrett frowned slightly, taking in a deep breath. He let Annabelle go on her rant for a moment before standing up and wrapping his arms around her tightly, pulling her in close to him. "You don't need to be so worked up Anna... He just hasn't seen the immense work you've done" Garrett told her, meaning every word of it. Since becoming Tony's right hand man he had learned quite quickly he didn't rate many people unless they went above and beyond for him... But he had the utmost loyalty to every single person in the Cartel.

"It doesn't matter what way you do this Annabelle.. but you have to be careful. You're putting yourself and Elena at risk" he warned softly as he loosened up her grip on her. He was afraid she would get cocky.

***
Elena stared at him as he came back with a first aid kit, a little reluctant to let him help. Eventually she held her wrists out to him, wincing is he began to clean them up. "Yeah, they are sore.. maybe if I hadn't been left tied up for so long they wouldn't be" she snapped, glancing around the room again.

"Can you until my ankles too? It's not like I have any way out of here" she asked him softly, pulling a piece of her hair back out of her face.

@ AngelicWasteland;

Relaxing slightly as Garrett wrapped his arms around her, Annabelle listened to what he was saying and could hear the concern in his tone. She wasn't stupid, she knew how delicate the situation was and that there was more than just her life on the line if she got found out. There was no doubt in her mind that Elena was Tony's only concern, but he cared for his people and that was something that she'd always admired about him.

"Well, I can't just walk in there and declare that I want to join their cartel... so, how exactly am I suppose to get their attention?"

***

Noticing the way Elena was scanning the room again, Carter had no doubt in is mind that she was trying to put together a plan of escape and he found that quite funny. Chuckling to himself, he finished cleaning her up and stood back to look at her. Knowing just how secure the room was, he untied her ankles and stood back with his hand on his gun to make a point.

"Trying to get out of here will only make your predicament worse, so don't bother trying..." he warned, hoping that the girl was a little smarter than she seemed and looking back at the door as someone knocked on it, "I'll bring you some more water and food in a bit."

Garrett bit his lip for a minute as he thought. "We have a drop tomorrow night... You can feed them Intel" he suggested, taking a seat at the table and grabbing a pen and some paper as he began to write some stuff done. "Tony won't care about losing a couple thousand dollars if it'll help with his daughter" he said, running a hand through his hair as he thought more about it.

"Then you can.." he paused for a second as he thought about the next part. He knew it was risky but thought it was necessary. He chose to not bring it up right now though. "There will be some trust there after the Intel . And the. We just gotta find you a way in" he said with a nod, smiling as he gave her hand a squeeze. "This could really work Anna!" He added.

***

Elenna nodded softly, beginning to rub the skin on her ankles as he undid the ties, taking in a shard breath as he placed a hand on his gun. She knew she lived around them every day, but the sight of them guns and people being so comfortable around them had always made Elena feel a little uneasy.

"How long is a bit?" She asked softly, knowing it probably seemed out of line. She didn't know just how leniant these people would be with her. It completely relied on how much they relied on using her as a bargaining tool. She turned her attention to the door as somebody knocked, wrapping her arms around herself. She had wished she was wearing something more practical when they snatched her.

@ AngelicWasteland;

The plan that Garrett had put together wasn't sounding terrible, but it was still risky and things could very easily go wrong. She knew the club that a lot of Viktor's boys hung out at, so getting their attention would be easy and stupid... very stupid.

"It could work..." Annabelle agreed, taking the information that Garrett had written down and standing up, "If this drop is happening tomorrow, then I need to get this to them tonight and see what happens from there."

***

Reaching the door, Carter heard Elena speak and turned back to look at her. She shivered slightly as she wrapped her arms around herself and he felt bad for her, frowning as he opened the door.

"About half an hour, I just have some things to attend to and then I will bring it down," Carter told her.

Garrett rubbed the back of his neck, a sense of worry beginning to settle in. He didn't want to see Annabelle get hurt. "Where are you going?" He asked her, standing and following her to the door. He didn't want her going off and doing any of this but I herself, she needed to keep him informed. "How do you plan on getting the information to them Anna?" He repeated, taking her hand to stop her from walking away.

God she was gorgeous. Garrett had thought it since the day he first saw her, but he had always been careful not to let it distract him

***

Elena nodded, watching the door as he pulled it out behind him. It opened inwards in to the room, she made a mental note of that. Once she was sure he was gone, she quickly began moving around, tapping the walls for any weaknesses and looking for any sort of window or window she could find but the place was solid. "Fuck" she mumbled, letting her back slide down the wall as she crumpled back on to the floor.

She had been told so much about what to do if she was in this situation, but of course she had never paid much attention.

@ AngelicWasteland;

Turning back to look at Garrett, Annabelle knew immediately that he wasn't going to leave her to get on with it and for that she was grateful. Obviously Tony had faith in her being able to accomplish her mission without a problem, but Garrett had always been more realistic and level-headed when it came to the dangers involved in the life they chose to live.

"Viktor's guys all hang out at a club in town called Nova," Annabelle explained, "I'll head over as if I'm looking for Viktor and hope that one of the boys pick up on it... they'll pay good money for information like this."

***

Making his way to report back to Viktor, Carter knocked on the door and entered. Stopping by the desk, he waited for the boss to finish on the phone and placed his hands behind his back just like a soldier. Hell, that was what he was and there was no getting around that.

"How's the girl doing?" Viktor asked, although he was less worried about her well being and more about what she had said.

"She's not saying much, but she will..." Carter promised, earning a nod from Viktor and leaving with his orders.

Collecting a pair of sweat pants and a hoodie from one of the girls that hung around the house, Carter returned to the room. Without a word he opened the door, chucking the clothes on the floor and leaving again to allow Elena to change in private.