Sequel: Glass
Status: Complete

Pieces

Twenty-Eight

"Okay," Jimmy stated walking into the office quickly, "A Vegas reporter said Violet was last seen in Caesar's Palace. Apparently there's a huge penthouse up there that was just recently remodeled, and Craig has been living there for the past few months. So we can assume that she's probably there with him," He explained.

Zack sat up, "Okay, so we can go get her now right?" He questioned.

"Uh, not exactly," Brian scratched the back of his head, "The guy is nuts, Zack. He has the entire place on lockdown. According to some reporters, the hotel amped up their security when Violet returned. Before paparazzi was able to get onto the floor of the penthouse suite. Now, the entire floor is monitored by security. You can't even get through unless your name is on a guest list."

"What about when she leaves? Is there any way we can grab her when she goes out to dinner or something?" Matt questioned, "You can't honestly tell me he has that place on lockdown all the time. You only see that kind of thing in movies."

"That's the thing," Dan shrugged, "She was only seen the first few days of her return. After that, no one has seen any sign of her. She's been staying in the penthouse the entire time," He stated.

"That's impossible. She has to leave some time, right?" Zack asked, "She can't be locked up there forever."

Jimmy looked at him sadly, "That's all the info we could get, Zack. I mean... The Stevensons are a pretty private family. It was hard enough to just find out where she was staying."

Zack put his head in his hands, sighing deeply. It hurt more to know that he had no idea what Violet was going through. He could imagine it wasn't good though. He couldn't help but feel guilty or letting her walkway. For making her walk away. He should have stopped Matt and Brian and he should have run after her.

He sat up, blinking back tears as he quickly dialed the number he was only supposed to use in emergencies. Violet had clearly stated that he wasn't supposed to call the number unless she was missing or dead, and she wasn't kidding.

"Hello? The woman's voice answered.

"Um... Ms. Andersen?" Zack questioned and the people around him raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is this Zack?" She asked softly, holding back tears.

"Yeah, this is him... Violet's boss," He replied.

"Last time I checked you were also her boyfriend," She snapped, "You were supposed to protect my daughter."

"I... I know. I'm trying to get her back, I promise," He assured.

"She shouldn't have left in the first place. What happened?" She demanded. The last time she spoke to Violet everything was okay. She was living with Zack and she was happy with him. In the blink of an eye she was back in the arms of the disease that had taken her daughter once before.

"I found out about the Violet Kennedy Scandal," He answered softly and she cringed at the name, "I don't know what happened. I wasn't thinking..." He started to quickly defend himself but she scoffed.

"So you pushed her away, didn't you?" She asked and he put his head down, "That was her biggest fear, you know that? That's why she never told you, because she was afraid you'd look at her differently. She only wanted to protect what little respect she still had left."

"I'm so sorry," He whispered, "I wasn't thinking straight. I love, Violet. I can't live without her," He stated.

She sighed, "I still don't know the entire story," She confessed, "Violet was always too ashamed to tell the whole thing. But I had hope that she would eventually tell you. The only other people who know what happened are Craig and her friend Samantha."

"How do I get ahold of Samantha?" Zack asked.

"I doubt you can. The girl went downhill after she graduated. She dropped out of school and tried to finish what Violet started. She's been dating men and wandering Vegas between jobs for a few years now. I haven't' even seen her since Vi's senior year," She explained.

"Is there any way at all to find Violet?" He asked hopefully.

"No," She stated and Zack's heart sunk, "She's in Caesar's Palace. She doesn't leave unless he says she can, and there's always someone with her. That place is surrounded by Craig's personal security team. Even I can't find her, and I'm her mother."

"What if we went there?" Zack questioned, "We could sneak in and..."

"This isn't a movie," She stated harshly, "This isn't some high-budget action movie where you can take out the security team, grab the girl, and run off. If I knew how to get her back, believe me I would tell you. But I don't know." She cried.

"It's okay," He whispered, "But I'm going to find a way. I promise."

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," She reminded him.

"I intend to keep my promise, Ms. Andersen. Not only to you, but to Violet."

"Just be careful then," She replied, "If anything were to happen to you... Everything Violet did would be for nothing. She ran away to protect you."

"I know," He whispered.

"She loved you more than anything else in this world. She'll want you to move on, she'll want you to forget her... But don't. Don't ever stop loving her, Zack. It's the least you could do."

"I swear on my life, Ms. Anderson, I will never stop loving Violet."

"She'd be happy. Bye, Zack."

She hung up, leaving Zack sitting there with bags under his eyes and his hair a mess. He wasn't sure what to do now. How could he go on without knowing how to get her back? He didn't even know where to start. He was completely lost.

He could feel his world getting darker around him with every moment that passed.
And it would only get brighter when Violet was back by his side.
Back where she belonged.

-

"Had enough!?" Craig yelled and I coughed, blood falling onto the white carpet that would probably get replaced by the end of the week. I could feel the pressure in my ribs. It didn't take a genius to know they were cracked. Craig sure did have a heavy foot, especially when he was kicking the shit out of me.

"Never," I scoffed and he picked me up by the collar, dragging me until I met his eyes. I had been doing this for weeks with him. I wasn't going to back down.

"You're such a fucking disgrace. All the hard work I put into you, and you've turn into some rebellious teenager who can't handle authority," He spat.

I glared, "You don't own me, Craig," I spat out weakly. It was getting hard to breathe, "Do what ever you want to me. I will never give into you."

I felt him pick my up by my hair and I hissed, the tugging pain eminent on the back of my head. He began to drag me across the beautiful marble floor of the penthouse, away from the door and towards the bedroom. He threw me down, and I regrettably let out a long cry as I felt the sharp impact of my knees to the floor.

"I don't care what you say, Violet," He snapped, "You are mine now, remember? You bought into this deal. It was either going to be you or him, remember that?" He hissed.

I cringed, thinking about Zack. It was a Friday night after all, and he was probably out having a beer with the guys. I thought of his perfect smile and the way he would look at me in the morning. I pushed the thoughts of him out of my head. I quickly learned that the more I thought of Zack, the harder it was to cope with the new life around me.

"Would you rather it be him?" He asked, leaning in so his breath was hot on my neck.

"Never," I replied. I knew Craig hated it when I spoke so highly of Zack. He loathed when I confessed it would rather be me than him.

He glared, grabbing my shoulder and pinning me down so I was on my back. The hard floor beneath me cold and menacing as he pushed me further into the ground with the pressure of his grip, "I own you."

"Fuck you," I spat.

I wasn't expecting him to full on punch me in the middle of the face. I could hear the crack of my nose beneath his knuckle, and soon after I felt the warm sensation of thick blood running down my chin. I felt tears prick my eyes as he brought his hand up again, this time bringing it down on my cheek. This time I did scream out and he only silenced me by hitting my jaw.

I could feel my vision start to darken as I looked up into his cold blue eyes. He pulled me up by the collar of my shirt, "Do you see what you make me do to you?" He asked, his voice low and taunting, "I do this because you constantly try to fight me."

"I will never stop fighting," I whispered, unable to speak any louder. I could feel myself drifting away.

"You will, Violet," He stated and pulled the knife from his pocket. The knife I had grown so used to. I expected my body to be numb to it, but I wasn't.

I let out a long burning cry as he dug the tip of the blade slowly into my collar bone, dragging it down into a long slice, "Stop!" I screamed out. It was the first time since all those years ago that I had actually begged him to stop. I managed to bite my tongue of the request since my return, but I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"You know what to do, Violet," He stated, starting a new cut just below the fresh one, "You know how to make it stop."

"Fuck!" I cursed as he dug in deeper, this time letting the blood actually escape the wound and trickle down the front of my shirt.

"Give in, Violet. Give in to the person you once knew," He whispered kindly, as if he were trying to comfort me. His grip became looser on me but the blade remained relentless.

"No," I whimpered.

"Give in," He growled and I could feel my body giving up. My muscles relaxing as I became lightheaded. I started to see the ceiling above me start the blur. The beautiful gold details on the roof starting to merge into one blurry vision.

The pain only increased, completely unbearable. Either Craig was more sadistic than before, or I was so used to Zack's comfort that it felt even worse. I felt my breathing start to thin as I hissed, unable to pass out because of the amount of pain keeping me awake. I just wanted to sleep. I just wanted to close my eyes and run away from the world I knew so well. I wanted to wake up again in Zack's arms, hoping everything was just a dream.

"Okay," I whispered as his blade neared for another slice closer to my abdomen, "Okay," I repeated a little louder.

"Okay, what?" He pressed, bringing the blade up so it wasn't resting against my hot flesh any more.

Who was I kidding? It wasn't like Zack was ever going to find me, or attempt to find me for that matter. Jimmy could try, and Dan would probably help. Eventually they would give up. I was just the girl who betrayed them. The girl who lied. I knew deep down that I would never be reunited with my family, with California, or with Zack. It was a lost cause. Zack was safe, so who was I fighting for now? I got what I deserved. I didn't hold the right to fight. I was just living out my life sentence, as promised. I made this choice. My job was done anyways. I kept Zack safe, right? That's all I wanted to do. What else was there for me to do now?

"You win," I whispered.

He smiled widely, tossing the knife aside as he brought me up, gently caressing me as he kissed my wounds tenderly.

"I give up."
♠ ♠ ♠
The sequel: Glass