( picture of Vera above ) { Vera's POV }

I've been in the mafia mansion for four days. That's right it's been four days since Tori was taken. Yesterday Alex's men arrived, and yet no one has found her.

No one.

I can't help but get angry.

Angry at myself for not being able to do something. Angry at them for not being able to find her, and mainly angry at Adrian and his goons for taking her.

She's the only person I could even consider a friend and now she's gone. The worst part is not knowing if she'll make it back, and what if she does but is never the same.

<>

I go downstairs to see if there has been any update, and soon enough I see everyone in the meeting room / tech room trying to find her.

I walk in the room they're in — even though girls aren't allowed. Apparently it's because we aren't sworn in the mafia...but at this point I don't care. Because they aren't getting anywhere by themselves.

I go to the table that they have everything scattered out on and I get close enough to see everything. There's papers listing the Russians estates although that's pretty much useless, because chances are they haven't left Italy yet.

After looking the table over a few times I spot a piece of paper with nothing but random numbers on it.

I pick it up and say "What is this?"

Lorenzo and Marco seem caught of guard, meanwhile Diego seems unfazed. None of them answer my question.

"You aren't suppose to be in here." Marco says just realizing I'm in here. I thought they were supposed to be on guard or something.

"She's been gone four days. I think you need all the help you can get. Now what is this?" I ask this pregnancy is making me snappy, well that's what I'm going to blame my attitude on if it gets brought up.

"She's right." I hear a strange voice say from behind me so I turn and look. I see Alex, an older looking version of Alex, and Luca behind me. Valente, Riccardo, Francesco, and Stefan are behind them. The voice came from the older looking version of Alex. Maybe his father?

"I'm Michael, Alex's father." He introduces himself, and now I know my suspicions are correct.

"I'm Vera." I reply as I give a nod but continue to look at the paper in front of me.

Stefan takes the paper out of my hand and says "You should be resting.."

"I have been for four days, and none of you have gotten anywhere. Now I'd like to help." I tell him

Stefan goes to say something but Lorenzo cuts him off.

"The numbers are what Tori gave to Greta to give Luca in case something happened. Which obviously something did happen. Only now Luca, doesn't know what it means, and neither does the rest of us." Lorenzo finally explains

"Did she say anything or leave another message somewhere?" I question

"Yes actually.." Lorenzo answers

"Well what is it?" I ask

"She told Greta to tell Luca to always remember that she is in control..which doesn't make sense." Marco says

I think about it and back to that day at the restaurant. I think about Tori and what she would do or at least what I think she might do.

"It actually makes perfect sense." I suddenly say

Luca seems interested in my point of view as he says "Go on.."' Everyone else seems confused.

"I didn't know her personally for long, but I know just by spending time with her that she is not only smarter than most, but she's also clever. Before we walked out of the restaurant that day it was like her body told her what was going to happen. It was the strangest thing. It doesn't take a genius to know she obviously already had a plan in place. Greta is proof of that.. which means she was in control the whole time. She knew they would find her, and she was ready for them." I say

"Why would she let herself be taken then?" Francesco asks

"I'm not sure but she her plan was that she would be taken. She had a syringe in her purse, and before we walked out of the restaurant she shot it in her arm." I tell them as I put together the pieces.

"She gave herself a drug before they took her so she didn't feel pain or so she wouldn't care what they did to her." Marco suggests

"No." Michael says

"She would never do that." Alex adds

In that moment I understood. They were the ones blowing up the Russian compound that day. They were trying to save Tori, which they did but in doing so they also saved me. They must know all of what happened to her, and that's why they are being so firm.

"Where did she put the syringe? If we can get our hands on it we can have it tested." Riccardo says

"We don't have that kind of time." Valente says

"We don't need to find it. Tori put it back in her purse, that she sent here with me. My guess is it's so they wouldn't find it. What if whatever was in that syringe, is some kind of tracking device? I saw the Russians do it to their slaves when they sent them on errands, what if she took one of theirs when she was there before." I explain my thought without even thinking

"She was there before?" Valente asks

"дерьмо(shit)" I say to myself in Russian for spilling that fact to him. Although Luca looks at me in confusion along with Alex and Michael.

"You know about.." Alex says but cuts his own self off before he finishes.

"Yeah. I escaped from the Russian compound the same night you came to rescue her. I didn't know her then but I had seen her a few times. Four days ago before she was taken again, we were at breakfast, and she told me the truth." I tell Alex honestly

"Someone tell me what is going on!" Valente demands

Luca sighs but explains.

"When Tori was in a New York, she went to a club and Adrian took his chance and drugged her. She escaped the next morning but he's been after her ever since. She never knew why, until she learned about Anatoly's obsession with her mother." Luca explains the version he knows, which isn't the real one.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" Valente yells

"I PROMISED HER I WOULDN'T!" Luca yells back

"That's not how it went." Micheal says

"Dad.." Alex says in a warning tone

"What do you mean?" Luca questions in a dark tone that scared me

"They need to know so they'll be as prepared, when they see her Alexander." Micheal says

Alex went to say something else so I decided to voice my opinion.

"He's right. They could make things worse for her, if they aren't prepared." I say

Alex just holds his head down for second before sighing. He gives a slight nod and then starts talking.

"They did meet at a club in New York, and he did drug her. She doesn't remember most about that night when he kidnapped her, but she did wake up naked beside him and she knew what he did, but luckily didn't remember it. But she knew." Alex says

"That's what she told me." Luca says

"But that's the watered down version, it only got worse.." I say quietly

"How do you know?" Luca asks me directly

"I was there at the same time, she was there for nearly two weeks. As I said I escaped the night the American mafia came to rescue her. Tori had dropped hints to me, but it took a few sleepless nights of trying to remember the memories I shoved down, and finally I remembered the name of the girl whose screams used to keep me up at night, even after I escaped. Her name was Victoria." I explain

Luca looks like he feels sick but he asks the question I know deep down he doesn't want to know "What really happened to her?"

"She never explained what happened, all we know is that when we got her back..." Alex cuts himself off looking emotional

"She was never the same." Michael finishes for his son

Valente cusses and Luca looks at me.

"What do you remember?" He questions

"Not much. I never officially met her back then, because no one was allowed around her. I think Adrian first took her because of Anatoly's obsession, but that isn't why they kept her." I reply

"Why did he keep her?" Luca spits out with venom on his tongue

"The next morning after the club, Tori woke up and fought. She put up enough of one that everyone who came near her ended up dead or severely injured. After almost an hour of restless fighting they were able to drug her. From that point on she interested Adrian, and so his obsession began.." I tell him

"Why didn't she just tell me that?" Luca asks more to himself than anyone else

"I don't think she wanted anyone to pity her or look at her differently. As you all know trauma messes with your head, and two weeks of nothing but abuse can rip you apart on the inside. She didn't want you to know that, unless you needed too." I answer as best I can

"Why are you telling us now?" Lorenzo asks confused

"I'm not sure. I just feel like you'll need to know." I say with a shrug

"When we find her, she's going to be darker than you've ever seen her. You'll think she's cold, and heartless, but just know that it's only on the outside. Inside is the storm that is Victoria, and she's breaking." Michael says

"I thought she could fight back then. Why didn't she?" Marco asks and in that moment I wanted to throw something at him so I did. I threw a book that was sitting on the table at him.

"VERA!" Stefan yelled at me

"Don't Vera me, he deserved it." I reply

"She's right and all of you better thank her because I was going to shoot him." Alex says seriously while sending a death glare to Marco.

"Tori did fight. After they stopped drugging her, they tried to beat the fight out of her, drown it out of her, burn it out of her..they abused her in every way humanly possible and yet she still fought. She may have been broken on the floor somewhere, but she stayed determined not to be buried in a grave. Now be wise, and don't talk about something you know nothing about." I tell Marco

"You heard the lady. Next time you'll have a bullet in your skull." Michael says

"Now you'll need to use the number to track her somehow. If it's the same tracker the Russians use then we shouldn't be detected, if anything you could probably use their system." I inform them

"You heard her someone track the number and fast." Alex says and Luca nods in agreement

"Everyone else get ready and prepare your weapons. We will kill all of them tonight." Luca says darkly

And just like that everyone finally got into action mode....we're coming Tori.

Just hold on...