Bright blinding light slowly seeped into Vernon's eyes. He blinked slowly trying to let his eyes adjust to the room. His body was upright unlike the last time he'd woken up. Another new development was that his arms were bound behind his back and to the chair he was sitting on.

"M-Mina?" he called out weakly. 

His vision was still too blurry to get a good look at his surroundings but the boy didn't need his eyes to feel the lack of a certain little girl's presence

"Mina!?"

"Quiet down. She can't hear you."

Vernon looked around the room trying to find the source of the voice. Yet he was utterly alone. He thought maybe this could be a nightmare or perhaps a delusion. But the voice sounded again.

"Don't be stupid... There is such thing as an intercom."

And when he looked sure enough there was a speaker system in the corner of the room. Not only that, but there was a blank monitor beside it. Still only one thought riddled his mind.

"Where's Mina?" 

"Now now... wouldn't you like to speak to me a little beforehand?"

"No! Tell me where she is!"

"You won't like it..." the voice teased. But after a few more demands from Vernon he spoke again, "Well... If you insist."

The screen lit up yet it was still fairly dark. The majority of what he could see was an eerie light cast on a solid concrete floor.

"What the hell is this?"

"I thought I'd spare you but it seems you're too stubborn. Very well then."

The lights in the dark room flashed on revealing a mop of dark curly hair draped over its owner's legs. The room looked less like the cell Vernon was in, but more like a safe room in a mental institution. The volume on the monitor was increased and Vernon could faintly hear Mina's whimper.

"What did you do to her!?"

"Nothing... yet that is." A dreadful chuckle followed his words.

"You bastard!"

"It might serve you better if you were to bite your tongue a bit. I'd rather not have you learn things the hard way."

"LET HER GO!" 

"I really don't like your tone right now and it seems your skull is too thick to comprehend what I'm attempting to tell you." He sighed disdainfully, "I didn't what things to come to this just yet but honestly I'm running out of options and patience. Men!" He commanded.

The door on the monitor swung open. Mina looked up at the intruders and cried louder.

"Do what you must to get our point across." The voice ceased to flow through the intercom but Mina's shrill cries quickly replaced it. 

Vernon clamped his eyes shut refusing to watch whatever torture they were putting her through. He begged them to stop hurting her. He screamed over her cries that continued to increase in volume. Tears started welling in his eyes.

"I'll do anything just please stop!"

On cue the shouting dwindled down to sobbing. 

"My first request is that you open your eyes. Open them and see what's become of your precious girl."

"I-I can't," a knot was forming in his throat making it harder to speak. 

"I was really hoping you weren't that stupid." Mina's scream yet again pierced his ears.

"OKAY!" Vernon screamed opening his eyes and focusing on the monitor. 

Both of Mina's arms were being held by two burly men facing her toward the camera. "Take a good look at her."

Tears spilled down his cheeks as he looked over every inch of her bruising face. Blood was drying on her presumably busted lip. She was terrified and visibly trembling.

"The more you defy me the more I hurt her. And if you're not careful you will be the one responsible for the girl's death. Understand?"

"Y-Yes," He whispered as the men set Mina down and the screen faded to black.

"Now here's where I tell you how you can keep her safe."

~*~

Yesenia stood in the kitchen boiling a pot of water. She waved her hand over the steam and looking blankly at the instant ramen that she and her husband would barely touch. Her chest always hurt. It wasn't anything new since Mina disappeared. 

As she picked up the dried ramen a wave of nausea passed over. She dropped it immediately and threw herself inside the nearest bathroom.

She clung to the porcelain seat as her body tried to spill the contents of her nearly empty stomach. Tears pooled stinging her cheeks like hundreds of tiny cuts. She wept and shook as the awful feeling crept up again.

~*~

"I thought you were lying at first. But now I can't see why it would be anybody else." Jungkook bit his lip trying to hold back his tears of both sadness and rage. "I just... I feel so betrayed."

"I think we all do," Mark said rubbing his hand against Jungkook's shoulders. 

"We'll bring him down I promise," Sungri assured, "For now we can't let anybody know, not even the chief, he'll just get confrontational."

"I'll double check some rec-"

"Don't. You can't be stressing yourself out like this kid." Donghae said leaning against the doorway. His appearance startled everyone. "It'll do you no good to stress yourself out about things we already know for a fact. All we should be concerned with is finding Vernon and we have more than enough evidence to put him away for good."

"Y-You're right hyung. It just makes me feel better."

Donghae eyed the three before nodding and slipping out of the room. They all sighed and double checked the hall before speaking again.

"We'll talk more about this at my place in Incheon. I think for the time being it's safer to start building a solid case there. Nobody'll find out unless they're watching closely." Mark whispered. 

The other two nodded and they parted ways. Jungkook headed home only to collect a few papers before heading to Mark's house.