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1349 Words
Rain fell harder by the time they pushed Lia outside.
Cold drops hit her face immediately, soaking through the thin fabric of her shirt. The night air smelled like wet asphalt and gasoline. Somewhere down the street, a car passed slowly, its headlights gliding over the dark buildings before disappearing again.
The black SUV waited exactly where she had seen it from her window.
Its engine was still running.
Lia hesitated at the bottom of the stairs.
One of the men lightly pressed a hand against her back.
“Keep moving.”
She clenched her jaw and walked toward the car.
Her mind raced the entire time.
Three men. One car. Unknown destination.
Her chances of escaping were terrible.
Still… terrible wasn’t impossible.
The man who had first spoken to her opened the back door of the SUV.
“Get in.”
Lia looked at the open door like it was a trap.
Which, technically, it was.
She crossed her arms.
“No.”
The man sighed quietly, as if her stubbornness was mildly inconvenient rather than threatening.
“Miss Hassan ”
“I’m not getting into a random car with strangers,” she said.
“You already did far more dangerous things tonight.”
Her glare sharpened.
“Like what? Using a computer?”
The man tilted his head slightly.
“Breaking into Nikolai Volkov’s private network isn’t exactly casual internet browsing.”
Lia stayed silent.
Rain dripped from her hair, sliding down the back of her neck.
The man studied her for a moment before speaking again.
“You have two options,” he said calmly. “You walk into the car, or we place you into the car.”
Lia looked at the other two men standing nearby.
Both of them looked more than capable of carrying her like luggage if necessary.
Her shoulders tensed.
“Fine,” she muttered.
She climbed into the back seat.
The leather was cold.
The door shut behind her with a heavy click that sounded far too final.
One of the men sat beside her while the other took the passenger seat. The first man the one who seemed to be in charge slid into the driver’s seat.
The car pulled away from the curb smoothly.
For several minutes, no one spoke.
The city lights blurred past the window as they drove through wet streets. Rain streaked across the glass, distorting everything outside.
Lia kept glancing toward the door handle beside her.
Locked.
Of course.
She leaned back slowly.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
No answer.
Her irritation grew.
“You dragged me out of my apartment in the middle of the night. I think I deserve at least one answer.”
The driver spoke without looking at her.
“You’ll see soon.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting.”
Lia rolled her eyes.
“Great communication skills.”
The man beside her shifted slightly but didn’t react.
The car continued moving deeper into the city.
After a while, the buildings began changing.
The small apartments and closed shops disappeared, replaced by taller structures and expensive hotels. Streetlights grew brighter. Security gates appeared outside certain buildings.
Lia frowned.
This part of the city was… different.
Wealthier.
Eventually the SUV slowed in front of a massive glass building that stretched high into the dark sky.
Lia blinked.
“Wait.”
The car stopped.
She stared out the window.
The building was sleek and modern, the kind that screamed money without even trying.
Security guards stood near the entrance.
A large metal sign near the front gate caught her attention.
Her stomach dropped when she read it.
VOLKOV ENTERPRISES
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she whispered.
The door beside her opened.
“Out,” the man said.
Lia stepped out slowly, staring up at the enormous building.
This couldn’t be real.
The mysterious criminal empire she had read about online…
had a corporate headquarters.
Glass doors slid open as they approached.
Inside, the lobby was even more intimidating.
Polished marble floors.
Soft golden lighting.
A massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Everything about the place screamed wealth.
Employees moved quietly through the lobby, dressed in sharp suits. None of them seemed surprised to see Lia escorted inside by three large men.
If anything, they barely looked at her.
Which was somehow more unsettling.
They walked straight toward the elevators.
The driver pressed a keycard against the panel.
The elevator doors opened immediately.
Inside, the walls were mirrored.
Lia caught sight of her reflection.
Her hair was slightly messy from the rain. Her clothes were simple compared to everyone else in the building.
She looked very out of place.
The elevator doors closed.
It began moving upward.
Fast.
The silence inside the elevator felt heavier than before.
Lia glanced at the man beside her.
“So,” she said. “Do you guys do this often?”
No response.
“Kidnap random women in the middle of the night?”
Still nothing.
She sighed dramatically.
“You’re all very talkative.”
The elevator chimed softly.
The doors slid open.
The hallway outside was quiet and dimly lit. Thick carpets covered the floor, muffling their footsteps as they walked.
They stopped in front of a large black door.
The first man turned to Lia.
“For your own sake,” he said quietly, “I recommend you stay calm.”
Her stomach twisted.
“That’s not comforting.”
He ignored the comment and knocked twice.
A deep voice answered from inside.
“Come in.”
The sound of it sent a strange chill through Lia.
Low.
Controlled.
The door opened.
The office inside was enormous.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city lights below. Shelves filled with books lined one wall, while a long desk sat near the center of the room.
And behind that desk sat a man.
He didn’t stand when they entered.
He simply watched.
Lia’s breath caught slightly.
He was younger than she expected.
Maybe early thirties.
Dark hair.
Sharp features.
His posture relaxed but powerful, like someone who was completely aware of the control he held in the room.
But it was his eyes that made her pause.
Cold.
Observant.
Studying her like she was something unusual.
Something interesting.
The man who had brought her stepped forward.
“Sir,” he said.
“We found the hacker.”
The man behind the desk leaned back slightly in his chair.
His gaze never left Lia.
“So I see.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Lia swallowed.
Nikolai Volkov.
The ghost everyone talked about.
The man no one had photographs of.
Was sitting less than ten feet away from her.
And he looked…
amused.
His eyes slowly traveled over her face.
Then he smiled slightly.
“You’re smaller than I expected,” he said.
Lia blinked.
“That’s the first thing you say to someone you kidn*pped?”
The room went quiet.
One of the guards shifted uncomfortably.
But Nikolai didn’t look offended.
If anything, his smile widened slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.
“Do you know,” he said slowly, “how many people have tried to hack my systems over the years?”
Lia crossed her arms.
“I’m guessing a lot.”
“Hundreds.”
His gaze sharpened.
“You’re the first one who succeeded.”
A strange tension filled the room.
Lia held his gaze, refusing to look away.
“Congratulations,” she said dryly. “Your security sucks.”
One of the guards inhaled sharply.
But Nikolai laughed.
A quiet, genuine sound.
Then his expression darkened slightly.
“And yet,” he said softly, “you still made a very serious mistake.”
Lia raised an eyebrow.
“And what mistake is that?”
His eyes locked onto hers.
“Hacking me.”
Silence filled the office.
Then he leaned back in his chair again.
“So now,” Nikolai Volkov said calmly,
“we need to decide what to do with you.”
- Writer
