TRUST AND LOVE COLLIDE
1068 Words
CHAPTER THREE
Author: Treasure Rukky
⏱️2026-06-19 14:11:59
Sasky POV
Across the room was Kanaris sitting opposite me.
Suddenly, he looked up.
Our eyes met.
For a split second.
Then he smiled.
And something strange happened.
My heartbeat skipped.
Just once.
But it happened.
Which was incredibly annoying.
Because this was a hostage camp.
Not a romance novel.
And yet somehow…
The handsome stranger with silver eyes had already become the most interesting thing in this entire nightmare.
And that terrified me, almost as much as D Karmas themselves.
The problem with being trapped underground with nothing to do was that you started noticing things.
Little things.
The way people moved.
The way they talked.
The way they looked at each other.
And after three more days in that place…
I noticed something strange.
Everyone was afraid of D Karmas.
Except Kanaris.
Not completely, anyway.
Sure, he followed instructions like everyone else.
But there was no fear in his eyes.
No panic.
No desperation.
It was almost like…
He knew something the rest of us didn't.
And that annoyed me.
A lot.
I was sitting against the stone wall one afternoon, when Tracy practically threw herself beside me.
“Guess what.”
I groaned.
“Whenever you start a sentence like that, trouble follows.”
She ignored me.
“I’M LEAVING!”
I blinked.
“What?”
“My dad settled things.”
“Settled things?”
She nodded excitedly.
“With Karma.”
There it was again.
That name.
That stupid name that somehow controlled everyone’s lives without even being present.
I lowered my voice.
“You are talking about him like he's a customer service representative.”
Tracy laughed.
“You do be surprised.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“No seriously.”
She leaned closer.
“People outside make him sound like a monster.”
“Isn't he?” I replied.
She shrugged.
“I don't know.”
That wasn't the answer I expected.
“You don't know?”
“No.”
She looked around before continuing.
“My father has done some shady things.”
That was one way to put it.
Nobody ended up here because they forgot to pay a parking ticket.
“And?”
“And Karma never touched him until evidence showed he was involved in trafficking using Karma’s name.
I frowned.
“Trafficking?”
She nodded.
“The girls rescued during that operation were returned to their families.”
That caught my attention.
Because it didn't fit the stories.
Not even a little.
Monsters do not rescue people.
Do they?
I glanced across the room.
Kanaris was cleaning dishes near the kitchen area.
Even from a distance, he somehow looked attractive.
Which was unfair.
A man shouldn't look that good while washing plates.
“Stop staring.”
I jumped.
Tracy burst into laughter.
“I wasn't staring.”
“You absolutely were.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You are impossible.”
“No. You’re interested, she said walking away.”
Before I could defend myself, a loud siren suddenly echoed through the camp.
Everything stopped.
Every conversation.
Every movement.
Every sound.
Even the armed guards looked alerted.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The same way animals reacted before a storm.
People started whispering.
The guards began moving quickly through the tunnels.
Weapons appeared.
Lots of weapons.
My stomach tightened.
Kanaris stood up immediately.
For the first time since meeting him…
He looked genuinely concerned.
“What happened?” I asked.
His jaw tightened.
“I don't know”.
That was a lie.
A very obvious lie.
I could tell.
Before I could question him further, another siren blasted through the cave.
Then came the first explosion.
BOOM.
The entire ground shook.
Screams erupted around us.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
People scrambled to their feet.
Another explosion followed.
Much closer this time.
BOOM.
The light flickered.
Several prisoners started crying.
I grabbed Kanari's arm without thinking.
His eyes immediately dropped to my hand.
Then to my face.
Something softened in his expression.
“It's okay.”
It was ridiculous.
Nothing was okay.
We were literally in the middle of an underground terrorist camp under attack.
Yet somehow his voice made me believe him.
At least for a second.
Gunfire erupted somewhere beyond the tunnels.
Rapid.
Relentless.
Closer than before.
Kanaris suddenly turned toward me.
“Sasky.”
The seriousness in his tone instantly got my attention.
“What?”
Genuinely interested in whatever he has to say.
“If an opportunity appears…”
He hesitated.
Then continued.
“We leave.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“We leave.”
The words came out firmer this time.
“You know a way out?”
A pause.
Just enough to answer my question.
My heart skipped.
“You know a way out?”
Another explosion shook the walls.
People screamed again.
Kanaris grabbed my wrist.
Not painfully.
Firmly.
Like he had already made up his mind.
“I found something two days ago.”
“What?”
“A back exists.”
My eyes widened.
You have known this whole time?
“I wasn't leaving alone, he replied.”
And for a moment, I just stared at him.
Trying to process what he just said.
Then something warm spread through my chest.
Because he could have left.
Days ago.
He could have escaped and never looked back.
Instead…
He stayed.
A strange smile appeared on my lips.
“You’re either incredibly kind…”
I paused.
“Or incredibly stupid.”
To my surprise, he laughed.
A genuine laugh.
The kind that reached his eyes.
“Probably both.”
Another explosion echoed through the cave.
This one is stronger than the others.
Dust fell from above.
The attack was getting closer.
Fast.
Kanaris looked toward the tunnel entrance.
Then back at me.
His silver eyes locked onto mine.
And suddenly the noise around us seemed to disappear.
“Sasky.”
“The way he said my name felt different.
Softer.
More personal.
“Yeah?”
“If things get bad…
My heartbeat quickened.
“Then what?”
He held my gaze.
Long enough to make me nervous.
Long enough to make me wonder why I suddenly couldn't breathe properly.
Then he said quietly.
“I’m getting you out of here.”
And for the first time since being kidnapped…
I believed someone.
- Writer
