Chapter Seventeen: Taken
924 Words
Three days before the wedding.
Ava had finally convinced herself everything would work out.
The investigation into Blake Capital was beginning to fall apart.
The board had unanimously voted to keep Ethan as CEO.
And for the first time since signing the contract…
They were no longer pretending.
At least not with each other.
Saturday afternoon.
Ava stood inside Bennett Events reviewing floral arrangements for a client’s wedding.
“You’ve smiled at your phone five times in the last ten minutes.”
Chloe folded her arms.
“What’s going on?”
Ava looked up innocently.
“I smiled?”
“You practically glowed.”
Ava tried to hide her grin.
“It’s nothing.”
“Oh?”
“So Ethan Blake has nothing to do with it?”
Ava’s cheeks warmed.
“We’re… figuring things out.”
Chloe gasped dramatically.
“I knew it!”
Before Ava could deny it, her phone buzzed.
Ethan.
Lunch?
She smiled.
Give me thirty minutes.
Almost instantly, another message arrived.
I’ll wait.
Her smile softened.
Across town…
Ethan was leaving Blake Capital when Noah caught up with him.
“The forensic team recovered deleted files from the waiter’s phone.”
Ethan stopped.
“What did they find?”
“A payment schedule.”
“From Nathan?”
“No.”
Noah handed him a folder.
Ethan opened it.
His expression darkened.
“The transfers came from…”
“…Arthur Blake’s personal trust.”
Noah frowned.
“That can’t be right.”
“No.”
Ethan closed the folder.
“It’s impossible.”
Someone had deliberately made it look as though Arthur had financed the attack.
Meanwhile…
Ava left her office twenty minutes later.
The sidewalks bustled with lunchtime crowds.
She smiled as she crossed the street.
A black SUV rolled slowly alongside the curb.
She barely noticed it.
A man stepped out.
“Miss Bennett?”
She turned.
“Yes?”
“I have a delivery from Mr. Blake.”
“A delivery?”
“The engagement ring needed an emergency adjustment.”
“He asked us to collect it.”
She frowned.
“He didn’t mention—”
The man smiled politely.
“He wanted it to be a surprise.”
Something felt…
Off.
Very off.
Ava instinctively took a step backward.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll call him first.”
The man’s smile vanished.
“Grab her.”
Everything happened at once.
A second man jumped from the SUV.
A cloth clamped over Ava’s mouth.
She kicked.
Elbowed one attacker in the ribs.
Bit the other’s hand.
He cursed loudly.
“She’s fighting!”
Ava screamed.
The sound barely escaped before the cloth covered her mouth again.
Her vision blurred.
The last thing she saw…
Was her phone falling onto the pavement.
Still displaying Ethan’s last message.
I’ll wait.
Then…
Darkness.
An hour later.
Ethan checked his watch.
“Ava’s late.”
Noah frowned.
“She isn’t usually.”
Ethan called.
Straight to voicemail.
Again.
Voicemail.
A third time.
Nothing.
A feeling settled in his chest.
Cold.
Wrong.
“Noah.”
“Yes?”
“Call Chloe.”
Five minutes later…
Chloe answered.
“I thought Ava was with you.”
Silence.
“What?”
“She left to meet you.”
Ethan was already on his feet.
“When?”
“About forty minutes ago.”
His pulse quickened.
“She never arrived.”
Twenty minutes later…
Blake Capital’s security team found Ava’s phone.
Lying in the middle of the sidewalk.
The screen was cracked.
Her handbag was gone.
No witnesses had seen anything clearly.
One elderly shop owner stepped forward.
“I remember a black SUV.”
“Three men.”
“The young lady fought them.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
Just once.
When he opened them…
The warmth was gone.
Only ice remained.
“Noah.”
His voice was dangerously calm.
“Lock down every exit from Manhattan.”
“We don’t have that authority.”
“Then call everyone who does.”
That evening…
A black warehouse overlooked the East River.
Ava slowly opened her eyes.
Her head throbbed.
Her wrists were tied to a chair.
The room was dimly lit.
A familiar voice echoed through the darkness.
“I was wondering when you’d wake up.”
Victoria Sinclair stepped into the light.
Elegant as ever.
Only now…
There was no smile.
No pretense.
Only hatred.
Ava stared at her.
“You.”
Victoria crouched in front of her.
“Surprised?”
“You should’ve stayed away from Ethan.”
Ava’s voice was hoarse.
“So this was never about business.”
Victoria smiled.
“Oh…”
“It was always personal.”
At that exact moment…
Ethan’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered immediately.
“If you’ve hurt her…”
Soft laughter echoed through the speaker.
“Mr. Blake.”
“If you ever want to see your fiancée alive again…”
The caller paused.
“…come alone.”
The line went dead.
Ethan stared at the silent phone.
Noah looked at him.
“What do we do?”
Ethan reached into his desk drawer.
From a locked compartment, he removed a small black pistol—one he hadn’t touched in years.
He checked the magazine with practiced ease.
Then looked at Noah.
“They made one mistake.”
“What?”
“They didn’t take my company.”
“They took…”
“…the woman I love.”
His voice was calm.
But Noah had never been more afraid of Ethan Blake than he was in that moment.
- Writer
