Chapter 13: The Hostage
1050 Words
Teri’s POV – The First 24 Hours
Teri lost track of time.
The first thing they took from her was her sense of control.
She wasn’t sure if she’d been here for **hours, days—**or maybe just one endless, blurred stretch of time that never stopped.
There was no window to tell if the sun had set or risen again.
No clock ticking away the moments she had left.
They didn’t give her a bed.
Just a chair.
A single, rickety chair, bolted to the floor.
She had tried to fight the first time they tied her wrists down, had kicked, spat curses, screamed bloody murder until one of them knocked the breath from her lungs with a sharp, calculated punch to the ribs.
She stopped fighting after that.
Not because she was broken.
But because she needed to think.
She needed to survive.
She needed to wait for the right moment.
Day One: The Man with the Ice-Cold Smile
The first time he walked into the room, she knew.
He wasn’t like the others.
The ones who came and went, the ones who brought her water, who made sure she was just conscious enough to answer questions.
They were soldiers.
This man?
He was in command.
He strolled inside like he owned the air she breathed, hands tucked into his pockets, the picture of effortless control.
Late forties. Sharp jaw, dark hair streaked with silver at the temples.
A suit, pressed to perfection, like blood would slide right off it.
And his smile?
It was made of ice.
He stopped in front of her, tilting his head slightly.
“Comfortable?” he asked.
Teri stared at him.
Didn’t answer.
Didn’t flinch.
She had learned that lesson fast.
Reacting only gave them power.
The man smiled wider. “You’re either very smart, or very stupid, Miss—” He waved a hand like she was insignificant. “Oh, what was it again? Thompson?”
She kept her expression blank. “Snuffleupagus.”
The man’s smile didn’t falter.
But his hand moved fast.
Faster than she could track.
The sting of his backhand snapped her head to the side, pain exploding across her cheek.
She tasted blood.
Her breath hitched, but she forced herself not to make a sound.
Don’t react. Don’t react. Don’t give him the satisfaction.
“Try again,” he said.
Teri swallowed back the coppery tang in her mouth.
Rolled her shoulders. Lifted her chin.
Then—smirked.
“You hit like a bitch.”
Silence.
The man’s jaw ticked.
Then—he laughed.
“Ah,” he mused, pacing in front of her. “I see why he likes you.”
Her stomach twisted.
He?
The man turned back to her, amusement darkening his gaze.
“Tell me,” he said, crouching beside her. “How long have you been screwing Raffael Esposito?”
Teri blinked.
Of all the things she expected—that wasn’t one of them.
She opened her mouth—paused.
Something was off.
If they thought she was Raf’s…what, girlfriend? That meant—
They didn’t know.
They didn’t know she had no idea who Raf really was.
That she had no clue she’d been sleeping next to a man whose name came with a body count.
Her mind worked fast.
Use this.
If they thought she mattered to him, they’d keep her alive.
She forced herself to shrug. “He’s just some guy I met on a yacht.”
The man watched her carefully.
Then, suddenly—he gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“Lie to me again,” he said, voice calm, too calm. “And I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Teri’s heart pounded.
But she didn’t break.
Didn’t flinch.
“Then you’re wasting your time,” she said, evenly. “Because I don’t know him. Not the way you think.”
She wasn’t lying.
Not really.
She hadn’t known him.
Not the real Raf.
Not until it was too late.
The man stared at her.
Then—he let go.
And smiled.
“Then you’re no use to me at all,” he said, stepping back.
Teri’s blood ran cold.
No.
No, no, no—
Before she could speak, before she could fix this—
A fist slammed into her gut.
She gasped, choking on air, her vision swimming.
She barely had time to recover before another strike landed—this time across her face.
Pain bloomed white-hot and cruel.
Then—
Darkness.
Day Two: Survival Mode
Teri woke up slumped against the chair, her wrists raw from the zip ties cutting into her skin.
Her lip was split.
Her ribs ached.
She couldn’t move.
Didn’t want to.
Everything was too much.
Her head throbbed, a dull, pounding ache that made it hard to think.
But she had to think.
Had to push through it.
She had to get out of here.
She had to survive.
Her body screamed in protest as she shifted, testing the ties on her wrists.
Too tight.
Too secure.
They weren’t going to make this easy.
Teri swallowed, her throat dry and aching.
She had no idea if it was morning, night, or something in between.
She only knew one thing.
She wasn’t going to die in this room.
Raf’s POV – The Hunt Begins
Raf hadn’t slept.
Not once.
Not since she was taken.
His hands were stained with someone else’s blood.
But it still wasn’t enough.
Still not fast enough.
“Where is she?”
The man in front of him coughed violently, blood dripping from his lips.
“I—I don’t know—”
Raf didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t give him a chance to lie again.
He grabbed his gun.
Pressed it against the man’s knee.
And pulled the trigger.
The scream was sharp. Desperate.
Raf didn’t blink.
“Try again,” he said, voice lethal.
The man sobbed.
Then—finally—
“Warehouse. Old docks. They—they moved her there last night.”
Raf’s grip tightened.
“Good,” he said.
Then—he shot him in the head.
He turned to his men. “Gear up. We leave now.”
Because now?
Now he knew where she was.
And he was going to burn the world down to get her back.
- Writer
