UNFORTUNATE

Chapter 2

Opening her mouth to protest, Leanna's sentence was never formed before they reached a beat-down car. She made a beeline for the front passenger seat. The man wrapped an arm around her waist just as she was reaching for the handle. He half carried, half dragged her to the back of the vehicle. After fumbling around for the keys, he pulled them out and jammed one into the trunk to unlock it. Hinges groaning in protest, the trunk opened. Realizing what was about to happen, she began to struggle again. He shoved her in the trunk with little effort. Slamming it shut before she had a chance to speak and enveloping her in darkness.

Pounding on the trunk, Leanna screamed out for help. The engine started after a moment. Several sharp turns were taken, sending her crashing into the sides of the trunk every few seconds. Bruises would be forming soon. She just knew it.

Garbage riddled the small space, offering little protection against the hard interior. So this was her soulmate. A kidnapper, and possible murderer. Lovely, just lovely. All that needed to happen now was a bank robbery, or maybe a ransom attempt. Though who would pay for her, she had no idea. Her family wasn't exactly of any importance. They were nothing more than a suburban family, getting by life as best they could. No one should want to cause them any harm.

A horn honked somewhere near the vehicle, followed by a string of curses. The car came to a halt, throwing Leanna further inside the trunk. Rubbing an elbow, she heard a man's deep voice yelling at another person. More foul words were exchanged before the ground beneath started to move again, faster this time. Hours seemed to have already passed, though it couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the car pulled in somewhere. A car door slammed shut, leaving the area dead silent. Several more minutes passed by before footsteps approached the vehicle. There was a sound of keys jingling before the trunk squealed open.

Blinking at the harsh sunlight, Leanna's vision cleared just long enough for her to look up at the man. For some reason, he was still wearing the dark mask. He looked down at her a moment before shaking his head, reaching up to pull off the disguise. She felt a lump form in her throat looking up at the man. No older than twenty years. Never in her life had she seen such a perfect human being. While the frown that seemed frozen on his face made him look harsh, there was no question. The man was gorgeous.

Rolling his eyes, he pulled her up out of the trunk. "Try to contain yourself," he said, dragging her towards a room with a number nailed to the door.

They were at a motel just outside of the city. She recognized it from the dozens of times her family passed by it on monthly road trips. The man threw her in the room the second the door unlocked. Almost falling face first onto the carpet, Leanna whipped around to face him. Both arms crossed over her chest while she stood ground.

"You are so chivalrous," she spat out. "I can't believe my soulmate is a murderer!"

"And I can't believe my soulmate is a spoiled little brat. I guess we can't have everything, can we?"

Tension grew in the air as they shot glares at one another. Neither seemed to have any intentions of backing down. Frustration was building up inside of her, threatening to break through at any moment.

"If you think you can just kidnap me and-"

"It didn't look like you were putting up much of a fight, sweetheart." The fake sweetness in his tone made her stomach twist.

Leanna opened her mouth to fire back, but he cut her off before she could speak. "Listen, I need to go settle some issues. Stay in this room. I'm telling you right now, do not leave this room."