Let me be your captive

An Escape Attempt

“We can’t keep her here, Leo,” Ryder started, his voice a low, urgent murmur. “Every minute she’s with us, the risk explodes. Her father probably doesn’t even know she’s gone yet. But he will. And when he does…” Ryder trailed off, gesturing vaguely. “It’s too much.”

Leonardo stopped, turning to face him, the blue in his eyes hardening. “Don’t be ridiculous, Ryder. Set her free? You think she’s just going to waltz back to her rich daddy and pretend nothing happened? She’ll expose us. The girl’s too smart for that, too stubborn. We can’t trust her to keep quiet.”

Ryder’s square jaw tightened. “And whose daughter is she, Leo? Donald Patel’s. The man who could wipe us off the map with a single phone call. Forget trust, man, I’m scared for our lives. We shouldn’t have snatched her in the first place.”

The last words hung in the air, a barbed insult. Leonardo’s shoulders coiled. His gaze now flared with pure, unadulterated anger. “How were we supposed to know, Ryder? Huh? She was walking around like any other ordinary person, not with a flashing neon sign above her head saying ‘Future Prime Minister’s Daughter’!” His voice was a low growl.

Ryder flinched, his eyes darting nervously around the empty space before settling back on Leonardo. “Right. My bad. You’re right. We didn’t know.” He held up his hands in a placating gesture. “So, next move? We can’t just sit on her.”

Leonardo ran a hand through his unkempt hair, the anger simmering beneath the surface but his strategic mind already at work. “No. We can’t keep her here. It’s too exposed. We need a new location. Something remote, off the grid.” He looked at Ryder, his gaze piercing. “See to the arrangements. Find us someplace else. Now.”

Inside the suffocating confines of the room, Sophia had woken only minutes ago. The thin, grimy mat offered little comfort, and the rough material of the gag bit into her mouth. She was Sophia, not just Donald Patel’s daughter, and she would find a way out.

Bound at the wrists and ankles, she pushed herself up, testing the ropes. They were tight, but allowed for some restricted movement. She shuffled towards the door, her heart hammering against her ribs. To her surprise, when she nudged it with her foot, it creaked open a fraction. Not locked. Her breath hitched. A sliver of hope, sharp and dangerous, pierced through her fear.

She opened the door a little wider with her leg, barely enough to peer through the gap. The living room beyond was also dimly lit, the heavy curtains drawn, casting long, distorted shadows. Silence. No one. She slipped through the opening, moving with a silent, desperate grace towards the living room’s main door, her eyes scanning for any sign of movement.

Then she heard it. Ryder’s voice, muffled but distinct, followed by the heavy thud of approaching footsteps. Panic, cold and sharp, seized her. She spun, desperate to retreat to the room, to any hiding spot, but in her haste, her foot caught something metallic. A hollow clang ripped through the silence of the warehouse, echoing loudly in the vast space. She froze for a second, her heart hammering against her ribs, the sound seemingly amplified tenfold. Then, propelled by primal fear, she started to scurry back towards the door she’d emerged from, intending to hide in the deeper shadows of the room.

But as she darted into the doorway, she collided, hard, with a solid, unyielding form. It was Leonardo. He had been standing patiently, silently, watching her entire desperate, fumbling attempt.

His hand shot out, not to grab her, but to the bulb switch just above his head where they stood. With a sharp click, the room was abruptly plunged into harsh, blinding brightness. Sophia squeezed her eyes shut against the assault, her heart a frantic drum against her ribs. Slowly, she opened them again. Leonardo stood directly in front of her, his deep-set blue eyes narrowed, looking at her with a dangerous intensity that made her stomach clench.

Before she could even attempt to explain, before the pleading in her eyes could register, Leonardo’s hand shot out. He grabbed a fistful of her long, dark brown hair, yanking her head back sharply. He pulled, yanking her head back, and a strangled, muffled cry escaped her throat. Just then, Ryder walked into the room, his brown eyes widening at the scene.

Leonardo dragged her by the hair, an angry, primal tug, back into the room she had recently escaped. Her pleas and muffled screams were swallowed by the close air. He shoved her onto the thin mat, forcing her to her knees before him. His grip was rough, entirely without mercy. Ryder stood nearby now, his eyes asking silent questions.

With a swift, brutal jerk, Leonardo ripped the gag from her mouth. It left a raw, stinging sensation. “Alright, princess,” he snarled, his voice low and menacing, “Go right ahead and explain, hmm?”

Sophia gasped, a ragged breath escaping her. Her eyes, still bright green despite the fear, blazed with a mix of fury and exhaustion. “I needed some air,” she choked out, her voice raspy. “I’m sorry, the whole place is so stuffy.” Her gaze flickered to Ryder, then back to Leonardo.

Leonardo let out a short, humourless laugh. “Stuffy? She ‘needed some air,’ Ryder. The smart girl was trying to escape.” He mocked her, his voice dripping with derision.

Sophia’s gaze, though weary, flashed with a defiant spark. “I’m tired! And suffocated! I feel absolutely filthy, I haven’t had a proper bath since you dragged me here, haven’t had access to my phone, haven’t had a proper sleep, and the whole place is so uncomfortable, it’s like a bloody tomb!” Her voice, thin at first, grew in strength, fueled by a deep-seated frustration.

Leonardo’s lips twisted into a cruel smile. “Such luxury doesn’t operate here, princess. If you needed a bath, there’s a clean bathroom right in the room, just for a princess like you. You should have only asked.”

Sophia flared up, the ingrained stubbornness taking over. “How could I have asked when you had me gagged, you brute?!” The sudden, sharp anger gave her voice a surprising strength. “Set me free, you hear me?! Help! Let me go! Set me free!” She screamed the last words, a piercing, defiant sound that echoed in the small space.

Leonardo’s eyes narrowed into slits. His hand shot out, grabbing her jaw with a bruising grip. “Shut the hell up!” he hissed, his face inches from hers. Before she could utter another sound, he shoved the gag back into her mouth with a force that made her head snap back. Her eyes, magnified by tears of rage and frustration, glared at him with an intensity that promised retribution. She shook her head frantically, trying to dislodge the oppressive fabric.

“What now, huh?” Leonardo taunted her, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. “Are you going to beat me, little girl?” He watched her frantic struggles for a moment, then, with a final, contemptuous push on her shoulder, he sent her sprawling backwards onto the mat, leaving her to writhe, gagged and furious, in the room.