Chapter 38
1126 Words
Mara's POV
The first thing I noticed was the silence.
Not the empty kind, but the kind that settled differently—heavier, unfamiliar. The air felt colder. Thicker. The ground beneath me no longer vibrated the way it had before.
They had moved me.
I didn’t need to see to know that much.
My eyes were still covered, the cloth tight against my skin, pressing darkness into me. My wrists ached where they were tied, my legs stiff and numb from being bound for too long. Every movement sent a dull pain crawling up my limbs.
I swallowed, my throat dry.
I hadn’t eaten since they took me.
My head tilted slightly when I heard voices nearby—low, unbothered. Men. More than one.
“…told you she’s all over the news now,” one of them said.
Another scoffed. “Boss warned him. Said not to let the police get involved.”
“And he still did,” the first replied. “If anything happens now, it’s on him.”
I stilled.
Him.
My chest tightened.
They weren’t talking about just anyone.
Was it Elias they were talking about?
The realization hit slowly, then all at once. He knew. He had found out I was kidnapped. And whoever their boss was had warned him, warned him, and now they were angry.
I sucked in a shallow breath, forcing myself not to panic.
Crying would do nothing. Crying was weakness. And weakness was not an option.
My thoughts drifted to Elias before I could stop them.
He must be frantic. Furious. Confused.
The thought both comforted and terrified me.
No one knew where I was now. Not really. But I trusted him. I trusted that if anyone could find me, it would be Elias.
The sound of a door opening snapped my attention back.
Footsteps entered the room. Multiple. I felt the shift in the air as they surrounded me.
“She’s even prettier up close,” one of them said.
Another laughed quietly. “Yeah. Boss really has taste.”
“If she wasn’t off-limits, I swear…”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” a different voice cut in. “You want to die?”
There was a pause.
Then someone stepped closer.
I felt it before I heard it, the presence too near, too invasive.
“Smells good,” the man muttered. “Vanilla.”
My stomach twisted.
A hand brushed my leg.
I jerked violently, pushing my knees forward, my heart slamming against my ribs.
“Don’t touch me,” I snapped, my voice hoarse but sharp.
He chuckled. “Feisty.”
“She’s bold,” another said. “I like that.”
I clenched my jaw, my skin crawling.
Then a word slipped through the noise that made my breath hitch.
“Boss said she decides what happens to her.”
She?
My mind spiraled.
A woman.
I’d been abducted by a woman.
The thought unsettled me more than it should have.
Who was she?
Camille?
The idea lodged itself deep, cold and sharp.
The men eventually stepped back. I heard them leave, the door closing again, locking me into the darkness.
Time passed—minutes, maybe hours. My body sagged with exhaustion.
When the door opened again, the smell reached me first.
Food.
My stomach betrayed me with a painful twist.
Two men entered.
“She needs to eat,” one said.
“Or we starve her,” the other replied. “Teach her a lesson.”
“She looks fragile,” the first argued. “If she passes out, we lose leverage.”
“Fine. Keep her alive. Get the money. After that…” He shrugged audibly. “Not our problem.”
Something was placed in front of me. I heard the scrape of a plate. A bottle.
Hands grabbed me roughly, tearing the blindfold away.
Light exploded behind my eyes.
I gasped, squeezing them shut, tears burning as the room slowly came into focus.
Bare walls. A small table. No windows in sight from where I sat.
“Eat,” one of them ordered. “And don’t try anything funny.”
They untied one wrist violently, leaving the other cuffed to the table.
Then they left.
The door locked.
I stared at the food, then the water.
My hand shook as I reached for the bottle.
I drank slowly, greedily, but carefully.
I forced myself to eat, even when my stomach protested. That’s when I noticed the red mark on my wrist.
I’m not staying here.
My heart began to race, not with fear, but resolve.
I let the spoon slip from my fingers deliberately, bending down to retrieve it. My free hand worked quickly, loosening the knot on my other wrist.
Footsteps approached.
Panic shot through me.
I retied it clumsily, just as the door burst open.
One of them stood there, the one with the harsh voice.
He sneered. “Enjoying your meal?”
I nodded quickly, lowering my gaze.
He grabbed the plate suddenly, yanking it away. “You don’t deserve this.”
“Please,” I whispered. “I was just…”
“Starve,” he spat, storming out and slamming the door.
Silence again.
I waited. Counted. Listened.
Nothing.
I untied myself fully.
My heart thundered as I stood, thinking about my next step. My eyes landed on a window. I hadn’t noticed it before. I went to look down, it was high, but not unreachable.
Outside, piles of garbage.
I searched the room for a rope or anything useful, but there was nothing.
There was no time to waste. If I was caught here, I wouldn't know what would become of me.
I climbed, pushed the window open, and jumped.
Pain shot through my legs as I landed, but I didn’t stop.
I ran.
My legs screamed, my lungs burned, but I ran.
I sighted a phone booth.
I rushed toward it, my hands shaking as I grabbed the receiver.
Who do I call?
My father?
No.
Elias’ number, I didn't know it.
My mind drifted to David.
I remembered David’s number.
My fingers dialed without thinking.
“David,” I cried, words tumbling out. “I—I’ve been kidnapped. I escaped, but I don’t know where I am. Please…”
The line went dead.
“No—no, no,” I whispered, redialing.
That’s when I saw them.
They had seen me.
I ran.
Harder. Faster.
My legs buckled with pain, but I kept going.
I turned a corner—
And slammed straight into a solid chest.
Strong hands grabbed me.
I looked up.
It was one of them.
The particular one who hated me.
The one who had snatched my food away.
There was a deadly frown on his face.
- Writer
