Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
My knees throb. My head is foggy from whatever drugs these people injected into me. I woke up in a cold, dark room. Alone. I didn’t know what had happened, but then I remembered… Angus.
My breath catches on a sob as I think about him. My best friend is gone. Why didn’t he stay in the car? This is my fault. If he wasn’t with me, he wouldn’t have been shot.
I look up, and my heart cracks all over again. I’m going to lose everything. Alfie is tied to a chair, his hands behind his back, just like mine.
I don’t know what these men want. I don’t even know if they have us because of me, because they’re going to try to ransom me off, or if it’s Alfie they want. It doesn’t really matter. There’s no point in fighting what I know is going to happen.
They got us to a second location. The chances of surviving being taken to a second location are slim to none.
I know the statistics. My security team had drilled the facts about kidnappings into me when I first hired them.
Fat lot of good that did me. They weren’t even there to protect me when I needed them…
Alfie won’t meet my eyes. I keep staring at him, and he’s looking everywhere but at me.
Maybe he blames me for the fact he’s currently tied to a chair, or maybe he just doesn’t care about me like I thought he did.
I get we’ve only known each other for a short time, but I really let myself believe that we were more.
Alfie has consumed my thoughts. When I’m not with him, I’m thinking about him.
When I am with him, I’m still thinking about him.
It’s breaking my heart seeing him so hurt.
His nose is bleeding, his face red and bruised.
He also looks mad as hell, his jaw clenched tight and his dark eyes sending a glare towards the men next to me.
“Do you even realize who’ve you’ve taken?” Alfie asks.
“Yeah, your slut.” The older man says. He’s Russian, judging by his accent.
His hand fists my hair and he pulls my head back.
A little yelp leaves my mouth and I hate myself for it straight away.
I’ve prided myself on not letting men best me.
It hasn’t been easy to make it as far as I have in corporate America without being tough.
And now, here I am, on my knees. Because a couple of men happen to outweigh and outgun me.
Alfie smirks. “You have no idea who she is,” he says, tilting his head. “You can’t keep her hidden away and think this country isn’t going to notice her missing.”
He’s right. My disappearance will make headlines. I just don’t think this man is really going to care about that.
“Not my problem. Where is my disk?” he asks.
“Why don’t you come over here and I’ll tell you,” Alfie says.
The man lets go of my hair and shoves me forward, causing me to fall flat against the ground. I turn, landing on my upper arm and shoulder just in time to avoid face-planting on the concrete. I roll onto my back. I feel like a tipped over tortoise. I need to get up. I can’t stay down here.
Glancing to my left, I spot the man who came and got me out of that room when I woke up.
He didn’t talk. Just picked me up by my arm and started pushing me around.
He’s not looking at me. And then, when I see him step towards Alfie, I roll onto my side and use my hands to push myself into a sitting position.
I peer over at Alfie. He’s still not looking at me either.
He’s focused on the Russian man who is right in his face.
That’s when everything happens. It’s as if I’m watching a movie play out in front of my eyes.
Alfie’s arms come around and grab hold of the man’s head.
He twists it until a loud snap sounds out.
The other man is on Alfie, throwing a punch to the side of his face.
Alfie shoves the Russian man’s body forward, and then he’s raising a gun and pulling the trigger before the second man can recover.
Alfie fires four more times, even though I’m pretty sure both men are already dead. I sit here. Hopeless, watching. But when he turns to me and his eyes finally meet mine, I see something else. Regret, concern, and anger. I flinch when he reaches me and bends down.
Alfie doesn’t stop, though. He yanks at the rope tied around my wrists until my arms are free.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers as he pulls me close.
What is he sorry for? I have no idea. I can’t seem to think straight.
“Angus,” I say on a sob.
“What about Angus?” Alfie’s hands cup my face.
“They… shot him. They took him.”
“I’m so sorry,” Alfie repeats. His lips press against my forehead. “I’m going to get you out of here, Molly, okay? I need you to stay right behind me. Don’t make a sound.” He points to the door. “Did you see anyone else out there?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t see anything. I woke up alone in a dark room.”
“Okay. Come on. Remember: stay behind me.” One of Alfie’s hands holds mine while the other pulls out the gun he tucked behind his back. “Fuck,” he grunts.
“What?”
“I hate these pistols.”
“Really? I’m not sure now is the time to be picky over what weapon you have, Alfie.”
He gives me a smile before opening the door a crack and sticking his head out. “Let’s go,” he says in a low voice.
I follow close behind him because I’m really not in a position to get myself out of this building. I have no idea what or who is waiting in the shadows. I’m also not opposed to following Alfie’s lead. It’s not the first time I’ve followed his instructions without question.
Just as we reach the end of the hall, rapid-fire gunshots ring out. Alfie presses me against the wall. The wall gives way, and then he’s pushing me into a room. The gunshot sounds continue, people yelling in both Russian and English and Spanish.
“You know, when we get out of here, I’m going to marry you,” Alfie says.
I give him a quizzical look. They must have really given him a good knock to the head.
“Okay,” I reply, not wanting to argue or really talk about marriage right now.
Alfie puts a finger to his lips as he sticks his head out again. His shoulders relax, and he quickly tugs me back into the hallway.
“You fuckers stop for a beer or something? What the fuck took you so long?” Alfie growls.
Elias and a woman I recognize as one of Alfie’s aunts are walking towards us. “Did you really doubt us?” the woman asks.
“You know I’d never doubt you, Aunt Lailani. These idiots, though? Absolutely,” Alfie tells her.
His aunt looks to me. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
I nod my head, and a fresh wave of tears falls from my eyes.
Alfie wraps his arm around my waist and his lips press to the side of my face. “Let’s go home.”
We pass a lot of bodies on the ground as we make our way out of the building, behind Alfie’s cousin and aunt. It’s not until we get outside and I see a line of cars that I turn and run.
“Fuck. Molly, stop!” Alfie is right behind me. I don’t stop, though. I look through the window of the first car. It’s empty. I then move on to the next one. “What are you doing?”
“I need to find him. Angus. I need to find him,” I try to explain.
All of a sudden, there are multiple people searching the cars before someone calls out, “Got him!”
I hold my breath. I know there is no chance that he survived. I know that. But there was a hope that maybe a miracle happened. That hope is squashed when I move towards the car where one of Alfie’s uncles is holding the door open.
He steps in front of me, stopping me from getting to the door. “You don’t need to see that, sweetheart.”
I stare up at the man. “Get out of my way.” My voice is firm. Angus calls it my ball-busting voice. I’m not in the mood for this right now. I need my friend. “Now.”
“Molly, let me.” Alfie steps around his uncle and curses when he looks into the car. “He’s gone, Molly.”
“I know that. I’m not a fucking idiot, Alfie. I saw him get shot. He got shot because of me. He stood in front of me!” I yell. “I need to get him home. I need to call his parents. Oh my god, I have to tell his mother.”
I’m unraveling. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I need Angus here to help me with all this, and now he’s gone.
Alfie’s arms wrap around me, and he picks me up. “I’m taking you home. I’ll make sure Angus gets home too,” he says against my ear. “I’m so fucking sorry, Molly.”