Chapter 5 – Celine
Drenched in the rain, I ran for my life, my feet splashing in the puddle. I could hear their heavy footsteps behind me, but I dared not look back.
My breathing was coming in ragged gasps, my heart pounding in my heaving chest. Yet I didn’t stop, nor did I slow down. All I could think of was how to get away from my attackers.
The rain was merciless, the alley dark and lonely—the kind that sent chills down one’s spine. As I bolted through the shadows, the wind brushed against my face, adrenaline coursing through my veins.
My pulse was racing, my tears mixed with the rain. My toes hurt, my feet tingled, and my knees felt weaker by the second. Still, I kept going, hoping to lose these relentless chasers.
However, every turn I made, they followed, never too far, never too close. But always enough to keep me on my toes.
“Help!” I called into the night, my voice echoing off the walls. “Somebody help! Please!”
When I glanced back, I saw a huge shadow with elongated hands reaching to grab me. I screamed and turned a corner just before those demonic claws sank into my flesh.
As I sprinted down the street, I realized this whole time, I’d been running in circles. The alley was like a maze, and I’d been trapped in there ever since.
I stopped in my tracks when I saw a dark figure standing at the end of the street. My heart paused for a second, and my breath caught in my throat.
Frozen in place, I stood there like a statue, unable to move. I was crippled by intense fear, the kind that made it impossible to breathe. The closer the figure drew to me, the weaker I became.
My heart was racing so fast I thought it was about to explode out of my chest.
“Wake up, Celine!” a voice yelled at me. “Wake up!”
With a loud gasp, I jolted awake, drenched in sweat with a hand on my chest. My shoulders rose and fell as I struggled to catch my breath, my eyes wide with terror.
“Oh, thank goodness,” I whispered to myself, fingers rubbing my forehead. “It’s just a dream.” I repeated the last statement over and over again until it sank in.
It might have been a dream, but in reality, I wasn’t safe either. Memories of yesterday came rushing back in, updating me on my current situation. I’d gotten involved with the wrong crowd and was now paying the price.
I’d been kidnapped.
My brows slowly arched in disbelief when I drank in my surroundings, unsure of what was happening. Just last night, I’d been in a cell in what looked like a basement. Today, I woke up in what seemed like a five-star hotel suite.
The cozy bed I was sitting on was covered with silky white sheets and embroidered pillows. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling looked expensive enough to cover my tuition fees for three years.
The room itself was spacious, bathed in the chandelier’s warm, golden light. A massive flat-screen TV stretched across the wall in front, framed by sleek walnut panels.
To my left was a floor-to-ceiling window with velvet curtains draped over it. Plush leather couches were meticulously arranged around a low coffee table adorned with fresh flowers in a vase.
The room radiated so much luxury and comfort that I started to wonder if I was still kidnapped.
Quietly, I tossed the silk sheets to the side and lowered both my legs on the fluffy rug at the base of the bed. The polished marble floor was stainless and cool beneath my bare feet as I walked over to the window.
My eyes squinted ever so slightly after I parted the curtains, and the morning sun kissed my face. I thought I was going to witness the breathtaking cityscape and all the bustle that came with it.
I was wrong.
What I saw outside the window was an endless forest. No visible roads, no neighbors, no civilization at all. Just trees. Lots of tall trees. Their canopies were woven together to form a green ocean that stretched beyond sight.
A faint mist curled lazily between the branches, giving the forest an eerie, unsettling feel. Even from inside, I could smell the crisp, earthy scent of damp soil and fresh leaves lingering in the air.
It was a beautiful sight to behold, yes. But it was also deeply isolated, away from the city and any form of civilization. There was no way in hell that I was ever escaping a place like this.
My captor was a Mafia boss who believed that I had accessed some vital information about his operation. He wasn’t wrong. Everything in that ledger was stored in the back of the mind.
One question lingered: What was he going to do to me?
The fact that he called me by my name meant that he already knew who I was. Even though I’d lied about my identity. Since he knew that I was a college student, the problem of his thinking I was some sort of spy was out of the way.
However, spy or not, I was in deep trouble because of what I knew. And from the look of things, he wasn’t about to let me go anytime soon.
Escaping wasn’t an option either. There was nothing out there but the forest, and only God knew what manner of creatures lurked in those woods. For now, I was trapped in this place—defenseless, alone, and awaiting whatever fate my captor had in store for me.
I clenched my jaw in an attempt to bury the fear rising within me, my heart hammering in my chest. I left the window and began heading toward the closet at the corner, my feet padding across the marble floor.
When I gripped the handles and pulled the closet doors apart, my brows arched reflexively. Inside, rows of designer clothes and lavish gowns hung in perfect order, their fabrics gleaming under the warm closet light.
I picked out a dress and held it over my front. It was exactly my size. After trying it on and trying on a few others, the results were the same. They all fit perfectly. But how?
How did he know my size?
When did he get all these clothes?
Were they specifically for me?
What did that even mean?
Or wait.
Did these belong to some other girl?
Crazy thoughts began creeping into my head, making me question everything happening to me. I couldn’t help wondering if he’d kidnapped other girls like me before and had locked them up in this same room.
The more I thought about it, the more fear had its roots deep in my heart. From what I read in that book, this man was a ruthless Mafia boss, and he wasn’t to be messed with.
I knew I had to tread with caution when dealing with him.
I’d already messed up once when I lied to him, and men like him valued honesty over lies.
Maybe it was time to switch tactics. Maybe next time he spoke with me, I’d spill my truth.
Or at least, a version of it that wouldn’t have my head on a spike.
The front door opened, and my heart skipped a beat. I turned around with terror in my eyes, knowing I wasn’t ready to face him again. I could barely stand his commanding presence the last time and had almost collapsed in fear.
I’d never seen the devil before, but I was certain he looked like my captor. The darkness hovering over that man was demonic. His cold, blue eyes were empty. Lifeless. Emotionless.
The man was tall, at least six feet or more, with sharp features and quiet strength. He had a faint scar running along his cheekbone, amplifying the sense of danger that surrounded him.
Even though I’d tried all I could to mask my fear, I was almost certain that he saw right through me during our last conversation. I wasn’t sure I was ready to feel that kind of fear this early morning.
Fortunately, the person who’d walked in was a woman, a maid. She was carrying a tray of food, the sweet aroma drifting through the air.
I didn’t realize that I was starving until now. The aroma alone made my mouth water and my stomach growl in anticipation.
“Good morning, Madam,” she greeted me, her polite voice laced with a Russian accent.
Madam? My brows rose slowly.
I thought I was a prisoner here.
What was going on?
She walked right in, her pair of flats padding softly across the room as she headed toward a table. There, she set down the tray and straightened her spine.
Confused, I shifted my gaze between her and the food without saying a word.
“Your breakfast.” She gestured at the tray, her eyes locked on me.
I hesitated, watching her more closely.
She was old enough to be my mother, plump but beautiful, with striking gray eyes and short blonde hair.
“You should eat.”
Still no answer.
I didn’t know what to say or how to react. I’d never been kidnapped before, and there was no manual to teach me how this whole thing worked.
“It’s not poison,” she added, stealing a glance at the meal on the table. “Trust me, if he wanted to kill you, there are other ways he can do that.”
“Well, that’s refreshing, thank you,” I said, my voice quiet and dripping with sarcasm.
A very faint grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Do whatever he says, and you just might make it out in one piece.” She walked away, leaving me alone in the room.
I’d have felt a lot better if she hadn’t used the word might. Now, her advice wouldn’t stop playing at the back of my mind, reminding me of the possibility of never leaving this place.
The food smelled good, though. And I was certain it would taste even better. Especially because I was so hungry.
I strolled over to the table for a better look at the meal—it was tantalizing. In the tray was a neatly arranged spread of scrambled eggs, some crispy bacon, and thick slices of buttered toast.
That wasn’t all.
Beside it was a small jar of amber honey, some berries, and a glass of orange juice. My stomach growled in anticipation as I hovered over the table, wondering why I was being fed like a princess and not a prisoner.
I hesitated for a moment before picking out a strawberry from the plate. After I lifted it to my lips and took a bite, my eyes flicked to a corner of the ceiling. That’s when I saw it. The camera.
Of course.
My brows drew together as I chewed delicately, savoring the flavor on my tongue.