Chapter 3 — Kiera
It had been a few days, and so far I hadn’t noticed anything suspicious around the office. Ever since July told me that the men who abducted her had eyes and ears even in this office, everyone had become a suspect.
Jake was on the top of my list because I was convinced that he knew something I didn’t. And whatever it was, it was connected to this case. I’d been more careful and super mindful of my surroundings.
But no matter how much I paid attention to every detail my eyes could catch, I still hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. I could easily ask Jake why he didn’t want me involved in the case. However, I didn’t want to raise suspicion on my end.
The last thing I wanted was to hint at my secret investigation into his life. He believed that I was focused on the case. True. However, what he didn’t know was that while doing that, I was also looking into his history.
In my line of work, people’s pasts were never really buried; dig deep enough, and you would find what you’re looking for. Sebastian was a friend of mine in the IT department. The man was good at things like digging out buried information.
The thought crossed my mind to go to him for help. But since it involved investigating our colleague, he might not want to be a part of whatever I was up to. Besides, how sure was I that he wasn’t one of the moles planted here?
I had to do this alone. On my own.
Crazy how, over the past few days, I felt safer in these office walls than anywhere else. I knew there were wolves amongst us. But at least in here, I didn’t feel like every step I took was being watched.
Everything seemed fine, and people were invested in their cases and tasks. Even Jake hadn’t given me any reason to be worried. He still dropped by my desk every day, making jokes about random stuff that often made me laugh.
His actions were smooth enough to fool anyone. And at some point, a part of me began doubting his involvement in the case. I started to think that maybe he wasn’t one of the moles planted in the office. However, I knew better than to trust him or let my guard down.
So I played his game, pretending that all was well, even though I felt in my gut that I was being targeted.
Although the moles at the office blended so well that it was almost impossible to spot them, I had a list of potential suspects. Jake was number one, of course.
There was also Amber. Quiet. Barely mingled with others and hardly ever smiled. Her desk was just across mine, and on several occasions before this incident, I’d caught her stealing glances at me. Suspicious glances.
Then there was Paul. The man was too nice to a fault. Always happy was loved by many. Perfect disguise. With such a persona, no one would ever suspect him of something like this. He was charming, witty, and humorous. But I knew something was off about him.
Elijah, the grump. Like Amber, he was quiet and liked to stay in his lane. Honestly, I never would’ve suspected him if he hadn’t developed a habit of secretly texting or replying to texts.
From my seat, I could clearly see him. Most of the time, when everyone was engrossed in work, he’d glance around to make sure no one was watching.
Then he’d lower his head, a serious look on his face.
His fingers would begin rattling across his phone’s screen as though he were quickly sending a text.
It might be that he was dealing with a private problem that had absolutely nothing to do with me. True. But at this point, I couldn’t be too careful.
Yelena was last on my list. She was Russian. I hated myself for suspecting her simply because of her nationality. It was stupid of me, yes. Notwithstanding, I couldn’t afford to leave any stone unturned.
Yelena wasn’t even helping matters at all; she had this really stern look that always gave me the creeps. If, in the end, it turned out I was wrong about her, I would feel like shit. Justifiably so.
These were the people on my list for now, although everyone at the office was a fuckin’ suspect. Everyone. Including my superiors. Especially my superiors, because in every organization, the greedy ones were always at the top. And the primary cause of treachery was greed.
Maybe I should shift my focus to the top for once. I was sure that if I began digging into those above me, I would find enough dirt linking them to these cases. Besides, Jake did say the case was above my pay grade.
Therefore, someone at the top had a hand in this. Maybe the reason I hadn’t found anything fishy about Jake’s past was because he might be involved. At least not directly. It was possible that he wasn’t a mole, but he knew those at the top were shady.
Whatever the case, I had to be very careful around these folks.
Speaking of cases, I hadn’t made any significant progress in solving this one. Yet. Every corner I turned was a dead end. Every question I asked in the streets was avoided like a plague. People were afraid, and no one wanted to get involved in my investigation.
But I wasn’t going to quit. No. Not now. Not ever.
That evening, I finished my work like every other day, grabbed my bag, and headed out. The stairwell door closed behind me as I made my way to the underground parking lot.
The air was cool, carrying the scent of oil and damp concrete. Above, the fluorescent lights flickered and buzzed, casting a pale glow over the rows of cars.
My shoes scuffed against the cement, the sound echoing off the walls as I moved. The parking lot seemed quieter this evening, and even the entire building was silent like a cemetery.
I didn’t want to think much of it at first until I saw something that made my heart skip a beat. I caught a reflection in a nearby glass: a tall, manly figure dressed in black.
They were behind me, slowly catching up.
Their shoes were silent on the concrete, and their outfit blended into the eerie shadows in the corners. My pulse raced as I felt the foreboding presence closing in.
I stopped in my tracks for a split second and turned around without warning. But to my shock, there was no one behind me. My eyes squinted, knowing full well I wasn’t seeing things in that glass.
There was a man following me.
Where was he?
I paused, quietly scanning the underground parking lot. “Hello?” My voice echoed.
Silence.
“Jake?”
Still no answer.
I waited a couple of seconds before turning around and picking up my pace. I was halfway to my car when I sensed the presence again. This time, the footsteps were loud and fast-paced.
That’s when I knew shit was about to get real.
I reached into my bag, grabbed my pepper spray, and the second I turned, I went for his eyes. The huge man let out only a quiet groan before knocking the spray from my hand. I didn’t get a good look at his face under that hood; I just needed to get away from him.
Without hesitation, I pulled the oldest trick in the book—I kicked him in the balls as hard as I could. As expected, his grip on my wrist loosened, and he bent over, hands on his groin, groaning like a wounded beast.
I made a run for it, sprinting through the rows of cars on both sides.
“Get over here!” a deep voice growled in accented English as a pair of hands snatched me by the waist from behind.
This was another attacker.
The other one was struggling to stand, still groaning in pain.
“Let go of me!” I screamed, legs flailing in the air.
Another man appeared in front of me, and as soon as he drew close enough, I kicked him in the face.
“Fuckin’ bitch!” He stumbled backward.
I threw my hands behind, scratching wildly, hoping to gouge out the eyes of the man holding me from behind.
He hid his face from my attacks, muttering in Russian—curses, I assumed.
So far, there were three men, and none of them had a weapon. My guess was that whoever they were working for must’ve instructed them to bring me alive.
That meant they weren’t going to kill me. That was a relief.
“Hold still!” the man behind me grumbled.
Since I couldn’t use my hands or feet, I had to improvise. I jabbed the back of my head into his face so hard that he was forced to let go.
“God, I think she broke my fuckin’ nose!”
The second my feet hit the ground, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, and I didn’t look back. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get far before I bumped into the scariest person I’d ever seen.
Running into him was like hitting a brick wall. His presence was intimidating, and the energy he exuded was pure evil. He stood in my way, arms across his broad chest, with a look so intense it had me frozen in place.
When I met his gaze, I realized he was trouble carved into flesh. A jagged scar dragged down the left side of his mean face, accentuating his ruggedness. The man had one eye, sharp, dark, and cold. The other was completely gray. No pupil. No life. Just a stone-dead orb that stared into my soul.
I swallowed hard, trying to mask my fear.
Before I could form my next thought, a black hood was pulled over my head. One of the men behind me had done it. They also tied my hands and feet and then threw me into a vehicle that had just screeched to a halt beside us. I lay on my chest, screaming for the help I knew was never going to arrive.
As the engine roared and the vehicle was set in motion, I realized I had been hurled into the back of a van.
It was cold and dark in here, and the restraints on my wrists and feet made movement difficult. After struggling for a while, I finally found a spot and sat there quietly.
“Calm down, Keira,” I whispered to myself. “Calm down. Don’t panic.”
I drew a deep breath—in through my nose and out through my mouth. This kidnapping had everything to do with the case I was working on. It was obvious. I was in trouble now. Deep trouble.
The fact that these people had come for me meant that I was already getting close to the truth. If they didn’t consider me a threat, no one would bother kidnapping me.
At this point, it was impossible to tell whether I was going to make it out of this alive. But I wasn’t going to let panic creep in. Even though I was scared to death, the last thing I was going to do was let my captors see my fear.
As I sat there in the dark, I tried to memorize as many things as I could. Turns. Sounds. Smell. Time. I knew this city well, and judging by the direction we were moving in, these men were probably taking me toward the outskirts of town.
After about an hour or so, the vehicle finally came to a halt. Feet stomped onto the ground, accompanied by the sounds of slamming car doors.
I figured we’d arrived.
I heard the rear hatch lift, and soon two men grabbed me, forcing me out of the van. I didn’t resist or yell. It was useless, since I was now in their territory.
“Take her inside,” someone said, their voice deep and raucous. “The boss is waiting.”
“Move!”
I was shoved forward and almost tripped, but I didn’t. With the hood still over my head, I followed the hand that led me into a building, past the point of no return.