Ariana’s POV –
“Alex,” I call out, my voice trembling in the cold air. His face suddenly appears in front of me, so beautiful and safe. I let out a whimper in relief, reaching up to feel his skin under my fingertips. He smiles at me, the corners of his lips tugging upwards and settling into a safe security. I feel the tears roll from my eyes, sliding down my cheek and staining my filthy clothes.
“Say something to me,” I whisper, my eyelids fluttering closed. I will them to stay open, wanting to see every detail of his face for as long as I can. He doesn’t respond to me and when I eventually pry my eyes open, harsh reality slaps me in the face.
I’m alone.
“Alex?” I call out weakly, sitting up against the filth covered wall. I feel my stomach begin to pulsate from the lack of food and water. The banging of the door startles me and I suck in a breath, wondering whether I’ll come face to face with my captor or my hero. I quickly glance around for a weapon but it’s no use, nothing has changed for the past few weeks. All I can do is sit and wait as the door creaks loudly, pushing back.
Cold eyes stare back at me.
I let out a small whimper, squeezing my eyes shut tight to get rid of the image. I hear him clear his throat and take a small step forward. The shuffling of his feet on the floor causes my body to tense up and repulse away from him further. I don’t want him to come any closer.
“Ah, you’re still alive.” He comments dryly. I haven’t heard a human beings voice in days yet instead of feeling relief for my company, I feel sick to my stomach.
“Sorry to disappoint,” I whisper in response, my voice hoarse. Previously I’d feel anger and frustration build up inside me whenever he was near. The anger would fuel me, light me up inside as I stared him down or pleaded with him to let me go. There’s no more anger or frustration left, I have nothing.
I feel like an empty shell of a human being as I open my eyes, holding my stare with him. He looks amused by my situa-tion, willing me silently to give him an expression other than blank and lifeless.
“A birdie on the street told me something today,” he says, putting his hands behind his back. He begins to walk round in a circle, his steps slow yet confident. Despite his cool demeanour I see the faintest of worry flash over his features. The sight of it causes me to feel like I’ve been winded, the oxygen knocked straight out of me. I sit up a little straighter, antici-pating eagerly what he’s about to say.
What could it be to make this evil person question their actions with me?
“So it seems Alejandro is looking for you. Stupid boy. . . I knew he would.”
My eyes suddenly fill with tears and I feel them slide down my cheeks, staining my lower lip. I don’t make any noise but the relief floods through my body and I want to scream out in ecstasy. For the first time since my capture, the tight hold on my heart begins to loosen causing it to beat with hope again. The taunting sound of his laughter sliced through the air, freezing me in place.
“He is like a puppet and I pull the strings,” he laughs loudly, his own joke amusing him beyond belief. I scowl at him, my eyes travelling down the ugly scar buried deep in his skin.
Alex will find me.
I know he will.
He abruptly stops laughing and I tense my body, holding my breath as he stares at me. The amusement in his eyes fades and replaces with anger. Without warning he begins to charge towards me and I find the energy to scream, ready to lash out with my hands. I’m too weak to fight back so when he grabs me by the back of my neck, I lie there in soaring pain.
“You stupid idiot! You think he can save you? Huh?!” He screams, his heavy accent bouncing from the walls. I let out a pained cry, desperately trying to claw off his hold on my hair.
“I’ll kill you! When he comes to get you, I will kill you in front of his eyes!” His body trembled with anger, the grip on my hair tightening further and further. His words cause my entire body to freeze up, my blood running cold.
“Let go,” I gasp, my eyes beginning to roll to the back of my head. Light and dark spots fill my vision but the last thing I want to do is pass out whilst my captor is clearly having a psychotic revenge breakdown. To my relief he throws me down onto the floor and I lie in a crumpled heap, struggling to catch my breath.
He storms away from me and when he gets to the door he whirls around, his eyes dark and revenge driven.
“Once I kill you, I will kill him.”
With those last words, he slams the door shut and I hear the heavy click of the lock from outside. I continue to lie there, my body and mind beaten beyond belief.
*****
Alex’s POV –
I’m dropping off supplies to a few of our men when my phone rings. I pause on the sidewalk, pulling it out of my pocket and glancing at the screen. My breathing immediately hitches as I answer the call, holding it up to my ear.
“Yes?”
“I have an address for you Alejandro.”
“Go on.” I say hurriedly, sounding eager. I can’t help but feel relief and my voice clearly shows the emotion. At this point, I don’t care whether Dimitri Petrov knows how much this means to me. All I care about is finding her, safe, alive.
“I want my money first.” Dimitri Petrov says calmly, a sick humour almost lining his voice. I exhale deeply, placing a hand on my car and leaning my bodyweight on it.
“Give me the address. I will pay you half now and if your source is correct, I’ll pay you the rest later.” I say, gritting my teeth together. Of course it would have to be one of my enemies that would end up with information on Ariana’s wherea-bouts. Dimitri pauses on the other end and I know he’s thinking about my proposal.
“I’ll text you the address.”
With that, he ends the call and leaves me standing there clutching my phone in anticipation. I let out a low grunt in disa-greement, my leg twitching as I wait for his text. It seems like years have passed but finally, my phone vibrates.
My eyes scan over the screen greedily and I pull open my car door, sliding straight in. Within seconds, I’ve started the car and reversed out into the road, speeding in the direction I need to be. The adrenaline cursing through my blood causes me to press down on the gas, pushing my car to its absolute limit.
It’s time.