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When Rachel came to, her head was throbbing painfully, and her vision was blurry. She realized that she had been kidnapped and panic set in.
She couldn’t move and the room was dark. She tried to call out for help, but her voice was hoarse, and it came out as a whisper.
“Who’s there?” she managed to croak.
There was no answer, and Rachel’s heart raced with fear. She tried to get up, but her hands and legs were tied. She could hear footsteps coming closer, and she braced herself for the worst.
The door opened slowly, and a figure stepped in. Rachel recognized her captor immediately. It was Roseline!
“You’re awake,” Roseline said, smirking. “Good. I was starting to get bored.”
Rachel tried to speak, but she was too weak. She could feel the blood oozing from the wound on her head, and her eyes were heavy with exhaustion.
“You’re probably wondering why I brought you here,” Roseline continued, pacing around the room. “Let’s just say I have some unfinished business to attend to, and you’re the perfect leverage to get what I want.”
Rachel’s mind raced as she tried to figure out what Roseline was talking about. She couldn’t think straight, and her thoughts were jumbled.
“What do you want?” she managed to ask, her voice barely audible.
Roseline smiled wickedly, and Rachel could see the malice in her eyes. “Oh, just a little something from your lover boy. Something that he owes me, and I intend to collect.”
Rachel felt a wave of despair wash over her. She had no idea what Roseline was talking about, but she knew that Leo was in danger. She had to find a way to escape and warn him.
But first, she had to survive this ordeal.
“I knew you couldn’t resist my little trap,” Roseline said, her voice laced with malice. “You should have known better than to mess with me, Rachel.”
Rachel’s heart sank as she looked into Roseline’s cold, dark eyes. She tried to speak, but the gag prevented her from doing so. She could feel the fear rising within her, and she knew that she was in deep trouble.
Roseline paced around the room, occasionally stopping to glare at Rachel. Rachel could feel her eyes boring into her, and she wondered what Roseline was planning to do with her.
After what felt like an eternity, Roseline finally spoke. “You’re going to call Leo,” she said, pointing a gun at Rachel’s head. “And you’re going to tell him to bring me the money I deserve.”
Rachel tried to shake her head, but the gag prevented her from doing so. She knew that Leo would never give in to Roseline’s demands, and she couldn’t let her own life be used as a bargaining chip.
But before she could even begin to formulate a plan, Roseline left the room, and Rachel was alone with her thoughts. She started to wriggle, trying to loosen the ropes that bound her to the chair. It was a fruitless effort, and she soon gave up.
As she sat there, she realized that she still had one of the model’s phones in her pocket. She managed to wiggle it out of her pocket and dialed the number. She prayed that someone would pick up and that they could help her.
The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before someone finally picked up. “Hello?” a voice said, and Rachel recognized it as one of the models she had worked with for the competition.
Rachel tried to speak, but she could barely get a sound out. She could feel the blood pounding in her head, and she wondered if Roseline would hear her on the phone.
“Rachel?” the model said, her voice laced with concern. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”
Rachel tried to respond, but all that came out was a muffled sound. She could feel Roseline’s footsteps approaching, and she knew that she had to act fast.
Roseline burst into the room, looking even more crazed than before. In one hand, she held the gun, and in the other, she held a piece of paper with a number on it. “Who are you talking to?” she demanded, her voice rising in anger.
Rachel couldn’t respond, and the model on the other end of the line couldn’t hear her. She could feel Roseline’s anger rising, and she knew that she had to think fast.
Rachel trembled as she tried to reason with Roseline, but the crazed woman was beyond any reasoning. “Please, Roseline, don’t do this,” Rachel pleaded, “you don’t have to go down this path. We can help you. Just put down the gun.”
But Roseline only sneered and tightened her grip on the gun. “You’re a fool, Rachel,” she spat. “You think the police can stop me? I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. With you out of the way, I can finally get what’s mine.”
Rachel’s heart pounded in her chest as she heard the click of the gun. She knew that any moment now, Roseline would pull the trigger. She closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.
But just as Roseline was about to shoot, the door burst open and a SWAT team stormed into the room, guns drawn.
“Freeze!” one of the officers shouted, pointing his weapon at Roseline.
Roseline let out a scream, her eyes wild with terror. She fired a shot that narrowly missed Rachel’s head before the officers tackled her to the ground, handcuffing her and dragging her away.
Rachel was in shock, her heart racing as the reality of what had just happened sank in. She looked up to see Leo rushing towards her, his face etched with concern.
“Rachel, oh my God, are you okay?” he asked, taking her in his arms.
Rachel felt tears welling up in her eyes as she clung to him. “I’m okay,” she managed to say, her voice trembling. “Thank you for saving me.”
Leo held her close, his hand soothingly rubbing her back. “I will always protect you,” he whispered. “You mean everything to me.”
Rachel looked up at him, feeling her heart swell with love. “I love you,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.
Leo smiled down at her, his eyes shining with tenderness. “I love you too, Rachel. Let’s go home.”
The couple left the scene, hand in hand, still in a state of shock from the traumatic experience. As they drove home, Rachel couldn’t help but replay the events of the evening over and over in her mind. She felt grateful to be alive, but the terror and trauma of the situation would stay with her for a long time.
Leo held her close, their fingers intertwined as he tried to comfort her. “You’re safe now,” he whispered. “I won’t let anyone ever hurt you again.”
Rachel leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling the weight of the evening’s events slowly fading away as she basked in Leo’s warmth and love.