Arcanum Hominem (#1)

Chapter 61

Pain. That was all I felt. Darkness was all around me, and I didn't know what was up or down. Was I even awake? I tried to open my eyes, but they were so heavy. I couldn't move them. My chest was tight as I tried to breathe, and I wanted to open my mouth to scream from the pain, but I couldn't move. My entire body was frozen in one place. Darkness consumed me again.

***

"Sit her up in that chair over there and make sure her feet and hands are secure. I don't need her escaping and causing a ruckus, got it?" 

I could hear someone barking orders, and the sound made me flinch from how sensitive my ears were at the moment. Pain was swimming in my head, but I was able to breathe better. My body jolted upright, and pressure began to build in my chest, and I gasped to relieve it. Cloth went into my mouth, and I gagged, trying to push it out with my tongue. 

"Don't even think about it, missy. You can't take it off." Someone growled in my ear, and I whimpered as my arms were yanked backward forcefully, causing my shoulders to strain in pain. My eyes were still closed throughout this entire ordeal, and I slowly peeled them open, immediately closing them again. The light was too bright. I needed to try again. I opened my eyes again, this time all at once, letting the light attack my eyes. I squinted as the light in the room pierced through my pupils, but it was a little manageable. It took a few more seconds for my eyes to adjust to the room, and after that, I didn't have to squint anymore, though my eyelids were still hooded from fatigue. 

I was finally able to see the room and the people in the room. I was in a small yet spacious all gray room with a table sitting a few feet away from me with a chair in front of it, facing my way. A door straight ahead was being blocked by two men who were staring straight ahead into space, firm frowns on their faces. Three other men were to the left of them, hunched over in a corner, whispering. The last man was standing next to me, his hand on the top of the chair I was strapped to, and he was looking at the men at the door. 

I blinked a couple of times to make the wooziness I felt go away, but it still stayed. Who did this to me? Where was Killian? I couldn't remember the last thing I was doing, and I closed my eyes to try and remember. I flinched as I wracked my brain for my memories, willing them to come. Images of Killian entering a building filled my head and then of me leaving a car and walking toward the same building, and then darkness. 

I was kidnapped. 

My eyes opened, and I tried to stay calm, and I tried to deduct who would take me. No one else but the team knew about our operation. Maybe some of the men who worked at the building caught us sneaking in? Maybe...

I twisted my hands and gritted my teeth when the zip ties bit into my wrists. They didn't use rope. Smart. Row trained me on how to get out of both, but zip ties were a little harder for me. If the guards could stay distracted for a good minute, I might be able to get out of these restraints. I tried my best not to gag as saliva filled my mouth from the gag that was placed in it. It was tied securely around my head. Did they really have to use a nasty old cloth? Ugh.

It was easier to see now, and after a few minutes of silence, of none of the guards even looking my way, there was noise on the other side of the door. The doorknob rattled, and I sat up straighter, ready for whoever was coming through the door. The guards standing in front of it moved to either side of the door, and it finally opened, and my eyes widened. 

Chase walked through the door in casual clothes, a gray t-shirt, and joggers as if he was going on a run. He smiled at the guards, thanking them for some reason, and walked down the few stairs to make it to the level I was on. 

"You guys did great work. I can take it from here." He nodded at the guard standing next to me, and the guy left to stand by the others in the corner. Killian was actually right about him. Not that I was really against his accusation, but actually seeing him here, the reason for my kidnapping, just really confirmed it for me. Chase looked at me, and I glared, wishing I wasn't strapped to the chair so I could kick his head off of his shoulders. 

"Here, let me take this off of you. I know it's probably uncomfortable for you." Chase reached down and behind my head, untying the disgusting gag from my mouth. Once it was completely gone, I spit to the side, shuddering from the copper taste that filled my mouth.

"Chase, what the fuck are you doing?" I growled in a low tone, trying to sit up as straight as I could. My legs were also tied to the chair, so there wasn't much that I could do. I needed to find a way to escape. Chase twisted his lips and grinned, a sinister look appearing on his face that I had never seen before on him. The sweet stepdad that I knew was gone and replaced was...Hunter?

"My name is Hunter. Chase is a boring fake name I chose for myself so that I could blend in. Marrying your mom was part of that ruse. Trying to make myself seem like a family man, you know? Though I did actually fall for your mom, that was a plus." 

I made a face at his words, not understanding how any man could fall in love with my mom. He continued. 

"At the moment, you're just collateral. My real target is your husband or fake husband, I presume? You didn't really think I would buy that, did you? It was a great story, let me tell you. But I already knew that something was off with you the moment my men brought me the security tapes, and I saw you browsing my building, looking suspicious. And then my suspicions were confirmed when you ran away from my men, and I saw you get into a car with a man that looked familiar." He started pacing in front of me, which annoyed me for some reason. "I was attacked once before a few years ago by that same man. He had a team, and they tried to take me down, but I had the upper hand as always. It was a failed operation, and here he is again, trying to capture me and including my stepdaughter this time." He shook his head and finally stopped pacing, stopping directly in front of me. 

"What do you want, Chase? Or Hunter, whatever your name is." I rolled my eyes when his smile grew. 

"You can still call me Chase. It's what you've known for years, so I don't mind. And what do I want, you ask? I want Killian's head for what he did to me years ago. But I can't have it because someone a bit more important than me wants it even more." He grinned.