Gently

Money Transfer

I was pushed roughly into a chair. A zip tie was then secured around my wrists. My breathing was heavy and sweat was starting to build at the back of my neck. The bag was finally pulled off my head. We were in a warehouse, surrounded by twisted metal and overturned crates. 

It was unbearably chilly and dark. The only source of light was a dim flashlight sitting on a rotting table. In front of me sat a disgruntled Zane, his eyes narrowing at something behind me. There was a pinkish bruise blossoming on his cheek and flecks of blood on his shirt. 

After we were taken out of the car, Zane managed to shove the guy who was with Fiona. But the man didn't hesitate to retaliate and struck Zane's cheek. 

"Are you okay?" I whispered, my voice almost failing me. 

"I'm fine," he spat. "What do you want?" At first, I thought he was talking to me but then realized that his gaze was focused on something else.

"Relax," a voice cooed behind me. Dread washed over me when I recognized it. 

Fiona. My suspicions were confirmed. She placed a hand on my shoulder and I stiffened at her touch.

"I don't want to hurt you," she continued.  Her fingers moved to my hair and she tugged, making me gasp in pain. "Can't say the same thing about your wife." 

Zane struggled against his restraints, nearly tipping his chair over. Anger rolled through me. I imagined strangling Fiona, which helped me deal with the pain. "Stop it! You're hurting her," he pleaded. She released my hair with a laugh. 

"Cute. You actually care about her now," she teased, hopping onto the table. There was a gun, which she placed beside her. Leaning back onto her hands, she said, "I thought you only married her cause your mom asked you to. That you didn't love her." Her empty eyes shifted to me. "That you could never love her."

I knew she was trying to get under my skin.  Even though her words were like a whip against my heart, I didn't let it show. I donned my mask and struck back. "Jealous, sweetheart?" I asked, matching her nonchalant tone. "You should have heard him last night, calling my name and begging me to touch him." There was begging by both parties involved but she didn't need to know that. 

A fire burned behind her eyes. She swung her arm and smacked me with her gun's barrel. Gritting my teeth, I fought against the darkness edging my vision. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me faint from the blow. 

"Fiona!" Zane yelled desperately. "Please stop it. She hasn't done anything. Talk to me. What do you want?"

"I wanted you!" she screamed in response. There were signs of heartbreak etched across her pretty face. "Except you chose work over me, forcing me to find someone else."

Zane's jaw clenched and he looked away. With his head down and shoulders slumped, he looked so defeated. Both Zane and I were in toxic relationships before the marriage. I knew what it felt like to be cheated on. My heart filled with sympathy for him and I wanted to reach out for him.

Fiona spun around and took in a breath of fresh air. When she looked back at us, the tears were gone and a smile had replaced her scowl. "But that's not why I brought you here."

Two people entered the warehouse then. They pulled the door shut behind them and came to stand behind Fiona. I recognized one from the car ride. The other was wearing a beanie and a black sweater. "Zane Hendrick," he said with a nod. 

"Rob," Zane muttered back. The man leaned forward and pecked Fiona's cheek. This was Fiona's husband who had supposedly betrayed her. 

"Please do enlighten us, you ogre. Why did you bring us here?" I snapped, glaring up at her. She bared her teeth and snarled at me. For a split second, I was sure she would strike me again but she didn't move. 

Turning towards Zane she said, "we want you to transfer us some money." The gears started turning in my head. 

The brief stay at our apartment must have been planned. Fiona hadn't been betrayed by her husband but instead, they were working together. I also remembered that my mom's wedding invite had been hanging on the fridge for some time. She must have seen the venue's address. 

He shook his head and frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not going to transfer you anything."

Fiona shoved her gun against my temple. Panic clawed at my throat. It occurred to me that we might not get out of this alive. "You sure about that?" she grumbled. "It would give me so much pleasure to kill her."

Zane's eyes widened and he took in a ragged breath. "Fine, fine! I'll transfer you the money." Fiona removed the gun from my head. "Just don't hurt her." Rob dragged a chair and set it beside Zane. Settling down, he dug out a phone from his pocket. "I can't transfer more than the limit."

"It's okay. We got some time." I wondered how long it would take for someone to realize that we were missing. 

After forcing Zane to transfer his money, Fiona's attention turned to me. "You too, ballerina. I know about your job at the studio. You've been saving up." A shiver ran down my back. In just a few minutes, a good chunk of my savings had been drained right before my eyes. 

Rob and Fiona left for the night, laughing and taunting us on their way out. They left behind their lackey to watch over us, who stood beside the door with a gun in hand. My heart rate finally returned to normal. 

"I'm sorry," Zane mumbled, staring at me with sad eyes. "This is all my fault."

"It's okay. This isn't your fault." 

"I shouldn't have trusted her when she asked for my help," he continued, letting out a sigh. "It's hard for me to say no when someone asks for help. A stupid weakness, I know." 

"Hey. Never mistake your kindness for weakness," I said, meeting his gaze. "Your kind heart is my favourite thing about you." The tension dissipated from his face, a smile tugging at his lips. 

"She was lying about me not being able to love you," he responded. There was a growing vulnerability in his tone. "Yes, it's true that I agreed to marry you because of my mom."

"We don't have to do this right now," I said, shaking my head in hopes that it would slow my quickening heartbeat.

"But the truth is that I love you so much that it hurts. I love everything about you." He paused, his smile widening at my red cheeks. "I love how you leave your books lying around the apartment. I love how you sing and dance in the mornings. I love how happy dancing makes you." His profession of love left me feeling delirious, almost as though I was soaring through the sky. 

He leaned forward. "You came into my life like a storm, upheaving my very existence and leaving me speechless. But now you're the air that I breathe, the peace in my heart. I can't live without you, Sarah."

"Keep it quiet down there, Romeo!" our guard yelled, rolling his eyes at us. 

Zane dropped his voice to a whisper. "I promise that we'll get out of here alive. Just need to think."

"I actually have a plan," I replied, glancing at the yawning guard again.