Eyes So Blue I Drown

47| Taken Away

ARABELLA

Just as this thought crosses my mind, Lucius' expression twists into one of fear.

"What-" I begin to ask when, suddenly, I'm seized from behind by strong, masculine arms. A sharp knife presses against my throat, choking off my words.

More men spill into the room through a door, and we find ourselves surrounded by the menacing barrels of guns. There are about six or seven of them, but there's still no sign of Tess.

"Drop your gun," one of them orders Lucius. But instead, Lucius swiftly disarms one of the men beside him by delivering a powerful blow with the back of his hand. The man crumples to the floor with a bleeding nose.

"Kill her!" another voice, deep and commanding, resonates from the room, and the knife at my throat digs in. Lucius immediately stops.

My eyes widen in horror as I watch Romano stride into the hall. He's here.

Why? Why would Romano kidnap Tess?

The realization dawns on me that it was Lucius who provided that photo of Romano, which unveiled hidden secrets before us. Lucius must have some connection with Romano.

I can't forget the scary things he spoke the last time I saw him. He gave me warnings, promising that he wouldn't let me live.

Lucius seems to grasp the gravity of the situation when it concerns my life. He lowers his gun and raises his hands in surrender. He may have wanted to kill them, I know, but it appears that my presence has only made this situation more complicated.

"Let her go," he pleads, his voice barely a whisper.

Romano strides closer, his gaze unwavering on both of us.

"Where's she?!" Lucius demands, his voice raised, but suddenly, two of Romano's men seize his arms from behind.

I gasp as the knife beneath my chin inflicts a sharp pain, and I feel a drop of blood trickling down my chest. Lucius glances back at me with deep concern. "Keep her and Tess out of this, you piece of-" he growls.

Romano points a trembling hand toward me while keeping his eyes locked onto Lucius, and I feel the knife digging deeper into my neck. He's using me.

It's happening again, just like when the last time I got kidnapped, and the same overwhelming fear surges through my mind.

The muscles on my neck clenches. It hurts.

"Just... let her go," Lucius swallows hard and reins in his anger. "This is between us."

Romano shoots me a curt, unreadable glare. I can't imagine what's running through his mind.

"It's not just between us." he retorts.

They forcefully take me out of the building, with Romano leading the way and me trailing behind.

Lucius is left behind in that apartment. We had no choice but to accept it to ensure Tess's safety, he has kept her somewhere. I shudder to think about what Romano could have done with just one phone call if we hadn't cooperated.

We finally reach the ground floor, stepping out of the elevator. People in front of us have no idea who they are. There's a gun pointed at me from behind, ready to shoot if I play anything smart.

We get passed by the security guard. But he didn't ask anything. He didn't stop us. He just stole his gaze away from them and me.

Jerk.

Romano awaits us in a black van, and they shove me roughly into it. I clench my fists to restrain my anger at their audacity. Once the door is sealed shut, I find myself accompanied by two of them in the seat opposite me.

I'm shrouded in darkness, unable to see anything but their menacing faces. Glancing down near my legs, I spot a black sack, a bag.

He's going to kill me.

I take a deep breath. I muster every ounce of strength within me.

I'll do my best. I'm going to protect myself and Tess. I can do it. I try to let go of the frightening feelings and gain confidence.

I attempt to look near my neck, wincing as I move my head. There's a cut, and although I can't gauge its severity, my neck feels sore and appears red.

I think it's been at least two hours of sitting here in this van. We seem to be far removed from the city. And the scary thing is that I can't hear any roadside sound. It's as if we've been riding through some quiet place where there was no other single vehicle. Now it's concerning.

The van gets stopped somewhere when I stopped expecting it to stop anytime soon.

"Where are you taking us?" I inquire once again, but my question is met with stony silence.

Romano swiftly exits the vehicle, leaving us behind. As I step out with these two men, he's already disappearing into what appears to be a vast and foreboding warehouse. The warehouse gives a sense of abandonment and spookiness, its walls covered in algae, and the surroundings left uncared for.

I can't spot a single house no matter how far I look.

One of the men seizes my arm and tightly binds my hands behind my back. While I had no expectation of gentleness, they seem intent on securing the knot in a manner that feels designed to cause discomfort - it's insanely tight.

The other man picks up the black sack with a single-handed effort from the car. We embark on a silent journey, covering a mere twenty to thirty meters to reach the gate of this unsettling warehouse or a factory, whatever it is.

I take each step cautiously and slowly, and suddenly, I notice my gun is missing from my jacket. My heart races as I steal a quick glance at the men.

The realization that my gun is gone sends a surge of fear through me, but there's no time to dwell on it. Without hesitation, I turn around and drive my knee into the gut of the man who bound my hands. The pain forces him to loosen his grip, giving me the opportunity to slip free.

It's the opening I needed, yet my hands remain bound. Without wasting a moment, I turn to face the other man who's still holding the black sack and pointing a gun at me.

I quickly lunge towards him, performing a swift spinning kick that targets his hand. His grip falters, and the sack goes tumbling to the ground with the gun, surprisingly, it's moving. The bag is fucking moving.

This distraction provides him with an opportunity to close the distance. He punches me in the face and I fall on the ground, hurting my arms.

I groan slightly and quickly get up again. The odds may be stacked against me, but I refuse to go down without a fight, it's the only chance I have to get away from them.

He goes to pick up the gun but I kick the man forcefully into the other man's face when he bends down, hearing the satisfying sound of impact.

I kick him hard in the face once again and it's over for him.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out everything except my own deep breaths. Calm fucking down, calm fucking down. I'm good.

I open my eyes and glance around for the mysterious bag that was moving earlier, but it's nowhere to be seen. Was it even moving in the first place?

I huff and raise my arms, "Couldn't do this without weapons?"

One of them seizes my arms from behind, forcing me to move forward. The man I kneed earlier glares at me with a dangerous and irritated look. I definitely pissed off this motherfucker.

He strides forward, taking long steps, and then delivers a punishing punch. Revenge gleams in his eyes, and the impact of the blow sends me to sleep.