Chapter 57

-James-

I took the man back to the room in the motel and tied him up in a chair that was in the room. He was bloodied and was in and out of consciousness, so I couldn't interrogate him yet. I tried to formulate a plan, but the only options I could think of were either this asshole waking up and telling me what I needed, or the worse plan was to ask Sebastian for help. As much as I would hate to do it, he is more affluent than god and would have the resources to rescue her.

The man started to stir, and I was at the ready with my gun. I sat on the edge of the bed and pointed the gun at him. He looked at me and started to laugh. I thought he was scared, but then I realized that the laugh was more sadistic. He looked at me after laughing heartily and smiled a diabolical smile.

"So I guess you're going to interrogate me now, right?" he chuckled, amused at the situation. "I don't know how aware you are of who you're dealing with."

"Then tell me," I said placidly.

"You might not realize it, but you're standing in a crossfire." He laughed. "You want to get your girl? You want to know what happened to her? Then you'll have to ask someone willing to tell you." He spat out a mouthful of blood and started laughing again.

I silently cocked the gun, hoping that this would intimidate him.

"I find it amusing that you think you're above all this. That you have finally escaped. You don't even know what's happening around you. You can't even figure out why you can't trust anyone anymore, can you?" he stated ominously. "Or perhaps you know but can't do anything about it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I was getting tense, and a heavy cloud began forming in my mind.

"Well, then, that makes the next part of this easier. Heh. You know what? You get on your knees and beg me, and I'll probably take pity on you. I might let you live. I might let you live so you can watch the life drain out of your precious little bitch." He didn't flinch. His voice didn't tremble. His eyes grew darker. I knew he wasn't bluffing.

My rage surged inside me. I don't have time to play this game. I stood up and pressed the gun at his temple. "I'm done with you talking." I pushed it harder in his temple. "Give me a reason not to."

He chuckled, not even wincing. "I'd turn around if I were you."

Before I could even process what he had just said, the door handle turned behind me, and the door opened with a crash. I turned around to see who it was, but the next thing I noticed was my gun being kicked from my hand and across the room together, a punch being thrown at me. I fell on my back and tried to bring my legs up to kick, but it was too late. I felt a hard kick on my stomach, and I felt something break as I hit the wall behind me. I gasped for breath, and the man on the floor tied up in the chair started laughing. He bent over and started laughing hysterically. I saw him standing behind the one who just kicked me. I finally could comprehend what was happening and saw two guys by the doorway. One of the guys was young with black hair and a muscular physique, and the other one was older and had greyish hair and a slightly more pudgy build.

I was able to quickly get up, and I took a few steps back as I regained my composure, picking up my gun and pointing it at the two newcomers. "Who the fuck are you?" I asked, still breathing heavily and fighting off the pain.

The younger man went to my prisoner and untied him from the chair.

"Thank you, Enzo," said the man as he stood up and brushed himself off like he had just slipped and fallen and not been bleeding from his mouth.

I didn't see the older man get behind me until he grabbed my arms and held them behind my back. I was incapacitated, and I couldn't move.

The man Enzo had just released was about to walk out the door but turned around and looked at me, "Out of curiosity, do you know who I am?" he asked.

"I don't know who the fuck you are, but I do know that I'm going to be the last face you're going to see before you die," I said between gritted teeth.

I saw the corner of his lips lift up. "Do you know who you're against?" he asked again.

I just stared at him. Anger seeped through my eyes.

"Well. I was going to kill you, but it seems you've intrigued me by what's to come." he was amused.

"*Lascialo andare.*" he waved to the man holding my arms.

The man let me go, and he immediately walked towards the other two, joining them as they left me in my trashed motel room.

"We'll see you soon, Colonel Barnes." he tipped his hat and left.

I stayed on the floor for what seemed like hours and thought about the options I had at this point. The only man who could tell me where Jianna was was gone. How did they even know where I took him? I clenched my fists and closed my eyes. Anger and defeat washed over me.

"What am I gonna do, J? Where do I even start? Tell me what to do." I thought to myself.

I knew I only had one option. I got up and rummaged for the cell phone I hid from Jianna. It was just in case of an emergency. This is an appropriate time. I turned it on and waited until the screen was ready. I dialed the number that I had memorized before.

"Hello?" the person on the other line answered.

"Sebastian. It's James. I need your help."