Chapter 34: Chapter Thirty-four

At the end of the day, we often wonder what went wrong. Is it because I did this, or that? We often wonder how things would play out if we chose our decisions differently. Our minds are always wondering, and the time they stop in a state of bewilderment is when we are finally breathing in tranquility.

If I were asked what the scariest experience I ever had was, I would say the day I received a prank text telling me that ice cream was going to be banned—which is very unbelievable. In secret, I would relive the day I almost lost my mind over some guy, and how it affected my life for some time. I would go on and on about ghost stories and how I would imagine them at night.

But I wasn’t expecting this. A gun pointed to my head, mere inches away, finger ready to pull the trigger whenever the person wanted to. I never expected—prayed to be able to add this to my ‘scariest experiences’ list.

Never in a million years or lifetimes.

“What is going on, Chad?” My voice was running hoarse from all the screaming. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if I wouldn’t be able to talk for a few days. Putting on my comforting smile, I hoped that it would calm Chad down and dissipate whatever was running in his mind. “Chad, put the gun down.”

“He won’t.”

Taken aback, I began to look for the face of the man who dared to answer for Chad. My search was over once another man emerged from the dimness, face now revealed by the light. His gray eyes were laughing mockingly at me, even if his lips were in a straight line. Overall, he was an ugly man wearing a shabby beanie that covered his hair and a gray sweater. A small part of me was disappointed that he wasn’t someone I recognized, someone whom I could connect all the dots as to why they were doing this. Other than that, a huge part of me was pissed at this thick-skinned criminal.

“Who are you? Why are you doing this?” I demanded hotly. “If you need money, we will gladly give it to you. Just let my brother go!”

Boisterous laughter filled the room, coming from all the men surrounding us. “You rich, silly folk, you’re all the same!” the man snickered. “You all think what we want is only money. Well, guess what, darling? We don’t need it!” Merriment erupted from their throats once again at the man’s words, before they were all hooting their approval. Chad remained still, but I couldn’t say the same for his shaking hands. That was when clarity came over me. He’s being forced.

The possibility of him shooting me with his nervous hands was higher than being told to do so. Speaking of Chad…

“Chad, don’t be frightened. Don’t give in to them!”

“Aw, what’s the matter? Feeling betrayed?” I watched the man with narrowed eyes when he approached Harvey. “If you’re so focused on your little boyfriend, I’m guessing you won’t mind your brother getting hurt?” Seeing him harshly grab Harvey’s chin, I sat up from my seat with gritted teeth. If it weren’t for the things that bound me, I would’ve punched the man if he did one thing to the boy.

“Stay away from Harvey, you bastard!”

Get your dirty fingers away from him!

The stranger hummed. “Why would I?” Harvey flinched in pain, making me confused, until I saw filthy fingers digging his skin.

“Let him go! He has nothing to do with this!” I desperately pleaded. I will never forgive myself if Mom and Dad lose Harvey. I won’t let them lose their second son, just like what happened in the past.

When the criminal did, I softly sighed in relief when he started to approach me. My insides were going cold at the notion of him trying anything.

“Go away,” I hissed in his ear once he lowered his face down to my level, his body reeking of alcohol, smoke and blood. The scent of it made me cringe. When my nose caught a whiff of breath it almost made me puke my dinner all over the floor.

“Darling, we don’t need your money. All we want is a little fun—nothing more, nothing less.”

I let out a sharp gasp as his tongue slid itself on my cheek before I moved my head away. The bastard… A grin graced his lips once again and the urge to spit on his hideous face was tempting.

“But, I’m afraid we weren’t asked to have fun.”

Asked? Ah, they were paid to do this. Head aching at the sudden thought of finding the real mastermind, I didn’t notice him caressing a knife like a lover with his finger until it reflected under the light. I felt like I swallowed a ton of bricks at the sight of the weapon.

His gaze shifted between me and my trembling brother. “I believed that he wanted to bring you both together this day, enjoy each other’s company…” Then, the sharp blade rose and was pointed at me, then at Harvey. He had a lopsided grin on.

“So, let’s play a little game. Shall we?”

He grabbed Chad by the shoulders and brought him in front of us. “Mr. Chad Montgomery, your name’s sophisticated—it matches your life. Now, this is the mechanics of the game…”

No, he can’t be serious. There’s no way he’ll do it! I stared at Harvey with wide fearful eyes, knowing fully well what the man was planning to do. Based on Harvey’s alarmed stance, he too knew what was going on.

“Mr. Montgomery, I want you to choose between these two lovely guests of ours. The woman you like, or her little brother?”

“Me! Pick me!” I quickly yelled out in a desperate tone that I rarely used. It only shows absolute weakness and this is not who I was supposed to be. “Pick me, just don’t touch my brother.”

“But!” he suddenly interjected with an insane look etched on his face. “If you choose one, you have to shoot the other. Once you don’t choose…” He produced a gun of his own from his pocket and aimed it at Chad’s head. “I’ll end the three of your worthless lives in this room.”

This provoked another round of laughter from the men; it honestly irritated me to the core. I’ll make them pay. I’ll make this sadistic bastard pay!

“You’re thinking of sending us to jail, huh? Or, better yet, how to get back on us at this moment? Such a pity.” Eyes wide in surprise at how he knew what was in my mind, I tried to break my hands free, which was only a futile attempt. The knots were tied securely, making escaping a hard task to do.

If the police are coming, they better be here soon or they’ll be too late!

Resuming what he called a ‘game’, our captor pointed at Harvey. “What’ll it be, Mr. Montgomery? Her little brother, Harvey Maxwell?” Then, he moved to me. “Or the woman you like, Rachel Maxwell?”

Chad looked honestly frightened, his once clear eyes clouded by fear as they darted between me and Harvey, his brain racking for any other solutions out of this vile mess. I couldn’t blame him. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t and I wouldn’t. Nobody wanted to be in his or my position. Nobody.

“I…” Chad trailed off instantly, obviously not wanting to choose between me and Harvey. Probably sensing his fear, the stranger heaved a sigh.

“Honestly… Are you a man, or what?”

In the blink of an eye, Chad had the man on the floor. Gun aimed at the criminal, his teeth bared. Shock settled in me as I watched them.

“Chad!”

“No! I won’t shoot any of them! I’ll gladly kill you instead!” he furiously growled at the man. A strong kick to the back made Chad fall to the ground, the gun falling out of his hand and landing to the floor before our captor took it himself. “Fine! You’re not able to choose, I’ll do it for you! Men, tie him up!”

Three men came and held Chad down to the ground, while another one was holding a rope. It didn’t take them minutes to tie Chad on the chair. After being punched and kicked in the stomach several times, he remained still. Blood dripping down his lips, Chad was breathing heavily on his seat.

Chad… Please don’t struggle. You’ll only get hurt!

Catching one of the men about to punch him on the face, I screamed at him. “No! Please, don’t hurt him anymore.”

To my relief, he stopped and looked at their leader instead. When the man signaled for him to go, he did willingly.

“What’s the matter? Scared you won’t be able to tell if it's his face or not?”

Just shut your mouth, or else…

Or else what, Rachel? You’re currently tied to a chair and have three lives on the line. Make one mistake and you will all die in this filthy room. That’s not how you planned to die, now, is it? a voice chastised me, which I didn’t block out, for I knew it was right.

It’s because of me that Chad got dragged into this. Because of me, Harvey’s kidnapped. If I was extra careful, I would have avoided this. Avoided this disaster from ever happening. This is all my fault.

“R-Rachel…” I looked up from the floor, being diverted from it to the sound of Chad’s hoarse voice. “I’ll…find…” His words were drowned by our captor’s laughter as he approached Chad.

“What’s that? You’ll find a way to save them both? Now that’s heroic of you!” His blond hair was pulled up harshly, emitting a pained groan from Chad, the criminal pointing at me. “Look at your woman’s eyes, Mr. Montgomery. Look how scared she is.”

Lips coated with his own blood, Chad’s eyes fluttered open and gazed upon me, full of remorse. Just the sight of it was heartbreaking, because he, too, blamed himself.

Chad…

“You wanted to save both of them, huh? But, sad to say, life doesn’t work that way.” Our captor snickered at Chad. “You’ll only get to save one—either that, or you get none. Simple as that. That’s the problem with you rich folks. You want everything to yourselves, but guess what? Everyone in this world is just on the same level. That’s why you couldn’t get that fiancée of yours—what’s her name again? Diane, was it?”

Chad went still and lowered his head to the ground. Only one thing ran in my mind: How did this criminal get information about us? Did he have spies planted in our houses? If so, who?

“Boss!” one of the criminals yelled out, rushing towards his leader’s side. “There are policemen patrolling the area.” Knowing that they had arrived slightly put me at ease, but it wasn’t enough.

They must find us first before these bastards think of relocating us. But if they do relocate us, I might be able to cause a distraction and—

“What? And you all just stood here like idiots?” Snarling like a wild animal, he pointed to his men. “Go and take care of it. The rest of you move the little boy into the van!”

Gasping in surprise, I struggled in my seat as they pulled Harvey up.

“Sis! Help me!”

Hand reaching out to him, I began to thrash on my seat, hoping I could get free. It was still a futile attempt. “Harvey! Don’t worry! I’ll get you out of this! Let go of him, you bastard! You’ll pay for this! You’ll all rot in jail!”

“Such bark coming from a small puppy.”

Blood boiling in rage, I clenched my fists as the urge of beating this sadistic man to a pulp grew stronger. Just you wait, when I break out of this bond, I’ll break that ugly face of yours!

Harvey’s cries smeared the room as he was taken away, leaving Chad and me with the devil.

“Where are you taking him?!”

“Well, the brat is much more valuable to your parents than you’ll ever be.”

I felt my heart sink to my stomach at his words. What is he talking about? He pretended to be shocked and covered his mouth.

“Oops, I can’t help blurting out the truth! Well, after losing their eldest son, who’s supposed to inherit their beloved empire, I won’t be surprised that they’ll choose your little brother.” A smile that was mocking me painted his lips.

“Oh, well, I’ll enjoy seeing you explode into smithereens as I drive away with your precious sibling.” He waved. “But, with your lover in front of you, I’m sure you won’t be lonely in your last three minutes. Goodbye!”

“Where do you think you’re going?!” I exclaimed ferociously, anger reaching its boiling point. “Give me back Harvey! You bastards! Give him back! I’ll kill you all! I’ll make you all pay!” My composure was collapsing; the wall I’d built up around me had crumbled and I didn’t give any care. Not anymore.

“Give him back to me, you moron!”

He suddenly hushed me. “Are you seriously acting this way now? I’ve only given you three minutes and you choose to act like this? At least you’re showing your true colors to your boyfriend now. He won’t die ignorant.”

I grew silent as my tears flooded my eyes before rolling down my cheeks in despair. Their footsteps fade away, along with Harvey’s cries. A minute hadn’t even passed when gunfire exploded somewhere out the front. This is it. The end of us.

Harvey, whatever happens…always know I love you. If you somehow escape, continue living.

Clenching my fists, I gritted my teeth together at my uselessness.

My true colors? No, they aren’t. It is just the emotion I’ve suppressed within me for the last few years. Anger never solves anything, but here I am right now. Pouring out all the red paint I’ve been saving from all the things I’ve gone through. The death of Denis, the sudden betrayal of Nathan, people who didn’t understand me… The list goes on.

And it’s all for nothing now.

“That…fucker.” Chad chuckled softly. “He…hid a bomb here, eh?” His chair’s legs scraped against the floor. “Might as well…find it right away. Either that, or we become ashes.” He suddenly stopped in his tracks. “Are you going to help me, Rachel, or not?”

My lips refused to move, soul currently drowning itself in self-pity. It was then that I looked up to see Chad already in front of me, staring at my soul. Even some of his face was covered in his own blood. His look of determination didn’t waver. It was admirable.

Unlike me; I have given up.

We continued to stare at each other for a few seconds, which felt like a lifetime, until I smiled gently. “Chad, have you ever had a dream?”

Taken aback, Chad slightly frowned at my question, which was out of the blue. “A…dream?” I nodded twice to confirm his thoughts. “Have you ever had one? Besides being the head of your company, having a family, and succeeding? Have you ever had a dream?”

When he didn’t answer, I internally sighed. Now’s not the time to ask such trivial questions. Not when you only have three minutes or less to escape this—

“A violinist.” The look I probably sported right then must have been complete disbelief for him to even frown harder at me. “What? Is it so unexpected of me?”

I immediately shook my head at him and giggled. “No, it’s just that…you never mentioned you played the violin,” I explained in a soft tone. “Ever since that day you played the piano, I thought that was the only instrument you knew.”

Chad grinned at my words, before shrugging. “I know how to play the piano but I’ve always favored the violin. I used to hate practicing it but I learned to like it.” He then nodded at me. “What about you, Rachel? What’s your dream?”

“Does it matter?” I sighed, “They’re all going to perish soon with me as soon as that bomb blows.” And when I’m gone, people mourn, then move on. The earth continues to spin on its axis and life goes on. I may be the daughter of a rich mogul and have all the things people dream of having, but I’m nothing special.

“Well, you can tell me later,” Chad muttered, hands wiggling behind him. “I’m…going to set us free before that bomb blows off.” I stared at him with wide eyes as he continued to struggle with his bonds. Chad succeeded in getting off his seat, hopping awkwardly, with his feet and hands still tied. I couldn’t help but wince when he let out a painful groan. I could only imagine the bruises blooming on his abdomen.

“D-do you spot any sharp objects?”

Eyes raking the surroundings, it was too dim to tell. That’s when I spotted a shiny object lying a few feet away. “There!” I gestured with my head. “There’s a knife! Probably one of the men dropped it.” A few seconds were used up by Chad in trying to grab the knife, until he succeeded.

Hopping to me, he went behind my back and handed me the knife. Carefully cutting the rope, Chad was soon free. I, too, was freed from my bounds. Rubbing the red marks on my wrists, Chad beckoned for me to follow him. The gunfire outside had yet to cease and all the men were busy fighting.

“Let’s get out of here!” Chad yelled. “If I’m not mistaken, we have one minute more before that bomb goes off!” I pointed to the direction they took Harvey. “This way, Chad!”

Running for our lives, Chad and I pushed the door open, which revealed another flight of stairs. Here, the sound of guns firing was louder and the atmosphere was cold. Realizing that we were finally out of the house, without hesitation, we climbed up.

It was… I couldn’t describe the feeling. Being denied freedom does things to you, and breathing the cold air—despite its irritation to my nose—was like having it for the first time. His grip like iron on my hand, Chad led us further away from the building.

It appeared that the police had conquered; the motionless bodies of our captor’s men lay on the ground, their own blood drowning them. Choking, I covered my mouth and followed behind Chad in a haste pace.

“Officer! Look!”

One of the men in uniform pointed at us. Seeing us, they began to run towards us. I gestured for them to stop.

“Don’t! There’s a bomb inside!”

Just as the words left my lips, immense heat licked my back as the wind was knocked out of me, the sound of the explosion deafening as I lay on the ground in pain. In the haze and heat, I lifted my head and turned to my right, to see Chad had fainted. Inhaling smoke, I let out a cough and weakly tugged at his hand. His hand was soon separated from mine as I was suddenly picked up from the ground.

World a blur, including words, I welcomed the darkness once again.

What’s happening?