Kidnapped

Kidnapped
Rex drove through the streets with his hands gripping the steering wheel. It was late and he was just now returning to his house. His shoulders were tense. His mind kept racing back to everything that had happened at the bar. The warehouse full of weapons. The lawyer’s warnings about prison and the trial that was was hanging above them like a dsrk cloud.

He tried to steady his breathing. He told himself he would be fine. That he just had to play his part in court if he stuck to the script then he would survive this mess one day at a time.

The road was empty. It was late and the last thing he was expecting was streets filled with people. 

That’s when two cars came out of nowhere, they didn’t stop even as they approached him in full speed.

Rex’s heart slammed against his ribs. He stomped on the brake pedal hard. Luckily, he was fast enough to avoid slamming into the cars. 

“What the hell?” he said out loud.

His car came to a stop just inches from the black cars that had also stopped when he probably wasn’t looking. 

Five men poured out of the two vehicles they moved fast and smooth with cold eyes. Every single one of them carried a gun like it was part of their body.

Rex’s first instinct was to reach for the pistol he kept under his seat. The one Dante had given him weeks ago. But when he saw five guns, his hand froze halfway to the weapon.

He was outnumbered. Outgunned. Completely screwed.

One of the men approached his driver side window. He banged on the glass with the barrel of his gun.

“Out,” he said. “Right now.”

Rex sat there for a moment. His pulse was racing so fast he felt dizzy. He opened his mouth to say something possibly to argue or negotiate or beg.

But the look in the man’s eyes told him that if he didn’t obey immediately, they would drag him out in pieces.

Slowly, Rex unbuckled his seatbelt. He pushed the door open with trembling fingers.

“What is this?” Rex demanded. “Who are you people? What do you want?”

Nobody answered. The silence was worse than threats would have been.

They grabbed his arms and started dragging him toward one of their cars. Rex tried to dig his heels into the pavement but they were too strong. 

“Talk to me!” he shouted. “Is this Draco? Did he send you? Are you working for the Sinclairs?”

Still nothing. 

“Fernando?” Rex tried another name. “Did Captain Fernando hire you?”

One of the men pulled out a thick black bag. Before Rex could react, it was yanked down over his head. 

Rex’s breathing turned ragged. He could smell the fabric against his nose. Every step forward made him stumble because he couldn’t see where he was going.

Strong hands shoved him into the back seat of a car. The door slammed shut then the engine started. They were moving.

Were they driving him to Draco? Had Draco finally decided to act on his hatred? Or was this something else entirely? Something worse?

Maybe Dante had set him up. Maybe this whole partnership had been a lie from the beginning. Maybe Rex was just another loose end that needed to be tied off.

The car finally stopped after what felt like hours but was probably only twenty minutes. Strong hands yanked him out of the back seat. He tried to struggle but they gripped him tighter. Started dragging him as they made their way forward.

They forced him down into a wooden chair. He could feel ropes pressed into his wrists and ankles as they tied him tight. 

Then, with one sharp tug, the bag was ripped off his head.

Rex blinked rapidly against the sudden light. It took some time for his vision to adjust, when his vision cleared, his heart sank straight through the floor.

Five men stood around him watching him, but there was a man who took his attention. He wore a perfectly tailored suit, his hair was styled. His shoes were polished. He looked like a businessman or lawyer.

This man didn’t need a gun to be dangerous. 

Rex swallowed hard. His throat felt like sandpaper. “Who are you?”

The man tilted his head slightly. Like he found the question amusing.

“Was it Draco who sent you?” Rex pressed. His voice was getting more desperate. “Fernando? Someone from the Sinclair family? Which one?”

The suited man’s eyebrows came together. He looked genuinely confused for a moment. Then he chuckled. 

“What are you talking about? None of those names mean anything to me.”

Rex felt his stomach drop through the floor. If it wasn’t Draco or Fernando or the Sinclairs, then who was this? What did they want?

The man stepped closer. His expensive shoes clicked on the wooden floor with each step.

“No, I’m here for a different reason entirely,” he said. His voice was calm. “I have a score to settle. With Dante Sinclair.”

Rex’s blood turned to ice water. “Dante?”

The man’s lips curved into a smile that had no warmth in it. “Once upon a time, Dante had a worker. Someone who was loyal to him. Someone who cared about him.” The smile got colder. “That worker ended up in Dante’s bed.”

He leaned in closer. Close enough that Rex could smell his expensive cologne.

“But then Dante found out his lover was passing information to enemies. Discovered he was a snitch.”

The man’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “Want to guess where that worker is now?”

Rex couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe.

The man didn’t wait for an answer. “Dead. Dante killed him with his own hands.”

A sickening weight settled in Rex’s stomach. He was starting to understand. This wasn’t about money or territory or business. This was about revenge. The most dangerous kind.

“You’re family of that guy?” Rex asked. 

“Brother.” The man straightened up. “And I want Dante to feel the same kind of loss I felt when he murdered my brother.”

Rex was overtaken with panic. “Then go after him!” His voice cracked and broke. “Why drag me into this? I didn’t do anything to you!”

The man’s smile got wider. “Because I want to see just how much Dante cares about you. If he comes running to save you, then I’ll know you mean something to him.”

He walked around Rex’s chair slowly.

“If he refuses to come, or if he takes too long deciding, then you die here. Tonight.”

Rex’s whole body started trembling against the ropes “This is insane!” he shouted. His voice echoed off the walls. “Dante is the one you should go after, I have nothing to do with him. What’s your problem?”

Tears were burning at the corners of his eyes.

“None of this have anything to do with me! Leave me out of it!”

But the suited man just kept staring at him with that same cold smile.