Chapter 71 KIDNAPPED

Chapter 71 KIDNAPPED

ARIA'S POV 

The next thing I was thrown in a vehicle,it sounded like a van.

“Don’t scream.”

I struggled. Strong hefty arms wrapped around me, lifting me off my feet. My boot slipped on the wet floor and I kicked, tried to twist, but it was no use.

“Relax,” a deep voice murmured near my ear. “This won’t hurt… much.”

I bit on his hand. He yelled,cursed and jerked back slightly, giving me a brief moment to break free,but another hand grabbed my wrist.

“Stop! Let me go!” I screamed.

“You’re coming with us, sweetheart,” a second voice said. It was male, calm, almost too calm. “No one needs to get hurt if you just cooperate.”

My mind raced. Who could this be? Surely it wasn’t some random person.

They knew exactly what they were doing.

“Look, I don’t know what you want, but you’re making a huge mistake,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.

One of the men tilted his head, observing me. “Mistake? Honey, you’re already part of someone else’s plan.”

I froze. My stomach dropped. “Plan? Who… who sent you?”

“No one you know,” the calm one replied. “Now move.”

I tried to pull free again, but they overpowered me. A cloth was pressed to my face, smelling faintly of chemicals. My eyes watered immediately. I gagged, trying to inhale, tried to resist. My knees weakened and I felt myself being lifted again.

“Wait! You can’t just… you can’t do this!” I coughed, fighting the fog creeping into my mind.

“You’ll thank us later,” the leader said. His voice was low, almost gentle. “If you survive, that is.”

I kicked, screamed, clawed,anything to break free,but it was useless. I realized with a sinking heart that I was outnumbered and outmatched. I panicked.

“Who… why… what do you want from me?” I gasped.

“You’ve seen too much, sweet girl,” he said, almost softly. “Or maybe you’ve been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way… you’re coming with us.”

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, trying to steady my voice despite the fear coursing through me.

“Somewhere safe,” one said, almost too casually. “Safe for us. Not so much for you.”

I laughed, bitterly,my voice shaking “Safe for you? You’ve kidnapped me! That’s not safe for me!”

They exchanged glances. One of them chuckled. “Smart girl. I like that. It’s a shame it won’t help.”

I tried to gather my thoughts, thinking of all the possible ways to escape. The doors were locked. The windows tinted. There was no way out. My hands, tied tightly. “Please… just let me go,” I said, my voice trembling, trying to appeal to reason. “You don’t know who I am. You don’t want this.”

“Sweetheart, we know exactly who you are,” the leader said, leaning closer so I could see the glint in his eyes. “And we know exactly who wants you gone.”

My stomach sank. The words… they weren’t random. Someone had planned this. Someone knew me, knew where I would be. My mind flashed to Damian, but the thought barely settled before I forced it away. This wasn’t his doing… or was it?

“Don’t fight it,” he said, reading my expression. “You’ll only make it worse for yourself.”

I clenched my teeth. “I’m not scared of you. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

“Oh, I think I do,” he replied, almost mocking. “But let’s test that theory, shall we?”

They drove in silence for a few minutes, the van swaying slightly around the corners. My heart pounded so loudly I feared they could hear it. I tried to take deep breaths, tried to calm my racing thoughts.

“What do you want?” I asked again, my voice steadier this time, though the fear was still there. “Money? A message? Revenge?”

The leader smirked. “All of the above, maybe. But mostly… money.”

“money?” I repeated, feeling the weight of the word.

“Yes,” he said simply. “And right now, you are it.”

I pressed my head back against the seat, my mind spinning. Money for what? Who could possibly want me like this? The possibilities ran through my thoughts,each worse than the last.

Another man was in the van with them, checking the route on a tablet. 

I swallowed hard. “Whoever sent you… you’ll fail. You’ll regret this.”

The leader’s eyes narrowed. “Regret? Maybe. But we don’t care about regrets, Aria. We care about you. And right now, the result is simple: you’re coming with us.”

I struggled again, but it was hopeless. My hands, my body… everything was restrained. The sense of helplessness washed over me , panic threatening to overtake thought.

The van slowed, turning into a dark, industrial area. My heart raced as the building came into view,tall, cold, foreboding. My stomach churned.

“Where are we?” I demanded.

“Somewhere quiet,” he said. “Somewhere no one will find you for a while.”

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to calm myself, to think of a plan. But the ropes cut into my wrists, there was no escape here.I that I was trapped. Completely.

“Open your eyes,” the leader said suddenly.
“Welcome, Aria,” he said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “You’ll learn quickly… cooperation makes everything easier.”

I gritted my teeth. “I’ll never cooperate. You hear me? Never.”

He chuckled darkly. “We’ll see. We’ll see.”

The van doors opened.i was dragged out and pushed.

“Sit,” the leader commanded.

I refused, planting my feet firmly.

He sighed, like a teacher indulging a defiant student. “I admire your spirit, Aria. But it won’t help you.”

The other man pushed me down into a chair, my hands still bound. My heart raced, mind spinning.

“Who… why…?” I whispered, voice trembling. “Who sent you?”

The leader paused. His eyes glimmered in the dim light. “All in good time, Aria. All in good time.”

I felt a chill that went straight to my bones. This wasn’t just a kidnapping. This was the beginning of something far worse.

And then, a man moved behind the leader,a figure I couldn’t make out, tall, still, watching.

“Don’t move,” a low voice whispered.