Chapter 4 -
“Nia Wallace,” the deep manly voice drawled her name, making her stiffen at the familiarity of it. It was only once and it didn’t last that long, but that voice, she would recognize it anywhere even if it came from the other side of a phone call.
Her steps were slow, but she managed to make a three-sixty, and when she came face to face with him, a gasp left her lips.
He was pointing a gun straight at her head, leather gloved hand wrapped around a real gun aimed between her eyebrows. She was being held at gunpoint, for the first time in her life, she was being held at gunpoint, the realization of the situation sinking in slowly while her heartbeat became rapid.
Nia didn’t know what to do, never in her existence did she think she would die by a gunshot wound, and it had to be when she was heartbroken too.
Her eyes left the object of her fears to stare at her potential killer. A painfully handsome man who looked to be in his early thirties, with dark hair, a muscular build, and intense gray eyes which held her hazel ones in a piercing gaze. His strong jawline was clamped together, no doubt he was gritting his teeth in sheer annoyance. And the small scar that ran from his left cheek down to his bottom lip, contrasted the formal black suit he wore. It was like he had been in a meeting and just rushed down here to wipe her off the face of the earth. Nia summoned the little courage she could muster in this life and death situation, and asked the same question from earlier.
“Who are you?” Then she added for good measure. “And what do you want from me?”
The man’s jaw ticked once after her question, the space around them quiet, save for the occasional ticking of her living room wall clock. Minutes passed and it felt like they were having a stare off, the man mostly assessing her. Then he dropped his arms, specifically the one holding the gun to her head, and at that moment, Nia released a ragged breath she didn’t know she had been holding all these while.
“We’re going down to my car, you act naturally. Act otherwise, and I won’t hesitate to blow your brains out.”
Unconsciously, she pictured the gruesome scene, her brain splattered on the hallway floor after she called out Isa’s name. The mental image made her shudder, as she stared at the retreating form of the huge man who was kidnapping her yet making it look like she had a choice.
She wanted to stop him, maybe ask him whatever it was he needed to know about Alex, and they could discuss it here without her getting into his car and going Lord knows where. But he had given her that option via phone call, and she had messed up badly. Though none of it was her fault, because who wanted to speak about their ex with a stranger? Exactly, nobody.
The dark haired man waited at the entrance of the living room, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes, and that godforsaken cologne enveloping the tense atmosphere. If not for the gun still in his hand, she would have bolted to Isa, or anywhere away from him. But the gun left little to no room for any of that. So, she did the most reasonable thing and walked, each step feeling like she was climbing a hill. Nia bypassed him at the door, pausing for a brief moment to see maybe he would change his mind. Though the opposite was the case as he watched her with cold gray eyes.
Seeing that there was nothing to be done, she walked straight ahead in her black sweatpants and a blue tank top, taking the stairs that weren't in the direction of Isa’s apartment door. All through the way, she felt the looming presence behind her, his scent accosting her nose. They were out in the open, and she knew he couldn’t do anything here, so Nia decided to try her luck again.
“You said you were looking for Alex,” she mumbled, her voice low but loud enough for him to hear though he gave no sign of him actually listening. “The last I saw of him was two hours ago, or more, I’m not sure…” She stopped herself from rambling, taking a deep breath before trying again. “Today was supposed to be our one year anniversary. We were meant to celebrate the special occasion at home with his favorite meal; lasagna. But he came clean to me, of how he had been cheating in our relationship.”
There was no need divulging this much information, except she needed this man to know that Alex was now her past, and she didn’t know where he might be. So she continued, trying the path of sympathy, “Alex broke my heart to pieces, leaving me with the shards of what was left. I don’t know where he went, I just know he left my life permanently to go and be with his lover.”
If the man was listening, there was no indication or a change in his steps or anything she could deduce from where he was following right behind her. Groaning internally, Nia knew that irrespective of what she had to say, he was still taking her along with him. They were on the staircase of the first floor now, going down to the ground floor. She hoped that wherever this arrogantly handsome and dangerous man was taking her, it would be somewhere she would leave unscathed. They reached the building lobby, which was occupied by only one person loitering around. The said person was unfamiliar, confirming that there was no escaping this. She wondered if Isa was already searching for her after taking too long to get black pepper for the chicken noodle soup she craved but won’t be able to eat.
The cold wind hit her like a train as she stepped outside of the building and into the night. Some passersby’s eyes were drawn to something behind her—rather, the man who was oozing menacing energy a few steps back. She stopped at the end of the stairs, waiting for him to lead her to the car he had mentioned earlier. The stranger came beside her, watching her from the corner of his eyes. If it were any other scenario, she would have melted at the intensity of his gaze. But this was kidnapping, he was her soon to be captor. Therefore, no guard can be let down even in the presence of a handsome stranger. They both waited in silence, his eyes on her, and hers on anything else aside those grays.
Suddenly, the shadows at a corner of the street bent, emerging from it a bulky man with a shaved head and a thick beard, typically like any bouncer at a high end club. He was approaching where she stood, walking with a deliberate, purposeful stride, radiating an aura of contained violence that ticked something in her brain. Fear, unadulterated fear.
There was no doubt he and the man beside her were companions, and that pushed her to at least call for help or something like it. Because these men weren’t ordinary men, she had known this from seeing the handsome stranger with a gun earlier. But this bulk of a man stamped that idea that these were men that could break her however they see fit. And she wasn’t willing to go through that experience because of that douche Alex.
“Boss.” The man greeted the one beside her with a bow of respect. He was their boss, a mafia boss? Or just an office boss? The former seemed more likely. His dull brown eyes came on her for a split second, before returning to his boss—the man beside her, waiting for further instructions. The only gesture that came from him was a nod, then the bulky man turned, retreating to where he came from.
“Nia…Nia, is that you?” Isa’s voice came from somewhere in the lobby, but she couldn’t see her yet, though her friend must have seen her. At the top of her lungs, ignoring the thought of her brain being blown out of her skull, Nia screamed.
“Isa, Isa, it’s myuu.” Her last word came out in a muffle because of the leather glove clamped on her mouth hard, silencing her. Before she could run in her friend’s direction, Nia felt herself lifted from the ground and thrown over huge shoulders. Instead of the handsome stranger, it was the bulky man carrying her away, while his boss followed behind, glaring at her. No hand was on her mouth thankfully, so she continued screaming with the blood rushing to her head from her upside down position. “Isa, help!”