Chapter 5 -
Her friend’s voice split the lobby, “I’m coming.” But she was already in the shadows, doubting if her friend would see her or a sack of potatoes thrown over a man’s shoulder. The fight for freedom left her body when the man stopped walking and dropped her to the ground, her coming face to face with a very angry looking hulk. He sidestepped her and opened the door to a black car she couldn’t quite recognize because of how it blended with the shadows.
“Get in or I’ll use other methods to put you in this car,” the bulky man spat at her, his voice gruff.
“Where are you, Nia?” Her best friend’s voice resounded in the street, she cast a glance behind her shoulders to see Isa, but a dark suit was blocking her line of vision, his cologne an indication of his presence. When she looked up to his face, she saw his gray eyes narrowed, as if daring her to say another word.
Nia swallowed, seeing she didn’t have much of a choice and entered the back seat of the car, the door slammed shut after she was in.
The driver’s seat was occupied by a blonde man whose face she couldn’t see yet, but if anything, he had the same energy as the other two. The door to the other side opened at the same time with the one in front, and both men entered the car, the dark haired one seated beside her at the back seat, and the bald one beside the situated driver. Nia sat silently, her heart racing for the unknown.
She was surrounded by dangerous looking men who had taken her from her apartment building without any warning or regard to human rights. The blonde man brought the car’s ignition to life, pulling out of the curb and navigating the streets with ease, expertly merging into the highway. Seated to his right, the bulky man's eyes were fixed on the road, intermittently glancing at her in the rear view mirror. Nia decided she hated him already. And her main captor, whose piercing gray eyes seemed to always bore into her soul, was nowhere staring at her. His gaze focused on the road ahead of them, with his jaw clenched and expression stern.
Nia turned to her window side mirror, the city blurring outside as the car sped down the road. Her thoughts swirled with unanswered questions. Like what had Alex been involved with for these people to come after her as collateral? And why won’t they listen to what she had to say? Then the most important question, who were these people? The last question was pretty much obvious with the kidnapping stunt and the gun that had been pointed at her, but it appeared there was more to them than just being mere dangerous men.
Fear gnawed at her, but she decided to keep her emotions under control, especially around these nuisances. It only lasted a minute because she broke the silence to ask.
“Where are you taking me to?” Her voice came out composed, whereas it was the opposite of how she felt inside. The stranger by her side shifted, his gaze meeting hers just for a brief moment to respond, his deep voice filling the car.
“You’ll know soon enough.” As if that was any different from not knowing at all, she decided to ask again to get something out of his arrogant mouth. “What do I have to do with all of this?”
There was a considerable amount of silence in the car after her second question, with not a word uttered to satisfy her curiosity. Nia narrowed her eyes at the man beside her, while his expression remained impassive as he focused on the road ahead. It was clear he wasn’t going to supply her an answer, neither did the bald man who took quick glances at her, nor the driver who hadn’t shown a single interest in her for the few minutes she’s been in the car. Frustration built up within her, the need to snap at them growing every second, but she tried to hold the reins of her emotions, biting back further questions that might provoke their wrath.
The car ride was approximately an hour and some minutes, but it felt like it would never end. Except it did, after passing by the urban landscape that gave way to rolling hills and dense forests, the car slowed down. Turning onto a gravel path that led to a secluded mansion that loomed hauntingly before them. Nia gaped at the whole building in awe, she didn’t know there were mansions like this in the city outskirts, much less grandeur and neoclassical style. The large black gates opened automatically, and the blonde man pulled into the driveway which had multiple men in black suits holding firearms, littering the premises, their watchful eyes tracking the car’s every move.
Nia’s minds churned as her eyes darted between the armed men and the mansion illuminated by ground lights. She wondered what kind of place this was, and more importantly, why she was brought there. Immediately the car stopped, signified by the shutdown of the engine, the man beside her yanked the car door by his side open, alighting the vehicle without saying so much as a word to her. Next, the bulky man did the same, with only her and the blonde driver whose face she hasn’t seen yet. Nia shifted from her position, trying to get a better angle of the blonde’s face. But she barely had time to look before the chilly evening air from her opened side door hit her face.
“Get out!” The bulky man barked at her, making her flinch at the loudness of his voice. She didn’t know why the man held her in much contempt, though the feeling was mutual. To spite him, Nia climbed out of the vehicle slowly, and saw the form of the strange man retreating into the mansion without a second glance at her, or the car.
“What is this place?” She asked, taking the whole grounds in. Nia wasn’t expecting an answer, but it came, surprisingly, from the baldie. “This will be your temporary residence. Until you give us the information we need.” At least he was giving her something, so she pressed on.
“And what information do you need from me?”
The man regarded her, his eyes lazily going from her head, traveling down her body then back to her face. Nia hated being under the scrutiny of the bozo’s gaze, or how his eyes lingered on her chest. But she didn’t say anything because he was the one that could give her the answers that she needed.
“That should be directed to the Enforcer,” he simply said like it was explainable enough. His massive hands at his sides suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her forward to the entrance of the mansion. Nia tried to wretch her arm free from his hold, but the man only tightened his grip, dragging her toward the looming mansion painted a deep shade of gray and white, with the lawns and gardens around it perfectly trimmed.
Some men at the entrance glared at her with their scary guns in hand, to which she should have cowered at the sight. Instead, matched their glare with her deathly one. She and the pound of flesh approached large double glass doors, even larger than the man rough handling her, and stepped into the fortress. The sight to behold made her freeze, the breath was knocked out of her as she moped at the crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. Nia was mesmerized by the room’s opulence, occupied by lavish furnishings and various sophisticated artworks adorning the walls. She totally stopped in track, overwhelmed by everything displayed. Although she wanted to savor every detail of the place with her eyes, she was thrust back to reality by the bald man’s grip on her arms tightening.
“Move,” he growled, nudging her forward harshly. Nia’s eyes left the interior design to the man beside her who looked irritated at the way she gaped. At the corner of her eyes, she saw another person approaching from the sweeping staircase to where they stood. A woman in her mid years with shoulder length salt and pepper hair, and little wrinkles that formed in the side of her eyes. She appeared confident, and exuded authority, even in the simple white dress that looked like a uniform at a burger shop. “The boss ordered you hand her over to me,” the woman addressed baldie beside her, whose hands came off immediately as if he had touched something hot.
“Behave yourself,” he admonished as parting words, and walked away to an angle of the foyer, before disappearing behind another smaller glass door.