Chapter 35 The real monster

Chapter 35 The real monster

The night air was colder than I expected. I pulled my jacket tighter as I reached the old building at the edge of the street. The address matched the one on the paper, I didn't know anywhere, I had to ask for directions to the Old Captive House.

The place looked abandoned. The walls were cracked, the windows broken, and weeds had climbed up the steps. I hesitated at the door. Every part of me wanted to run, but I forced myself forward. My parents could be here and Charles could be watching.

I pushed the door open slowly. It creaked loud in the quiet. Inside, the room, the air was heavy with dust. Old furniture lay broken, and there were marks on the floor as if something had been dragged. I stepped in carefully, my shoes crunching on broken glass.

“Hello?” My voice sounded small in the large, empty room. There was no answer.

I took another step. “Mom? Ryan?”

There was no reply, just the wind whistling through a broken window. My chest tightened, this was supposed to be it. But there was nothing there, I couldn't find my mom or my brother. Ryan wasn't here too.

I walked in deeper, checking each room, each corner. Nothing. I was about to give up when I heard something a shuffle behind me.

Before I could turn, a hand grabbed my arm.

I gasped and tried to pull away, but another hand covered my mouth. “Don’t scream,” a voice said sharply.

Two men attacked me, both wore black masks. The tall one held a gun, and the shorter one had a phone in his hand.

“What do you want?” I managed to say as they pulled me back into the main room.

The shorter man laughed. “We want money, sweetheart. That’s all. You’ll be fine if your boyfriend pays.”

“My..what?”

The tall one pressed the gun against my side. “Don’t play dumb, Charles Ashford. We know you’re with him.”

My heart stopped. How did they know?

They pushed me into a chair. The tall man tied my hands behind my back with a rough rope. “Sit still,” he warned.

The shorter man was already calling someone. I could hear the tone, then a click. He put the phone on speaker.

Charles’s voice came through, calm and cold. “Who is this?”

The man grinned. “Your little princess is with us. If you want her back, send ten million. Or we send her body back in pieces.”

My eyes widened, I looked at the phone, waiting for Charles to say something.But he didn’t.

There was a long silence. Then he said quietly, “Send me your location.”

The shorter man looked smug. “Good choice. You’ve got thirty minutes.”

But then Charles’s voice changed. “No, you made your mistake.”

He ended the call and the line went dead.

The men stared at the phone. One of them swore. “He hung up?”

I couldn’t breathe. “What does that mean?”

The tall man turned on me. “It means he doesn’t care about you. And now we’re both in trouble.”

I shook my head. “No… you don’t understand. He’ll come.”

The tall man grabbed my hair, forcing me to look up. “You think that monster’s gonna save you? You’re just one of his toys. Maybe he’ll send your finger to prove a point.”

Tears burned in my eyes. “Please… please don’t hurt me.”

He laughed and pushed me back against the chair. “You’ll shut up and wait till we figure this out.”

They began arguing, whispering sharply between themselves. I caught words like boss, deal, and trap. My mind raced. What if Charles wasn’t coming? What if this was the end?

I pulled at the rope, trying to loosen it. The knot burned against my wrists, but I kept going. I had to do something but I couldn't free myself.

One of the men noticed. “Stop moving!” He raised his hand to hit me, but before he could, there was a loud sound outside, like a car door slamming hard.

The men froze.

“Someone’s here,” the tall one hissed.

They ran to the window and peered outside. I could hear faint footsteps getting closer.

“Check the back,” one said. The shorter one moved quickly, his gun raised.

I sat still, my breath caught in my throat. The sound of steps came closer until it stopped right outside the door, the the door burst open.

The shorter man was thrown to the ground, his gun sliding across the floor. The tall one turned, shouting, but before he could fire, Charles stepped into the room. His face was calm, but his eyes were sharp, cold.

He moved fast, he fired a shot and the tall one fell.

The other tried to crawl away, but Charles caught him, slammed him against the wall, and knocked him out cold.

The room went quiet again.

My heart was pounding so loud I could hear it.

Charles turned to me. His shirt was half torn, dust on his sleeves. His eyes met mine, he looked angry but calm.
“Are you hurt?” His voice was low, almost too calm.

I shook my head. “I..i thought you weren’t coming.”

He walked closer and crouched beside me, and cut the rope from my wrists. “You should know by now,” he said, “I don’t leave what’s mine behind.”

I wanted to say something, to ask what he meant, but the words wouldn’t come. My body shook from the adrenaline, from fear, from everything but I didn't speak.

He stood, pulling me up with him. “We’re leaving,” he said. “This place isn’t safe anymore.”

I glanced at the two unconscious men on the floor. “Who were they?”

“Trash,” he said simply. “People Matteo sends when he runs out of brains.”

He grabbed my arm and guided me toward the door. The night air hit me again, this time it brushed against my face, a black car was parked outside, its engine still running.

I tried to keep up, but my leg still hurt from before. He noticed, slowed down a little, and helped me into the car.

Once he was behind the wheel, he started the engine without looking at me. His jaw was tight, his hands steady.

“Charles…” I said softly.

He didn’t answer. He just drove, eyes fixed on the road.

The lights of the city blurred past us. I looked out the window, my thoughts spinning. I should have been relieved, i was alive. But it didn't feel right, the way he had looked at those men, the way he spoke after killing them like it meant nothing.

I turned my head slightly, watching him."Am I going to be punished."