CHAPTER 263

CHAPTER 263
Mia's POV

The van rumbled to life beneath me, and I could feel us pulling away from the hospital. Through the mind link, I could sense the brothers' tension and concern, their protective instincts screaming at them to intervene.

I'm okay, I projected, trying to keep my mental voice calm and reassuring. Still conscious, still in control. They think their drug worked.

We're right behind you, Xavier responded, his mental tone tight with barely contained worry. About fifty yards back.

Good. Keep that distance. We need to see where they're taking me and who's waiting there.

The fake nurse had transferred me to a wheelchair at some point, probably to make transportation easier. I could hear at least three distinct voices in the van with me, plus the driver.

"I can't believe how easy that was," one of them said, his voice filled with smug satisfaction. "She didn't even wake up when we moved her."

"The boss is going to be so pleased," another voice added. "He's been trying to get his hands on her for months."

The boss. Finally, maybe we'll get some real answers.

"Yeah, well, let's just hope we can keep her unconscious long enough to get to the compound," a third voice said. "If she wakes up before we're ready, we're all dead."

They're more afraid of me than I expected. That's... interesting.

I could smell the familiar scents of Xavier, Nathan, Sean, and Rolex trailing behind us, their presence both comforting and nerve-wracking. They were close enough to help if things went wrong, but far enough away to avoid detection.

"How much longer?" the first voice asked.

"Twenty minutes, maybe thirty with this traffic," the driver replied.

Twenty minutes. I can handle twenty minutes.

As we drove, I listened carefully to their conversation, trying to glean any useful information. They were clearly low-level operatives - too talkative and too careless to be anything important. But they might lead us to someone who was.

"Think he'll let us watch when he questions her?" one of them asked, and the hungry way he said it made my skin crawl.

"Probably not," another replied. "You know how he is about his... special projects."

Special projects. That doesn't sound good.

Through the mind link, I could feel the brothers' rage building as they listened to these men discuss me like I was some kind of prize to be claimed.

Stay calm, I warned them. Don't let your emotions compromise the mission.

They're talking about hurting you, Sean's mental voice was practically vibrating with fury.

They're talking. That's all. And we're going to make sure it stays that way.

The van finally slowed and turned, the smooth asphalt giving way to what felt like a gravel road. We were definitely leaving the main roads, heading somewhere more isolated.

We're off the highway now, I updated the brothers. Gravel road, heading toward what sounds like a more remote location.

We see it, Nathan confirmed. Looks like an abandoned industrial area.

The van came to a stop, and I heard doors opening. Hands grabbed me from the wheelchair, lifting me with surprising gentleness - probably orders to keep me undamaged.

"Get her inside quickly," someone ordered. "We don't want to be seen out here."

I felt myself being carried across uneven ground, then up what seemed to be a set of stairs. The air changed around us - warmer, stuffier, with the smell of dust and disuse.

We're inside some kind of building. Abandoned warehouse, maybe. Multiple people here.

But as we moved deeper into the building, I began to hear more voices. A lot more voices. Far more than I'd expected for a simple kidnapping operation.

This is bigger than I thought, I realized with growing unease.

"Set her down here," a new voice commanded. This one was different from the others - more authoritative, more educated. "And make sure she's secure."

I felt myself being placed in what seemed to be a chair, and heard the sound of restraints being fastened. Still, I kept my breathing regular and my body limp.

"Are you sure the sedative will hold?" the authoritative voice asked.

"Positive," the fake nurse replied. "I gave her enough to keep a horse unconscious for hours."

"Good. Because we can't afford any mistakes with this one."

That's when I felt it - a sharp pinch in my neck. Another injection.

Shit.

This one was different from the fake injection they'd given me at the hospital. This one was real, and I could feel it immediately starting to affect my system. My limbs began to feel genuinely heavy, and maintaining consciousness became a real struggle.

This is bad, I projected desperately through the mind link. They gave me another shot. A real one this time.

We're moving in, Xavier's mental voice was sharp with alarm.

No, wait- I tried to say, but the drug was working too fast. My connection to the mind link was becoming fuzzy, harder to maintain.

Through my rapidly clouding consciousness, I heard the authoritative voice speak again.

"Perfect. Now we wait for our guests to arrive."

Guests?

"You're sure they followed her?" another voice asked.

"Of course they did. Those idiots are so predictable. They'll come charging in here thinking they're rescuing her, and we'll have all of them exactly where we want them."

The horrible realization hit me just as consciousness began to slip away.

This was never about kidnapping me. This was about luring the brothers into a trap.

We walked right into this. All of us.

I tried to send a warning through the mind link, tried to tell them to stay away, but the connection was fading along with my awareness.

The last thing I heard before the darkness claimed me was someone laughing.

"Like taking candy from a baby," the voice said with cruel satisfaction. "Now we just wait for the real show to begin."

No, I thought desperately as everything went black. Don't come for me. It's a trap. It's all a trap.

But I was already too far gone to know if my warning had reached them in time.