Chapter 113 Kidnapped
Kira’s POV
Cold water slammed into my face like a slap from hell.
I jerked awake, gasping, body convulsing from the shock. Shivers ripped through me so hard my teeth chattered.
How the fuck was I this cold? I’d survived that frozen fantasy kingdom with snow up to my knees and barely felt a thing…now a bucket of tap water had me shaking like a leaf?
My clothes clung to my skin, soaked and freezing, and my head pounded like someone had used it for a drum.
I blinked hard, trying to focus. Dim warehouse light, concrete floor and just two windows. Four big, ugly thugs circled me now, grinning like hyenas who’d just won the lottery.
“Aw, look at that…the cutie’s finally awake from her beauty sleep,” one of them sneered, cracking his knuckles. Tattoos crawled up his neck like snakes. “Sleep well, princess?”
Another one laughed, low and dirty. “Bet she’s wondering where her rich hubby is now.”
No words to describe them…they looked pretty much like low budget thugs…but scary nonetheless.
I pushed myself up on my elbows, wrists already aching from the zip ties behind my back. “What the hell do you want?” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “Do you even know whose wife I am? Adrian Draven’s. Touch me and you’re all dead men walking before dinner.”
“Oowww, I’m scared out of my pants!” One snickered and the others laughed.
The biggest one…bald, gold tooth flashing…stepped closer and spat on the floor. “Don’t give a fuck who your man is, sweetheart. We get paid, we get our fun, job done. Simple math.”
My stomach dropped. I didn’t even need to ask who sent them. The fake Summers. The murderers.
Maybe they’d finally figured out that I’m not some random girl stirring shit at the funeral. Maybe they think I’m the real Kira, back from the dead, and they wanted me silenced for good. Or maybe just someone who used to know her secretly and they feel threatened because of my presence…and have decided to shut me up forever.
I forced a laugh, even though my heart was trying to punch out of my ribs. “Where are the cowards who hired you? Too chicken to face me themselves? Send you little errand boys instead?”
Footsteps clicked from the shadows just then and Miranda strolled out like she owned the damn place…hair perfect now, black dress still on from the funeral, red lipstick reapplied…sharp enough to cut glass.
One of the thugs hurried over with a folding chair like a damn butler. She sat right in front of me, legs crossed, while the others forced me down onto my knees in the dirty puddle of water.
She grabbed my chin hard, nails digging in, tilting my face up. “Pretty girl,” she purred, “I have theories about your little madness at the funeral. First, that loser Kira kept you as her secret bestie and spilled all her sad little secrets. Second, you were at the crime scene and you witnessed the whole thing and did some digging. But you’re not from around here… so it can’t be either of those, can it?”
I smiled…slow, wicked, the kind that came from the darkest part of me. “That’s right, sisi.” I lifted an eyebrow, grinning right in her face. “It’s me, Kiki. As a matter of fact, I possessed someone’s body and now I’m here to haunt all of you.”
Dead silence for two full seconds as she watched me with horrified eyes.
Then I leaned in and went “Boo!”
Miranda jumped so hard she almost fell off the chair. I burst out laughing…real, belly-deep laughs that echoed off the walls.
“What kind of movies do you watch these days, miss?” I teased, still chuckling.
Her face turned beet red, pure rage. Before I could even flinch, her hand cracked across my cheek. The slap rang out like a gunshot. My head snapped to the side, stinging fire spreading across my skin.
Nah. Fuck this.
She already killed me once. Bullied me my whole life and took everything from me. This second chance? She wasn’t getting to slap me around in it.
My hands were tied, but that didn’t stop me. I lunged forward with everything I had, slamming my face into her thigh and sinking my teeth in deep. I bit like a rabid animal…clenching, tearing, tasting blood instantly.
Miranda screamed, high and shrill, thrashing to shake me off. “Get her off! Get this bitch off me!”
The thugs rushed in, yanking me back by the hair and arms. They finally pried my jaw open, but not before I’d left a nasty, bleeding chunk in her leg. She was bleeding through her dress now, red soaking the black fabric.
Aha! Satisfying!
“You mad dog!” she shrieked, clutching her thigh. “You fucking animal!”
I spat her blood onto the floor and grinned through the pain. “Technically, you’re right. I’m not fully human anymore. Want me to show you my fangs?”
She lost it at that point. Screamed again, shot up from the chair, and fisted a handful of my wet hair, yanking my head back so hard my scalp burned. I didn’t scream. Didn’t cry. Just stared up at her, breathing hard.
“Daddy know you’re here attacking Adrian Draven’s wife?” I asked, voice calm even though my heart was racing. “You got a death wish or something?”
“Shut up!” She was shaking now. “You’re making me lose my mind and I won’t allow it. Tell me how you know all this shit. Who the hell are you really? What do you know?”
I weighed it fast. Pissing her off while being tied up and at a disadvantage wasn’t smart…I’ve been clearly outnumbered. I needed to buy more time. I needed Adrian or Victoria to find me. So I kept my voice steady. “I’m Adrian Draven’s wife. Kira Draven.”
“Go on,” she snapped.
“Go on to where exactly?” I shot back. “What do you want from me?”
“Maybe you need a lesson first before you understand.” She let go of my hair and stepped back, eyes glittering with something nasty. “Strip her.”
My blood turned to ice. “You’re bluffing.”
I saw the glint in her eyes and swallowed.
Shit. She wasn’t.
The men moved in. Rough hands grabbed the neckline of my dress and ripped…fabric tore loud, cold air hitting my skin. Another guy yanked at the hem, laughing. “Damn, look at that. We’re gonna have fun tonight, boys. It’s a feast.”
Terror slammed into me so hard I couldn’t breathe. The first thought that hit me wasn’t Mom, wasn’t revenge…it was Adrian. His face. His voice as he promised he’d destroy anyone who hurt me.
Where the fuck is he now?
Why isn’t he magically appearing before me like in movies and slaughtering all these thugs?