Chapter 85 Standing By and Doing Nothing

Calliope's heart was pounding; she knew this had to be about Owen.

Trying to keep her cool and buy some time, she asked, "Can you at least tell me who wants to see me? Who did I piss off?"

"You don't need to know that," another guy cut in, sounding annoyed.

Calliope realized if they took her, things would get really bad. She scanned the area, looking for any way out.

Then she spotted a convenience store nearby, its lights still on and a few people going in and out.

"Alright, I'll go with you," she said, pretending to give in. But as soon as they relaxed, she bolted towards the store.

"Shit, get her!"

The three men sprang into action, chasing after her.

Calliope ran like her life depended on it, her heart racing and the wind whipping past her ears. She couldn't afford to slow down, not even for a second.

If she could just make it to the store, she might be safe.

As she reached the entrance, she yelled, "Help! Someone's trying to kidnap me!"

But before she knew it, a handkerchief was pressed over her mouth.

Then she was out cold.

By the time the store clerk and customers turned around, all they saw was a van speeding off.

"What was that noise?"

"Probably nothing."

They had no idea Calliope had been snatched right in front of them.

When Calliope came to, she found herself in a corner. Her eyes weren't covered, but her hands were tied behind her back, making it impossible to move.

She tried to calm her breathing and struggle against the ropes, but they were too tight.

Her eyes darted around the room, spotting a half-open window with a curtain fluttering in the breeze, letting in a bit of light. The moon was half-visible, and she could faintly hear waves crashing in the distance.

The air had a nasty fishy smell. She must be in a small house by the sea.

She was kidnapped over a hundred miles from the coast. How long had she been out?

Thankfully, her phone was still in her inner pocket.

Suddenly, it rang, startling her in the quiet room!

She couldn't reach it with her hands tied, so the call went to voicemail.

Despair started to creep in, but Calliope wasn't ready to give up. She fell to the ground and tried to get her phone to slide out from her collar.

After rolling around, she finally got the phone out.

But now, with her hands tied, she couldn't unlock it, and the facial recognition on this crappy phone was practically useless.

In her desperation, Calliope had a sudden idea and quickly activated the voice assistant.

Luckily, the assistant responded, but it could only handle simple commands.

"Call emergency services."

"Okay, dialing emergency services."

As the call connected, she saw Daniel's number on the screen and froze.

When they were dating, Daniel had insisted on setting himself as her emergency contact.

After they broke up, she unblocked his number but never removed him as her emergency contact.

The call was answered quickly, but the voice on the other end was a woman's.

"Calliope, are you serious? Why are you calling my fiancé in the middle of the night?"

It was Zara.

"I've been kidnapped. Please call the police for me. I don't know exactly where I am, but it's a small house by the sea. Please help me."

No matter how much Zara hated her, she wouldn't leave her to die, right? But Zara laughed.

"Why should I save you?"

"Zara, this isn't a joke!"

Calliope's voice shook, fear finally taking over.

She was in real danger. Every second counted!

Zara's tone stayed icy. "Weren't you so tough before? When I offered you money to leave, you refused. Now you need my help?"

Despite her fear, Calliope knew she had to stay calm. "Zara, I get why you're mad. I promise I'll never bother you again if you help me this time."

There was a pause on the other end.

Zara asked, "Are you really kidnapped?"

"Yes, I'm really kidnapped!" Calliope thought she saw a glimmer of hope, her voice urgent.

But Zara's next words felt like a plunge into ice water.

"Then go die. Don't worry; I'll come to your memorial."

The call ended.

Calliope's last hope was crushed.

As she was still reeling from the shock, she heard someone cursing and running outside.

"Shit, she's making a call!"

"Get her out of here!"

Calliope was then hooded and dragged away roughly, her legs getting injured in the process.

But with her life on the line, she didn't care about the pain.

Finally, she was thrown onto a boat.

It was definitely a boat; she heard the engine roar and felt the floor swaying with the waves.

"Take off her hood."

A man's raspy voice commanded. He sounded old, or maybe just like a heavy smoker.

When the hood was removed, her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. It was even brighter here than inside the house.

By the moonlight, she saw Harry sitting in front of her.

She couldn't believe Harry hadn't been caught by the police!

Harry laughed, showing his yellow teeth.

"How's it going, bitch? Didn't expect me to escape, did you?"

Calliope questioned, "Why did you capture me?"

"Stop pretending. You and Matthew put on quite a show, getting me involved!"