21. Gianna

It takes a lot to keep my eyes open. The pain in the back of my head is excruciating.

The stinging light of the single overhead fluorescent light makes everything worse. There are six hugely built men standing around, some with guns bulging out of their holsters. All mean and scary as hell.

The place looks like an abandoned warehouse somehow. The smell of cigarettes, urine and blood are the first things I can pick up. It makes me want to retch.

One of the men whispers to the one next to him. The man he whispers to, looks at me and smirks. “Sleeping beauty is finally awake.”

The way he says it makes me think Ive been out of it for a long time—I have no idea how long.

I swallow hard and quickly scan the area for windows and doors. My heart sinks a little when there is none in sight.

The man and his friend leave, bang the door after them.

Nala must be so worried and beating herself up right now for this.

The door opens again, and I recognize the man who hit me. He smirks and I struggle against the chair, feeling pain in my tied wrists every time I move.

“What does our pretty damsel want to say?” He kneels in front of me and makes a tutting sound, shaking his head. “Its such a shame that we met like this. Otherwise, I would have made you one of my pets.” He caresses my cheeks with his finger. I turn my face away, disgusted.

Im angry that my mouth is taped. If it weren’t, I would have spit at him.

He looks back at the other men. “Weve got a feisty one here, fellas.” They laugh at my expense.

He pinches my chin, and I wince in pain, making me face him. “If you keep up with this attitude, I can have my way with you right here and even recruit my men to have you one after the other.”

“Hands off her.” A stern and familiar voice echoes in the room.

The man immediately steps back, looking disappointed by the intrusion. The other men straighten their postures, all now on alert.

I look around for the owner of the voice.

But two other men step into my view, dressed in the same clothes as the others. They make their way toward the person I suppose is their boss.

My breath hitches as Perez steps into the room.

No, no, no. My eyes must be deceiving me.

He claps the shoulder of my kidnapper before his eyes meet mine. He smirked. That same smirk that always came off as friendly is now creepy.

“I suppose you are surprised, Gianna, or should I call you G? What does Chris call you?” He taps his chin, pretending to look deep in thought.

“Oh, she wants to talk?” He waves one of his men over to him. “Remove the tape.”

“Are you sure, sir? She might cause a scene.”

He gives the man a hard glare that even makes me shiver in fear. “Are you questioning me?”

The man gulps and shakes his head. “No, Im sorry, boss.”

“Now, do as I asked you.” He gestures toward me, and every movement is aggressive. The man steps up to me. He harshly removes the tape from my mouth, leaving my lips tingling in pain.

Perez walks forward and shoves the man away.

“Why?” My voice comes out croaky, showing my fear and shock.

He laughs, throwing his head back. “You are just as clueless as I thought.” He leans down and holds my jaw, forcing my head up to look at him. “You should have just listened to him when he warned you to stay away from me.”

“Why are you hurting me? Is it because I rejected you? Are you that bitter?”

He releases me all of a sudden, causing me to tumble back on the floor with the chair. My tied hands are now beneath me on the cold and hard floor, hurting from my weight. I bite hard on my lower lip to rein in the pain. Thankfully, my head hit a used tire instead of the floor.

My body convulses in pain. I start to tear up, but I throw my head back a little to prevent myself from showing any weakness to my enemy.

He crouches next to me, but I refuse to meet his eyes. “How does it feel to lie down there?” He stands and pulls my chair up to its normal position. He pulls my hair and wrenches my head to the side. My neck is aching. “I only chose to use you when I discovered your connection with Chris. I have never seen him so smitten with a woman. Thats when you became my target.”

He pulls harder on my hair, and I bite harder on my lips, drawing blood.

“Unlike Chris, I dont get distracted from my goals,” he continues.

The pain I feel all over my body is excruciating.

“He messed up my family. Im going to mess him up, starting with you.” He releases his hold on my hair. Before I can even feel relief, he punches my stomach, making me cough up blood. He kicks the chair, and I fall to the floor again. The side of my head crashes to the ground. My whole face feels numb, and theres a ringing noise in my ears.

The smell and taste of my own blood suffocates me.

“You will only be saved when I get what I want.”

Its too hard to breathe or even turn my face away. The tears finally slip down my eyes to my cheeks. The tears sting badly, making my eyes feel heavier than they already are.

Is this how Im going to die?

“Hes going to be so mad when he sees you like this.”

Chris? How is Chris doing? Hes probably blaming himself for this, too. Will I ever get the chance to tell him how I truly feel?

I shouldnt have been stubborn and heeded his warning.

My kidnapper rushes over to Perez and whispers something to his ear. He grins and turns to look at me. “Your prince charming is here.”

“Gianna!” Chriss familiar voice rings out with anger and frustration laced in his tone, “Where the hell is she?”

I try to turn to look at him, but I can’t move. The pain is too much. I can only see Perez walk away from my sight. The sounds of several footsteps almost turn me dumb. All I can see now is the legs of the armed men circling me.

I hear some clapping. “Well, well, well. I knew you would come for your dear princess.”

“Where is she?” he seethes.

“Right there, surrounded by my men. I must say Im impressed that you care so much about this woman,” Perez goads him on.

“Let me see her. Bring her to me.”

“We have a deal. You hand over the documents, then I will give her to you.”

Chris laughs bitterly. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“No, far from that. Im just being cautious.”

“As you can see, my men here have the files that Ive signed, and I am handing over the shares back to you. Show me Gianna.” There is determination in his voice.

Perez snaps his fingers, and his men set to untie my hands and legs from the chair. I wince in pain at their lack of care in removing the ropes from my bruised hands.

After freeing me, Im pulled up. My joints are like jelly, but Im immediately caught by the men on either side. I lean on them for support as they bring me forward.

“G-Gianna.” I can hear the shock and disbelief in his voice. “You fucking bastard.” I hear the sound of something or someone falling to the floor.

The two men holding onto me suddenly let go of me, running off. I manage to hit the ground with a little more control, my hands and knees breaking my fall. I slump to the ground, my head resting on the cold ground.

The sounds of guns echo around the large space, adding to the scent of blood, sweat, and smoke. The sounds of police sirens soon take over the noises, and all I hear now is people running away.

My eyes are already closed, but I feel myself become fuzzy around the edges. Im going to die, and Chris will never know how I felt.

Strong hands make contact with my arm, and I shiver.

“Gianna? Gianna! Hey! Please—Listen to me! Chris wraps embraces me, warm heat radiating from his body. It doesnt help that he smells of blood and smoke.

If I die in his arms, then I will be happy.

“Dont you dare fucking die on me, Gianna. Dont. For gods sake, stay awake. I cant lose you.” He keeps moving me, which only causes the pain in my head and body to increase.

More yells and screams on top of another… more hands on my skin… droplets of dampness which feel like tears.

I must tell him I love him before its too late. This is my last chance.

I try my best to keep my eyes open just for him.

“C-Chris,” I begin, then I black out.