“Breathe, Mila,” Elena whispered as we settled at the back of the elevator. Why was this woman so concerned when she was clearly a part of all this?
Saint, James, and two other men stepped in front of us, and the door chimed as it closed.
“Keep your head down at all times.” Saint didn’t turn to look at me as he spoke. “Do not make eye contact with anyone, and make sure you stay at Elena’s side. Understood?”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, my gut too heavy and mind too frazzled to respond.
“Do you understand, Mila?”
Elena tightened her grip around my arm, shooting me a warning look.
“Yes,” I choked out, followed by a deep breath.
I watched the numbers on the side panel light up as the elevator moved down. With every floor we passed, my heart beat a little faster, my breathing becoming more rapid and shallow. Sweat beaded at the back of my neck, my mouth dry as fear ignited my thirst to a point where my throat burned.
While Saint and his two men cocooned us in the back with their tall frames and broad shoulders, I watched him stand there in his expensive suit. The confidence he exuded, the power he emanated made the atmosphere feel thick and threatening. All I could think about was how desperate I was to escape, to run and try to save myself from whatever he had planned for me.
My heart hammered against my ribs, the beat pulsing in my ears as adrenaline surged through my veins. Sweat trickled down my spine, yet my skin felt ice-cold. We were only five people in an elevator which had a two-ton capacity, but the way my every breath got caught in my throat felt like there wasn’t enough air for me to breathe properly.
The elevator chimed, and the door opened. But it wasn’t the floor to the foyer of the hotel.
Saint turned halfway and caught me staring. My lips parted when his hand latched on to my hip, no one else aware of how he firmly pinched just above my hipbone, pain shooting around my waist, bruising my skin. “Head. Down.” He lightly jerked me closer, the brim of my hat the only thing shielding me from his grueling glare while hiding the fear in my eyes. “Do not. Test. Me.” His warning was hard and frightening, and I obeyed by lowering my head so my chin almost touched my chest. He didn’t let go of my hip, his cruel touch lingering a few seconds longer. For others, it would probably have seemed like two lovers, a man leaning in to whisper sweet words to his woman. Not a kidnapper murmuring threats and demands into the ear of his victim.
It was only once James started moving that Saint removed his hand from my side. And it was only then that I managed a decent breath.
Elena’s hand remained on my elbow as she guided me. We walked fast, almost as fast as my heart was beating. No one spoke a word, and my senses went on overdrive. My sense of smell. Sense of hearing. Sight. Even my sense of taste.
I could smell the citrus scent of the clean carpet my heels walked over, see the tiny dirty spots one would think a hotel as grand as this one would not allow. I heard phones ringing and the footsteps of people around us. Tasted the metallic tang of blood as I bit my tongue, desperately trying to push through the paralyzing fear.
Hinges squealed, and the carpet beneath us disappeared as we stepped on tiled floor before descending a flight of stairs. My legs felt unsteady. I wasn’t used to wearing heels, and the staircase made it harder to keep my balance. But Elena didn’t let go of my arm once, steadying me as she stayed beside me.
The sound of our rushing footsteps was like an echo of how horrifying every passing moment was.
We came to a stop, and for a second I forgot his instruction, his warning about me keeping my head down.
I looked up and caught a glimpse of James opening a gray double door, but that was also the moment Saint glanced back at me. I saw the anger in his eyes before he opened his mouth. “What the fuck did I tell you about keeping your head down?”
“I’m s—” It was instinct to want to apologize, but then I remembered who he was and what was busy happening. I wasn’t about to apologize for looking up while being kidnapped.
I bit my tongue and met his glare, channeling all the hate I could find inside me toward staring him in the eye while I held my head up, and shoulders squared.
His lips parted, a reprimand burning like hot coals on his tongue. But there was no time as James rushed us all through the door.
There was a split second before I lowered my head, a split second when I noticed the kitchen in front of us. Empty. No sign of any staff. I’d worked in a few restaurant kitchens before, washing dishes and cleaning up after rude and angry chefs. I knew what a busy kitchen sounded like, the clinking of utensils and cutlery, the shouting of a perfectionist chef. The kitchen in front of me lacked all that.
Elena pulled on my elbow, urging me to move faster, and I lowered my head as instructed. I knew we were on our way through the back exit of the kitchen. Why else would we come through here? I also knew that once I was out that door, taken to wherever, my chances of escaping would become slim. But he made it clear I’d have the blood of others on my hands if I chanced it.
Doors opened, and my feet rushed down a single step. The early spring breeze was nowhere near cold enough to warrant the trench coat they made me wear, and my entire body burned with the flames of adrenaline.
“Elena,” Saint said, “you take the front car. Mila and I take the middle, and James will ride behind us.”
“Do you not think it would be better for Mila and me to go together? There’s a greater chance of you two being seen together if she goes with you.”
“No. I’m not letting her out of my sight.”
This time, I lifted my head so I could look at him.
“I’ve been searching for her for far too long. And now that I found her, I’m not letting her go.” The smirk on his face was colored with secrets, and he knew his words just ignited an arsenal of questions he never planned on answering.