I cast a glance over at Liem who is still pinning me with a terrified look in his eyes but there’s also a hint of sorrow in there too.
He’s worried about me and blaming himself.
My heart slams into my chest thinking the worst. How can I not? After everything, the worst is all I know. But the best will always be Liem. So as long as I’m with him, it’ll be okay. My heart will be okay no matter what happens.
We’re led downstairs. Two black SUVs are parked at the curb. The man holding my arm guides me to one of them and Liem is dragged off to the other. He’s bigger but he knows even if he gets away, I won’t be as lucky, so he’s sacrificing himself to stay with me.
We silently share a look before I’m pushed into the backseat. The tall blonde kidnapping us follows Liem, smiling at me as she slides into the backseat next to him. I scream. Scream out in anger. Scream because I don’t want her anywhere near him.
“Shut your trap.” The guy wraps his hand around my throat and squeezes. I thrash and claw at his massive hand that is cutting the air from my lungs, but stars cloud my vision, and before I know what’s happening, the world turns dark.
“Danika…”
There’s a soft whisper somewhere close, but I feel as though I’m in a deep like trance. My head is foggy, and my ears are pounding.
“Danika. Open your eyes for me, butterfly. Open your eyes.”
I do.
A blurry figure appears in front of me and Liem’s body becomes clear. He’s across the room, his hands bound behind his back, tied to a chair. I go to reach for him, but I can’t move. My hands are bound the same way. I’m also strapped to a wooden chair.
Both of us sit in the center of a cold, damp room. No, it’s a basement with no windows. I can see that now.
Liem trails down my body and back up, stopping at my neck. The pain registers and I just know there’ll be, if not already, bruises. I remember being in the SUV, being strangled before passing out.
“I’ll kill him,” he groans out.
“I know,” I say, trying to free myself, but no use in fighting. “Who do you think she is?”
Liem eyes the stairs off to the corner, then back to me. “She’s important. Some kind of drug Lord. And I’m assuming she’s the boss of the piece of shit lying on your apartment floor. Probably the boss of the guy killed in front of the diner, too.”
I study him, study the cement floor. “What does that mean? She’s a drug Lord around town?”
“We would have known about her. So she must be really good at her job. Trust me.”
I do and I scan the area, the cold chilling me to my bones. “Do you think we’re far from home. From the club?” A panic rises in my voice because what if his MC can’t get to us. What if they can’t find us?
It’s all too familiar. The warehouse. It feels like that again. Except I’m with Liem. And that’s the only thing that keeps me sane.
“They blind folded me, but it was about a half hour trip. So not far.”
I pause, blurting out my fear. “Are we going to die down here?” At least I’ll be with him.
His nostrils flare, a low growl sounding from his throat. “No. I won’t let that happen.”
“Unless you work miracles, we’re not getting out of these ties.” He smirks. My Liem smirks and I’m floored at his reaction.“You choose now to gain a sense of humor?” I scoff, but the side of my mouth turns up.
Liem chuckles and we pretend even for this brief moment, we aren’t fighting for our lives.
His once beautiful smile turns to a frown. “Iwillget us out of here.”
What little hope I have left, trickles out from under me. I know Liem would die trying to save me, but he’s one man and we don’t even know what’s waiting upstairs for us.
“Hey. Don’t do that.”
My eyes flick back to him. “Do what?”
“Give up. You don’t give up. You haven’t given up, and I don’t want you to start now.”
