"I can drop you off."
"No."
"Bella—"
"The lady said no.” Some dumb fuck who thinks he can play the white knight pipes up, unprompted. “Take a hint, buddy.”
“If you want to keep your brains inside your head,” I snap. “I suggest you mind your own business.”
But in that time, Bella has already crossed the street and now she’s lifting her hand to flag down something that isn't here yet.
Except something is here.
A black van suddenly lurches from its spot by the corner and screeches to a halt right in front of her, blocking her from my view.
She shrieks for half a second before she’s muffled. The door slams shut, and before I can react, the van is shrieking down the street with murderous intent.
"BELLA!"
My feet are moving before I realize. Not after the van. I know I won’t make it. Instead, I head to the SUV where the engine is already running and Alik is standing beside the door.
Without saying a single word, I wrench the door open, get in, and take off after the van.
It weaves through traffic, runs red lights, and takes corners so sharp that I almost lose it twice. Every time the taillights wink out at a turn, my heart nearly stops. It takes the on-ramp to the FDR, and once it’s on the highway, it speeds like a demon out of hell downtown.
Bella. Bella. Bella.
Her name drums in my chest, and I swear I’ll burn this entire city to ashes if I lose her.
I seethe van take the exit towards a set of industrial warehouses somewhere before the Williamsburg Bridge. But by the time I catch up to it, the doors are open, and there’s not a damn person inside.
I'm out of the car without shutting the engine off, gun already in my hand, and the taste of adrenaline is bitter on my tongue.
My eyes spot movement nearby. A door opens, the hinges screaming, and I see one of Bella’s pumps outside a door.
There could be half a dozen men waiting for me on the other side. This could be a trap for all I know. But I don’t care right now.
The only thing that matters is getting to her.
I open the door and storm in, and hear rough men’s voices laughing as they talk.
"—teach you some fucking manners," one of them says from deep within. "You think you can just touch our boss without consequences, you cunt?"
Red seeps into my vision from the way they dare to talk to her. Rage burns and I welcome its cleansing flames burning away all doubt from my mind. I force air into my lungs in slow measured breaths as I move deeper into the warehouse. I have no intention of missing.
"Fuck you." Bella's voice is steady despite her predicament.
Attagirl.
"See, that pretty mouth of yours is your problem," another one says. "Someone should've taught you a long time ago what that mouth is good for."
Bella snarls something incomprehensible, but that sound quickly turns into a muffled scream as something is shoved into her mouth.
I start running. When I round the corner, I finally spot them.
And her.
She’s tied to a metal chair under the harsh light. Ropes are laced around her wrists and her ankles. Her dark gown is torn at the shoulder, exposing a single black lacey bra strap. Her hair is a mess, but unquenchable defiance still burns in her eyes.
