I stared at them all circling me. None of them wore a mask—except for the two guys who had kidnapped me.
Their eyes flashed with something indecipherable—frightening. A strange mix of vengeance and hunger.
I had never been that scared in my entire life.
I recognized the man leading them. He was the one who had targeted me from the start—the bigger, taller one.
He carried an air of vile confidence as he walked toward me. Then he knelt down, leaning in close to whisper.
"Let me introduce you to my clan—my best friends," he said, his voice low and deliberate. "But you know what? We're missing one member. The one your father took."
He moved even closer, boxing me in. I shrank back, pressing against the cold wall.
My stomach clenched with dread, and my mouth went dry.
"He was inexperienced," he continued, "which made him an easy target for your dad and his men. When he realized something was wrong, he intervened. Big mistake. He was alone—against a whole squad of four."
I trembled, struggling to hold eye contact. I couldn't even see his face under the mask, yet his presence alone unsettled me—terrified me to the bone.
His voice, his aura, the way he carried himself—it made my blood run cold.
I held my breath.
"How many times do I have to tell you—I had nothing to do with your friend? I'm sorry. I didn't know…"
"And how many times do I have to tell you—I don't care?" he snapped. "Your only mistake was being born Ugo's daughter. And now you'll pay for it."
"What do you plan for her?" asked a man with slick black hair, eyeing me slowly—starting from my legs and dragging his gaze up.
"I haven't decided yet."
"Maybe she could show us how sorry she is," he suggested. His eyes locked on mine, and a smirk curled his lips.
"Yes," the blond one on his left added. "Can't wait for that."
My heart pounded so violently it hurt.
My head spun with fear.
They were all waiting for their leader's permission.
Silence filled the room.
The only sounds were my shallow breathing and the loud, dry swallow in my throat.
I heard his lips curl into a smirk—then a sharp tongue-click.
"We'll see how she behaves."
"Oh, come on," the blond one hissed.
"You've never had pity—don't start now," the dark-haired one added.
"I don't have pity," the leader growled, turning to glare at them.
"I need to negotiate with her father first. Then she's all yours."
"Negotiate?"
I recognized that voice—it was the man who had pointed a gun at Jas.
I wondered how she was now.
"I thought we were going to kill her."
The leader stood up. "Don't worry. We'll get our revenge on her and her father. Just stop questioning my plan. Her father will probably call me any minute now—and then we'll drain him of every last cent."
That was his plan?
It felt so weak, so small for someone who pretended to be so dangerous.
He turned back to me, adjusting his mask.
"And when he's at his lowest," he said coldly, "we'll kill her anyway."
I swallowed hard.
The others grinned in unison and nodded.
"But before we kill her," he added, "we'll have some fun. She'll be our little slave. Happy now?"
I began kicking, squirming, fighting to get free—but they only laughed at my desperate struggle.
The leader leaned forward. I kept writhing, hitting out—but he just laughed, a sickening sound.
He blew me a kiss before turning and walking away, the rest of his clan following behind.
I was left alone in that cold, empty room. My phone was taken away from me, and I couldn't even call Dad or Jas.
I had never been that scared before. That man—who didn't even tell me his name—had declared he had mischievous plans for me.
He wanted to drain my dad dry, and God knew what worse things he had in mind.
And once he was done with him, he'd take care of me.
God only knew how long it would be before he laid his hands on me and then handed me over to his friends.
My stomach was growling and cramping from the hunger, but what was worse was the thirst. My throat was so dry I couldn't even move my tongue.
God damn me for having skipped breakfast. It must be late afternoon by now.
I'd probably have to get used to hunger and thirst, since I was sure that man would never feed me.
I let my head fall against the floor behind me and closed my eyes, devastated and tired.
In a short time, I fell asleep and slept for an undefined amount of time.
Until a body of footsteps approaching me woke me up.
He reached me, holding a sandwich on a dish. He placed it down, staring at me thoughtfully.
"You haven't used the bathroom yet," he said, considering.
"There is no bathroom. I'll die before using that," I said reluctantly, irritated.
"Also, I don't trust you, and I won't eat. I'd prefer dying from hunger and thirst than being a pawn in your evil plan."
A flame of anger rose up in me.
Behave? I would not behave with someone like him.
"I can walk you to the bathroom. But then you gotta eat. I won't let you die."
"Why? Because if I die, you can't threaten my dad?"
He tilted his head to the side and pushed the dish closer.
"Eat," he ordered with a powerful voice.
"I don't want to eat! I need the bathroom!"
"Eat!" His voice raised in a yell, so I took the sandwich and stole a small bite.
"Good," he said, walking toward me.
I immediately tensed. But then he pulled out the key to the handcuffs and freed me slowly.
He took my arm abruptly and helped me up.