Chapter 4 Strange Room

MIA

It started with a pounding headache, a deep, relentless ache pulsing behind my eye and disrupting what little sleep I managed to get.

I slowly opened my eyes, expecting to see the familiar sight of my black-and-cream-painted ceiling. Instead, a crystal chandelier hung above me.

My brows pulled together in confusion.

I opened my eyes fully and stared around me, taking in every unfamiliar detail. The walls. The furniture. The curtains.

Nothing…absolutely nothing…screamed my apartment.

That was when everything came rushing back.

The kidnapping.

The strip dance.

The sudden shootout.

And Ethan sho_

No.

Whoever the hell that man was, the one who looked exactly like him, had pulled out a gun and shot someone. I could still see the flash of the muzzle, still hear the deafening crack of the gunshot in my head.

I shoved the duvet aside and scrambled to my feet, desperate to get out of the unfamiliar bed. The moment my feet touched the floor, the entire room tilted violently.

“Whoa…”

I staggered sideways, reaching for the nearest wall before I could fall.

My hand instinctively rose to my head and the moment my fingers brushed the bandage wrapped around my temple, a sharp pain shot through my skull.

I flinched and pulled my hand away.

I must have hit my head hard during the accident.

Okay… think, Mia. Think.

I need my phone.

My eyes darted around the room, searching the bedside table first. Nothing.

I checked the other side of the bed.

Still nothing.

Where the hell am I?

I forced myself to move, ignoring the lingering dizziness as I hurried toward the door, grabbed the doorknob and twisted it.

The door didn’t budge.

I tried again, this time using both hands, still nothing.

“No…” I began banging on the door, striking it so hard that my knuckles burned with every hit. I didn’t care if I hurt myself. I just needed someone to hear me.

“Is anyone there?” I yelled, pounding on the door again. “Hello! Where am I?! what am I doing here?!”

I pressed my ear against the door, holding my breath as I listened.

Nothing. Not even the faint sound of footsteps approaching from the other side.

My desperation slowly gave way to exhaustion. My arms felt heavy from all the pounding, my head throbbed relentlessly, and my entire body ached.

Eventually, I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor beside the door. I drew my knees toward my chest and cupped my forehead, trying to ease the pounding inside my skull.

Tears slipped down my cheeks.

Did I just kidnap someone only to end up getting kidnapped too?

The thought was almost absurd, but there was nothing funny about my situation.

I wiped at my tears with the back of my hand, only for more to replace them.

I didn’t know how long I sat there. Minutes could have passed. Maybe hours. I had no phone, no window I could use to tell the time, and no idea where I was.

All I knew was that I was trapped.

Then, suddenly, the doorknob turned.

My head snapped up.

The door opened, and an older woman stepped into the room, carrying a food tray in both hands.

She barely made it one step inside before she spotted me sitting on the floor beside the door.

A startled yelp escaped her as the tray slipped from her hands, crashing against the floor, plates and utensils scattering everywhere.

I sprang to my feet and dashed toward the opening, ignoring the dizziness that immediately returned. My only thought was escape. I pushed forward, already imagining myself running through the hallway and finding a way out of wherever the hell I was.

But my victory was short-lived.

I slammed straight into something, or rather, someone hard.

A solid chest covered in a black suit.

The impact sent a burst of pain through my already injured head. I gasped, stumbling backward as my hand flew to my bandaged temple.

“Ah!”

My knees nearly buckled.

Before I could regain my balance, the man I had crashed into grabbed my arm.

“Wait_”

I barely got the word out before he shoved me backward.

I lost my footing and stumbled into the room, crashing onto the floor. My knee scraped against the hard surface and I winced, biting down on a whimper.

“Why are you keeping me here?” I demanded, fighting with everything in me not to cry.

Crying wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

“I am already one step away from pulling the damn trigger at you,” the bald, scowling man spat. His eyes narrowed as he glared down at me. “Don’t tempt me, young woman.”

He pointed angrily at the spilled food scattered across the floor. “Eat, and don’t make me think of rebelling.”

I frowned.

What does me asking why I am here have anything to do with rebelling?

I swallowed hard and glanced at the food lying across the floor. “The food is contaminated.”

His expression hardened. “You should have thought of that before scaring her.”

“I did not scare her!” I snapped. There is no way he is going to pin that on me. “She got scared on her o_”

I never got to finish.

He suddenly bent down and grabbed my cheek, his fingers digging painfully into my skin. He pinched so hard that I was certain his fingerprints would leave bruises.

“Talk back to me again,” he snarled. “I dare you.”

He behind his jacket and pulled out a knife, forced my mouth open and placed the tip of the knife against my tongue.

Every muscle in my body went rigid.

“One more sound from you,” he warned, “and I will cut off your tongue and hand it back to you.”

Tears immediately spilled down my cheeks. There was no point pretending to be brave anymore.

I am scared.

Terrified, actually.

My heart pounded so violently against my ribs that I was certain it was going to burst straight through my chest.

How did I go from planning the perfect anniversary weekend with my boyfriend to sitting on the floor of a strange room with a knife pressed against my tongue?

The man finally pulled the blade away and released my face.

Satisfied by the fear-stricken expression on my face, he straightened and pointed toward the food scattered across the floor.

“Eat that before I get back. The fastest way to piss me off is for me to come back and find that food still sitting there.”

He turned and stalked toward the door.

Just before he stepped out, I took a chance.

Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was reckless. But I needed answers.

“Why do you hate me so much?” I mumbled. “You don’t even know me.”

Slowly, he glanced back at me over his shoulder.

“You should have thought of that before abducting our boss and getting him shot.”

Walking out, he banged the door behind him.