Enjoy ˚₊·➳❥
...
She was sitting on the cold floor with her knees to her chest. She never dared to look up at the man standing directly in front of her. He had his back against the window glass and was arms crossed. He was silently staring at the girl's body, which kept trembling in fear of what was about to happen to her.
His deep voice made her widen her eyes as she listened to his words, which made her lose her last shred of hope that Aiden would find her before it was too late.
"Don't worry, my dear. You and I will be traveling soon. Just wait for my friend to prepare our travel papers, and then no one will bother us anymore, sweetheart."
He gave her a playful smile as he moved his legs toward her, and her heart started pounding when she heard his footsteps on the wood floor that had gotten worn out over time. He stopped in front of her.
He let out a sigh before dropping down low in front of her, surprised by her sudden move after she slapped his hand, which was almost touching her smooth locks. "Don't come near me, you freak!"
He smirked at her reaction, enjoying the sight of her terrified face as she crawled backward until the wall hugged her from behind, using her arms as a shield, hiding her face, and avoiding eye contact with him as much as possible, her body shaking uncontrollably.
"What? You'll still be afraid of me even if we get married?"
He grabbed her wrists and yanked her hands away from her face, which had gone pale with fear. She closed her eyes tightly, refusing to look at his face, which had become close to her own.
"You won't be able to force me to marry you," she said, trying not to show her weakness to her enemy.
"You won't force me to marry you, you piece of shit! Aiden's going to find you and kill you!"
"That seven-spirit Aiden was supposed to die on the day of the mall bombing."
She bit her lower lip in anger as she listened to his words, which made her go back in time to relive the day she almost lost her man because of him, and she cried uncontrollably.
His features turned sharp, and he added in a tone of deep hatred towards him, "He was really good at his job as a cop and always caught my men. He always ruined my plans, and he was the smartest of them. That's why I lured him to where I put the bomb. He could escape, and I paid instead of him."
"I was the one who put the bomb in that place, and in the end, I was the one who suffered the consequences of that incident. My face was burned, and I became a monster, and everyone who saw me was afraid of me!" He screamed, startling her so much that she jumped in her place.
"Aiden's not guilty, so don't use him to justify your actions; he was just doing his job as a cop trying to catch a lowlife criminal like you." She gave him sharp stares.
"You look like a fierce cat defending her man with her claws." He smirked before grabbing her by the arms and pulling her towards him. He threw her body roughly on the floor, pounced on her like a wild bear, tightening his grip on her wrists to prevent her from resisting him, ignoring her screams and her hysterical and futile attempts to get rid of him.
At that moment, the only thing that could be heard in the isolated and empty place was the echo of his hysterical laughter at the frail woman. He moved away from her and sat down on the floor, staring at her motionless body and whistling melodies like a madman, as if he had done nothing.
He jumped when he heard a car engine nearby, and a sideways smile soon appeared on his lips when he thought that it was only his friend who had returned to bring him the good news.
He got up quickly and moved his feet to the broken window to look out.
"What?" he muttered, furrowing his eyebrows. Aiden had just gotten out of his black car and was making his way across the dirt floor, checking out the entrance to the place he was about to step into.
He was nervous, rubbing his neck as he turned to the unconscious girl, staring at her thoughtfully, then he rushed up to her and bent down, putting one hand under her neck and the other under her knees to lift her off the ground and hurry her to the stairs that led directly to a basement, placing her on the cement floor and then locking the door tightly with large wooden pallets to make sure she could not escape.
He flinched at the loud voice echoing off the corners of the building as the sound of Aiden's footsteps grew louder as he approached.
"Eric, I know you're here; be a man for once in your life and face me, you cowardly bastard!"
As soon as Aiden stepped onto the first step of the staircase leading to the top floor, he froze, turning around to see him, "Looking for something?"
He smiled broadly as he stood in the middle of the hall and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants.
"Where's Celine, you piece of trash! Let her go, or I'll blow your head off!" He raised his gun and pointed it at the man, who didn't move an inch. He just kept staring at him with a deadly coldness.
Eric put his index fingers in his ears as a sarcastic response to Aiden's screaming, almost losing his mind due to the other's coldness. He gritted his teeth in anger as he pressed the trigger of the gun, about to shoot him.
He gave a nonchalant shrug and said calmly, "Kill me and you'll never hear from your girl again."
He tilted his head and said something that made the other person's nerves collapse. "By the way, your girl is fine. I have to admit you have good taste."
The man with the bloody hair couldn't take it anymore. He pounced on him, pushing him from his chest with such force that his body fell to the floor, his back hitting the ground. His eyes widened as he stared at Aiden's body on top of him. He heard Aiden's hysterical screams and felt the powerful punches aimed at his face. "Don't mess with me, asshole, and tell me where she is. What did you do to her?"
Eric couldn't handle the painful punches that almost knocked him out. He used both hands to hold him tightly by his wrists, trying to stop him from throwing more punches. "You're too late, Officer," he said, gasping.
Aiden suddenly stopped what he was doing and frowned, staring at the other, whose features had darkened, followed by a wide smile on his face, which had swollen from the severe blows he had just received.
"What do you mean?"
Out of nowhere, a woman's voice cut through the tension.
"Aiden, I'm here!"
He frowned at the sound of a loud bang on a wooden door, then quickly got up from the floor after recognizing her voice, her hands pounding on the wood of the door to help him locate the source of the sound, which he realized was definitely coming from downstairs.
A pained scream from Eric's mouth echoed through the hall, caused by Aiden, who had shot him in the leg to stop his body from moving.
He hurried down to the basement and started moving the big wooden pallets from the worn door, not paying any attention to Eric, who was just about to get up off the ground as he tried to catch up with Aiden. Suddenly, Aiden felt like his body was being pushed back against his will as Eric grabbed him by his jacket from behind. "No way, she's mine, all mine!"
He shoved him to the ground, then stood there like a deer in the headlights when Aiden jumped up and aimed the gun at him. "Open the door," Aiden said, but Eric didn't budge.
"Open the door!" he yelled at him. Eric gave him a piercing stare before starting to move the wooden pallets. As soon as Celine saw Aiden standing a few steps away from her, she rushed towards him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, crying with fear and joy. "I knew you would find me!"
"It's okay, you're safe now," he said while still protecting her by wrapping his arm around her wrist while still pointing the gun at Eric with his other hand, then he addressed the girl after pulling his phone out of his pants pocket, "Take it and call Ashley; she knows what to do."
She nodded and took the phone from his hand. Then he said, "Go upstairs, move!"
Everything was right there in front of Eric, who slowly looked over a small table in the basement. He was focusing on a pair of rusty scissors for trees; he carefully approached the table and took the scissors to put them behind his back and under his pants. He was startled when Aiden addressed him with a stern tone, "Stay in the basement until the support team arrives to put you in a cage like a rat."
Eric took a few steps into the basement and stared at Aiden. Just as he was about to close the door, he suddenly said, "I'm scared of the dark. Will you stay with me?" Aiden was startled when Eric grabbed his arm tightly.
"What the heck!" Aiden said as the other guy kneeled on his knees, clutching at his leg with both arms, "Please, mercy!" he cried.
"Get off me, you madman!" Aiden screamed in anger and started kicking him in the face, but he wouldn't stop. Then, out of the blue, Eric grabbed his arm and bit it so hard that Aiden let out a pained scream as the weapon slid from his fingers. Then he froze in place, staring at that sharp thing that was very close to his face.
"Why didn't you have mercy on me when I begged you?" Eric whispered, grabbing his collar, "I told you I was your classmate the second year in high school, you and Celine, but I think you don't remember me." He smiled a little as Aiden kept quiet, just staring at his face with widened eyes, not even able to breathe.
Eric looked a bit upset and continued, "I was ostracized by everyone. I was seen as a failure, someone who couldn't do anything right, except for you." He said this while putting the scissors to Aiden's neck. "You were good at everything. I loved the way you lived, to the point where I hated you."
A few seconds passed like a year until Aiden said, looking disgusted, "Did you follow me since I was a teenager, until now? What do you want from me?"
Eric let out a deep sigh and then said, still smiling, "I wanted to steal your life, be you, ruin your marriage, and steal your girl. I wanted to see you fail, be a sad, empty man, just like me."
"You're just a sick man with an inferiority complex who lives by comparing himself with others. That's why you've been stuck in your own abyss!" Aiden said, not believing what was going on around him. Then he closed his eyes tightly when Eric started running the edge of his sharp object all over his cheek. "I'll die peacefully when I take you with me to the abyss, so should I begin by deforming your pretty face?"
"You, maniac!" Aiden let out a slight groan when blood started flowing from his face. He was irritated by the other guy's manic laughter.
"Back off, or I'll kill you!" Celine suddenly screamed and appeared on the upstairs floor, holding a hunting rifle. Aiden was shocked when he saw her holding the weapon with both arms, ready to shoot Eric. He watched her body and was completely shivering.
He stopped her by yelling, "Stop! What are you doing?"
"This is getting more and more exciting!" Said Eric with a grin, and then he hurried to pull Aiden toward him, making his back against his chest and wrapping his arm around his neck, putting the scissors close to his neck.
With a big smile, he said, "Come on, do it if you're brave enough."
The air was thick with tension, and everyone was silent. Eric was enjoying the moment where all eyes were finally on him, making everyone afraid and nervous.
Aiden was looking at him out of the corner of his eye, and then he elbowed Eric in the stomach and grabbed his arm. He redirected the hand holding the weapon up, then kicked him hard until he fell and his back hit the ground.
Aiden didn't give him a chance to stand up. He immediately took his gun from the floor, pointed it at him, and said, "Move an inch and I'll kill you!"
Eric, not caring about Aiden's threat, stood up, rushing to the scissors near Aiden's feet but not reaching them as a wave of bullets pierced his body at once. He bent on his knees, staring at the floor as blood began to flow from his mouth. He slowly raised his eyes to Aiden, who was breathing loudly, and then he lowered his hand holding the gun. As Eric smiled a little, he pointed his index finger at him, saying with extreme difficulty, "An honor."
Then he was on his stomach, dead.
...
He was sitting on the edge of the ambulance while a nurse took care of his wound. Once she finished, Celine approached him. She stared at his face, not saying a word. He kept his eyes on the ground until she asked, "Are you alright?"
He didn't speak; he just nodded without looking at her. She sat down next to him and then let out a deep sigh. "Are you mad at me?"
After a few seconds of silence, he asked, confused, turning his head toward her, "Where'd you find the rifle? You have never held a weapon in your whole life. You could shoot me or even yourself."
She smiled a little and replied, "It was old and empty. I used it as camouflage to scare Eric. I found it in the garden behind the building."
"And you scared yourself, not anyone else," he said, a slight smile on his face. Then the two of them heard Eric's friend screaming and struggling with the cops, who let him out of the trunk of his car. He claimed innocence, just like he did in the club.
When he stood up, she stood up too. She looked straight into his blue ocean eyes, where she felt like she was drowning. "I asked you, and you didn't answer."
He bit his lower lip while looking away, then put his hands in his pants pockets and said in a sad, more than angry tone, "What do you get out of my answer? Are you making fun of me? Or are you playing dumb?"
She replied, almost crying, "Yes, your answer is important. If you're still angry at me, it means I still mean something to you. And if you're not, it means you don't want me around anymore."
He let out a sigh and replied, "Celine, you're the one who wanted to break up with me, remember? So don't make me feel guilty about how I feel about you right now."
He didn't give her a chance and started moving towards his car. As soon as he grabbed the door handle, he stopped and listened when she followed him and stood behind him.
"If you think I left you because of another man, you're wrong. I know how you think—you're a very jealous man!"
He widened his eyes and froze, then felt her fingers wrapped around his wrist; not wanting him to leave, she continued after fighting back tears. "It was him, Eric; he showed up a few days before he kidnapped me and threatened to kill you if he saw me with you. He was a sick and obsessed man, and I didn't dare face him or even call the police; I was just afraid he would hurt anyone I cared about."
"I know I hurt you by not being honest, and I'm sorry. Everyone would do the same!" She continued, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her cotton jacket and moving her short brown strands of hair behind her ear as the cold wind suddenly blew.
He turned his head toward her and said, "Being in a relationship with a cop is harder than chasing criminals. We're better off being apart. I don't want you to suffer because of me."
He opened the door without waiting for her to answer. He sat in his car and closed the door, still feeling her standing close to it. "Move away; let me go."
He sighed in annoyance when he heard the passenger door open. She sat beside him, arms crossed, her eyes fixed on the front. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"
...
They were quiet the whole way to Celine's house, and when he stopped near the house, he said, "Go, your parents are waiting for you."
She looked at him, not saying a word, and then she asked, "Won't you come?"
"No," he said, his voice low and hard. She bit her lips before getting out of the car; she closed the door hard, almost shaking the car. He stayed staring at her out of the window, and when she turned her head to him, he quickly looked away. Then his phone rang.
He smiled a little when he saw Taylor's name on the screen, and then he answered, "What's up?" He tried not to let Taylor notice that his voice was almost shaking.
"Hey, what's going on? You sound like you weren't on a dangerous mission. I'm at the police station where they told me you work. I was almost dying of worry. You should let me come with you, idiot!"
Aiden let out a light chuckle. "I'm doing well, and everyone's fine, and we caught the two men involved in the kidnapping."
"I know; they told me everything," Taylor replied. Aiden nodded and pursed his lips, as if his friend were right there in front of him. Then he said, "Thanks, you really helped out."
Taylor was silent for a few seconds before answering; a faint laugh came out of his mouth. "Nah, you should thank Hiromi, not me."
"Oh, hell no!" Aiden said, shaking in his boots. "I won't go near that mansion again!" He screamed on the phone, then heard his friend laughing.
"And the Dragonfly, he was useless. We almost died for nothing, and he's the one who should thank us for offering such a huge service." Taylor said, sounding pretty disappointed.
"So, you owe me a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant. Sounds great. See you tomorrow night. Just send me the location, and I'll be right there!" Said Taylor in a cheerful tone before hanging up.
"Wait, what?" Aiden kept staring into space with a blank face and a mouth open. He blinked a few times before putting the phone on the jacket and smiling, "Alright."
...