The inviting aroma of freshly brewed Sticky Toffee Latte and the gentle hum of customers chatter fills the cozy Costa Coffee, providing a welcome refuge from the pelting snowflakes and hail outside.

As autumn's fiery hues faded, and November surrendered to the soft December, Dublin's landscape transformed, too. The streets now wear a cloak of pristine white, and the weathered stonework of majestic Trinity College I can see through the shop window is adorned with a delicate patina of frost.

Some tourists wander around the historic landmark, taking wintry photographs. The image of these carefree people enjoying themselves on holiday is a poignant reminder of normalcy.

A stark contrast to the turmoil that has engulfed my life.

I sit across Siobhan, her warm and kind smile radiating a comforting presence. Only two faint bruises on her neck linger as a harsh reminder of our experience with the shipment container abduction.

Siobhan scans my forehead and I can tell she's thinking the same.

We spent most of the day at the shopping center, trying to feign some kind of semblance of normalcy. A girl's afternoon out.

But wherever I go, whatever I do, the memory of that evening clings to me like a haunting melody, echoing in my mind, refusing to be silenced.

"I'm still trying to process everything that happened," I confess, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's been over twenty days, but every time I close my eyes, I can still hear those screams. Feel that cold metal against my skin."

Siobhan's soft hand envelops mine. "I know, Sandra. It's been haunting me, too. I try to drown out the noise waiting twice as much as before."

"Well, I don't have that luxury." I look away with a pout. "Liam won't let me go back to work. I feel so... useless. Like a piece of furniture. I spend entire days in his mansion walking around the rooms, chatting with the cook, helping to get the meals ready, or reading. This afternoon is doing me so much good."

"I think he's just worried about ye, sweetheart," Siobhan starts carefully. "Ye should have seen him when he pulled ye out of that container: eyes frenzied, lips bloodied. He looked like he would go through hell and back only to get ye out of there safely. Maybe he just doesn't want anything to happen to ye."

"If he cares so much about me and doesn't want anything to happen to me, then why has he been avoiding me? " I blurt out, my voice laced with a hint of frustration. "I simply don't understand."

For weeks now, I just get a curt nod in the passing or a cold salute when he's on his way out. Liam rarely eats or sleeps at the mansion anymore, either.

I don't even know where we're at when it comes to rescuing my mother, or where she's being kept. My pride won't let me ask him what is going on.

That's partially why I invited Siobhan out here today.

Her expression softens, yet she doesn't have an answer for me. "I don't know. Nico tells me they are swamped with work for Kieran. He does not go into details. He's probably just traumatized from it all as we are, Sandra. Maybe... he needs some time to process it all on his own?"

I sigh, my shoulders slumping in resignation. "Maybe. I just wish he would talk to me."

I don't tell her about the kiss we shared the night he rescued me. It's another thing I try not to think about too much: how his hot mouth covered mine, making me forget everything except the warmth of his arms.

Making me safe and sound.

Because I'm not sure what it meant, or if it meant anything at all.

Perhaps it was just a moment of weakness, a moment where two survivors clung to each other like a lifeline, needing to remind one another they're still alive, that they went through hardship together and overcame it.

Shaking the thought off, my mind drifts to my mother. She's still imprisoned. Thinking of Zerina suffering in some dark, damp place fills me with a sense of urgency.

If I can't count on Liam and if he decided to put distance between us, I need to act on my own.

I want to free Mom. I owe her that much. And once I do this I can go back to Tirana. Where I belong.

"Siobhan," I breach the subject directly. "Can you please tell me where Kieran holds my mother? You must have found out by now."

Her eyes meet mine, her expression filled with compassion but also fear. "Jaysus. That again?"

"I haven't had news of her in three weeks. I don't even know how she is. With Liam avoiding me like a moth avoids a flame...I just need to see Mom. Reassure her that she's not alone."

"I can get that." She nods. "She's in the basement of Angels."

"What?" My incredulous gasp startles an elderly couple sipping coffee next to us in silence. I lean towards Si. "So she's been there all this time? Three bloody weeks?"

"Aye. Some of the girls bring her food. But Kieran is adamant on her remaining imprisoned. Ye miss yer ma, naturally. Still, I'm not sure if it's safe for you to go down that road. Or me, really. If I take you to her, my head could be at stake. I don't even know what he wants from her. Why does he have her there in the first place?"

I clasp her hand with my trembling fingers, my determination unwavering. "I have to see her, Siobhan. Please. I can't tell you much more. You told me yourself have a sick mother to take care of. You understand what it's like."

She bites on her lower lip, drawing blood as her restless gaze searches mine. Finally, she nods grimly, a reluctant acceptance in her eyes. "Okay, Sandra. But be careful. And you can't stay down there for too long."

I stand up from the chair and run over to Siobhan, pulling her into a spontaneous hug. "Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me."

She just gave me a lifeline I so desperately needed. I will see my mother and tell her I'll never give up on her.

***

The oppressive weight of the club's heavy oak back door creaking open sends a shiver down my spine as I unlock it with Siobhan's key.

The dimly lit corridor stretches before me, the air thick with a musty odor that seems to cling to my clothes. My heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing in the silence of the deserted building.

I glance at my cell phone. Shoot. I have to be quick. It's late afternoon, and the clientele will be arriving any time now.

Plus, I did promise Siobhan it would be an in-and-out kind of thing.

As I venture deeper inside, the corridor gives way to a narrow staircase, its worn steps leading down into the shadowy depths of the basement. My stupid imagination can't help but conjure wild images of a thousand lurking dangers.

The basement is a cavernous space, its rough-hewn walls illuminated only by a single flickering lightbulb. Left and right, a row of massive oak barrels stand like sentinels, each of them a probable testament to the club's illicit trade.

The rich, intoxicating aroma of aged brandy and the sharp biting scent of whiskey hang heavy in the air.

But these smells are not what leaves me gasping for air, fighting for breath.

In the center of the room, a small cell stands out against the grim backdrop, its rusty iron bars casting long, menacing shadows.

My heart sinks as I make out the slumped figure of my mother, huddled on a filthy mattress. Her face is gaunt and pale, her eyes sunken and lifeless.

The treatment she has received by Kieran is far, far worse than the one in the Albanian compound: the once vibrant woman is now a mere shadow of her former self.

A surge of anger and frustration wells up within me. How can anyone treat someone in such an inhuman way?

As I approach the tiny cell, I see fear in Mom's eyes, the way she flinches at the slightest sounds.

Fear that's been instilled in her through weeks of mistreatment.

I rush towards her and gently stretch out my hand. "Mom? I'm here," is all I manage to say, my voice trembling with emotion. "How... How are you?"

"Alex?" she lets out an angry hiss, her voice raspy from disuse. "What took you so long?"

I recoil at Mom's tone. I expected her to be happy to see me, but all I see is pent up fury. Resentment.

"I..." I'm not sure how to proceed. "I tried to come sooner. But it wasn't easy. I didn't know where you were. They were watching me every step of the way."

Her eyes narrow at me. "All I know is I've been locked up in this hellhole for weeks, treated like an animal. And you never even bothered to check in."

I feel a powerful tsunami of guilt wash over me. She's right. I've been so fucking focused on myself that I neglected to consider the emotional toll Mom's captivity might have taken on her.

"I'm so, so sorry, Mom," I say, positively trembling. "I had no idea Kieran... I should have been here for you every step of the way."

Mom's expression unexpectedly softens. "I know you did the best you could, Alex. It must have been hard to come here unnoticed. But I'm still angry. Angry at him, angry at you for not coming sooner. Angry at myself for being so stupid." She bangs her fist on the corroded bars.

"Mom, don't." I outright sob. "You'll hurt yourself. Look. I have to go now but I'll be back as soon as I can. I need to come up with the plan and then we'll see how you can get out of here."

"Thank you," she utters. "My brave girl." She reaches out through the bars and I come closer, melting in her hug.

As we embrace, a sense of relief washes over me. No matter what, now that I found her, everything can only get better from here.

Suddenly, her grip tightens, and I feel a sharp pain in my neck.

"Mom... What?" I wheeze, struggling to set free from her steel fingers. As I look into her eyes, there is the same cold, calculating glint I saw in the foyer of Liam's mansion weeks ago.

"Oh, but I'm afraid I cannot wait that long, Alex," she whispers. "I'm done being a prisoner as of... Right. Now."

I kick and push, trying to wriggle out of her grasp but to no avail. Mom's so strong, not even a trace left of that pretense frailty from moments ago.

The air is slowly trickling from my lungs and I feel heedy, unable to breathe.

She pries the key from my coat pocket and unlocks the cell.

I fall down on my knees, unable to stand upright anymore, and then I sense my mother's elbow slam into my nape. I can only gasp, holding onto my throat. A wave of despair washes over me.

I came here to visit my mother, to give her hope that I am to free her soon, only to have her trick me. Incapacitate me.

"Please don't do this." I try the last thing I have left. I beg.

Zerina merely grants me a cold, pitiful smile. "I am sorry, Alex. Goodbye."

With those final words, she slinks away, turning off the light, and disappears into the shadows.

I just lay there incredulously on the cold, damp, smelly floor, my head throbbing, my heart pounding in my chest.

The only sounds that haunt me are my shallow, raspy breathing and the echoes of my mother's "Goodbye" lingering in the air: a chilling reminder of what just transpired.

I don't know how long I'm lying there, prostrated, helpless.

Seconds? Eons?

A sudden movement from the shadows catches my eye, and I freeze.

A figure emerges from the gloom, its footsteps echoing through the cavernous basement, its form barely discernible in the dim light.

I'm paralyzed with fear, unable to move or speak.

I'm doomed. Kieran's here.