Marco and Gian were intently looking at the monitor.

"That's her," said the young officer who reported Khaye's disappearance. His finger pointed at the uniformed female on the screen. "She's not from here."

"Then how the hell did she get in?" demanded Gian, his voice loud for everyone in the room to hear.

Everyone remained speechless, still at a loss that someone managed to enter and get out of their unit unsuspected.

"Get every footage from traffic cameras around the area. She's only been gone for half an hour. Get an APB on any suspicious vehicles. Set up a roadblock around a five-mile radius," Marco called out to everyone, taking his phone out of his pocket.

"Goddammit!" Gian shouted in frustration. "I shouldn't have left her alone."

"No one would have guessed this is going to happen," Marco uttered.

"If it's Karlsson we're dealing with, everything is possible," Gian said through clenched teeth.

"Did your sister have a phone with her?" asked Marco.

"I don't know. I'm not sure. If she does, we can't give her a fucking call now, can we?"

"You have to think straight. I know she's your sister but you have think like a detective if you want her back alive."

"Easy for you to say. It's not your sister's life on the line here." Gian had his hands on his hips and he paced around the room like a lost soul. "She called me for help and this fucking happens."

"If she has her phone and if she had her GPS turned on, we have a big shot," Marco told him. "I'll call tech."

*****

Khaye didn't know where they were taking her, but it wasn't far. She was almost certain they had not left the city. She remained uncomfortably lying on the seat beside the woman who was in-charged. Pretense was part of her job and she tried her best to be good at it. Her life depended on it.

Her heart stopped when the vehicle stopped and the door opened.

"Make it fast," the woman ordered to someone.

Khaye felt hands grab her arms and she was effortlessly hauled over someone's shoulder. Her limbs remained limp as they carried her to somewhere. With her head pointing down on the ground, over the man's shoulder, she peered through her lashes.

Cobblestones. Wet. It had been raining, she noted. The steps of the man carrying her echoed in the air along with two others. Were they inside a tunnel?

How the hell would Gian find her now? She wanted to flail her arms and try to escape. That might just surprise her kidnappers. But they outnumbered her. She had to remain calm.

Khaye felt like it took them forever to get to their destination but it was only a three-minute walk from the main street where the vehicle stopped. She heard a heavy door open and then she was thrown on something soft, like a leather couch.

"What now?" asked a man's voice.

"Let's leave her here for now. Petroff is on his way," the woman said.

"I thought Richard's coming?"

"He has another business to deal with. Come on. And lock the door."

Khaye did not dare open her eyes until the room was completely silent. What if they were trying to trick her and they were just inside, waiting for her to open her eyes?

She took the chance and lifted her lids anyway. She blinked a few times to adjust to the light. No one was inside the room with her. She pushed herself away from the couch and looked around.

She was certain they had gone underground, but this was not what she had expected at all.

*****

"You have to eat," Theo said, looking down at her.

"With bound hands?" she asked.

"Yes, with bound hands."

"So I'll be like this for the rest of my life?"

"Once I am sure that you are not going to do something stupid, I will reconsider," he answered, walking away from the table. "Eat before I change my mind and let you starve to death."

Desiree stared at his back with ire. Was it possible? To starve to death? That was not a bad idea. She looked down at the plate before her. Cold chicken sandwich. Her stomach grumbled and her hands seemed to have developed a mind of their own because they lifted to grab the sandwich.

She took a bite and a tear fell from her eye. She wanted to curse herself for crying. Wasn't she getting tired of it? She should come up with a plan to escape instead of mourning over her blasted fate. As she chewed on her dinner, she looked out the kitchen window. It was dark outside and she didn't know where she was or if she was even in the same city as before. The darkness outside the window was no help at all to giving her a hint of which part of the world she was.

Theo's house was big though she had only seen the living room and the kitchen. One side of the living room was completely made of glass but the blinds were down. The place was conventionally furnished, nothing too extravagant but not cheap either. It looked too professionally done. There was no trace of any personal things. No photos of people, no souvenirs of some sort. With the white walls and the dark furniture all over the place, it was the epitome of the minimalist look. In one side of the living room, near the main door, a dimly lit hallway led to somewhere but she didn't want to explore the place as much as she wanted to escape it.

He was gone. The kitchen was silent. The whole house was silent. She looked over her shoulders and saw the set of knives on the kitchen island. She considered it.

But what if he's just around the corner, waiting for her to do just that?

But what if he isn't? she wondered.

Without second thoughts, Desiree dropped her food on the plate and went to her bare feet. She took two big leaps to the kitchen island. Her hands were shaking as she grabbed for one of the knives. She bent down and quickly unbound her feet followed by her hands. She felt a great sense of triumph when she finally realized that she was free.

Wide-eyed, she scanned the kitchen and the living room once again. The box that contained her earlier was still lying there, untouched. Her eyes landed on the large wooden door. With her heart about to leap out of her chest, Desiree ran out of the kitchen, across the living room and reached out for the door.

She prayed with every ounce of her soul as she turned pulled on the knob. She couldn't believe it when it actually turned and she managed to swing the door open.

Without thinking and with her bare feet, she ran outside into the cold night. The porch was made of stones but that detail escaped her thoughts as she focused on getting away.

The wind was quite strong and blew her short hair all over her face.

As she jumped from the last steps of the porch, Desiree desperately looked for a way to go to. But it was too dark. She looked behind her at the big one-story house which offered the only light.

She didn't let the darkness waver her will. Not at this rate—not when she finally managed to escape. So she ran, almost bumping into the black car parked just a few meters away from the porch. For a moment she considered the vehicle, but who was she kidding? Theo may have been reckless to leave her alone in that kitchen, but he was not stupid leave his keys alone in the car. And the alarm was on so that was out of the question. She had to escape on foot, she decided.

She blindly found a path and realized that she was walking on grasses that reached her ankle.

Where the hell was she?

Her eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness and she could now see some hint of light from far away. It could be the city, she thought. Desiree quickened her steps and her heart almost leapt out of her chest when she almost stumbled over something. A strong gush of wind slapped her on the face, pushing her a few steps back.

Her legs shook as she stumbled a few more steps back.

"Where the fuck am I?" she asked breathlessly, realizing what lay before her eyes.

*****

The room was finely furnished. The study table across the room was elegant and she bet that the one who owned it was someone she had to fear.

Is it Petroff?

Or maybe it's Richard.

Before fear stroke back again, she took to her phone and turned it on.

She had to call Gian. She had to let her brother know where she was if that was even possible.

Like in most movies she had watched, she was expecting no reception. But that was not the case. This was reality and in reality, technology was better.

With her fingers shaking in panic of being found out, Khaye turned on her GPS. Her phone had a lot of things to offer and one of them was to send a message to more than one person. She held both volume keys down and prayed that her brother would get her message.

When she heard a sound outside the steel door, she hid the phone under the couch. Now, even if they killed her, they would never know what would come to them.

Khaye held her breath as the door slowly swung open.

*****

She was standing on the edge of a cliff.

A hopeless whimper escaped her lips as she stared in disbelief at the empty space before her.

The wind swallowed her voice as she screamed at the top of her lungs. This was what Theo had been talking about. No one would hear her cries for help because no one was nearby. His house was standing on the edge of a freaking cliff and there was just nothing but darkness and the wind.

But that didn't mean there was no way out, she thought. She didn't care if she had to run or walk for miles to meet another soul. She didn't care if she had to do it on bare feet. She just got to run away from this place.

An engine sound behind her told her that was not possible at the moment.

A light was pointing directly at her. She slowly turned her head over her shoulder and found another car parking just behind her. Her eyes returned to the edge of the cliff. She could just jump.

She squared her shoulders and closed her eyes.

No.

You have to think right, she told herself.

And so she turned around and faced the stranger walking toward her.

It was an old man dressed in suit. And behind him was Richard.

"What are you doing there?" asked the old man, his voice barely audible because of the wind. "Come inside where it is warm!" he added a chuckle to his last words.

Desiree's eyes were on Richard's and despite the darkness of the night she could see the anger in them. If it was not for the man walking toward her to take her hand in his and pull her with him, Desiree was certain that Richard was very willing to push her off the cliff.

She let the old man lead her back to the house. The wind had dried her tears. She stayed quiet until they reached the main doors. Richard's overpowering presence was palpable behind her. But the man holding her had gentle hands and he just stared at Desiree before he knocked on the door, his eyes gentle and kind that she almost felt hope in them. But if he was with Richard and if he was visiting Theo, there would not be an ounce of kindness in him. They were all the same.

"Good, you're back," was Theo's words when he opened the door. His knowing eyes landed straight at her and his smile told her he knew what she was up to and he had let her. She wanted to claw on his face in frustration and shame for her failed attempt.

Theo's look immediately turned serious when his eyes went to his brother and the old man. "And why are you here?" he asked them.

"Can't your father visit this godforsaken place you call home?" asked the old man, letting go of Desiree's hand. "And I saw this beautiful young lady standing at the end of the cliff. I thought she was going to jump. You should watch over your belongings well, Theo, you don't know when they are going to be gone."

A shiver ran through Desiree's whole body when she heard the word father and her heart dropped dead for a few seconds as she listened to the rest of his words. Theo's hand went to grab her by the wrist and pull her right next to him without a word. He gave her a squeeze that said, 'Don't fucking utter a word'. Desiree thought it was a good order so she kept her mouth shut, her eyes on the old man, memorizing his face.

The man may be old, but the way he stood tall and sturdy, there was no questioning the fact that he was powerful than his sons. Maybe not physically, but in all other aspects, he obviously was. He had that undeniable air around him. His graying hair wasn't important because he was obviously not just the boss in the family—he was the Boss of whatever Theo, Richard, Ms. Kane and Petroff were a part of.

Richard's eyes hadn't left hers for one second but he remained motionless and quiet behind his father, a sure sign that he couldn't do whatever violence he wanted toward her because of the old man.

"What's her name?" asked the old man.

"Desiree. That's all you need to know," Theo answered, pulling Desiree to the side and stepping right next to her to give his father room into the room.

"I heard you bought her earlier. A fine piece, I tell you," said the old man, giving Desiree one last look before walking further into the living room. Richard followed closely, shooting his brother and Desiree a look of ire. "But that's not what I came here for. I need to discuss something." With that, the old man walked and disappeared into the hallway to wherever the meeting was taking place.

Richard looked over his shoulder at Desiree before following his father.

Once they were gone, Theo turned to her with a smile that did not reach his eyes. "I hope that you had a nice adventure tonight. Just don't do it again, Desiree, because if you do I'll make sure you won't be able to do it again." His voice was final and she almost bowed down to say yes to his commands. Instead, Desiree lifted her chin and stared right back at his dark eyes.

Theo continued to look at her for a while before he dragged her toward the hallway. She let him because she was tired and hungry. And when he stopped outside a door, she did not protest. He opened it and threw her inside saying, "Don't make a sound and don't go out until I get you."

The door was closed the moment he finished talking and Desiree found herself alone inside a small room that contained nothing but a yoga mat. The walls were white and another side was just glass, looking out into the darkness outside.

She had to plan her next escape more carefully, she thought as she walked around the room. Her mind was busy about what her next move would be when the knob of the door opened. Thinking it was Theo, she did not turn around.

The voice that spoke though was not his. All senses in her body went to high alert as Richard said, "Now that we are alone, I think it's time I settle an old score."

Desiree whirled around, wide-eyed. Her heart began to hammer inside her chest that she could feel it vibrating in her ears. She took a step back when Richard calmly locked the door. When he turned around to face her again, he was menacingly smiling at her.

"Theo and my father are quite busy. And I think I should, too."

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