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I glance down at my phone again, rereading the messages from the Petrov's unknown number. Something about them nags at me - they seem almost...admiring. It's fucking sick.
"We have to find her," I say, setting the phone down on the center console and starting up the car. "Whatever it takes."
Antonio nods in agreement. "We can't let them get away with this."
I nod, feeling the same fire in my belly. "We won't," I say, my mind racing with plans and counter-plans.
As we drive back to the compound, I can feel my blood boiling with rage and frustration. The Petrovs have made a grave mistake by taking something that belongs to us - and we're going to make them pay dearly for it.
Every moment is agony, wondering what horrors are being inflicted upon Mia at this very moment. Are they hurting her? Raping her? Taunting her like they taunted us?
The idea of the Petrovs having their way with Mia without my protection causes a hot, angry flash of blazing white rage to flare up inside me. A protective fury spreads out from my heart, banishing any thoughts of failure or despair.
I'll bury their bones in the backyard as an example to anyone who would dare fuck with our family. They will forever remain an example of what happens when you go up against our family - the consequences won't be pretty.
Antonio sits across from me, lost in thought, fingers drumming along the armrest restlessly.
Eventually, he turns to look at me with intense defiance in his eyes. "If anything happens to her..." he begins, trailing off. His tone resounds with determination.
"They're fucking dead," I finish for him unflinchingly. I pull the messages up on my phone again and set it between us. "Maybe this can tell us something about where she is."
Antonio takes the phone and begins to study the messages carefully, for the indecent amount of time that the Petrov family has left us with.
"What do they want?" he mumbles to himself, expression pained. "Of all the things in the world, why her?" he shakes his head in disbelief. "It doesn't make sense."
I know what he means; taking Mia is tantamount to a declaration of war against us. He dwells on the ransom demands we received at first, trying to put the pieces together and failing as he runs through some logical scenarios in his head, but each time they fall apart. Nothing makes sense, unless-...
"Unless..." Antonio starts, eyes widening. "They didn't abduct her just for money."
"Right," I say grimly.
Antonio seems to be coming to the same realization I am because his face is twisting in anguish and understanding all at once. "The money's just a front. We wouldn't pay it anyway," Antonio says darkly.
I groan. "Then, what are they after?"
"War," he says. "They want a war."
50
MIA
Iawaken groggily, my head throbbing with a dull ache. Confusion washes over me as I try to make sense of my surroundings. Why is everything so dark? My eyes struggle to adjust to the oppressive darkness that envelops me.
"Hello?" My broken voice echoes back to me.
And then it hits me, a chilling realization that sends shivers down my spine. I remember now – I was abducted after leaving the mansion. Panic sets in as I try to comprehend the gravity of the situation. How did I end up here? Who could have taken me?
The darkness weighs heavily on me, suffocating my thoughts and leaving me grasping for any clues that might help me escape. Fear courses through my veins, my senses on high alert as I strain to listen for any sounds that might indicate my captor's presence.
Nothing. It's pitch black and dead silent.
Panic surges through me as I instinctively attempt to move, only to realize that my hands and feet are bound. Fear tightens its grip on my heart, sinking it deeper into despair. I am trapped, completely at the mercy of my captor.
My mind races, desperately seeking a way out of this dire situation. I strain against the restraints, feeling the cold unforgiving pressure against my skin. The realization dawns upon me that escape won't come easily, if at all.
"Help!" I cry out. "Someone help! Can anyone hear me?"
As I struggle against my restraints, I hear a faint creaking sound that echoes through the darkness. My heart races as I try to pinpoint the sound's origin, but the inky blackness offers no clues. Fear gnaws at the pit of my stomach as I realize that my captor is nearby, watching me silently.
