Chapter 74
“Natalia, are you okay?” Rose’s nice cracked with concern on the other end of the line.
“Thor.” I quickly reassured her, trying to sound calmer than 1 fehlt. “What about you and Aident Are you both safel
“We’re safe now,” Rose replied, her voice steadying “They blindfolded us and took us somewhere. But it was really bumpy… like
Before she could fish, the call was snatched away. A harsh voice cur in “You’re fine. Stopstalling. Just get moving!“
The call ended abruptly I stared at the phone in my hand, feeling a chill creep over me. Hurned to Forrest, glaring “What was that? What’s going
eyebrow. “Ms. Hinton, don’t get your hopes tips. I let your friends go, and I’m not worried about them calling the cops.
Ho confidence made my skin itaud, and unease grassed at me. Where exactly was 1!
Before I could press further. Tosreit gestured toward the phone with a tilt of his brad. “Now, lie a good girl and make the call. I’ve held up my end of the bargain. Time for you to hold up yours”
Theutated, my stomach twisting, but eventually took the phone from him. Dialing Ben’s number, I prayed he’d pick up quickly.
Hello! Ben answered, his voice sharp with concern
“Dad, it’s me,” I whispered, relieved to hear his voice.
“Natalia! Where are you! We’ve been trying to reach yout Your mom’s freaking out, she’s been crying nonstop!”
-1 started, but Forrest grabbed the phone, flipping it to speaker.
“Mr. Smith Forrest said smoothly. “Don’t worry.
- y. Your daughter is in good hands. Just a little business arrangement, that’s all
There was a pause before Ben spoke, his voice right with anger. “Who the hell is this? What have you done with my daughter?”
Forrest chuckled, unfazed, “Nothing bad. Mr. Smith. I’m just asking for a small favor. Help me out and I’ll make sure Natalia’s returned in one
My scalp went numb. Smuggling illegal drugs! That was huge. If Ben agreed to Forrest’s demands, it would ruin the Smith family for good
In a panic, I cried out, “Dad! Don’t
I couldn’t let that hap
Before I could finish, Gemma rushed over, showed a rag in my mouth, and taped it shut
Forrest gave me a quick glance, kept the line open, and left the room. I had no idea what they were talking about, but five minutes later, he came back, grinning like a Cheshire cal
“Ms. Hinton, you’re really my golden ticket! He was practically glowing. “Your dad agreed to everything. You’re safe now”
What My mind raced, and my eyes went wide in shock.
Gemina clicked her tongue, looking resentful. “Hmph, must be nice, hub Having your parents all wrapped around your finger.”
Why the hell would Ben agree to something like this? Imposible. He had been in the business world too long to make such a stupid decision. This had to be a stall, a way to buy some time.
1 forced myself to stay calm. Forrest ripped the rape off my mouth and ordered Gemana to untie me
The pain was immediate, and I gasped. Forrest casually added. “The U3 will be at the Nordin dock tomorrow. It’ll take about ten days to reach Enchester. Youll stay here and then
“You want me to stay in this dark, damp room for ten days?” I frowned, trying to hide my irritation. “If my dad’s helping you now, we’re allies, right? I think I deserve a better roo
I played the part of the spoiled daughter, but I needed to figure out my next move. Ten days was a long time to sit here and do nothing.
Forrest rolled his eyes but finally agreed. He turned to Gemma and said, “Let her stay with you for now.”
“What?” Gemma looked annoyed at first, but when Forrest shot her a look, she immediately switched to a softer tone. “Alright, habe, whatever you
She hugged Forrest and kissed his cheek, then turned to me with an icy stare. “Let’s go. Ms. Hinton”
1/2
Chapter 74
dreed bet ma of the room. There was a long staircase entside, and Gemma pran
- flew up it. I was struggling a bit since my
When my fouilly made it to the top, 1 brri
in the fresh air, feeling a wave of relief. I glanced back at the room I had been in. It was definitely.
li demot of us stretched a long corridor, woath vines hanging down from above and birds unging nearby. The place was way more serene than 1 expected the whole place felt almost like a hidden garden.
Torry up emma snapped, clearly any
1 caught sip to her and tried to make small talk. “This your base or something? It’s pretty nice here. Almost feels like a resort”
wary look. “Don’t even think about it. You’re not getting out
“At this point. I’m not trying to escape.” I said with a shrug. “I just want to make the next ten days a little easier. And by the way, I’m starving, Gor
Gemma shoved me it
alked into a small room, not much bigger than a tiny hotel room. It was pretty basic, like something)
Two single beds were set up
inside, clearly annoyed. “Go wash up. I’ll get you some food.
Then the slammed the door shut behind her. 1 heard the click of the lock.
hing you would find in a small town motel.
Once I was alone, I rushed to the door, trying to twist the handle, but it was locked tight.
1 quickly moved to the w
window and tried to open it. No luck, it was sealed shut. There was no way I was getting out that way either.
This was the first floor. When I looked out the window, my view was limited, I could only see the stretch of the corridor and a few scattered trees in the yard. The faint glimmer of hope I’d been clinging to flickered weakly.
I sighed and headed to the bathroom to clean up.
The sight in the mirror stopped me cold. My face was pale, my hair a disaster, and my eyes looked hollow. For a second, I barely recognized myself,
Shaking it off, I splashed some cold water on my face, letting the chill snap me back. Ten days. I reminded myself. You have ten days to figure this out. Find a way out, call for help, and protect the Smith family.
A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. Gemma walked in, holding a box of milk and a bag of biscuits.
“Here,” she said, tossing them onto the bed like she couldn’t care less. “This is all we’ve got. Fresh stuff is long gone, and supplies don’t exactly roll in on a schedule.”
I caught the food, pretending to examine it while I replayed her words in my head. Supplies brought in? Fresh food gone?
It hit me–we were in some remote, out–of–the–way place. Probably far enough off the grid that transportation was an issue.
Based on how long I’d been unconscious during the ride, we couldn’t be too far from Enschester. But where, exactly, could be this cut off?
That night, lying on the stiff mattress, I stared at the ceiling, mentally sketching out the map of Enschester. My mind raced over possibilities, narrowing them down piece by piece.
Suddenly, a possibility struck me.
