LOGINLana’s POV The drug is not acting in my system, the first sound that reached me was shouting. It came from far away, muffled, distorted, but urgent. My head was still heavy from the last injection, my thoughts slow to line up properly, I blinked several times, trying to focus. The room was the same, I was still in the same place, the chair, this building, my wrist were still restrained.He was still here. The leader. He stood near the door now, his posture no longer relaxed, he was listening to someone speaking quickly through a device pressed to his ear, his jaw tightened as the voice continued, I tried to hear what the other person was saying but couldn't.“Yes,” he said. " I understand.”He ended the call and turned sharply. The door opened before he could say anything.A man rushed in, breathing hard, eyes wide. He held a small camera in his hand, the red light blinking."They're searching the warehouse,” the man said quickly. "Police units, multiple teams and they also have t
Lana’s POV My eyes opened slowly, my head started to hurt immediately, not a sharp pain, but heavy. Like my thoughts were wrapped in cotton and pressed down, my mouth was dry, my tongue felt too heavy, I tried to swallow and barely managed it.I was sitting upright.That was the first thing that didn’t make sense.The second was the chair.It was solid beneath me, not the cold floor or the metal bench from before, my wrists were restrained again, this time behind the chair, tight enough to remind me not to struggle but loose enough to avoid cutting my skin. My ankles were free, but my legs felt weak, like they wouldn’t hold me for long.I blinked hard.The room came into focus slowly.It wasn’t a warehouse, no stacked containers, no exposed beams, the walls were clean, painted dark, no windows, soft lighting from the ceiling. A table sat a few feet in front of me. A glass of water rested on it.Someone wanted me awake.That realization cut through the fog faster than the drug wore of
Lana’s POV My hands were fully free now.I waited several minutes after cutting the last tie, keeping my wrists still, letting my body remain slumped like nothing had changed. My shoulders ached from holding tension for so long. My fingers tingled, numb and alive at the same time.The guards’ footsteps faded down the corridor.I counted silently, ten seconds, twenty, thirty.The lights buzzed overhead, I moved.Slowly, I slid my hands under my thighs and rubbed my wrists to get feeling back. I winced but didn’t make a sound. Pain was manageable. Noise wasn’t.I leaned toward the woman who had warned me before. Her eyes widened when she saw my free hands.“Quiet,” I mouthed.I reached for her wrists, guiding her hands behind her back so I could work on the ties. The shard of metal was slick with blood now, but it still cut.She trembled violently.“Breathe,” I whispered. “Just breathe.”Her tie snapped quietly.She covered her mouth instantly, tears spilling but silent.I moved to the
Lana’s POV I kept my eyes half-closed when the door opened.Light spilled in briefly, harsh and white, before the guards stepped inside and shut it again. My head was still pounding, but I let my body slump like I hadn’t fully recovered. Slow breathing. Unsteady posture. I needed them to believe the drugs were still working.My wrists were bound now.Plastic cable ties, tight enough to hurt if I twisted too much, same for most of the women. A few had rope instead, thicker, harder to cut.They had learned.I felt the small piece of broken metal pressed flat against my thigh, hidden under the hem of my dress. I had wedged it there earlier when no one was watching. It scraped my skin every time I shifted, but I welcomed the pain, it kept me focused.The guards didn’t speak to us, they never did unless it was an order, one stood by the door. Another leaned against the shelves, scrolling through his phone, the third walked slowly down the line, checking restraints.Keys hung loosely from
Jace’s POV The room went quiet after his slip.The investor swallowed hard, eyes darting between me and the officers. His fingers twitched against the sheets, the only movement in his body now was the fear that had fully set in.“You said she wasn’t supposed to be taken,” the female officer repeated, her voice steady but sharp. “Explain that.”He licked his lips. “I… I didn’t mean….”“Don’t insult us,” she cut in. “You’ve already crossed that line.”I took a step forward again, ignoring the guard’s subtle shift. “You said too much already. Finish it.”He looked at me then, really looked, and whatever he saw on my face made him look away immediately.“I’m not the leader,” he said quickly. “I never was.”The room reacted instantly. One officer reached for the recorder. Another moved closer to the bed.“Say that again,” the female officer said.“I don’t run it,” he insisted. “I don’t choose the women. I don’t plan the routes. I just… facilitate the process.”“Facilitate what?” I asked.
Jace’s POV The rain got heavier the moment we emerged onto the main road.Wipers moved back and forth aggressively, barely clearing the windshield before water flooded it again. Traffic slowed to a crawl. Red brake lights stretched endlessly ahead of us, cars packed tight, horns blaring without purpose. The siren above us wailed, but no one could move. There was nowhere to go.I leaned forward in my seat, hands clenched, my knee bouncing uncontrollably.“No alternative out of this?" I asked softly."I don't think so sir,” the driver said, trying to cut through two cars in front.“Sound your horn to make them know it is an emergency. We need to move.” No answer.“Move,” I muttered under my breath. “Move.”The officer driving hit the horn again, frustration clear on his face. “This rain came out of nowhere, drainage is bad on this route. It’s always like this when it rains.”My jaw tightened. “We’re losing time.”“We’re still moving,” the female officer said calmly from the passenger







