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CHAPTER FOURTEEN — THE PLANNED KIDNAP
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2026-02-20 23:29:51Aria's POV
I didn't waste a second. I grabbed a trench coat to cover my disheveled state and followed Marcus and Chen down the private elevator. The air in the garage felt different, it was thicker and charged with the kind of static that precedes a storm.
"We take the armored SUV," Marcus commanded, his hand never leaving the holster at his hip. "Chen, you’re on comms. If the Boss's personal security detail pings our GPS, we tell them we’re moving Mrs. B to a secure secondary location for the dinner prep. It’s a thin lie, but it’s all we’ve got."
"A thin lie is better than no lie," Chen muttered, sliding into the passenger seat and frantically tapping at his tablet. "I’m scrambling the internal cabin feed now. If he checks the cameras, he’ll just see a loop of the empty backseat from ten minutes ago. We are definitely toast bread if he decides to call your phone, Marcus."
"Stop this humorless joke with the bread," Marcus snapped, slamming the car into gear.
We drove out of the garage, the tires Screeching against the polished concrete. I sat in the back, my hands clasped so tightly my knuckles were white. We were only ten minutes away from the Blackwood Industries skyscraper when the first sign of trouble appeared.
A heavy-duty black van swerved sharply from a side street, clipping our front bumper.
"What the fuck!" Marcus cussed, his professional instincts kicking in.
Before I could even scream, another vehicle, a silver sedan rammed us from the left, pinning the SUV against the concrete barrier of the overpass. The sound of grinding metal was deafening. The airbag in the passenger side deployed with a violent *pop*, and for a moment, the world felt like it went sideways.
"Aria! Get down!" Marcus yelled, reaching back to shove my head toward the floorboards just as a hail of bullets shattered the reinforced glass of the rear window. The glass didn't break inward, thanks to the armor, but the spiderweb of cracks obscured everything.
The SUV ground to a halt, boxed in.
"They’re trained," Chen gasped, blood trickling from a cut on his forehead. "They aren't street thugs. Marcus, they’re moving in a tactical formation."
Marcus didn't hesitate. He kicked his door open, using it as a shield as he began returning fire. "Chen, get her out of here! There’s a maintenance stairwell fifty yards back. Go!"
"I’m not leaving you!" I cried, but Chen was already grabbing my arm with a strength I didn't know he possessed.
"Mrs. B, if you stay here, we'll all die," Chen said, his usual humor replaced by a terrifyingly flat tone.
We scrambled out of the wreckage. I saw Marcus go down, a grunt of pain escaping him as a bullet caught his shoulder, but he kept firing, taking out two of the masked men advancing on us. Chen pulled me toward the stairs, but we were cut off.
A familiar figure stepped out from behind a third vehicle. Ethan. Beside him, Lydia was holding a suppressed pistol with a sly smile on her lips. They weren't alone, six men in tactical gear stood behind them with leveled weapons.
"Aria, enough!" Ethan shouted over the noise ringing in my ears. "We’re saving you! Do you have any idea what Blackwood would have done to you after that dinner? He was going to dispose of you!"
“How did you know about…” I stammered in disbelief.
“You shouldn't worry about that dear, you just have to know that we're the only ones trying to save you here.“ Ethan said.
"You’re the one trying to kill me, Ethan!" I screamed, looking back at Marcus, who was now pinned behind the wheel, bleeding heavily as three men closed in on him. Chen tried to lung forward, but a tall man in a mask stepped out and slammed the butt of a rifle into Chen’s temple.
Chen crumpled to the pavement like a ragdoll.
"No!" I shrieked, reaching for him, but Ethan grabbed me, yanking me back into his chest.
"He’s not dead, Aria, but he will be if you don't shut up and get in the car," Ethan hissed into my ear. "Lydia, get the papers. We’ll make her sign them at the safehouse. By the time Lucien realizes she’s gone, the Power of Attorney will be filed, and he won't be able to touch her, or her trust."
Lydia looked at me with utter disgust. "You really made this harder than it had to be, babe. You could have just walked away. Now, look at this mess. Blood everywhere."
They dragged me toward their car as Marcus struggled to rise, his eyes unfocused, his white shirt soaked with blood. He reached out a shaking hand, but he was silenced by a heavy kick to his ribs.
"Tell Lucien..." I sobbed, struggling against Ethan’s grip.
"Lucien won't be hearing anything," Ethan said, shoving me into the back of the van.
The doors of the van slammed shut, plunging us into a predatory silence. Ethan sat across from me, his face softened into that practiced, sympathetic mask I had once mistaken for love. He reached out, trying to take my hand, but I pulled away, pressing my back against the cold metal wall.
"Aria, sweetheart, please," he murmured, his voice dripping with forced concern. "Look at your current state. Lucien has you so terrified that you’re defending your own jailers. We had to do this. We’re taking you to a safe place where he can’t hurt you anymore."
"You shot Marcus," I rasped, my throat tight with fury. "You call that saving me?"
Lydia leaned forward from the shadows, her smile tight and cajoling. "Babe, those men were tools. Lucien’s tools. They would have watched you wither away in that penthouse. Think about the bookstore, Aria. Think about your freedom. We just need you to sign a few documents so we can protect your assets. Once the Power of Attorney is in our hands, Lucien’s mother can’t touch you, and neither can he."
"You want my signature," I said as i let out a cold laugh. "That’s all this is."
"It’s about your future," Ethan urged, moving closer with pleading eyes. "Just sign, and this nightmare ends. We’ll disappear from here and you’ll be safe with us."
He was still trying to play the hero, even with my blood on his sleeve.
Suddenly, Ethan’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, and instantly, the color drained from his face.
The van screeched to a halt as a thunderous roar echoed from above. A helicopter’s searchlight sliced through the tinted windows, blinding us.
"He’s here," Ethan whispered as his hands trembled in fear.
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