Chapter 5.

Lily

Breathing with difficulty because of the damn idiot holding my body against the floor, I watch as those mysterious masked men approach Alfred, tying his hands and making sure he's unconscious.

"Where are we supposed to deliver the package?" another one asks, holding me by the shoulders to keep me still on the floor.

"I just informed the buyer that we have the target. He'll tell us the drop-off point soon," replies the one who appears to be the leader.

Looking for a better signal for their phones, the leader of the masked men and one of his companions leave the apartment and head toward the emergency staircase, leaving me alone with three men. One of them stays with Alfred to keep him unconscious, while the other two pin me to the floor, preventing me from moving.

"Who the hell is this guy?" I hear one of them ask, talking about Alfred.

"Probably another bounty hunter. Someone else must have put a price on her head. I wouldn't be surprised if more than one person in Los Angeles is looking for Liliana Smith," replies one of the men holding me down.

"I guess it's your unlucky day, angel," the other masked man mocks, gently stroking my back.

Breathing heavily on the floor, I try to figure out how to escape this insane situation because if they hand me over to their "buyer," I'm sure I'll never see the light of day again. I have to get away immediately!

"Were you about to have sex with that guy?" one of the masked men asks, gently touching my thighs.

"Man, stop it. Don't do that," complains the one holding my shoulders.

"Why not? She's a prostitute. She has sex with Nicolae Moonridge every night, and she was with another guy just a few days ago. What's the difference if I have a little taste too?"

"I'm warning you, I won't let you do that to her. Her fate is already cruel enough for getting involved with someone as dangerous as Mr. Moonridge..."

Dangerous... Hearing those words, I smile to myself because I remember my best friend telling me exactly that just a few days ago. I should have listened to her then...

While the two men on top of me argue, I feel one of them continue trying to lift the damaged skirt of my dancer's costume while the other releases my shoulders to pull him away from me.

Realizing that now only one hand is holding me down, I know it's my chance. Gathering all my strength, I kick the only man restraining me, jump to my feet, and run out of the apartment as fast as I can.

"Shit! She's getting away!" I hear them shout behind me.

My heart pounding, I run as fast as I can toward the staircase on the right side of the building, which is well hidden because nobody uses it when there's an elevator. I hear several sets of footsteps behind me, but since I know this building better than they do, I manage to run fast enough to escape before finding a place to hide.

"You sons of bitches..." I whisper furiously, ripping the duct tape off my lips.

I'm in a truly terrible situation now, without underwear, my dress almost completely destroyed, my hands tied behind my back, and unable to return to my apartment to get my things.

My first thought is to call the police for help, but afraid they won't take my call seriously because the justice system has failed me before, another idea comes to mind.

"Nicolae..." I whisper, my eyes filling with tears.

I don't fully understand what's happening, but I know it has something to do with Nicolae Moonridge. I don't know if he'll help me, but I hope that by contacting him, I'll at least get some answers about what's going on, that he'll at least tell me why someone has put a price on my head.

After waiting a few seconds in my hiding place, once I no longer hear footsteps or shouting, I finally dare to continue down the stairs to the ground floor.

I imagine the masked men think I escaped onto the street, so they must be looking for me all over WeHo. They probably even went to my workplace. Staying as quiet as possible, I make my way to the building's reception desk where, at this hour, no one is around. The doorman is probably asleep.

Finding a landline phone, I hide beneath the desk and dial Nicolae's number with trembling fingers, desperate for him to answer.

"Who is this?" Nicolae asks in his usual bad temper when he answers the phone since no one had his private number.

"Nicolae..." I whisper his name softly, unable to stop myself from sobbing.

"Lily? What's wrong?" Completely changing his tone of voice, Nicolae sounds confused, his words filled with concern.

"Nick, someone came to my apartment and tried to kidnap me. I don't understand anything they're saying. They only mentioned your name and said you were someone dangerous," I try to explain despite my pain.

"What? Who the fuck dared to do something like that? Everyone in this city knows you're mine!"

I flinch when I hear a loud noise in the distance. Nervously, I dare to peek over the desk for a second but don't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Lily, where are you?" Nicolae asks, his voice now much more serious.

"I'm in the apartment building across from the club in NoHo... Nicolae, I need your help. I think they're still here looking for me. Please save me," I beg desperately.

"Stay right there. I'll be there in less than five minutes! Just wait for me somewhere safe, and I'll come get you!"

Wanting to trust his words, I smile faintly, about to tell him that I'll be waiting.

However, someone catches me by surprise when the call is abruptly cut off. Raising my head, I see the terrifying man from the club standing over the desk, the phone in his hand and a manic smile on his face.

"I found you, you slippery bitch. It's time for you to come with me and be mine..."