Chapter 2:- Kidnapped

                       Anna's POV

My head pounded as I came back to consciousness, a dull ache throbbing behind my eyes. 

I blinked, my vision clearing just enough to catch sight of a man standing over me, his expression as cold as stone. 

Panic set in, but I tried to keep it hidden, my eyes darting around the room. There were more men, rough, brutal-looking, and then my gaze landed on a particular one amongst them.

He sat apart from the others, watching, calm and unreadable. Unlike the others, he didn’t look at us with hostility. Instead, he seemed almost bored, a quiet authority radiating from his relaxed posture. 

“Get up,” the man in front of me barked, grabbing my arm and yanking me to my feet. My heart raced, but I forced myself to stand steady.

"Please..." I wanted to speak but a stinging slap to my face stopped my words. 

The man grabbed my chin, "You don't utter a sound unless you are asked." He said, shoving his scarred face in front of me.

"Wake the others," he commanded, his tone cold and dismissive.

The men obeyed immediately, moving through the room to where the other women lay unconscious. They shook each of them roughly until each woman woke up, blinking in confusion and fear.

"Stand up. All of you," he ordered again, his voice slicing through the air with authority.

Around me, the other women began to stir, each one rising unsteadily to her feet. They moved slowly, as though they feared any sudden motion might bring even worse consequences. One by one, they rose, heads lowered, hands trembling. Eyes wide and terrified.

I dared another glance at the man on the chair. He hadn’t moved, his expression unreadable as he watched, almost as if he were weighing us silently, detached from the brutality around him.

The sharp click of a lighter snapped my attention back to the man in front of me as he took a slow drag of his cigar.

Trying to muster some courage, I straightened. "If it’s money you’re after, you’re wasting your time with me. I don’t have any. So why don’t you just let me go?”

He raised an eyebrow, taking the cigar from his mouth, "Do I look like I give a damn about your money?"

Then he drew out a gun, and my chest tightened.

He studied me for a long moment, as if considering whether I was worth his time. Then, he shifted his gaze to the others.

“Strip. All of you,” he commanded, his voice like steel. “Now.”

The women around me stiffened, glancing at each other with wide, terrified eyes.

Our hesitation seemed to bore him. A sharp hiss escaped his lips.

The man’s eyes flicked back to me, narrowing. He tilted his head slightly, his expression darkening with annoyance.

He lifted the gun and fired at the girl beside me, sending a chill down my spine.

The gunshot echoed through the room. She crumpled to the floor, lifeless, her eyes still opened in shock.

The women stifled their gasps. 

I covered my mouth to hold back my scream.

"I won't repeat myself," he said.

Some of the women, trembling, began to undress.

The men standing around smirked with hungry eyes as they were eager to watch.

The man with the gun twisted his lips, whistling in amusement as his gaze swept over us.

"Trying to act tough, huh?" he sneered, waving the gun inches from my face.

My hands shook as I slowly slipped off my Jacket, exposing just my arms and shoulders. I paused.

"That's as far as I can go." I Snapped, "I'd rather die than strip naked before you and your men."

The men around us chuckled, folding their arms as though watching a show.

His face twisted with anger and he snarled, "Death it is, then."

He raised his gun at me, and I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the worst.

A gunshot rang out. I flinched, but felt nothing.

Then another shot, and another. Gasps echoed around me.

Opening my eyes, I saw the brutal man who'd held the gun lying lifeless.

Several others were shot too.

But the man who'd sat silently in the chair earlier, he was standing now.

Why had he saved me? Is he a special force?

He walked towards us, his gaze locked onto me.

A chill ran down my spine as he stopped in front of me, tilting his head slightly as he examined my arm.

"Where did you get that tattoo?" His voice was calm, but something in his eyes held me captive.

"It's been there since I was a kid," I replied, wondering what interest he had in my tattoo.

H looked directly into my eyes, and for a second, the fear in my chest stilled.

Without moving his head, he rolled his gaze toward the other ladies. "The rest of you can go."

They didn't hesitate. Each one grabbed her clothes, hurried out of the room.

As the other women ran out, my heart hammered in my chest, torn between fear and something I couldn’t quite place. 

He was everything I should be terrified of, calmly holding a gun, his gaze intense. 

But there was something about him that pulled me in, like the calm after a storm, dangerous yet strangely comforting.

I knew I should have been afraid. Every rational thought screamed for me to run, but something about his presence made it hard to move. 

"What's about me?" I asked, still confused.

He shifted his gaze back to me, I felt my breath hitch. 

His face was rough yet striking, with dark eyes that seemed to look right through me, his dark hair, falling over his forehead

 "What's your name?"

I hesitated, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm... I'm Anna."

"Anna, come with me," he said, that smooth tone of his, so sure of obedience.

I stood rooted to the spot. "I'm not going anywhere with you," my voice steady. 

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unamused. "Don’t test me," he warned.

I squared my shoulders, lifting my chin. "You can’t force me.

Before I could say another word, he lifted me onto his shoulders.

"Let go of me!" I screamed, twisting against his grip. "I’m not some prize you can just carry off!"

He walked straight out of the building, ignoring my pleas as though they were nothing more than background noise. 

Outside, his men stood waiting by a luxurious black car, heads bowed and hands clasped, awaiting his orders.

Without a word, he handed me over to them. The men held me firmly, and before I could twist free, they wound thick tape around my wrists and pressed another strip across my mouth, muffling my protests.

 My heart raced as I was lowered onto the seat of the car.

He slid in right beside me, unfazed by my muffled cries as he injected me with a tranquilizer. "Not again," I muttered,before I drifting off to sleep."