“I’ll have my people look into how and where she was taken,” Kolya said.
I nodded as I left with my brothers. I had my own research teams and will check in with Kolya later. As we headed home, I called Alexandr and asked for assistance.
It didn’t take Kolya’s men long to find where she had gone missing. They had captured images of her leaving the property. They also saw the kidnapping and the van. However, there were no plates to trace.
I sent the images through to Aleksandr. He let me know within an hour where we could find the van. “We have the last location,” he said. “But they might have changed vehicles.”
“It’s fine, thank you. Please send me what you have, we’ll take it from here,” I replied hastily.
My phone pinged before we hung up. “Sent, good luck,” Aleksandr added before the line went dead.
“Let’s gather the men,” I said to Avgust as I dialed Kolya.
“Yes, you have something?” Kolya asked as he picked up.
“I’ve sent you the details, meet you there,” I replied and hung up.
I took my men and headed to the place the van was last seen or tracked to. We parked a couple of blocks down and waited for Kolya. He sent one of his men to scout the building before we made our entrance.
“She’s in there,” Kolya’s man said as he returned.
Chapter 24 - Clara
Waking up, I felt my head pounding. My body ached, and I wasn’t sure what was happening. I blinked a couple of times before fully opening my eyes. The light wasn’t that bright, but it still hurt.
A man grabbed my arm as he leaned in, huffing at me. “So, the princess awakens.”
I glared up at him, and his breath smelled like rotten fish. Pulling back, I swallowed hard. He plucked me forward, and I stumbled to my feet, struggling to find the ground properly. As I started falling to one side, his grip tightened.
“You’re hurting me,” I yelled at him.
He laughed. It was a horrid sound, like a donkey choking on something. Another man suddenly appeared at my other side. He took my other arm and steadied me. The first guy loosened his grip slightly, which was a relief.
I could feel he was preventing the blood flow to my arm as it started pumping and burning. But now, with the assistance of the other one, it felt better. They dragged me from the van towards two large steel doors.
We were in an alley, but I could see the building quite well. It was a warehouse of sorts, and I was sure it was on the other side of town. Once we passed through the doors, they pulled me down a central aisle. There were shelves with boxes stacked to the roof on both sides.
We went through a much smaller room before entering another, bigger one. The small room had no windows and was very dark. But the next one was brighter again. They pulled me down a hallway and through some rows of shelves.
It seemed they were walking me through some kind of maze. Once we went through another set of doors and down more aisles, they placed me on a chair. The second man knelt down behind the chair, loosened my hands, and tied them again to the chair.
Feeling the bounds, I almost laughed. They were so loose that a child could free themselves from them. I glided my fingers across the rope to the knot. Wiggling my finger, I managed to force it into the knot. I watched the men carefully as I started working on it.
I smiled at myself as they moved in opposite directions. One entered a room to the side, and the other disappeared behind some shelves filled with crates. I felt the first knot give way and knew I was almost free.
If they just stayed away long enough, I could get myself free and escape. Feeling the rope fall to the floor, I smiled. Now, all I had to do was wait until no one was around. Then, I could make a run for it. I glanced around the room.
Except for the door they brought me through, I could see two more. One surely led outside, as there was a window next to it, and I could see the skyline. I wasn’t sure of the other one. The warehouse looked quite big from the outside. I had no idea if there were other exits.
I heard voices and sat quietly in the chair with my hands behind my back. I hoped they wouldn’t notice the rope on the floor. I saw two guards coming out of what looked like a hallway. The one that the kidnapper went into. They stood there for a bit, talking. Now and then, they would glance at me, but they didn’t come closer.
Two more guards joined them. After a bit, the first two headed towards the door, which I was sure also led outside. I wasright, as they opened the door and stepped out, the sun shone in. That was my way out. Now I just had to get rid of the two watching me.
“Excuse me,” I called out. I made sure my voice sounded weak and dry. They stared at me but didn’t speak. “Could I get some water, please?” I added, coughing a little.
The two men looked at each other. I could see they were startled. I wasn’t sure if it was because I spoke to them or because of the cough. Yet, this got their attention. It was like watching a Laurel and Hardy film.
First, they moved in opposite directions, then they suddenly stopped, turned, and moved back to each other. It seemed like they were disoriented, and I wondered if they had been here before. It was like they didn’t know where to go.
