“You’re so fucking good.” His voice makes me feel like begging for more from him, making this last for an eternity. “Such a good fucking girl.” And with energy I didn’t know I had, I shove backward and bend down, changing the angle and sparking what I’ve become desperate for.
“Yes, Si, Si…” I scream into the shower as my body pulses around him.
* * *
Waking up next to Nate has got to be one of the best feelings in the world. My bed, the one in my home, has never had someone else in. I’ve never trusted anyone enough to bring them here. But I trust him. And I want to fight to keep him here. Not because I’m up to my eyes in some god-awful crime syndicate war that will potentially get my brother killed. I want him to stay for me.
His features are soft in slumber, his stubble growing in a little. Every inch of him is my ideal, and there’s no way I’m going to give him up a second time.
He doesn’t stir as I slip my leg out of the covers. My foot hits the cool wood floor, and I pull the rest of my body silently from the bed. As I pull on a pair of jeans and a top, my mind runs over my mirrored actions back in Bora. Will Nate think I’ve snuck out on him again if I leave, even if it’s for a moment?
The drawer on the side table holds a pad and pen, so I scrawl a note to him to make sure he doesn’t jump to the wrong conclusion while I go to grab some much-needed caffeine.
The weather is on the turn, getting cooler every day, so I bundle myself into my coat and grab my bag. I open the front door and listen for the electronic beep that tells me the alarm’s back in place once the door closes behind me. This building has a state of the art security system, even though it’s not the newest of apartment blocks. I fell in love with the character of the place and introduced some of my own modifications to ensure my diamonds are safe.
I push through the double-door entryway and out onto the street. It’s still early, and only a handful of people are out. From here I can catch sight of the gold statues that adorn the buildings over in the Grote Markt. The coffee place is just a few minutes walk away. They have the best beans straight from the port and I always visit when I’m in the city.
Before I turn down the street, I cross the road and double back around a small backstreet, checking to see if there’s anyone showing too much interest.
I wait, my heart pounding in my chest as I watch the men and women walk past. No one is looking for me. There’s nothing to be worried about. That’s my mantra as I collect two coffees and head back in a different direction to the apartment. I’ve always made sure I don’t fall into any patterns. It’s what I look for when I’m researching a job and provides the easiest way to learn habits and rituals that will allow you to sneak in and out with the least amount of risk.
Here in Antwerp is no different, and I take a longer route back. I quicken my pace to ensure the coffee is still hot when I deliver it. My feet pick up the pace at the last corner before I’m back on my street, the apartment in sight. A smile begins to creep over my lips as I think about getting back to Nate.
Before I reach the door, a large black van rounds the far corner and screeches to a halt in front of the building. It jolts forward as it brakes and the side door slides open, allowing for a man dressed all in black to emerge.
The air gets stuck in my lungs as I process what’s happening around me. I turn away, ready to run, but two more men approach from the direction I came, appearing from the shadows. My feet back up a few paces as I look around to evaluate the options. I’m blocked in with no other way out.
Adrenalin floods my body, and I shake with apprehension over my next move. Everything inside me is screaming for me to make it back to Nate.
Hard arms seize my torso and pull me backwards. I throw the coffee behind me in a vain attempt to distract him.
“Bitch!” He grabs harder, pulling me back and making me trip as he drags me towards the van. I know once I’m inside, that’s it. Every muscle I have fights against the man with steel arms. My feet drag as I pull my arms, wriggle and protest.
“Let me go. Nate!” I scream his name as if my life depends on it. And right now, it does. Before I can cry out again, another man storms up to me and presses his gloved hand over my mouth, cutting off my ability to call for help. But my legs are still free, so I kick, putting all my weight on the man wrestling with me from behind. The second man moves back, taking his hand away, and I scream out again. “Nate! Help! Please!”
Every second counts. Every moment I’m not hidden away in that van is a moment that someone might see—a stranger, a tourist. Anyone might witness this and raise the alarm. Or at least give some evidence to Nate when he comes looking.
He’s got to come for me.
Tears break free and track down my face. All of my fight and effort haven’t stopped our trajectory back towards the van. The first assailant lifts me off my feet and chucks me into the van. I land, my arm twisting awkwardly as I fall. I kneel up and try to make it back out the side door, but someone I haven’t seen yet pulls a hood over my head, turning everything black. He has my hands in his and something hard and tight wraps around my wrists, binding them together.
“If you fight, this will be much harder for you.” A man’s voice, maybe Japanese but certainly Asian in origin. It’s his voice that stops me. A fear I’ve never known before descends over me as I try to think this scenario through. My breathing is shallow, and a dirty, musty smell invades my nose as I try to take some deep breaths. The cloth over my head has blocked my vision and I can’t move my arms.
The sound of my own breath echoes in my head as I listen to where the man might be in relation to my position. Suddenly, there’s a loud bang on the van, the doors all closing, and the engine starts.
“He’ll come for me. You know that,” I stutter out.
“We know.”
