Bear with Me (#2, Completed)

12. Animals

SCARLETT

My ears were ringing as I gradually regained my senses and my consciousness, but my memory was still hazy. I had no clue where I was- just that it was a tiny room in what seemed like a wooden cabin.

I wracked my brain to recall the events that had led to this moment. I remembered being out with Callum and enjoying a drink at the pub after our day of outdoor adventures. His clear-cut features and his bearded face appeared in my mind, and I couldn't help but smile at the memory of every inch of him.

But then the flashback hit me- he had slept with Riley, and the revelation was what made me run away from him.

Who knew if he would have told me about that if it wasn't for the man, who had warned me in the pub. When he remarked that I was new in the area, I thought he was just trying to make some small talk while I waited at the bar for the drinks. That was until he mentioned that Callum seemed to have a type- city girls, the man called it- as he was shagging the other new arrival, Riley, just weeks before that. I wanted to punch the stranger for speaking about my best friend like that, but I was also fuming about Callum, so I decided to take out my anger on the right person.

I could not stand being anywhere close to him after I confronted him and he came clean. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he slept with my best friend and now he wanted to get into my pants as well. Well, there was no fucking way that it was going to happen.

Rage began to spread across my body once again at the memory of it all, even if my mind was still hazy. I tried to recall what happened after that as a way to calm myself but everything was coming back to me very slowly.

I remembered that I decided to walk back to Aiden's place to get some air and cool off. It was a beautiful evening, so I stopped and sat by the shore of Loch Lomond to admire the picture-perfect view, with the moonlight making the waters of the lake sparkle. The smell of a strong aftershave hit my nostril and compelled me to turn around. A strong hand crept from the other side and landed on my mouth with a cloth doused in something before I could see who was there. And then there was nothing....just me waking up in this tiny room.

I pushed myself off the ground and got back to my feet, my head pounding with every step I took. It was like I had a terrible hangover but without the alcohol. Or maybe it was the damn Venom?

Wherever I was, I couldn't hear any noises around me. The room had a small window on the ceiling, so I knew it was daytime, but I had no clue where exactly I was. Slowly, I made my way to the door and reached for the handle, trying to open it. It didn't move because it was locked.

What the hell is going on? Why am I locked in a room?

I did not want to panic but my mind grew anxious when the words of the two agents in London about the last witness against my boss came back to me.

Shit, is this how everything ends?

This was when I wished that I had taken Riley more seriously whenever she tried to teach me how to defend myself if anyone ever attacked me. I loved the girl but her job often made her too paranoid about the safety of her friends and family. On the flip side, I had to admit that she was clearly right that I was going to need that.

"Hello?" I shouted in the hope that maybe there was someone out there. "Can anybody hear me?"

Nothing but eerie silence came from the other side of the door.

"Hello? Please, let me out. I think there was some sort of a misunderstanding."

Still nothing...until I heard the creaking of another door, right before it slammed shut. I was not sure if whoever was there had heard me but I decided against saying anything again. I needed to bid myself some time to come up with a plan.