thin line; daoming si

Chapter 12

True to their word, your kidnappers didn't hurt you further. But they did scare you half to death with threats of what they will do if Si doesn't show up soon.

"You know.." The man who you now know as the leader speaks up with a smirk. "..we were saving this for him but we just might have to use it on you." He holds up a thick wooden pole that makes your eyes widen. Are they going to beat him with it?

They had finally removed the rag from your mouth so you take this opportunity to plead with them. "Please..don't hurt us. I'm sure Si is sorry for whatever he did."

The man laughs bitterly. "That kid doesn't have a sorry bone in his body. But don't worry, we'll give him a few broken ones."

His words make a few more silent tears travel down your cheeks. You're tired. You're tired of sitting here and you're tired of crying. But the only person who can save you is Daoming Si. And if he comes here, when he comes here, there's no way he's leaving this place unscathed. It's a lose-lose situation.

You sigh. There's nothing you can do but wait for the inevitable.

Suddenly, the warehouse door bursts open with so much force that it crashes loudly against the wall.

You can hear him before you can see him, his voice low and rumbling with anger. "If you touch her one more time, I will fucking end you, do you understand?"

"Oh, look who finally showed up!" The man seems completely unfazed at Si's arrival. Meanwhile, a wave of calm washes over you now that your soulmate is close by.

He steps closer, his face now illuminated by the dull lighting. "This is between you and I. Leave her out of it." He hisses through clenched teeth.

"This wouldn't have been necessary if you had just manned up and faced the consequences years ago."

Si scoffs. "None of this is my fault. You did it to yourself."

"Can someone please tell me what's going on here?" You interrupt, tired of being left out of the loop. "It would be nice to know why I've been kidnapped in the first place."

"He ruined our business and now we've gone bankrupt."

"You're not telling the whole story." Si rolls his eyes. "Our family's company was quickly rising to the top and he wanted to work with us, hoping to acquire some of that fame. However, they were very rude, lazy and unprofessional. So our business made an official statement calling him out, which caused their business to plummet. No one has wanted to work for them or buy their products since then because of the bad publicity." He turns to the man, clenching his jaw and glaring at him coldly. "Maybe if you weren't such an asshole, we wouldn't be here."

The man scoffs, stepping closer to Si until they remain mere inches apart. "What did you just say, kid?" His voice is dangerous, daring Si to repeat himself.

"You heard me, you-" Si is interrupted when the man throws a punch straight at his jaw, making him stumble backwards.

"Si!" You yell, instinctively trying to run to him but getting frustrated when the restraints keep you seated. You feel a throbbing pain in your jaw, making you wince.

He shakes out his hands before preparing to throw a punch back himself. But before that can happen, the man steps back, holding a hand out. "Uh uh, I don't think so." He smirks. "Don't fight back or else we might have to hurt your little girlfriend over here." He nods at one of the men standing closest to you and he pulls out a pocket knife, pressing it to your throat.

"No!" Si roars, clutching his jaw where a bruise is starting to form. "Don't touch her."

"Then keep up your end of the deal. You hurt us financially and now we're going to hurt you...physically." Another one of his men toss him the wooden pole and you swallow harshly, trying not to move any closer to the knife.

In one swing, the man hits Si in the chest with the large wooden pole. The impact has Si stumbling to the ground, gasping for air. "Stop it!" You cry, tears rolling down your cheeks at not only witnessing the pain your soulmate is going through, but also the pain that you are experiencing yourself.

"This is more fun than I thought it would be." The man chuckles before hitting him again in the back. Si groans in pain, beginning to cough. You're horrifed when you see trickles of blood coming out the sides of his mouth.

He continues to beat him and you continue to plead until your voice is almost gone. You're in so much pain that you can't even imagine what Si is feeling. Being strapped up in this chair makes you feel completely helpless.

"I'll stop on one condition."

"Please! Anything."

"I want an apology."

"Never." Si grumbles, which earns him another hit to the stomach. He yells in pain, curling into himself on the cold concrete floor.

"He's going to kill you!" You scream, a neverending trail of tears running down your face. "Just fucking say it!"

"I'm sorry." He whispers so quietly that you can't even hear it. But the man does.

"What was that?" He teases with a sadistic smile, kicking him in the side, making Si hiss.

"I'm sorry!" He yells out with whatever strength he has left.

The man pauses, looking down at him for a few seconds. You hold your breath, praying that he won't hit him again. Then suddenly, he drops the stick to the floor. "I think our job here is done, boys. Let's go." He tosses your phone to the floor before gathering up his men, leaving the warehouse.

You're stunned at what just happened, how they just left the two of you here in this state. With you tied up and Si seriously injured on the floor. "Si, are you okay?" You call out, your voice shaking. When you hear no answer, you begin to panic. "Si? Please answer me." You stare at his form a couple feet away from you, which doesn't seem to be moving. He needs help. Now.

You fight with the ropes for a couple minutes, trying to free your hands. By the time you do, they are raw and bleeding. But that's not important right now. You quickly free your feet, collapsing to the floor. Scrambling for your phone, you dial 911.

Simultaneously, you crawl over to Si's body to check on him. His eyes are closed and you're not sure if he's breathing. There's also blood everywhere. Shit.

You hold tightly to his hand as you babble on to the operator, trying to give the most detailed description of your location as possible. And only one thought is running through your mind. Si, please be okay.