𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭

T H I R T Y - T H R E E

"Ransom?" Luis repeated in disbelief.

"Why kill an orphan when you can get thousands of dollars from the prince?"

"Because you told the prince to raid out our operation base here in Madrid. Don't even deny it, I know it was you." I kept my mouth shut

"Half a million." One of the men behind me said.

"Can't believe felon lets you go so easily after what you did." He banged the table so loud that it startled me.

Will Nicandro pay that much money for me? Is he even searching for me now? I hope Breton is not too worried.

"Then I hope he doesn't pay so I can kill you." He growled.

"Back to room now." A voice behind me said.

"See you tomorrow." He spats and walked out the room.

The two men grabbed hold of my arms and we walked back to my room. I went to touch the necklace around my neck that Nikita gave me. Thankfully they didn't take it off.

A minute later, another men which I haven't seen came into the room a bowl of rice and put it on the floor. I also heard the doors of other rooms opening which confirms my suspicion that there are others in those rooms.

My dinner for tonight is brown rice with a piece of meat. Honestly, this is better than what I ate when I was living on the streets. Hell, I didn't even have a mattress to sleep on. I finished the food within minutes and left the empty bowl by the door and sometime later the same men who came in earlier collected the bowls.

Have they already contacted Nicandro about the ransom already? Did the king find out about this as well?

I couldn't fall asleep as I was freezing so I knocked on the door a few times. A minute later, the door opened and the same guy two guys stood that the door with grumpy faces.

"What do you want?" One said with an annoyed voice.

"A blanket. I'm cold." I replied.

They stared at each other until one of them sighed and broke eye contact. The other guy returned with a blanket within a minute and threw it on the mattress.

I took the blanket and snuggle in it, warming up within a minute. I lie down on the mattress, looking through the hole in the wall, able to see some stars in the sky. Crazy enough, I feel safer in here than when I was living in the streets. In the streets, any gang member can threaten me or even try to attack me if I do the slightest thing to piss them off. It's also weird to think that its been about three weeks since that night Zari was killed. I miss her so much.

The next morning, I was woken up by banging on the door. I quickly sat up from the mattress and saw a glass of water with a plain piece of bread near the door. I got up from the mattress and reached to get the items. After I finished the breakfast, I lie back in the mattress again, wanting to go back to sleep again.

That was cut short when the guy who brings the food came in to collect the dishes, I heard a loud scream coming from another room.

"Please give me food! I'll tell you anything you want to know, just please!" I regconised the French accent.

The door closed before I can continue to hear the rest of the conversation. This makes me wonder am I the only person staying here that gets food and water without needing to give any information.

A few hours must have passed as I watched the sunlight shift, the door opened and someone who I have not seen walked in with a box of medical equipments. He looks American, mid-thirties, black hair, quite short. He must be the doctor.

"I'm the doctor who had been treating your concussion while you were unconscious for two days." I've been out for two days?!

"Does your head still hurt?" He asked me after he sets down his things.

"Only when I touch it and I feel a little dizzy."

"The dizziness should be gone when you wake up tomorrow and I'll give you something for the pain." He turn to the guy standing at the door. "Get glass of water, will you?" He nodded and walked away.

"I'm going to remove the bandage right now and look at the concussion." He tells me before moving his hands to the bandage.

I turned my back to face him as he studied the concussion. The guy came back with the glass of water and placed it beside me.

"Take this to help with the pain." The doctor placed two pills on my palm. "Now I'm going to apply something on the stitches so that it won't leave a scar."

I nodded and swallowed the pills with the water and I felt something cooling on the back of my head. It stings, but the pain is manageable.

"All done, now I'll put a new bandage on and you're good." He took out a roll and started wrapping it around my head.

"How many patients do you treat here?" I couldn't help but ask. The more information I have on felon, the better.

"About ten. But you're the only patient that is treated for a concussion."

"What are other patients treated for?"

"A lot worse than a concussion. Just be glad that you have connections with the prince." He packed up his things back into the box and left the room.

I'm left alone for the whole day in the room except for the toilet break as the sun has set and I had just finished eating my dinner. The two guys came into the room again and took one of my arm each and walk me to the same room I went yesterday.

Luis was already there when I walked into the room and sat opposite him. He looked more pissed than usual. Nicandro must have agreed to pay the ransom.

"I hope the concussion you have is getting worse." He spat.

"Just say whatever you have to say to me." I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows at him, knowing that he has to follow orders.

"Good news for you, he agreed to pay. Seems like you're more than just a pretty face to him." He glared at me.

"When am I leaving?"

"Tomorrow. But don't think that once you're out of here that you're free, cause I'll find you and kill you for what you did to me." He pointed at his burnt scar.

"Afraid you won't be attract any women anymore? Don't worry, none of them were interested in you in the first place." I smirked knowing that he can't physically hurt me.

"You... get in now before I kill her!" He yelled and got up from the chair.

Two men walked into the room, one carrying a camera and tripod, another one carrying a cardboard with something written on it.

"Get up." The man behind me said and I got up from the chair.

He moved the chair and faced it against the wall, the guy with the camera placed the camera in front of the chair and started adjusting the settings on it.

"Sit." Luis said and crossed his arms.

I went to sit on the chair. Feels weird to have a camera facing me.

"This video is taken to show the prince as proof that you're still alive. Just read whatever is written on the card." The guy holding the cards said and I nodded.

"You can start now." The guy behind the camera said.

"I'm Tiana and right now I'm being held hostage by felon's men. They did not harm me and provided me with food and water. Meet up at the abandoned westfield research building at noon tomorrow with five hundred thousand in cash or else I'll get shot. No police at the scene." I look at the board beside the camera and read aloud.

"That shall do, send that to the prince." Luis said to the camera men.