Infinity Ring (Legolas Love Story)

16. Pledge Of Allegiance

That's how I knew how lucky I was to be able to work for the kind, hardworking lady, and the fact that I knew I was working for the woman who fought for the greater good was only the cherry on top.

I made fast friends with Grant and Luke, Ruth's bodyguards. They were my close friends. They were in their middle 30's, both of them married. Grant had a beautiful wife and twin sons, while Luke's wife was expecting her second baby.

One day, I was on my way to Ruth's house with Grant driving the car. We chatted lightly, dropping off silly politicians jokes when Grant abruptly stopped in the middle of his speech.

"We're being followed," Grant said as I looked at his laser focused eyes through the rearview mirror, "Fasten your seatbelt and get your head down," he ordered, in which I, in the middle of my own panic, obliged.

He drove his car so fast and skillfully, dodging other cars as he worked to lose our tail. Grant took several unexpected shortcuts I didn't know exist or bothered to look at. He called for backup through his earpiece and just when I thought that we lost our tail, a van stopped our car in front of us and a minibus blocked us from behind.

We were trapped.

I counted six armed men in ski mask emerged out of their cars and broke our car's window. I let out a scream as they yanked both of us out. We had no choice but to surrender since we were outnumbered and hopelessly outgunned. Our attackers spoke in a language I knew as Korean– North Korean I suppose, and they started dragging me by my hair harshly towards their van. I wailed and struggled against them. I looked at Grant, fear in my eyes.

Bubbling anger and a murderous look etched across Grant's face as he shouted with rage.

"Don't you dare put a hand on her, you bastards!" he shouted as he started kicking the guy that held him and fought another who came at him. He pulled out a gun out of nowhere and shot at one guy.

The blast rang in my ears. Before Grant had a chance to take out the others, one of our attackers shot him in the gut. My friend fell on his knees, clutching his bloody stomach; a look of disbelief passed on his expression.

I broke out screaming. I kicked and flailed at the guy who held me. Rage took away my fear at the sight of Grant barely staying conscious. He forced one last look at me, conveying that 'everything's going to be okay', despite the agony that painted his expression.

We heard a police siren blaring from afar, approaching. Hope bubbled up inside of me until one of the guy stepped forward and shot Grant one more time to finish him off.

"NO!" I wailed and trashed, managed to elbow my kidnapper on the face. Pained, the guy who held me let me go, but the others soon caught me again before I could reach Grant's limp body on the ground. My last memory of Grant was his eyes looking at me, unfocused and empty, his blood pooling rapidly on the road beneath him and trickled from his lips.

"GRANT! NO!"

Disbelief and rage was the last thing that registered in my chest before a sharp pain hit the back of my head and darkness swallowed me in whole.

***

To them, I was not human.

The North Korean men hit me and kicked me like a dog. Pain was my friend for god knows how long. It might as well be for a lifetime. This time they broke my fingers so I couldn't break away from my binds, then they left me in this dark, damp and cold basement with no food nor water.

"Tell me when and where the Secretary of Defense is going to have the secret meeting with your President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs," ordered my attacker with a thick Korean accent.