Lesson Sixteen - You're Not Rich Until You Have Something Money Can't Buy.
It has been five hours since the man from earlier was in the room. The woman on the other hand was still sitting here and I could feel myself fall in and out of unconsciousness. Getting tired wasn't something I wanted to happen, I couldn't let myself sleep.
There was no way I could risk putting myself in such a vulnerable position.
God knows what they would do if I did. There was no way I could trust them, even if the woman in front of me looked more shaken about the situation than I did.
In fact at this point I was completely relaxed. The fear from earlier had long since past and I knew that if I wanted to get out of this situation in one piece then I was going to need to keep my head on straight.
After all most of the time the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.
"What time is it?" The woman looked surprised that I had spoken up after so much time has past. To be fair I had been good for a while keeping my voice to myself. In their minds they probably thought that I had finally shut up because of fear but it was complete the opposite.
My mind was running with every plan and situation I could think of that would get me out of here. My eyes were always glancing around me, trying to spot anything and everything that I could us when I made my move.
There was no way I was going to just sit about and wait for someone else to try and save me.
This situation had me in the heart of it which meant that it was up to me to try and get myself out of it.
The woman looked down at her phone making it cast a shadow over her face from the light. The warehouse was dark and the only source of light was coming from the moon in the clear nights sky. It's been dark for a while but I've long since lost track of time that's past.
"Three in the morning." Her voice was barely a whisper but in the silence it sounded just as loud as if she had talked normally.
Shifting slightly in my chair I tried to get more comfortable as the feeling in my legs rushed back at the movement. It would be lying if I didn't say I was starting to cramp up. Feeling in my hands was long gone as they had went dead a few hours ago. There wasn't enough slack in them to give them any sort of movement to try and get the feeling back. These guys had done a good job at making sure I wouldn't be able to get out of this myself. If I was honest I didn't even know if my wrists were bleeding anymore.
Maybe I would die from blood loss before anyone found me.
Sighing I looked at the woman carefully, I could see that she was getting tired to. She looked a bit more relaxed compared to earlier but I could see it in her eyes. She was ready to run at any sign of trouble.
"So how much did you ask my family for?" With her getting tired I was hoping that I would be able to get out a bit more information from these guys.
"2-20 million." This woman always seemed nervous when she talked and I was starting to think it wasn't just with this situation that she was involved in. I was curious to see if it was just her personality or if it was because of the pressure she was under right now.
Scoffing at the amount I shifted slightly once more trying to get the feeling back in my hands but I knew it was no use. "My family isn't going to pay that."
"Why?" She seemed shocked at my blunt comment but it was the truth, I never lied about things.
Played mind games yes, but I never lied.
"My family don't take kindly to bribes. My dad would rather see me dead than do what the likes of you want and frankly I would agree with him."
She looked even more surprised at my response but it was the truth and I didn't blame my dad. After all if he fell for it once then my life would always be in danger. Others would try and do the same thing because they would see my family would pay the money over. I wasn't mad at them for this and never would be.
There was no doubt I would do the same.
You couldn't let the likes of them win.
"But they only have until five in the morning to pay it over." The woman looked worried now, almost like she had just realized the situation that she was in. Standing up in her seat she looked like she was almost likely ready to run.
It had clearly clicked that she was in over her head.
Throwing my head back I sighed a bit in relief. This would be over soon with just two hours left, my dad might not hand over the money but he would have a plan. Of course I had my own plan if everything went to complete shit but I would rather it not come to that.
There was a better chance of me staying alive if my dad actually did something from the outside, than me raining hell down from the inside.
"Then I guess your men have a war on there hands soon." My mind started to race with the thoughts of what it was that my dad would end up doing but for some reason my mind kept going to someone else and what they would do. "I hope you're prepared."
"I need to get out of here." Her response was low but I was still able to hear her in the large empty space. Even in the darkness I could see her eyes darting around like a deer caught in headlights. She was panicking and people who panic in situations like this normally ended up making stupid choices.
A side of me really did feel bad for her. Another part of me knew, the part of me that knows how to get shit done, knew that I could use this to my advantage. "Go then. I wouldn't tell them your involved."
She shook her head visibly freaking out as she paced back and forth her dark flipping around in its ponytail. "I can't, I can't just leave. Max will hunt me down if I do and I know for a fact that more frightening than what ever it is that you would do to me."
The woman was clearly in over her head and it was starting to piss me off. She also didn't know how these situations worked if she thought this guy Max was far scarier than any of my family and relations.
She clearly didn't know who I was and what power I held outside my families reputation.
"Just g-"
Before I could finish my sentence a large bang was heard from the far side of the warehouse. I looked at the woman who was backing away from that side of the wall, her eyes were glued to the door. She had long since forgotten that I was even in the room with her still.
"Let me go." I almost yelled but she paid no attention to me almost frozen in her fear. I needed to get out of this rope and I needed to get out of them now. Of course there was a chance that all that banging and shouting going on was for me but there was also a chance that this situation could get deadly and quick.
"LET ME GO YOU STUPID BITCH!" My voice rang through the whole room and the woman jump back out of shock. I'd be surprised if the whole warehouse didn't hear me in honesty.
I must have looked crazy right now. My hair was a mess and my electric blue eyes were narrowed dangerously at the woman. My top was covered in blood because of a cut I got along my stomach. I wasn't sure how I got it but it happened when they had captured me.
"I-I-I can't."
I was about to shout at her again. I was about to lose my temper but before I could the door to the room open and seven men pilled in. This wasn't good.
"Grab her." Barked the same man who had come in earlier. I guessed a while ago that he was the mastermind behind this. He was probably the man, the woman called Max.
I felt one of the men tug the ropes around my hands and I couldn't help but winch at the pain. They were clearly raw red and I didn't even have to look at them to know that.
"Do you mind, that fucking hurts." Snapping with as much venom as I could muster at that moment when I looked behind me.
The boy looked around my age and he seemed shocked that I had responded in such a way. Clearly they weren't used to their victims fighting back.
I'd never be a victim.
"Shut your mouth, girl." A hard slap crossed my check before I could even blink.
Oh he was so going to fucking regret that.
Tasting blood on the inside of my mouth I ran my tongue along all my teeth out of natural reaction.
The stinging feeling was starting to make its away to the surface but I kept my face blank as I blocked out the pain. Showing a weakness in front of the likes of these people was the last thing I'd ever do.
That slap would leave a mark for a few days but in reality that didn't bother me one bit. Looking up at Max I made sure he knew what ever he was trying to do with his little show wasn't going to work.
In fact all it was going to do was make his suffering even more painful when I got my hands on him.
"You shouldn't have done that."
The rope was still tied around my wrists but I was now standing from the chair and I could feel just how stiff my body was.
It had been hours since I had been able to move so freely.
He shouldn't have let me have any freedom because he just handed me more cards to play in my own hands.
Max grabbed my arm and pulled me over to him. Yanking my arms I tested how tight of a hold he had on me, didn't take much to realise he wasn't going to let go.
He had me stand in front of him as he turned to face the door. The sound of a click of a gun rung through my ears as he took the safety off.
My whole body stiffened.
He was going to use me as a shield against who ever stood on the other side of that door which meant they were here for me.
Max and his men stood no chance.
A small grin crossed my face as my eyes focused on the door, waiting to see who it held on the other side.
"You're going to stand right there." My skin crawled as he whispered into my ear. His breath smelt horrible and his grip tightened even more so on my arm.
The sound of men shouting and guns being fired could be heard in the echo of the warehouse. It brought back memories of my time with Zane but I closed my eyes tightly and quickly cleared those thoughts away.
It wasn't the first time I was in a position like this and it probably wouldn't be the last.
Not when you held a name like mine and the future that was in my grasp.
"Not so brave now are you?" Max grinned as he looked at my expression from the corner of his eye. That and the sound of his voice quickly snapped me out of my thoughts.
Long gone was that slight worry in the back of mind, I knew I was going to get out of this and Max was going to regret ever being born.
"No, I was just thinking of something."
He didn't seem happy with my response as yanked me closer to him.
"Which is?"
Turning my head to looked of my shoulder at him dead I looked him dead in the eye. "Who's going to be the one to kill you."
Rage.
That was all I seen in his eyes. Pure rage and it was all towards me.
He was ready to snap but something stopped him. The door to the room burst open and all the men in the other room pointed their guns in the direction we stood as they poured in.
Relief fell over me when I seen my twin brother Damon walk into the room. As my eyes locked with his I seen a furry that I never knew my twin brother could hold. His eyes glanced over me almost like he was making sure I was in one piece before his eyes then snapped to Max with a dangerous look.
For a moment I forgot that I was tied up and tried to take a step forward. Max was quick to pull me back and pointed the gun at my head.
For the first time I let panic set in but I tried to hold back my emotions. Just as quickly as the panic look probably crossed my face it was gone.
Now wasn't the time to breakdown like a child.
Damon looked like he had just been through hell for me and I'm sure he just had been. I could see it in his eyes, Max has his baby sister and he wanted me back.
If Damon was here that meant it was Zane who had come to rescue me. I felt something ping in my chest when that thought past through my head.
I didn't want him here.
He does nothing but cause more trouble and that wasn't something I needed right now.
Imagine my surprise then, when I watched Riker Kennedy walk into the room after a few of his men. His grey eyes quickly locked unto mine and I could've sworn I seen a sense of relief but it was quickly covered with a hard, cold look. It wasn't directed at me, it was directed at the gun that was pointed at my head. I had almost forgotten myself that it was there when I seen them.
"Lyra!" Damon shouted and my gaze snapped back to him. I could see the rage in his features and I felt Max's grip on me tighten even more. I didn't even think that was possible and I shifted uncomfortably.
Riker clearly seen it though, and he wasn't one bit happy about it.
"I would let go of her if I was you." His voice was deep and harsh. There was a hidden promise behind his tone.
A promise that only Max seemed to understand. Max's grip had loosened for a spilt second as the full scale of the situation seemed to register in his head.
He had never expected to go up against the likes of Riker. As he looked over Riker's men there was one thing that was painfully clear.
He was outgunned and outsmarted.
"Not until I get my money." Max took a step back making me do so as well. The gun was pressed right against my temple. He was starting to panic, he knew there was no chance of him getting his money now. He was trying to keep control of a situation that he had long since lost control off.
This wasn't going to end well.
Before anyone could react gun shots were fired and I felt a bullet graze against my right arm. Pain screamed through my body but I didn't have time to react to it.
Max's grip on me had loosen and I dropped to the ground trying to get out of the way of the bullets being fired. There's was nothing around me to even try and defend myself against them, so my best shot at getting out of here alive was to stay out of the way.
My heart rate was going through the roof.
Crawling as close to the ground as I could with no hands wasn't easy. The graze on my arm was screaming at me with every movement and I was yet to still be able to feel my hands.
Someone then grabbed my waist and pulled me up so that I was standing face to face with them. Without thinking I was about to send my head forward ready to break a nose when I noticed that it was Riker in the last spilt second.
"Stay behind me." He pushed me behind him and kept his grip on my arm making sure I wasn't going to go anywhere.
The pain intensified but I was able to block it out knowing that Riker didn't know and that I could handle this pain if it was a sign that I was going to get out of here.
His other hand was firing shots at Max's men with his fun.
Looking at him carefully, I could see that his shoulders were tense as I stood fully in front me. It never fully registered how tall Riker really was until this moment as his body fully protected mine.
For a moment I let myself feel safe, there was no way I was going back into the grasp of Max and his men.
Slowly he backed us out of the room, his men covering his every movement. Clearly they had came up with a plan on how to get me out of here, known of this was a spare of the moment raid.
Once we were out of the main part of the warehouse he spun around and pulled a knife out the holder on his waist.
His gaze landed on the damage on my wrists and I felt his whole body tense. They were completely raw red and I couldn't help but let out a small wimpier as he untied them. This made him ease his hast and carefully undo them. Dried blood covered my wrist and hands and for a second I was thankful I couldn't see the full damage.
"But Damon!" I shouted out once I noticed that we were leaving, it was childish I know but I wasn't thinking straight. Getting out of there made the reality of the situation come crashing down over me.
There was no way I could leave my brother behind. I struggled in Riker's grip when he realised that I wasn't going to go in the direction that he wanted.
He wasn't going to let me go anytime soon, his grip was iron tight.
"Lyra!" Instantly I stopped at his slightly raised voice, at the sight of him his tone didn't just surprise me. "He'll be fine, your brother can handle himself." His voice was softer this time as he started to try and guide me out of the warehouse even further.
We were outside now standing by a motorbike that I was guessing was his.
In the clear sky the damage on my wrists were even more visible and as soon as his gaze landed on them I put my hands behind my back.
The damage was already done, he had seen them as clearly as I did.
"They're all going to die."
Standing in front of Riker I stopped him in his tracks as he went to go back. As my hands crashed on his chest it made me flinch at the pain in my hands but i did my best to ignore it.
"Can we just go." He looked at me surprised and I didn't blame him.
My voice was soft and pleading, I needed to get out of here. The gun shots from inside were louder than my voice right now but I knew he heard me. I didn't want to be here anymore.
My body was drained and my mind was just done.
He looked at me carefully before nodding putting the helmet on my head as I swung my leg over the bike. Riker quickly got on in front and I knew I was going to ruin his white top with blood when I reached around to grab his waist but I knew he wouldn't care.
"Hold on." And with that he revved the engine and took off leaving my brother to clean up the mess.