*Rocky's Perspective*
As I end the conference call, Liam barges into my office. I give him a questioning look as it's so unlike him to just walk in and not knock.
"It couldn't wait," urgency lacing his words.
"What is it?" I question.
Liam hesitates for a second before dropping a folder on my desk. Without delay, I grab for the folder and flip through it. There are a series of photos. Photos that almost bring my breakfast up to my throat. Grabbing the desk for support, I take deep breathes.
I push up from the desk and try Sky's number but it only goes to message bank. "Dammit!" I shout in frustration slamming my fist onto the desk.
"How did this happen?" I question him while trying Sky's phone again. The call goes straight to the message bank.
Liam shakes his head. "I have no idea, sir. We thought we had them but we didn't."
"Who took the photos?"
"I don't know. My guess must be Nathan but I cannot entirely be sure," Liam replies.
"But she was in the penthouse. How could someone grab her from there?" I question.
Liam shakes as I grab my keys. "Find out where she is immediately," I say frantically rushing for the door.
"I have people looking into it but perhaps we should involve the police," Liam says stopping me in my track.
"If hey have her, who they are," I say. "The last thing we can do is go to the police. They'll hurt her."
I turn on my feet and practically find myself running out of my office, Liam's footsteps echoing shortly behind mine.
Liam's hand lands on my shoulder as he stops me. "You can't just rush out of here without actually knowing where she is."
I shake my head. "Try and stop me," I growl. "That's my wife!" I shout. "I can't let them hurt her. She's my number one priority."
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*Sky's Perspective*
The sound of the door slamming tells me someone is here. The footsteps in my direction get louder but the fabric bound around my eyes don't allow me to actually see who it is or where I am.
My throat dries up and images of Daniella and I pop in my mind. Last time I was tied and constrained, we almost died at the hands of Paul. The flashbacks are vivid as I try to stay still, not allowing my kidnappers to know that I'm scared to death.
Grasping the chair's arms to steady my quivering hands, I listen carefully for any hint to use to my advantage.
There is talk outside of the room I'm held in—if you can even call it a room since I don't know where I am. All I know is that it must have four walls and a door because very often, the sound of the opening door echoes in my ears. I, however can't decipher what is being said. From where I'm constrained on the chair, the words are a murmur.
I pull at the rope holding my hand in place, my attempt to free myself but it falls utterly useless. I'm bound thoroughly—the job of a professional.
"I wouldn't try that if I were you," the voice says. Male, old. That's all I can tell. "We don't want to hurt you. So if you behave and do as we say, we'll let you go."
I swallow, not knowing what to do. I feel hands touch my cheek and shortly after the gag around my mouth is released.
"Nod if you understand," the voice says again. I don't recognise the voice. My mind was going to Nathan but it isn't his voice. This is more mature, more older. I nod.
"Good girl," he replies and I can sense a smile in his voice. Submissive—he thinks he has me.
Then shortly after, the sounds of clicking heels approaches behind the door. Words are passed, once again indecipherable and subsequently the door opens followed by the same clicking of heels.
Before I can contemplate what is happening, my head swings to the side from the impact. The heavy slap vibrating across the room. I grunt and pull my head up before the male voice speaks out again. "It's best we don't hurt her, dear."
"She needs a few bruises, father," the female voice says. My mind spins. Do I know her? What have I done to deserve the bruises.
The sharp nails that dug into my flesh from the slap are bound to leave marks and even draw blood from my skin.
"Please," I whisper trying to sound as frightened as I can. "Please," I repeat.
I feel a hand on my head. "Hush, dear," the male voice says as if to comfort me.
Whispering words are passed between the two before the blindfold is lifted from my eyes. I blink a few times trying to adjust to the sudden light. Tears run down my eyes but I don't stop them, I use them to my benefit. I'm weak, submissive and totally under their control...or at least that's what they think.
When my eyes conform to the light, I immediately notice a man with greying hair. Late fifties, early sixties. He is in a suit even after having abducted me and here to do some dirty work. Not a speck of dirt covers his immaculately cress-free suit. Despite the age, he is well put together, his hair ever so sightly gelled back. Beside him, Rachel stands as I attempt to keep my facial features neutral to not let her cotton on that I in fact know her. She's well dressed as well and the facial features between the two are uncanny. It doesn't take me long to realise that this man must in fact be her father, Elijah Smith according to what Rocky told me.
Rachel wipes at my cheek and leans in. "I didn't actually mean to draw blood," she says facing her father. "But we need to convince him."
My throat tightens. Suddenly I no longer feel safe. If it's Rachel who has abducted me, then the outcome doesn't look like it'll fall in my favour.
"Who are you?" I whisper feigning ignorance.
Elijah looks at Rachel, his stare deadly even to his own daughter who takes a step back before he pulls a chair in front of me and takes a seat. "I want you to look at my daughter," he says pointing at Rachel and I do so. "She's been a lady who has been defeated. She's been hurt and countless times and we need you to help rectify the matter."
I shake my head in confusion. "I don't understand. How could I help?" My voice quivers intentionally. "I don't even know you two."
Elijah nods. "Meet Rachel," he says. "She's married to Nathan...or was married I should say. That's until a dear young lady came along and played both Rachel and Nathan like a fool. Took him away from her and now he thinks he has her at his fingertips, all so she thinks she has a chance with him again."
I shake my head. "I don't get it."
"You know Mikayla," Rachel says licking her lips and bending down to meet me eye level. "How could you not, you caught her with your husband."
My throat tightens and a flashback of that image conjures my mind.
"Nathan divorced me to marry Mikayla," Rachel says smacking her lips. "All because he had this master plan that he would in fact take over Hamilton & Co. He was greedy for money and Mikayla was the stepping stone for that. She got Rocky and he got the money. That simple. I however get thrown to the side like trash and I won't tolerate it."
"What does this have to do with me?" I question pulling at the rope that is straining against my skin.
In that moment, Elijah pulls a knife out and my heart almost gives. He, however aims it for the rope under my wrist and pulls hard, forcing the rope to snap and set me free.
"We didn't have a choice but to abduct you," Rachel says. "Nathan is watching my every move and has instructed me to do so. See, he married me to get to Rocky because of our old connection but I never gave him the chance hence Mikayla. Trust me, I was angry when Rocky said no. I don't know if he ever told you but at one point we were supposed to get married."
I drop my mouth open as if to take this new information despite it having been something I'm very familiar with.
"But eventually I got over it. I met Nathan, dad liked him and they worked together. Dad helped Nathan build his company but it wasn't until a year later that we realised the only reason he had implanted himself in our lives was to get to Rocky, to destroy him. He kept pressuring me to connect him to Rocky and then one day I was in his office and found some forged documents. Documents sent to Rocky's company for a business offer. I knew then what he had intended. But because I wasn't helping him, I became useless to him and he moved on to Mikayla."
"Where do I come in this?" I question.
"You are going to be the piece in the chess game that checkmates the queen. No one watches the pawn. No one cares for the pawn. But at the end of the day, the pawn takes home the victory."
A subtle smile crosses my lips even in the face of the situation I am in. Pawn. Chess game. This girl thinks just like me.
Suddenly it dawns on me that I can actually get up, I'm no longer tied to the chair. I pull my hands and rubs my wrists as I stand from the chair. "No no no," I say shaking my head. "I just want to leave. I don't want anything to do with this."
Rachel bats her eyelashes. "But you do," she says. "Otherwise what would you have been doing at Rocky's penthouse. Nathan thinks it's to get revenge but I know for a fact that you have been staying with Rocky and your whole breakup was a sham."
Making my lips quiver, I step back and slam my back against a wall. I frantically watch the door and switch my eyes back at them all in the hopes that I have them fooled.