Five: Day Two

He handcuffed her to the bedpost and taped her mouth. It should've been her first night as a married woman but she lies awake in the dark with tears running down her face instead. She had never been more afraid in her life.

She dozed off for 10 minutes and woke up to every bristle he made as he slept beside her. She was thinking of ways she could get away. Maybe if she could run, she would call Armand to pick her up wherever she was. Where was she? She didn't even know.

She looked at him, he was fast asleep. She looked at the handcuff around her right wrist, there was no way she could get it loose without the key. Her right arm was getting sore from being tied up too long, she sat up.

The motion woke him up. He jumped, took the gun next to him, and pointed it at her.

She gasped.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his face when he realized it was only her. He glanced at the clock. It was 3.30 AM. He got up and started to move around the room. He stuffed his things into the duffel bag, he took a case from under the bed. He opened the case and it was filled with weapons.

Her heart raced. Her eyes widened.

He saw the look in her eyes as he checked every piece of the weapon in the case. He closed it and took it to the car. He rolled her wedding gown and stuffed it into the trunk. After he was done, he moved her to the backseat of the car still in handcuffs, and then removed the tape from her mouth.

"Why did they kill everybody else and not me?"

He turned to her with an annoyed look on his face, "They haven't got the chance to."

"But they were sent to kill everyone?"

He started to drive, "I wouldn't know ... I told you, I work alone, it would be interesting to know who they're working for though."

"Why are you keeping me? What was that stop for yesterday?"

He looked at her from the rear-view mirror, he thought her questions were odd, "We'll find out soon enough."

His answers were vague and she was getting more confused.

"He will find us, you know? You don't know Armand ... he will torture you before he kills you, there is no escape."

"Not if I kill him first ... but you're right, I don't know Armand ... do you?" he stared at her from the rear-view mirror.

**********

It was love at first sight for her. Armand was the boy she couldn't take her eyes away from since the first time they met. She was often caught secretly watching him from afar, and he would smile at her when their eyes met. He was the boy that made her feel butterflies in her stomach knowing they were going to see each other every day at school.

His name was the name she drew in her notebook and put little hearts around it. She would dream the day away when she saw him playing basketball in the courtyard through her classroom window.

His smile, the way he flipped his hair, his laughter, and his voice when he called her name built her whole world when she was a teenager. She wasn't the only one too. Every popular girl at school had dated Armand.

She was devastated when Armand graduated and went to college. She had to finish high school without seeing him every day for two whole years.

But then, like a dream come true, he stood by his Lamborghini in front of her school to pick her up one day. His dazzling smile greeted her, he extended his hand and opened up the passenger door for her.

His dad had bought him a new car for his 18th birthday and he wanted to take her for a ride. That was the first time she realized her friendship with Armand was developing into something more. She had her first kiss in that car.

Ariana grew up to be a beautiful young lady in her senior year of high school. She was the most popular girl at school by then because she had been seeing Armand for a little over a year. She took him as her prom date and lost her virginity to him that night.

She entered the same college as Armand, they were inseparable after that. She found out how popular he was among the college girls too and caught them in his room sometimes. Armand was never a sweet boy, he was always cheeky, always in trouble, and fooling around with girls.

But he was hers. He always comes back to her because he loves her, all the other girls were just a fling. She was head over heels for him and knew in her heart that he was the man she was going to marry one day.

By 21, Armand started to get involved in his father's business. He started keeping secrets from her because that's how it was done in the family. The women were usually kept in the dark about the men's businesses. She was used to it because that was the way in her family too.

Armand was groomed to be the heir of Lombardo's fortune, he became more and more like his dad as the years rolled on. He started using drugs and carrying a gun everywhere he goes. He drank a lot and the girls were everywhere.

But he was hers. He always comes back to her because she was the one he loves, all the other girls were just a fling. That's what she kept telling herself because she knew deep down in her heart, he was the man she will marry one day.

***********

She woke up from the heat of the sun on her face. Her wrist was still shackled and tied to the front seat. She looked around, the car was parked in front of a row of shops. She didn't recognize the neighborhood, she read the sign on one of the storefronts. Bluebridge. A small town away from Gastonburry. She had heard about the place but never been there before.

The car was locked, she was alone. This was her chance. If she could spot someone outside, she can ask for help. She rattled the handcuff, there was no way she could get it off of her. But she can make a noise, someone would hear her if she was loud enough. She started to scream and move around violently so the car would wobble.

"Help! Heellllppp!!!!!"

Her voice bounced throughout the interior of the car that it stung her ears. She kept moving and kicking the door.

"Help! Heeeelllllpp!!!!! Someone, please heeellllpp!!!"

Someone is going to pass by the car and they will hear her. She has hope, this nightmare can end.

The car door opened, the man came in and pointed his gun at her. His face was calm, "I told you ... If you try anything stupid, I will shoot you ... and what you're doing is stupid."

She fell silent, she was panting from all the moving and screaming.

He tossed a paper bag to the front passenger seat and closed the door.

"Just let me go ... please ... I can't do this anymore ... where are you taking me?"

The car started to move, he didn't respond to her.

"I just want to go back ... let me bury my parents ... and we'll forget all about this, please ..."

Being tied up for almost 24 hours without knowing what will happen to her had taken its toll on her. She knew her life had turned upside down in an instant but at least she can figure things out back home.

She kicked the driver's seat and screamed at the man, "Why won't you say something?? Let me go!!" She kept kicking and yelling out of control.

He stopped the car, he turned around and grabbed her neck, "Shut up!" he cocked his gun and pointed it to her head. "Shut up! Get a hold of yourself!"

"You're not gonna shoot me," she challenged him. "You said it yourself, you're not here to kill me."

"No, I'm not gonna kill you, but that doesn't mean I won't shoot you if you're making this harder than it is." He pressed the gun to her face and slid it down to her neck and arm, "Where do you want it? Your arm?" He slid the gun lower to her thigh, "Or your leg?"

She nudged the gun with her leg and looked away. "He's going to kill you ... you'll be dead before you know it." She curled up in the backseat.