Chapter 5

Louisa's p.o.v;

"Why are we here again?" I asked Edgar with whom Ace and others left me while Bernie was looked after by Diego.

Diego ordered Edgar, "Tape her mouth." and he left the car to take a puff.

When I looked at Bernie, he dozed off already.

When Edgar tried to tape my mouth, I said, "Please don't. I couldn't breathe properly under it. I promise I won't yell for help. Don't tape my mouth, please."

He nodded and kept back the tape inside and said, "You looked fierce before but you're pleading to me now. Is there any intention behind this act?"

I smiled and said, "I don't think I can get away from here just by playing as a fool. You guys are retards already."

"Your face and your words don't match at all."

"Why is that?"

He took a look outside and said to me, "Because you look beautiful even after getting hit by those guys on your face."

"You are different from them. What's the reason for joining this gang?"

"What?"

"Yeah, I have read that people who work under these gangs will have a terrible past like family breakdown, poverty, educational failure, poor housing, unemployment. These are the reasons which push them into this hellhole. Other than that people who like crime and violence and who want to have more money get into this. So, what's your reason?"

"You seem pretty intelligent. Where did you get all these ideas?"

"Books. I read a lot of books. You still haven't said your reason yet."

"Why should I tell you? You're our hostage. It's not right to have a friendly talk with a hostage."

"But you did when you got me here. Can't I do the same? Okay. Let's be friends so that you can have a friendly talk with me. Is that okay for you? Being friends?"

"What do you want from me?"

"The reason for you to join this gang."

He let out a sigh and said, "Poverty."

"You joined the gang to make a lot of money."

He nodded at me.

"What will you do after earning the money you wanted? Will you leave the gang?"

"They won't allow us."

"Who are they?"

"You don't have to know that. Be silent till they return."

I leaned back on the seat and said, "Looking like I'm going to be stuck with you guys. I know that your name is Edgar and the one who's standing outside is Diego and your boss's name is Ace. What are the other person's names?"

Diego suddenly opened the door and asked me, "Why do you want to know the names? Are you going to report us after we let you go?" He turned to Edgar and said, "What did I tell you to do? Can't you do anything properly?"

While he was yelling at Edgar, Ace and others came to us.

Diego, "Did you catch him?"

Bodyguard 1, "His face wasn't clear in CCTV. Looks like he must know that there's CCTV on that road." He turned to Ace and asked, "How are we going to find him, Ace?"

Ace looked at me and grabbed my hand and took me away from the car and took his hands off when we came to the back of the warehouse.

"Did you see him?"

"How could I see him if he ran so fast ahead of me?"

"I asked you a question. Answer it. Don't talk to me as you talk to others."

"No. I didn't see his face. He ran fast before I saw him."

"If I know that you're lying, I won't spare your friend."

He dragged me back to the car and ordered his guys to get inside the car.

After a while, the car stopped. Ace and others got out of the car and waited for someone.

A guy came with a cigar in his mouth, looked rugged with a holiday shirt.

They talked among them for a while and that guy left. Ace and others got back in the car and discussed,

Bodyguard 1, "What are we going to do now, Ace?"

Bodyguard 2, "We have to hunt every province gang to find him. Do you think he's from the Pandora gang?"

Ace, "If it was Pandora, we would have gotten a call already. I don't think it's them. Maybe he stole the stone without knowing it. This province is under the jaguar gang so let's go and pay a visit to them tomorrow."

The car started and I don't know where we're headed to. What did he mean tomorrow? When are they planning to let us go then?

After a while, the car stopped in front of a big mansion. Ace and others got out of the car and Edgar made me get down while holding my hands together behind my back. Diego was holding Bernie after smacking his head for dozing off in the car.

I looked around to find someone to ask for help but I couldn't see anyone other than Ace and his bodyguards. Where the hell are we?

Inside the mansion, we were held like hostages and walked on the corridor.

Ace ordered, "Put them separately." And left.

Edgar pushed me into a room and locked the door from outside.

I fell on the floor and looked around the place. It looked like an expensive hotel. I should escape from this place somehow but how should I do it? I have to save drunk Bernie too. What an eyesore!

I walked around the room and found a landline. I took the receiver and said, "Hello? Is anyone there? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you clearly."

It sounded familiar and intimidating so I remained silent.

"Every call you make will be answered by me so don't try silly things and go to sleep." And ended the call.

It's definitely Ace!

I slammed the receiver and walked around the room to find a window but there wasn't any in here. What kind of room is this without a window? It's a waste of time to think about escaping so let's get prepared to fight them. I searched for some sharp object but couldn't find anything either. There was not even a clock to check the time. This room looks like it's designed for the hostages. With only a bed, light from the ceiling. They're really smart.

I dropped on the bed and looked at the ceiling. How am I going to escape from these people? Fighting back is also pointless since everyone in the gang is armed except the driver but I'm not sure about him either. I don't think there's any other way except finding that red stone. I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, I got disturbed from my sleep from the knocks on the door. What's with Bernie? Did he forget the keys again? I got up and looked at the room I was in. I realised what happened today.

I heard knocks on the door again. Who's knocking at the door which is locked from outside? Are they idiots?

I got up from the bed and walked to the door and peeked through the pinhole. It's Ace. What is he doing here in the middle of the night? He hit head on the door. Why is he hitting his head on the door again and again? Is he sleepwalking? I let out a sigh after realising a mafia boss having a sleepwalking habit. Weird.

I thumped on the door from inside to wake him up. He woke up like I guessed. Problem solved. Now let's get some sleep.

I walked back to the bed and laid on it to get some sleep.

Suddenly, the door opened and someone barged in and slammed the door back. I got up from the bed after hearing that noise.

Ace. He was walking towards me.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

He looked mad. Why is he mad? Is he mad that I woke him up from his sleepwalking?

He came closer and grabbed my neck and asked, "Did you see everything?"

"What are you asking about?" I asked while being in his grip.

"Did you see me sleepwalking?"

"Yes."

He gripped my neck tighter than before and said, "I don't want to hear this from anyone. If I heard about it, you and your friend would be dead."

"Why are you always threatening me? Sleepwalking wasn't a bad thing though."

He gripped it tighter and said, "Don't!"

I couldn't breathe properly since he was making the grip more and more tighter. Is he insane? Is he threatening me or trying to kill me?

While I was struggling to take his hands off, he fainted and his lips touched against mine when he fell on me. My eyes almost popped out after what happened. I pushed him away from me and rubbed my lips again and again using my hands.

When I looked at him, he looked harmless. Did he really faint or was he acting? I moved closer to him and he reeked of alcohol all over his body.

Wait, he opened the door and barged in. That means… he must have the key!!!

I hurriedly checked his shirt pockets and pant pockets but I couldn't find the key with him. Did he drop the keys on the floor? I got up from the bed and searched all over the floor but the key wasn't on the floor. Did he throw it somewhere? I looked around the room and I couldn't find it. I thought, 'Where the hell is the key?'

When I leaned on the wall, I saw the door. What if he forgot to lock the door after coming in?

I walked to the door and thought, 'Please be open… please…'

I touched the doorknob and turned it to open the door but… it's locked. "What the fu*k!" I kicked on the door and dropped on the floor.

When I opened my eyes after rubbing it with my hands, I thought, 'when did I fall asleep last night?' I felt like I was laying on the bed. I sprang up from the bed and thought, 'How did I get on the bed? Last night I was…'

I looked around the room to see if he's still in here but there wasn't anyone. I think he left before I got up.

The door opened and someone came with a tray of food. They placed the tray on the bed and stood beside it. Another person came in with a set of clothes to change and stood beside the person who came before.

What's happening here? What's with these people?

Ace walked in which made me move back on the bed. Ace signalled them to go out and started, "Do you remember what I asked you last night?"

Was he talking about sleepwalking?

I nodded while avoiding looking at his eyes.

He walked to me and held my cheeks together and forced me to look at him while saying, "I hate when people don't look at my eyes while I'm talking. Did you get it?"

I nodded hurriedly while looking at him.

He moved back brushing his coat and said, "Get changed and eat your breakfast."

"I won't!"

He throwed the plate against the wall and said, "Then starve to death."

While he was walking away, I shouted, "Do you think you can keep here forever? Police will find you and you'll be handcuffed soon. They will put you behind the bars and you'll starve to death in the prison…"

While I was cursing him, he came back and stood in front of me. I stopped talking and stared at him.

He asked, "What happened? Why did you stop talking?"

I looked away from him.

He held my cheeks together and yelled, "What did I say before? Huh? What did I say?"

Because of his yelling, I got teary eyes and said, "To look in the eyes while talking."

"Then why did you look away?"

I got scared when he yelled at me again and again.

He made the grip tighter on my cheek, made my cheeks feel pain and yelled again, "I asked you a question, Why did you look away?"

Tears rolled down my cheeks when he yelled at me like that.

"I'm sorry."

He let go of the grip and throwed the new set of clothes on me and said, "Get changed." And walked out of the room and locked it.

I dropped on the bed and began crying, what myself I got into. I always act stubborn and bold in front of others to make them think I'm stronger than them. But when he yelled at me like that, it made me remember my past and I cried like a weak person in front of him. Why did I cry in front of him?