Caught!

“Yes, close the gates.” The voice of a man called out close to the back of the van where Arabella was before opening it up and leaving.

The screeching noise woke the young woman from her short-lived sleep.

“Ugh…” She groaned lowly slightly opening her eyes to find light pouring in through the gaps in the wooden crate.

The fact that she could fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position, just went to show how tired she’d been after days of barely any sleep and yawning, she lowered her face to think for a moment.

She recalled being carried towards the ship, but then the vehicle moving sounded like they were on the road for a while, and then she had no idea when she had fallen asleep, but now she was wide awake and so she was curious to find out just exactly where she was.

The noise from earlier seemed to have calmed down so it was probably okay to take a peek outside, but then she was was still in the crate, and worst-case scenario would be if they nailed the lid of the wooden box she was in.

How would she leave, if that happened? She pondered, looking up slowly as she began to plot her escape.

Even if she was on a ship, well they couldn’t throw her into the ocean. Right? It would be cruel and inhumane, but once again she reminded herself that she was still on land.

Taking a deep breath, Arabella slowly lifted the lid of the crate and luckily it was open.

As she did that, she took a peep to find something like a light tower far off scanning the area.

Arabella gulped before slowly getting out of the crate, proceeding to stretch every muscle in her body. The light from the tower seemed to be rotating towards her again, and so she bowed a bit, moving to hide behind the crate.

Much to her suspicions she discovered that she was in a van, and not a ship.

“What the heck?” She muttered, still hiding from the light passing about, as she stared at the interior of the vehicle she was in. It was a large truck, and she didn’t waste anytime again before jumping out of the back.

Her analytic eyes scanned her surroundings to find out that she was in the compound of a well built mansion that screamed so much affluence, and just directly ahead of her was the gate!

Oh yes! She squealed, taking a step towards the gate when she froze instantly.

“Are you sure it’s ten crates you counted?”

“Yes, I am.”

The voices of two different men came from beside the truck, and Arabella could only shuffle to hide under the car hoping they won’t be starting the engine anytime soon, and using a hand to cover her mouth, her chest pressed into the interlocking below.

Two pairs of feet moved to the back of the van to confirm the number of boxes, “I told you so.”

“My bad then.” One of the men said, and soon she heard their retreating footsteps, which indicated that they were going back in the same direction they’d come and Arabella knew that she might not get another chance to escape, than now.

She waited a few seconds for the security light to pass her angle, before rushing out from under the car and towards the large gate.

With all the speed she could muster, she began running towards the assumed ten feet tall gate in hopes that she could climb over before anyone noticed. She was moving stealthily between the garden bushes, her eyes already aiming at the small open door, intent on leaving but then she was not just so lucky.

“Hey! You!” It was one of the voices from before that called out to her, when she finally came in contact with the gate and Arabella felt her heart jump to her feets.

She quickly looked back to catch sight of two men running her way, and she quivered in her steps looking round as she tried to find another way out, but the security light blinded her sight for a few seconds, and she couldn’t move again.

Like the way it entrapped her confusing her so badly, Arabella couldn’t move again and giving up, as her feets trembled the men just had about enough time to catch up with her.

“Arghh!” She groaned in pain when they roughly tackled her to the ground - pinning her face to the stone interlocking, and she gritted her teeth painfully.

“Let go of me!” She struggled underneath them trying to break free, her hands flailing about but they were more stronger than her and she was basically hopeless.

“Who sent you? What did you come to steal?” One of them pinning her down began the questioning, while the other bent over to sniff her before whispering into the ear of his partner who slightly loosened his grip on her to avoid breaking her bones thankfully.

“No one sent me! I’m not a thief! Let go of me, you idiot!”. She lied through her teeth, still kicking and screaming.

In the past, she’d grown accustomed to using insults to hide her anxiety or to put up a brave front whenever she was in a tight situation, and she was clearly doing the same thing now.

She’d just tried to hold back her bratty mouth while living with her uncle, the almighty Mr Grayson as he was the only person who could truly attack her physically without any fear of consequences, but to other person her words were always loosed.

“Better watch your mouth, little girl”. The man asking the questions barked, as he used one of his hand to tap her back, and just as he moved to her front something peeked out from her chest.

It was the stacks of money she’d taken the night before, one she had completely forgotten about when she had woken up and a hiss escaped her mouth as she watched the gaze of the two men narrow on her chest.

“I see, not a thief indeed.” They both chimed in unison, their eyes appraising her and she felt scared all of a sudden.

Before she could say a thing, one of them stretched her hands and took out a paper from her strapped bra, and Arabella yelled, cursing and wriggling like a word at the same time, “How dare you touch me! Filthy animal!”

“You have such a foul mouth.” The man said again, lifting his hands and using his fingers to raise her face slightly. His lips parted to speak but closed almost immediately and a lewd smile formed on his thin lips, “And you have such a pretty face, hmmn.” He leaned in closer inspecting her features, but Arabella only tried squirming away, even when another strong grip on her hair tightened.

“What do you think?” The vile looking man turned to his partner as he asked, “Can I keep her?”.

“Hey! You two!” Someone said from afar, approaching from one of the other vans which had been parked in a line, “Stop slacking off”.

They hastily stood up straight still holding onto Arabella.

“Who’s that woman?” The man dressed in the same black uniform arched a brow.

“A thief apparently. We caught her sneaking away. She also stuffed her clothes with money she must have gotten from the crates and now she is trying to run away”.

“Fucking putas and thieves, this young children.” The man clacked his tongue disapprovingly not even soaring her a glance as he commanded before leaving, “Take her to see the boss.”

“Yes sir!“ The two men replied in unison yet again, and still holding her in place, they dragged her all the way inside the mansion’s sprawl building regardless of how much she kicked and struggled all the way.

“Let go of me! Help! I’m not a thief!” She whined like a little kid, sweat increasing all over her, as she began to wonder what fate awaited her now.

She was being taken to see the boss, and from what she must have deduced these men were so dangerous, that her heartbeat increased sporadically wondering just what this boss would do to her.

She had escaped pain, to more pain and… The men they stopped in their tracks, with her and Arabella instantly tried to lift her gaze but she stopped at the last second.

All through the time they’d dragged her into the building, she had barely looked around, as her thoughts wandered but now she tried to look up, but she didn’t. Instead she stared down at the feet of a man whose domineering aura sent shivers down her spine.

This was the boss! She could sense it already, and the deafening silence in the room, only increased her fears.

She didn’t dare to look up in fear of what kind of monster it might be, and so starred down.

“Who’s this?” The boss finally spoke, his raspy but strangely familiar tone catching her attention, and Arabella cold all through.

“A thief we caught trying to escape, we don’t know how she got in.

She took some money too.” The man who wasn’t holding her arms in place this time said, and catching her off guard he moved to pull her head backward, so she could face the man ahead.

“Shit, she’s so stubborn!”He yanked at her hair and she yelped out in pain, before abruptly looking up to meet an unfamiliar face, with an otherwise pally gaze.

She knew this man! She had met this man! She looked at him, her jaw dropping open in shock and awe at the same time.

Dark but messy wet curls was plastered on his pale face as though he’d just taken a bath and his matching dark eyes held a hint of pride and amusement, while he watched her react to him. She also took note of his well-built physique which was accentuated by a loose-fitting white tank top, and she swallowed heavily.

He was staring down at her with raised brow and it felt as though her heart would break out of her rib cage from excess adrenaline, and something that felt like fear, and was it pleasure? She had no idea...

What was wrong with her? The way her heart was pounding… was it all due to the fact that she’d never seen such an attractive man before in her life? Why was she behaving this way, and his cologne… This was the man at the dork last night, or was she just hallucinating?

She gulped as he took a step forwards, his fingers slowly moved to hold her chin up to his face, and with eyes narrowed he muttered much to her still blatant confusion, “You again!”