Chapter 3

"There is an old saying: If you want to hide the treasure, put it in plain sight. Then no one will see it." - Larry Dossey

I pull the cap of my jacket over my head when I turn onto the busy sidewalk of a very busy New York City. I should be thankful that I live in a city that never sleeps, imagine how visible I would be if I was alone. Making my way through all the people I stumble and fall over a box meeting the ground with my knees and palms. Hands pushing forward, knees bending at instinct, but in the air, fall. Could my night get anymore embarrassing. 'Who leaves a box in the middle of a sidewalk.' I mutter under my breath getting up and dusting the dirt from my knees. My body is aching and my head throbbing. I just need a place to think. To sit down and go over all of this. A place that I can find aspirin for my head.

At least no one seemed to notice me going head on with mother earth. I glance around me. It could have been worse I follow the man infront of me into the coffee shop.

"Black coffee please?" I ask the barista once it is my turn to order keeping my head down. "And... Two blueberry muffins." I point to the freshly baked muffins through the glass that stole my attention.

"Thank you." I smile receiving the small brown paper bag and cup. I push pass the chatting guys behind me. They have been going on about basketball the whole bloody time. Who is the best. Scored the most. If Michael Jordan is mentioned once again in my presence I might roll them into balls and throw them through a hoop myself.

I take a seat behind one of the computers in the far corner of the room. Lucky for me this is some kind of Internet/coffee place. I won't stand out as the girl drinking coffee by herself. I might as well put my time to worth. This is surely a way to pass time and do some research. 'Kuznetsoc' is the first thing I search. How many Kuznetsocs can there be in New York?

Wow apparently a lot. I lean back taking a sip of my coffee. If I just listened to myself. I should never have gone out that night. I never go to places like that... I am stupid. Stupid. Stupid girl. Why can't I remember anything? I had three glasses of wine. Three! That is impossible. I can't believe this is actually happening to me...

"Scary stuff you are looking at..." Ice fall upon my body. I can't move. The familiar accent send shivers across my body pounding against my skull to come out and with a sudden movement of my arm I empty a very hot cup of coffee onto him followed by a swing of a fist, but he catches my hand in a swift. "Whoa." He release his grip around my wrist lifting both of his hands up in the air. A sign of surrendering.

My eyes slowly move over the light blue polo shirt covering his stomach and chest, which I can bet is hiding a buck load of muscles by the way the shirt fits to his chest. My eyes turn to his unfamiliar face. A tint of light brown hair cover his tightly drawn jaw and piercing blue eyes meet my gaze. "Who... are... Who are..." I stumble over my own words. Taking a deep breath I close my eyes to settle the nauseating feeling pursing from my stomach.

"Arthur." He drop his arms answering my incomplete question. "I am Arthur. can I get you a refill?" He ask, but I don't answer. Why do I always choose the shittiest moments to go mute. "Coffee" He lift my now empty cup wiggling it in the air.

"Oh. No. Thanks. I am so sorry." I take a napkin from the counter rubbing it against his jeans trying to dry him. "Let me clean this. I am such a clutch. I didn't mean to..." I start babbling when suddenly he move away from my touch.

"I would also be frightened if I was looking for trouble." He interject.

"Excuse me?" I pull my arm against my chest not recognising the bitterness of my voice.

He point to the screen with his finger taking a seat next to me. I shift a little forward feeling a bit uncomfortable when our knees touch under the table, but I ignore it saying nothing. Only staring at the screen in disbelieve. What the hell. Reports of drugs smuggling, gun smuggling, prostitution... and then Kuznetsoc. Leading family... what is this.

"You okay?" He place his hand over mine that is holding the mouse of the computer stroking over my fingers then suddenly moving the indicater and clicking on another link. The screen load for a few seconds leaving me waiting impatiently. My whole body tense up, my skin pull tight covered in goosebumps when the last thing I expected happens. A video open with a cat trying to play piano, slamming it's little paws onto the piano each time his owner's hand hits a note. I burst out laughing. Laughing so hard that I had to press both my arms against my stomach. Tears form in my eyes as I try to stop the laughter.

"You do realise that everybody is now looking at us right?" Arthur mutter, but he doesn't seem embarrassed... more... Worried? I pinch myself on my wrist to stop laughing keeping his serious gaze for a minute. Counting the seconds mentally.

"It is not that funny is it?" I finally break the awkward silence. His eyebrows pull together then he shake his head slowly. "Sorry." I breath rubbing my eyes.

"You should go home. Get some sleep." He cup my chin caring over my cheek with his thumb. I lean into his touch. I am so tired he is right I need sleep. I barely slept in two days. "I'll take you home." He drop his hand to mine and slowly pull me up from the chair.

"No. I mean.. You don't have to... I" I stutter. I really need to go things over in my head before I open my mouth. Think before you speak. "I can walk." I am not getting in a car with you. Not ever again am I trusting any stranger again. I shouldn't even have spoken to you. I pull my hand out from his grip. I am tired. Not thinking straight.

"I'll walk with you then." This sounds much more than a statement than a request. If I leave with him he would know where I live. Know where to find me again. Putting not only myself in danger, but also Isabella. If I don't leave he will know something is up and might even kill me here. Too many witnesses. I scroll over the people in the shop. "Let's go."

"No." I don't need to explain myself to him. If I don't want to leave with him it is my choice. I stare at him watching his clear blue eyes change from peaceful to stormy.

"If you don't let me walk you home I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you home myself." His voice is hard and daring, making me afraid that he might do as promised, but my feet are glued to the ground. I don't move. "So you really want to do this." He lean closer to me. So close that I can feel his warm breath against my ear. "I swear if you scream or fight me I'll drug you for so long you will become a zombie." And with that I am in the air dangling from his shoulder. My ass in the air, again for the second time tonight and my feet to his back. My hands planted on his hard chest trying to position myself so I won't fall. I don't scream I don't fight him. If he is able to do this he will surely keep up his other promises. My whole body turn numb and everything starts to grow darker. I try pounding against his chest, but there is no strength I can't even turn my hand to a fist. The darkness take hold of my body gripping me tighter until I can't open my eyes. Numb.

Arthur's POV

"What do you want from me?" She breath through a dry throat when she open her eyes taking in her surroundings. She inspect the room surrounding her. Glancing over to the television set infront of her and then over the two bedside table on either side of the bed. I watch her with intend frowning at the small black and red checked curtians closing the small windows on my right letting no light shine through. The bed crack under her movement causing her to freeze.

"Go back to sleep." I speak with no emotion standing in the doorway of the bathroom. I can feel her eyes running a line over my torso up my jaw then suddenly she cover her eyes with her hand letting her head hang downwards and her cheeks turning red. I made her blush. "You really need to sleep." I order with a no-nonsense tone.

"You..." She whisper but when she let her face up anger radiate from her eyes. "You fucking kidnapped me!" She yell at me with her usually petite voice pointing her finger at me like I didn't notice the confusion on her forehead.

"Was I to leave you on the street passed out?" I mutter sitting down next to her on the bed, making her retract, gripping the duvet cover tight with both her hands. She is scared of me and she was right to be. She doesnt know me and quite frankly I wasnt good forher anyway.

"Yes. No. You shouldn't have kidnapped me in the first place." She stutter. She does this a lot. Stutter not begin kidnapped. "What is it you want from me? Money? I don't have many." She question me trying to burst my bubble with her last statement, but I don't answer her. You would be surprised at how much worth you are... or will be. I get up from the bed trying to make her feel comfortable, because I can see that she doesn't want me so close to her. I need her to trust me. I head over to a chest of drawers when I finally speak. "Do you mind?" I lift out my boxers showing it to her.

"Of course I mind!" She utter in disbelieve shaking her head and rolling her eyes at me. "I mind that I don't want to be here. That I don't know you. That I don't want to know you and I definitely mind that you feel comfortable getting dressed infront of me"

I chuckle at her response dropping the towel to the floor watching her pull the duvet over her eyes only strands of sleek dark hair visible.. "Don't act so innocent. Nothing you haven't seen before."

"I beg to differ..." She mumble from beneath the duvet.

"You do huh?" I pull my boxer up making myself decant. "I am dressed you don't have to smother yourself anymore." That would be ironic. If she died smothering herself while she is here because I didn't want her to die.

"Yeah... whatever. Can I go home now?" Her body tense up again when I pick the towel up from the floor to dry my hair.

"Sleep."

She didn't hesitate for a second before she laid back down, pulled the cover up over her chest and closed her eyes. 'Little submisive' I breath when she finally fall asleep. Her mouth open a hair fracture breathing quietly through her lips. Innocent huh... although she does look the part I beg to differ Miss Taylor.

"Tell your boss I have the girl stashed away safely. I'll call when I have thought about the reward... and if you so much as think about coming for me. I'll kill her." I end the call

Viktor's POV

"Boss. We found him. He is in the basement." Andrei turn to me.

"Good." Let's go. I nod following Andrei to the basement. I am out for the kill that bloody bastard better tell me where the fuck she is or I am going to start tearing New York down piece by piece until I find her.

"Albert Ivanoh..." I roll his name over my tongue with pressure when I see the man tied to a chair in the middle of the steel basement. He is wearing a cheap suit and polished shoes. What the fuck is this? This guy is scared shitless. His face is covered with sweat and his breathing unstable. He close his eyes for a second then open then vividly looking at me with begging eyes.

"Where is she?" I stand infront of the squirming man on the chair taking a knife from my pocket twirling it around a few times.

"I swear... I swear to God I don't know..." He cry out. "I don't know her." I slide the knife over his skin next to his eyes. Blood start running over his eye making him blink and taking his eyes of me. He drop his head and start sobbing uncontrollably. I look up at Andrei pulling my one eyebrow up.

"This is him Boss." Andrei answer my unspoken question. This guy is scared out of his pants and I haven't done anything yet. Could he be a killer. Or just a fucking good actor. "We checked his phone records. This is the guy who called her. Traffic camera's confirm him being at 'the hub' sir."

I look down at the man infront of me now looking at me with certain eyes. "Yes. I was there Friday night..." He stumper. "I had a few beers with friends. What does this have to do with me being here?"

I let him finish before stabbing the knife into his upper leg. "You don't get to ask questions. You answer. Understood?" He stop screaming and nod his head at my question when I hear Andrei's phone ringing, but he ignores the phone keeping his eyes on me. "Are you going to answer that?" I look over to him. Annoying shit.

"Yes of course. Sorry Boss." I drag my eyes away from him to the slender man infront of me blood pulping from his leg.

I pull the knife out when I hear the door of the basement closing. The basement is soundproof nobody outside would be able to hear him scream. "Tell me..." I turn the ring on my left hand's finger. "Who are you working for?"

"I... I... The bank. The bank. I am the manager at the bank." Funny how they all stop stuttering and is able to speak when you pull out a gun.

"Boss. His got her." Andrei whisper beside me. "Arthur's got her." Flames burn inside me. I should have killed that piece of shit a long time ago. I lower the gun to Albert's knee cap firing a round whole into his unharmed leg.

"Get him to talk before I shut him up for good." I command the other men in the room placing the gun back in it's holster attached to me and leaving the room with Andrei short on my heels.

"Find him!" I bark on my way to my office "I want her alive... both of them!" Andrei and I part ways. How could I let this happen. I should have taken care of her earlier. Gotten her out of my way.

Slamming the door of my office shut and slam down in my seat brushing my fingers through my hair. 'Dumb fucking bastard' I throw the picture of Junior from my desk. 'You found my one weakness.' Throwing the rest of the shit from my desk. 'I don't have any weaknesses.' I throw the chair across the room followed by the bookshelf. Blood pour from my fist as I keep hitting the wall.