ONE | STOLEN BRIDE

CHAPTER ONE | STOLEN BRIDE

ISABELLA

"Do you, David Coleman, take Isabella Rossi to be your wife, to love and cherish her, through all of life's joys and challenges?" The priest asked Cole, whose eyes have never left mine since I walked down the aisle with my mother.

He doesn't hesitate when he says,“I do" with a wide smile and almost teary eyes.

I am already in tears when the question is directed to me. “Do you, Isabella Rossi, take David Coleman to be your husband, to love and cherish him, through all of life's joys and challenges?"

I nod my head eagerly. “I…"

The sound of a gunshot rings in the garden where my wedding is taking place.

Like a horror movie in slow motion, I watch Cole fall to the ground.

“Oh my goodness. Cole." I exclaim as fear envelops me.

Rushing towards him, I turned to him only to see a wound on the side of his stomach.

Cole was shot!

“What the hell!" I scream in fright and horror, watching as my soon to be husband bleeds heavily.

I am so occupied with checking up on Cole that I don't pay attention to the chaos around me. Neither did I notice that everyone but my mother, Cole, and I, had fled…even the priest.

With shaky hands, I put pressure on the wound while my other hand caresses his face. “Hold on, Baby. Hold on for me. I am sure someone has called an ambulance or the police. You'll be fine, we'll be fine." I promise him, uncontrollable tears streaming down my face.

“Mom, mother. Call the ambulance. Anyone, please, call for help." My voice cracks and I choke out my words.

I finally look up to see if anyone has called for help but I wish I didn't once I behold the sight right in front of me.

My mother is on her knees, begging the men who shot and destroyed my wedding for mercy. She whispers something to one of the men and points at me.

Four dangerous looking faces turn to look at me at the same time and I shiver from the cold of icy stares.

I knew my mother needed my help and I knew Cole would bleed to death if he doesn't receive medical attention soon but the look on the men's faces told a tale.

It told the tale that they are here for me…to kidnap me for a reason I can't fathom.

My fight or flight instincts kicked in immediately. So, not wasting one second and not stopping to think about Cole or my mother, I took to my heels.

I knew it was selfish of me to leave them and run but I was scared and couldn't think straight.

It doesn't take long for the men to catch up with me. I am hoisted up by one of them and taken to a black van with tinted windows.

I cried, screamed, shouted, cursed them out, and at one point even pleaded with them to let me go, but they didn't.

After tying up my hands and legs, they proceed to place me in the middle of two of them in the van. Luckily, I'm not gagged or blindfolded so I continue begging them.

“Please, let me go. I am not who you want. I'm not who you need. I don't have any money and my mother has nothing to give you as ransom."

They say nothing. They don't even spare me a glance.

“Let me go. You'll get in trouble if you don't let me go. I am sure someone from the wedding has called the police by now. I know they must be tracking me down. Just let me…"

The driver slams his hands on the steering wheel in anger, startling me and making me jump on my seat in fright. “Someone shut the bitch up before she forces me to crash the car with the sound of her annoying whining."

“Should I drug her?" The man sitting next to me asks, scratching the back of his head in confusion.

“Of course, Donald. Drug her and get a free ticket to hell with a headless body. Gag her, you idiot. The boss said he wants her fully conscious."

Donald nods and brings out a black piece of cloth to gag me. “Please don't do this. Trust me…"

I bite Donald when he tries to forcefully gag me and as a response, I get slapped so hard that the metallic taste of blood surrounds my mouth.

He successfully gags me with an angry glare that makes me cower in fear. He also blindfolds me, probably because of what I did.

Knowing that it's of no use, I don't bother struggling to free myself again. I simply close my eyes, hoping and praying that this is nothing but a nightmare.

When the van comes to an abrupt halt, I heighten my senses, hoping to pick up a thing or two and discover my location.

I am roughly dragged out by one of the men. I hear a rattling sound before I feel the cold metal of a chain being wrapped around my neck.

“I am not a fucking dog." I say but it comes out as a jumbled mess due to the gag.

Never in my twenty-four years of existence did I ever imagine myself being dragged around with a chain on the neck but here I was, being treated like a dog.

The water works flows freely from my eyes as I'm taking to a place I don't know. The fear of what could be done to me makes me cry harder, my shoulders shaking violently and my legs going weak.

The only thing that kept me going was the fear of being strangled to death if I stopped walking. My leg would have failed me if not for that reason.

A sigh of relief leaves my lips when we stop and the blindfolds are ripped off my face.

My relief is short lived when I see the cage. The cage most likely meant for an animal.

I am forced into the cage and locked up.

I scream my lungs out with the hope that someone would help me.

Probably tired of my endless screams, one of the kidnappers comes back with a big snake locked in a small cage.

“I brought my pet snake to play with you. You are obviously bored and that's why you keep screaming. I'm sure Monty would keep you company." He says with a sinister smile as he lowers the cage and tries to open the door for it to come out.

“No, please. I'll stop screaming. I promise." I cry out, crawling back and trying to create a distance between me and the snake.

It's useless since the cage is small and not wide. It's so small that even seated, my head is touching the top of the cage.

“Be a good girl. The boss is already here and can't wait to see you."