The room was dimly lit, filled with sweat and the smell of cigarette smoke. Signs of earlier chaos were everywhere, with debris scattered around and chairs turned over. The man in charge of the kidnap, a wiry man with a gaunt face and sharp, hawk-like eyes, paced back and forth, his boots thudding heavily against the concrete floor.Before him, three men knelt, their faces bruised, blood trickling down from cuts on their foreheads and lips. Each bore the aftermath of a mission gone disastrously wrong, but they kept their heads bowed, too terrified to meet their leader’s burning gaze.The wiry man suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowing on the closest man. “Just thirty damn minutes. Thirty!” he snarled, his voice echoing sharply against the cold, bare walls. “I told you to watch her, to keep her contained. All you had to do was scare her. Make her sweat a little. That’s it!”He took a step closer, his fists clenched at his sides. “And not only do you mess it up,” he growled, his voice dr
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