Chapter 133

#133 “I Want You to Listen to Me Now.”

Evelyn drummed her fingers anxiously on the car’s dashboard, her eyes darting to her wristwatch every ten seconds.

“Please calm down, Alexander will handle it,” Sandro muttered, slightly nervous, after another tap on the dashboard.

“It’s been twenty-five minutes, I can’t calm down. Where are they?” Evelyn asked, biting her lip.

“I guess they’re negotiating,” Sandro replied under his breath.

“For what? They stated their conditions, we fulfilled them, they should have already left,” commented Evelyn.

“We haven’t fulfilled them exactly…”Sandro admitted.

“What does that mean?” Evelyn turned to him, a sting of concern in her voice.

“Everything is under control,” Sandro assured her, though he couldn’t stop glancing at the entrance to the abandoned warehouse.

“How can you tell me that everything is under control, that you have not fulfilled the conditions? What have you done?” Evelyn’s voice raised in frustration.

Sandro turned to Evelyn and sighed. ” We didn’t give them all the money. We wanted to make sure Sophia was okay before we gave them the rest.”

“Are you normal? That’s not what they asked for. Call the police immediately,” Evelyn demanded.

She retrieved her phone from her bag and handed it to Sandro, who hesitated.

“To wait before calling, we might complicate the situation,” Sandro reasoned.

“The situation is already complicated. Now call the police right away and tell them what’s going on.”

Sandro glanced at her, then towards the entrance, expecting Sophia and Alexander to appear at any moment. The clock ticked down another minute.

“Please, there’s my best friend,”

Evelyn said softly. “I can’t lose her.”

Sandro nodded and took the phone from her hands. He dialed 911, and as soon as he heard the dispatcher’s voice on the other end, he began to explain.

“I want to report a kidnapping…”

Sophia and Alexander, their minds racing with the urgency of escape, hastily moved around the room.

“Do you have a hairpin? We can try to pick the lock?” Alexander urgently proposed. Sophia, always a step ahead, chuckled and pointed to the floor next to the door, revealing a crumpled hairpin.

“Two steps ahead of you,” she quipped. “I have another hairpin, but breaking the door, and then what?

The front is swarming with armed men; we can’t take them all down.”

“You’re right, but maybe…” Alexander began, his voice drowned out by a sudden, loud, and piercing sound.

“It’s sirens,” Sophia said, her eyes lighting up. “Evelyn and Sandro called the police.”

Before the elation could fully settle, the door burst open, and a group of men flooded in.

“Bring them out. Quick, quick, quick…”one of them barked.

The men swiftly seized Sophia and Alexander, hustling them down the hall. However, Alexander’s hands were still bound, causing him to stumble as they hurried.

“Walk normally,” one of the gang scolded him.

“I can’t, my hands are tied. I have no balance,” Alexander shouted back.

Annoyed, the man swiftly removed the ropes from Alexander’s hands, pushing him forward without mercy.

As they were escorted through the back entrance, Sophia’s eyes caught the sight of heavy rain outside.

They were pushed across the wet sand toward a car not far away. The entire area was surrounded by police, and the sound of gunshots echoed in the tumultuous storm.

Through the relentless downpour, Sophia could barely make out the chaotic scene. Rain mixed with stinging sand, and the unforgiving wind whipped against them.

Alexander and Sophia were forcefully pushed into a waiting car. The door slammed shut, and the vehicle accelerated with sudden intensity, cutting through the storm and the chaotic confrontation outside.

As the car sped away, the chaotic symphony of rain pelting against the windows joined the frantic beating of Sophia’s heart. The rhythm of the storm outside seemed to merge with the echoes of her traumatic memories, each raindrop a reminder of the past she desperately tried to bury.

In the confined space of the car, Sophia’s breath quickened, and the walls of her chest felt like they were closing in. Panic tightened its grip, and she couldn’t escape the memories that clawed at her mind.

Alexander, seated beside her, sensed the shift in the atmosphere. His eyes, usually determined, now softened with concern. He noticed the subtle changes in Sophia’s demeanor and instantly remembered the last time they were in the car during a storm.

“Hey, Sophia, look at me,” Alexander urged gently, his voice a soothing anchor in the tempest of her thoughts.

Sophia’s gaze, clouded with distress, met his. She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

“Take deep breaths, okay? I am here,” Alexander reassured, his hand gently resting on hers. He could feel the tremors that coursed through her.

“I can’t…no..” Sophia struggled to speak. Alexander raised his voice, “Sophia Johnson, you are the strongest person I know. I want you to listen to me now.”