Chapter 128

128 IN THE DARK LUKE’S POV My hands were trembling as I looked down at the blood dripping from the gunshot wound. The gun slipped from my grasp, clattering to the ground. I wanted to scream to let out the agony I was feeling, but I couldn’t find the strength. The pain was overwhelming, radiating through my entire body. I could feel my hands shaking as I tried to hold myself together. The intense pain was almost unbearable, but I knew I had to stay strong.

After hearing the sounds of rustling bushes, I turned around, only to see a group of men coming out of the bushes, treading in our direction. Sort of many, I’d say. I noticed that each one of them was armed with a gun, pointing at me and Andre, who I could tell was shocked and afraid. We were completely outnumbered, right at the mercy of these strangers. It was clear that we were in a dangerous and potentially life–threatening situation. I wasn’t going to let fear take over. Letting this woman win was definitely not it.

“What are you going to do now, Pushki?” My mother asked, smirking. I could only glare at her. The moment she snapped her fingers, I was hit from behind. And I didn’t know how they did it or what they used. But the strike had caused me to lose consciousness.

****

MASON’S POV I made my way through the crowd, scanning the room for Ariel. I swear I had seen her some minutes ago. Like, she was really in this building, relishing the party. But now, as I looked around, I couldn’t spot her anywhere.

I approached Lisa, who was talking to a group of friends. Not my concern anyway. “Hey Lisa, have you seen Ariel?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

Lisa turned to me with a confused expression. “Ariel? No, I haven’t seen her. I did have a conversation with her, but I haven’t seen her since then. Why, is everything alright?”

I shook my head. “No, I just can’t seem to find her.”

Lisa shrugged. “Maybe she’s gone out with the kids. You know how much they love moving with each other.”

One of Lisa’s friends grinned at me. “Is this your brother, Lisa? He is one dashing man.‘

THE DARK -2/4 Ilaughed, shaking my head. “Thank you.”

“You know, we can hang out later.”

“Hmm, not really.” I gave her a plastic smile before walking away.

I approached Hannah, who was busy standing at the entrance. “Wassup, Han, have you seen Ariel?” I asked, hoping for a different answer.

Hannah smiled at me. “No, I haven’t. Maybe she’s playing with the kids. As you can see, I’m waiting for Felix. He says he will be coming.”

“Okay, okay.” I cut her off. “You can… keep that to yourself.”

She looked at me for a moment. “Okay, have fun finding Ariel.”

I sighed, shaking my head as I muttered, “It’s useless talking to you.”

“Yeah, bye–bye,” Hannah said nonchalantly while I walked away from her.

I made my way to the gardens, searching every corner for Ariel. But she was nowhere to be found.

Now, where the hell has that lady gone? I needed to ask her some questions concerning our plan. Now, the idiot was nowhere to be found.

I walked back to the ballroom and spotted my mother walking towards me. “Hey, Mom, have you seen Ariel?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

She shook her head, looking concerned. “No, I haven’t. Is anything wrong?”

“Not really. I’m just looking for her.”

“Hold on, let me call her.” My mom began to call Ariel, but the lady was not reachable–piece of sh*t.

My father walked in our direction, talking to a guest, and I had to stop him. “Dad, I can’t find Ariel anywhere.”

“And since when did you start showing concern for Ariel?” He asked, widening his eyes.

I sighed. “I just want to discuss something important with her,” I responded, holding both of my waists.

“Oh, I see. And what is the important stuff?

I looked at him for seconds. “Have you seen her?‘

He shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen her. Maybe she went to the kitchen to get some food.”

“Seriously?” I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

T28 IN THE DARK “Of course. She might be in the kitchen. I mean, have you tried the dishes? They’re really delicious.”

“She can’t be in the kitchen right now.‘

“Have you checked it out?” My dad grinned, and as I just looked at him, he winked at me. “Look, I genuinely have no idea why you’re so worried about Ariel. It’s kind of a new thing, really surprising. But you don’t have to stress yourself over that; Ariel is not a little kid. She’s alright, wherever she is. Now you need to go get yourself some food, grab some drinks, and enjoy the party.”

“Thanks. But I’m good.” I feigned a smile and walked away from him.

LUKE’S POV I slowly regained consciousness, finding myself in a dimly lit room. The darkness was overwhelming, but my eyes adjusted enough to make out some shapes in the room. I tried to move my hands, but they were bound together, and the pain in one of them was a constant reminder of the chaos that had led me here. I remembered the gunshot right in my hand and the part where I had to smash the window of my car. But now, I was in this good–for–nothing room with no idea what was to come.

Then I heard someone coughing, and he called out my name. It was Andre; he was also in the room, a little bit far from me.

“Oh, Luke. You’ve finally regained consciousness.”

“Where are we exactly?” I asked.

“I don’t know. But we have been in this place for some minutes now. And I’m just here, waiting for a superhero to show up. Superman, probably.”

“Superman?”

“Yes, Superman. If we were in the DC Universe, he’d probably show up to save both of us right now.”

“Come on, man, this is not the time for jokes. You are in this dimly lit room while we are confined, conversing about a comic book character or something similar.”

“I learned that I should always be happy in my darkest moments.”

“Good for you,” I muttered.

He sighed. “You know what, Luke?” He uttered it, and I looked in his direction. ” This has got to be the worst night of my life.”

128 IN THE DARK AJA “Yeah, speak for yourself. I’ve faced moments worse than this.”

“Do you think we’ll get out of this one alive?” Andre asked.

I let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know. But you shouldn’t have followed me. Now look at you, in pain, when you’re supposed to be at your family’s party now, enjoying each and every one of them.

“I know. I just wanted to save Ariel. I can’t stand to see her in pain. She’s just too nice for any bad thing to happen to her.”

I nodded. “Tell me something, Andre.”

“What’s that?”

I let out another deep sigh, gazing in his direction. “Do you love Ariel?”