I got my feet propped up on a stool, my eyes tracing the scenery before me. La Fuego was a beautiful place to spend time in with its lush beautifully landscaped foliage. What it was known for, however, was the sunsets that reflected off the sea as fiery embers. It was a breathtaking sight to behold.

They came for me two glasses of wine later just as when the sun was setting, and amidst the echoing happy squeals of the kid jumping about the shallow part of the waters. The hurried shuffling of their feet reached my ears. It was my cue to turn on the GPS and the earpiece.

I checked myself on a nearby mirror, making sure that my make-up would hide the similarities with my Reaper persona. Quin had put enough eye shadow for sure.

I downed the remaining wine in the glass with one big gulp, silently deliberating how much fighting I needed to do to make it convincing. Not much, probably.

A few seconds later, they reached my villa, swarming like flies.

Gosh, just how many men does it take to kidnap a wee little girl?

Migi was the first to approach me with hurried footsteps, a handkerchief in hand which was most likely drenched in chloroform. I feigned shock and gasped. I hoped they were not too sharp to notice that I hadn't left my seat to run away like a normal kidnapee.

I, however, smashed the wine bottle on Migi's forehead, making sure the handkerchief was drenched in wine. I could not afford to lose consciousness.

Migi muttered a curse and fell on the floor, clutching his bleeding head.

Ooooops.

Seeing his fallen comrade and the useless handkerchief, Nas thundered towards me, grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back in one painful tug. I curbed my instinct to fight him.

Down, Rei, down. You're a good kidnapee.

Nas twisted my arm harder, forcing me to my knees. The painful tugging threatening to dislocate my shoulder. I swallowed a cry which formed at the back of my throat.

"You are coming with us, Miss. Do as we say and you won't get hurt," Nas said.

Ah, Nas, always the gentleman.

"What do you want with me?! Let me go!" Yada yada.

"Shut up! Keep your mouth shut!" Migi, who had already recovered and was seething at my offense shouted at me.

"Migi, dude, keep your voice down. You will alert the guards," Rufo chimed in.

No, they won't. We took care of that.

"Come to think of it, I didn't notice any guards," Matt remarked.

"Just our luck. They must be on patrol. There weren't many guests anyway," Collins butted in.

Of course, they are not here. We do not want any media coverage on this.

Nas, quite roughly, if you ask me, tied my hands behind my back. He hoisted me up and pushed me to walk outside the villa. Something pointed touched my side.

"If you make any sound, I will gut you," Nas threatened.

I made a strangled cry, which was equal parts annoyance and impatience in reality, but which I hoped sounded like a call of a damsel in distress in their ears. They gathered around me, hiding me from the onlookers' view. When we finally reached the van which they would use to transport me, someone shoved me unceremoniously inside. Gab was on the driver's seat. Our eyes met very briefly before I purposely averted my gaze from him. Out of everyone here, he was the most familiar with my features, and he might see through my disguise.

"Stay down!" Migi shoved me further in.

"Ouch! That hurts!" I complained when I bumped my shoulders against a hard metal protruding inside the van.

"Shut up!" Pain erupted when Migi backhanded my face. The side of my face stung like a bitch. I was pretty sure a bruise was forming.

"Don't hit her," Gab told Migi in a non-committal way.

"The bitch made my head bleed!" Migi protested.

"Psh. If a girl can hit you, you deserve to bleed," Gab responded, as he put the car into gear. Through my earpiece, I heard Gio muttered a curse.

They did not bother with a blindfold--a fact that made me incredibly uneasy.

As expected, the van stopped at Ran's main facility. At the signal of the guards, the gates were opened and our van entered the back entrance. The moment the van stopped, Migi immediately pulled me up by my arms and tossed me outside that I nearly tripped. The man held grudges if you asked me. His head should feel honored. It was a pretty expensive bottle of wine.

Migi shoved me once again, this time, into the grinning Cruz.

"She's all yours," Migi remarked. He matched Cruz's wide grin with his own. He turned around and entered the van once again. Moments later, I was alone with the muscled idiot. Cruz looked at me from head to toe, his gaze lingering on my chest area in such a way that made me want to cover myself. Unfortunately, my arms were tied behind my back, and all I could do was stepped back from the creep.  He sensed my discomfort, and a wider grin formed on his face.

"Don't be scared. I don't bite." Cruz held his head back as he let out a throaty laugh. He draped a clothe on my shoulders to hide my tied hands and gripped my arm so tightly, I could feel another bruise forming. He started dragging me inside the facility.

"Walk. Make a noise and you'll regret it." Cruz pushed me inside. I was forced to walk side-by-side with him. His arm was draped on my shoulders as we passed the ground floor. Occasionally, someone would glance our way, but no one paid us any mind.

"Ranya, I have people on the ground floor, which is the only floor accessible to the public. From the basement, you have to return to the ground floor. My men will extract you and your Father from there," Gio's voice rang in my ears. I tapped the mic of my ring twice, to indicate to Gio that I understood. We agreed that in case I could not talk, I would tap the mic twice for "yes" and once for "no."

"Where are you taking me?" I asked Cruz. In response, his grip on my arm tightened some more. "I said no talking!" he hissed.

"Geez, I was just asking. You already got me tied up, the least you could do is---" 

With a sudden movement, my back slammed against the wall of a tiny unmanned hallway, forcing air out of my lungs. Cruz's hands unmercifully wrapped around my neck so tight, my vision instantly turned white from the force. With ease, he lifted me up by my neck that my toes were barely touching the floor. I choked as my lungs rebelled at the sudden deprivation of air. My vision swam.

"I. Said. No. Talking!" He hissed as he gripped my neck tighter. "Do not think that your bastard of a husband can save you from me! You better learn to do what you're told this early on! Do you understand?" Cruz sputtered before my face. His face was beet red from anger.

Sensing my lack of response, he banged my back against the wall. Pain exploded in my skull and back as my body met the unforgiving hard concrete. I was in a daze. I instinctively gasped for air in futility as the ache in my lungs intensified.

"DO. YOU. FUCKING. UNDERSTAND?"

I gave a nod, or what counts as a nod when the life was being choked out of you. I would pass out any second now.

He let me go, and I accordingly crumpled on the floor, wheezing for air. I was forcefully hoisted up even before I could sufficiently recover my breath, and was shoved towards the main hallway to resume walking.

My earpiece crackled to life with Gio's voice. "Ranya, don't test him. He's unstable."

Double tap. Preach, Gio. Preach.

He collected the cloth which he previously draped on my shoulders from the floor, and put it once again on my shoulders. After that, I walked in silence while being occasionally shoved by the hot-headed Cruz.

He steered me towards the basement, as expected. Silently, I went down each step into the basement that held my Father. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, I held out the cloth back to him.

"I don't need this anymore," I taunted him. It took him a while to process what was wrong in this situation. I could hear the rusty wheels on his head turning, could imagine the rickety noise produced as his brain was forced to work after a long time. Meanwhile, I dangled the cloth before his face.

"W-weren't you tied?"

I nodded. "I was."

I produced the rope which they used to tie me with, and flicked it at his face with such force that he howled in pain, his face bore the welts brought about by the rope's contact with his skin.

I leaped and with a sudden twist of my body, I positioned myself behind him, with the rope around his muscular neck. I pulled at the rope as he made choked cries of distress. He was too big and muscular though. With a sudden hurl, I was sent flying into the air.

I flipped in the air and landed on my feet. He was instantly on to me, charging like a bull. His fist landed on my gut with enough force to make me double over and spit blood. He grabbed me by the neck and hurled me against the wall like a weightless doll. Against my will, my body crumpled onto the ground as I heaved for air.

A blur of movement. Sounds of something solid colliding against flesh. A continuous onslaught of pain. These things registered on my mind primitively as I rolled on the floor with each blow.

Fuck.

"Rei, get up!" Gio's voice cut through my pain flooding my senses.

Double tap.

My eyes caught him swinging his leg for a strike. Deftly, I evaded his attack. Standing up, I rammed my knee into his groin. He fell on his knees, clutching his crotch in pain. I punched his neck, which caused him to choke on his own vomit. With a final kick directed at his face, he fell to the ground in one gigantic unconscious heap.

I traversed the hallway leading to the room where I was supposed to meet my Father. My heart beat in anxious anticipation of our meeting.

Get in. Get out.

It was supposed to be simple.

Except that it wasn't.

I opened the door of the room that would lead me to my Father.

It was empty.

Gio's strained voice crackled in my ears. "Rei, get out of there."

"What do you mean?" 

"Get out of there, Rei. The bugs we installed suddenly stopped working. This is a trap. They anticipated this. Get out!"

"I can't. I have to find him!" I hissed back, frantic.

"Rei, please, listen to me. There will be other chances!"  Gio's voice held an urgency which I was not familiar with coming from him.

"You know that is not true! They will kill him!" I shouted, the desperation in my voice evident. I promised Quin. I could not return to her empty-handed. I could not bear to see the disappointment in her face when she learned that I failed. And what if Ran killed Father? I couldn't even bear to imagine how I would handle seeing the sorrow on her face. She deserved to have the family she craved for, or what was left of it.

"Gio, sorry. I can't go back without him!"

"Rei, listen to me!" Gio's tone was desperate. "Your Father could have betrayed us! They anticipated us, Rei! Only he is aware of our plan!"

This made me pause. It might be true. However, if there is a little possibility that he did not, and they killed him--I would not be able to live with myself. 

"I am sorry, Gio. I have to see this through!" I practically shouted. I heard Gio muttered a curse.

"My men will come down to get you, and you better go with them!"

My eyes scanned the room. There was nothing inside except the tables and chairs, like last time. If Father wasn't here, I would just have to search every freaking inch of this basement. I was halfway out of the room when a light suddenly flashed inside. I turned and gasped at the sight, my heart dropping to my stomach in shock.

An image was projected on the wall--my Father chained on a metal slab, cuts and bruises marred every inch of exposed skin.

No fucking way.

Unknowingly, my hand cupped my mouth as my throat gave a strangled cry. 

 What have they done to him?  I have to save him.

On the projected image was a room number. The map in my head located it to be in the far right of the hallway. Not wasting any more second, I darted out of the room and ran towards the direction of my Father.

"Rei, what are you doing? Where are you going? You're going at the far end of the basement!" Gio was practically shouting at me in frustration, that I was tempted to remove the earpiece.

"Sorry, Gio."  It was all I could say at the moment.

I had to see this through. It may be a trap, I knew that. However, I couldn't just abandon my Father like that. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if my Father got killed because I squandered the only opportunity to save him. If there was just a tiny chance, just a morsel of possibility that I could take him out of this place, I would take it.

Gio muttered a string of curses that I didn't know were in his vocabulary. I heard him barked orders to his men to retrieve me, at all costs.

Upstairs, I could hear several gunshots exploding, followed by frightened screams. I picked up my pace towards the room.

Just get him out of here. Whatever it takes.

I did not encounter anyone on my way to the room, which increased my unease. Every fiber in my being sensed danger. Unusual. This was so very unusual. Everything in this situation went against logic.

I pushed on, however. Pinpricks of conscience won over my survival instinct.

Finally, I reached the room.

My heart hammered in my chest to the point that I thought my heart would burst. Cold sweat glided across my skin as I opened the door. It was not locked.

Unusual.

My hand reached for my needles. Slowly, the door opened.

And I was greeted once again by an empty room.

Fuck.

Behind me, boots thudded against the floor hurriedly, accompanied by metal clicks which could only indicate one thing: guns.

Laughter erupted.

"You owe me a hundred bucks, Carl. I told you she'll fall for it like the dumb bitch she is." Cruz's familiar voice rang across the empty hallway.

I turned to face them. There was a dozen of them, each carrying multiple firearms. A guy, who I guessed was Carl, dangled metal cuffs in front of me.

"Why don't you be a good bitch and wear this? I promise not to hurt you more than necessary," he taunted as he let out another set of boisterous laughter. "We had this especially prepared for you, Reaper."

My entire body turned cold.

They knew.

They fucking knew.

How?

My eyes landed on the cuffs and a chill ran down my spine. They knew the Reaper could get out of any cuffs. And so they came prepared. The cuffs had spikes. It would dig into the flesh. It would be impossible to get out of.

No fucking way.

Carl stepped forward, still dangling the cuffs tauntingly. A menacing smile spread across his face. His eyes twinkled with sadistic glee.

"Be a good kitten, now," he jeered. The other men behind him chuckled. Cruz himself was staring at me with an evil glare and a smirk that could send grown men packing. Retribution was in his eyes.

Twelve armed men.

My hand rested on my needles. I might not make it, but I would not give them the satisfaction of me groveling. Most importantly, these fucktards knew where my Father was being held.

I returned Carl's gaze. "Where is my Father?" I asked him with the most menacing tone I could muster.

"Oh, you'll meet him soon enough." He dangled the cuffs again. "Come here, now. Be a good kitten. We won't bite. Yet." The men laughed.

I flicked a needle in Carl's direction, straight to his right eye. It caught him unaware. He howled in pain as he gripped the needle and forced it out. The needle, already sleek with blood, clattered to the ground.

Carl's screams intensified as more blood spilled from his damaged eyes.

The other men were instantly on alert upon seeing the bleeding Carl. Guns were aimed at my direction. As quickly as I could, I flicked needles aimed at the throats of these vile men. Three needles ended up embedded in three throats. Three bodies crumbled on the floor.

Guns were fired. With quick reflexes, I dodged as much as I could, though I felt several bullets grazed my arms and legs. I grabbed one fallen body and used him as a shield against the assault of bullets.

I made my way to Carl who was still clutching his bleeding eyes. I gave him a severe kick in the nuts.

"Fucking tell me where my Father is!" I demanded. He screamed.

"YOU BITCH!" Carl reached for my neck, which I evaded with a forceful swat against his blood-soaked hands. On my periphery, the men raised their guns to fire again. On instinct, I raised Carl by his cuffs and shielded my body with his. Bullets lodged in his back. Blood poured out of his mouth. His good eye glazed over as life left him.

Cruz signaled to his men to stop firing. They complied and charged against me instead. I parried the first attack, and the second, and the third. It wasn't long before I was surrounded by the rest of them, except Cruz, who remained where he was standing.

One wrong move. One wrong move and I am done for.

A fist flew before my face and I blocked it with my hand. It was followed by a swift kick which I evaded by bending my back. I sprung up in the next heartbeat and deliver my own punch to the guy's face. His nose broke. He cursed.

One after another, I parried their attacks, occasionally sending my needles flying if I saw an opportunity arose. Two fell down, but there were still too many of them. They relentlessly attacked, sending simultaneous punches and kicks against my body. I blocked some of them. Those I couldn't parry I received with gritted teeth, mentally shoving the pain at the back of my mind.

One wrong move is all it would take.

A blow at the back of my head sent me reeling downwards. A metal-tipped shoe connected with my gut, the force halting my fall and sending me against the wall. My vision swam as my mind came to terms with the pain from the successive blows. A hand grabbed my neck and lifted me up against the wall, choking the air out of me. My hand grasped the arm gripping my neck, instinctively trying to wrench it from me in futility. I gasped for air that did not come.

"Stop struggling or it will be worse for you!" the man shouted at my face. Someone else got the metal cuffs that were lying on the floor near Carl's dead body. His sinister face got several cuts and bruises. He didn't seem happy.

The grip on my neck tightened. Stars danced before my eyes as I struggled to get the much-needed air inside my lungs. I felt hands seized my wrists, forcing them up my head. The clanging of the metal cuffs was closer. I felt them enclosed my wrist. Felt the spikes dig into my flesh and bones as the cuffs were locked around my arms. I gritted my teeth as waves of pain bombarded my mind. I heard them laugh and jeered. They knew they got me where they wanted. I struggled for air as the pain induced forced gasps, to no avail. 

"Ease a little. I want her to be conscious of what will happen next," Cruz said.

The grip on my neck loosened slightly, mercifully allowing little air to pass through my battered lungs. I wheezed and struggled against their hold. I felt them pull at the cuffs and the pain intensified, blurring the lines of reality in my mind. My arms were alight with fiery pain while the rest of my body was numb due to the deprivation of air and blood loss.

Cruz waved an object in front of my face menacingly. There was a sadistic gleam in his eyes. "Do you know where this goes?"

My eyes refocused on the object on Cruz's hand. It was a metal spike about half an inch thick.  Ugly shivers washed over me at the realization that yes, I actually knew. Aside from the spikes, the cuffs had suspicious-looking holes. They really wanted me to hurt badly.

"Scream all you want. Your husband would not hear you. We got signal jammers up." Cruz's head rolled back from the laughter that erupted from his throat.

I wanted to believe that he was lying. However, the silence of the earpiece confirmed what he said. It would also explain the lack of action from Gio's men. If Gio was cut-off-- 

This is bad.

Cruz clutched my shackled wrists. The movement caused more pain to shoot down from my damaged hands. It was incomparable, however, to the pain that assaulted my senses when Cruz pushed the spike in, slowly at first, and with a shattering force the next minute. Bones fractured on contact. Flesh was torn apart. 

I bit back a scream. Well, at least I thought I did. I would never know because, at the next minute, I was unconscious. 

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