"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Me neither," Mel spoke up.

"Why not? I'm just going for a walk. I'm safe here aren't I?" I glanced between the two women standing behind the counter. "I'll be back in twenty minutes."

"Ten." Valeria pointed a finger at me. "Ten or you're not going. The park is a two minute walk from here. I assume that's where you're going?"

I nodded. With my phone clutched tightly in my hand, I headed towards the front door. I remembered to grab my jacket before exiting the house. The streets were buzzing with activity but I barely paid any attention to them. My chest was tight with guilt. How could I have done that? I should've stopped before it got so out of hand.

Silas was going to be so mad at me! After not speaking to him for days, I finally decided to call him but his brother answer and I ended up having phone sex with him. A shudder raced down my spine as his breathy voice flashed through my mind.

I shouldn't want it to happen again. I shouldn't be longing for it to happen again.

When I reached the park, I made it straight to a bench that was as far away from the others as possible. I glanced around to make sure nobody was around. After a few deep breaths, I pulled up Silas's number. My finger hovered over the call button. I needed to tell him. We had agreed that there would be no lies between us.

This time when I called him, Silas was the one who answered.

"Lara, is something wrong? What happened? Do you want me to come get you?"

"I'm sorry," I cried as I burst into tears.

"Lara? What happened?" he questioned. "Do you want me to come get you? Is the baby okay?"

I squeezed my eyes closed and just blurted it out. "I had phone sex with Ethan."

The silence was deadly. My hold on the phone tightened the longer he stayed silent. What was he thinking? What if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore? What if what I had done made him change his mind about getting married? What if I had to raise my baby on my own? I couldn't do that.

"When?" Silas asked.

"A-about an hour back. I-I'm not sure."

"Okay."

Shock flashed through me. "O-okay? You're not mad at me?"

"I'm fucking furious, Lara. After everything—after Ethan told you about Avery—you go and—"

"I'm sorry!" I cried again.

"Sorry? Sorry isn't going to change what happened!"

"Silas—"

"I can't talk to you right now."

A sob fell from my lips when the phone went dead. He hung up on me. I wish I'd never met Ethan. I wish I'd never seen the tender side of him. I wish I'd never fallen in love with him!

Dropping the phone onto the bench, I pulled my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my knees. With my forehead resting on my knees and my eyes squeezed closed tightly, I cried until I couldn't cry anymore.

After the last tear dried down, I just sat there and watched the people passing by. Numbness had spread through me. It was my own fault though. I shouldn't have given in on the need to relieve the ache.

"Excuse me?"

My eyes snapped up to the man who spoke. "Y-yes?"

"Are you Lara?"

I frowned at him. "How do you know my name?"

"Melinda asked me to come get you. It's getting late and she doesn't want you to wonder around without an escort," he explained with a smile.

I hesitated. My eyes darted around the park. It took me a while to realize that it was almost deserted. Somehow I had gotten so lost in thought that I hadn't realized how late it was getting. Ten minutes had passed hours ago. Valeria and Mel must be so worried.

"Shall we get going?" he asked.

I hesitated and then got to my feet. "Sure."

We were halfway down the path when I realized that I had forgotten my phone on the bench. I turned and almost bumped into the man who was following so closely behind me. His hands gripped my arms hard enough to bruise.

"I forgot my phone," I told him as I tried to step back. "I need to go get it."

"Someone probably took it already."

"No one's around. It's still there."

"You don't need it."

Unease ripped through me. It was a mistake. Hadn't my mother told me never to trust a stranger? I pressed my hands against his chest and tried to push him away. The man was taller than me with more muscle. It felt like I was pushing against a brick wall.

"Let me go!"

He dropped his hands so suddenly that I stumbled backwards and almost tripped. I caught myself just in time but before I could run, hands gripped me from behind. I struggled but the hold only tightened. My eyes darted to the man in front of me. Horror washed through me when he pulled a syringe from his pocket.

He smirked at me as he pulled the cap off and moved closer. "Night, night time, princess."

Pain shot through me when he jabbed the needle mercilessly into my arm. He ripped it out and dropped it to the floor after injecting the contents into me.

"What did you give me?"

His eyes darted over my head. "Get her into the truck and make sure you leave the note."

"Let me go!" I screamed.

The man's arm wrapped around my waist. He lifted me right off my feet and turned in the opposite direction we were heading in. He dodged my kicks and my fists were no use. I fought him into my limbs became too heavy to lift. Spots danced in front of my eyes. The last thing I saw before I passed out was a grey van parked at the curb.

***

"Did you leave the note?"

"Yes, sir," a familiar voice said. "I left it right by her phone."

"Good." There was a low chuckle.

"Don't injure her. She's our insurance that he'll hand over the money."

***

I sucked in a sharp breath when ice cold water hit me in the face. My eyes snapped open when a hand gripped my chin and forced my head up. The man had dark eyes and messy hair that was greasy. He had some foul breath too that made me wince.

"She's awake, boss!" he yelled as he stepped back.

My eyes snapped to the man who stepped out of the shadows. I tried to take in as much of him as I could and brand it to memory. I had no clue where I was but once I got out of here, I'd be able to identify him and everyone else.

"Good evening, Lara." He smiled. "I apologize for the way my men transported you. You wouldn't have accompanied them otherwise."

He moved closer while beady eyes darted over me. They dropped to my stomach and lingered there too long for my liking. My eyes darted around but it was too hard to see beyond the small lights placed on the floor in a circle around me.

"As long as your fiancé co-operates, you won't be here for long."

Silas? What does he have to do with this? He was a well-known business man. Was he someone who wanted to work with Silas but was rejected? Was he a thief?

I tried to move, but couldn't. My limbs felt like lead and now that I was a little more awake, I could feel the pounding behind my temple. I was tied to a chair with my hands behind my back. I swallowed and then winced. My mouth was as dry as the Sahara desert.

"By now, Silas must've been alerted by your abduction," the man said softly.

"What do you want?" I croaked.

A chuckle fell from his lips. "What I wanted, I couldn't get. So I had to settle for something else. You don't worry, my dear. No harm will come to you as long as he follows my orders."

"Boss?"

"What?" he yelled.

"We have a problem. You might want to see this."

The man muttered something under his breath as he spun around. He stormed off to the right but then paused to glance at me over his shoulder. The way he smiled at me, made my stomach roll.

"I'll be right back. Why don't you make yourself comfortable?" His laughter echoed around the walls as he walked off and disappeared through a door.

The moment the door closed behind him, the lights were switched off, leaving me in complete darkness. I've never hated the dark as much as I hated it at the moment. Every sound seemed louder, and every shadow made my heart beat faster.

How long was I going to be tied to a chair before they found me?