When I was placed into the back seat, her mother pushed the man out of the way and gave me a horrible slap across my cheek with the back of her hand. Her sharp ring left a gash on my cheek.
“What the fuck was that for?!” I screamed, while attempting to kick my feet. The restraints on my wrists and ankles made it impossible for me to defend myself.
“This is all your fault, you bitch!” She slapped me again. I couldn’t believe this was happening.
“What did I even do?!?!” I screamed.
“You let that killer into your life, you traitor!” She screamed in my face.
My eyebrows knitted together as my face cringed. Was she talking about Arsen? Then it snapped in my head. She screamed that Arsen had killed her husband, which would be no one else but Anabella’s dad. I stared blankly at her as flashbacks started to play in my head.
It was just two years ago. It was summer and Anabella and I were getting ready to go to the beach. She stepped out into the hall to take a call and ran back into the room minutes later, screaming and crying. It was the most horrible thing I’d ever seen and all I could do was hold her while she cried.
When she finally calmed down, I got her to talk to me.
“You remember when I told you my dad worked for a drug cartel?” She asked, looking up at me.
“Yes,” I nodded. “What happened, Ana?”
“They killed him!!! They’re trying to say he betrayed them, but I know my dad would never do that!” She cried even harder.
“Oh my god.” My heart dropped. “I am so very sorry, Ana. I’m so sorry that you have to go through this.”
“All of those fuckers are extremely rich, so if he did any of the things they claimed he did, it’s not like they would be losing any money.” She held me closer. The only thing I felt as if I could do was stay quiet and listen. She needed to get all of her emotions out.
“Why couldn’t they have just fired him?! Why did they have to take my father’s life away?! He had a family that he loved so much and we loved him!” She was crying uncontrollably and I felt horrible. I hated whoever did this to her and her family.
Her dad was always so nice and sweet to me. After his death, I had never seen Anabella’s mother again. She was always locked away in her room when I went over and never cared about what Ana or her siblings were doing. I guess his death had made her terribly sick, because she wasn’t as beautiful and radiant as she used to be. She looked sick and evil, which made it hard for me to even recognize her at the restaurant.
I shook my head slowly as she screamed and yelled at me. Her words were going in one end and out of the other. All I could think about was why Arsen had done that. Was I being used by him to antagonize their family? I hoped not. I didn’t want to speak to him, but at the same time I just wanted to be safe in his arms.
Did Arsen kill Anabella? Was I next to die?
All of those questions were weighing heavily on my mind. I wasn’t sure if I could take it. I got really dizzy and everything around me was spinning. I heard the back door close and I drifted away into pure darkness.
I woke up in a different house. I was tied to a chair and my head was still spinning.
“We’re going to make a call to your little friend, Lola! Are you ready?” I heard a male’s voice.
I tried opening my eyes, but they felt swollen. I could only see slightly between my eyelashes. I saw Ana’s mom and three other men standing across the dimly lit room, watching me. There was one guy kneeled in front of me with a phone in his hand.
“I said are you fucking ready?!” I felt a hard smack against my face and I winced. The stinging sensation was almost unbearable, but my vocal cords weren’t letting me muster up a scream.
I nodded my head slowly and it felt like I was going to pass out again. I’d probably die if I didn’t have a glass of water soon.
“Hello?” I heard Arsen’s voice and that made me stronger in a sense. I felt like I could hold on a bit longer.
“Arsen?” I called out for him. I couldn’t speak very loudly, but I tried for him.
“Lola?!” He asked. His voice was so loud that I couldn’t tell if he was on the phone or in the room. My eyes were now completely shut.
“Help me,” I mumbled out, not being able to say much else.
“Lola, baby. Where are you?!” That was the last thing I heard before my mouth was covered with a cloth with a very distinct smell.
As soon as I inhaled it, I began to choke, and soon felt myself fading into the darkness again.
Arsen
I tossed and turned all night. There wasn’t much I could do but wait for that call to say that I could get my Lola back. I got dressed and looked into the mirror. Bags were starting to form under my eyes and my hair was out of place. I pulled a comb through my hair and left the bathroom.
I grabbed a bottle of water on my way out of the house and hopped outside of my car. I was going to meet up with the boys for breakfast and explain everything that was going on.
I was too afraid to turn on any music, thinking that it would only remind me of the times that I had shared with Lola. The only thing on my mind was getting her back. All I wanted was her and I'd do anything to have her. She was the light to my darkness and the stars to my night sky, and that was something that I couldn't give up.
I pulled up to the restaurant and parked on the side of the building. I walked inside and was immediately escorted to the back room where all of my friends were sitting and waiting for me. They sat us down and sent a waitress into the room to take our drink order. It was early in the day, but some of the guys insisted on getting a beer while the rest of us settled for coffee.
“Guys, I brought us here all today to tell you guys the good and bad news.”
“What is it?” one of the guys asked from the other end of the table.
“The good news is that the kidnappers are willing to give Lola back.”
“And the bad news?” David looked at me.
The waitresses came back with our drinks and I got silent. They didn’t need to know our business. They took our food orders and walked back out.
“Anyways,” I sighed. “They want everything we stole back. Meaning the entire fifty thousand, even though they stole a majority of that from us”
The guys threw up their hands in disappointment and all groaned in agony. No one seemed willing to give up the money, which was why I had thought of a plan while I was in the shower that morning.
The room fell quiet again as the waitresses came back into the room with our food. They had weird looks on their faces because of how immediately quiet it had become. They sat our plates in front of us and left us alone once again.
“So, what’s the plan?” David asked, noticing the look on my face.
“I want you guys to hide out, and when it’s time for us to exchange, take them out. All of them. And we leave with both the money and Lola.” I took a sip from my cup of coffee. The warmth of the cup laid upon the pads of my fingers.
“That’s a damn good idea,” Pete said, laughing and picking up a piece of bacon.
I flashed a slight smile and nodded.
“I’m down,” David chuckled.
The rest of the members agreed and began eating their breakfast. I, on the other hand, wasn’t eating, because I hadn’t ordered anything. I knew I couldn’t keep any food down with the thought of some asshole’s hands all over her body. I cringed and finished my drink.
I got a call from a blocked number again and answered it instantly.
“Hello?” I answered,
“This bitch is fucking annoying,” he spat from the other line.
“Excuse me?” I asked with a bit of attitude.
“She has a big mouth. Doesn’t know when to shut the fuck up,” He chuckled.
“You little—“ I started but was cut off.
“650 Promise street. Tonight at twelve,” he said, then hung up the phone.
When I sat the phone down, all of the guys were star
ing at me.
“Looks like we have a mission tonight, boys. 650 Promise Street. Tonight at twelve sharp,” I sighed. I was frustrated at how he had talked about her, but I was happy that I got to get her back into my arms.
The boys all cheered and laughed, surprisingly. I thought they’d be bummed that they’d have to set this all up on short notice, but I guessed the rush of doing this and keeping the money filled them with excitement.
“Meet me at the clubhouse at nine to prepare,” I said, while standing. I dropped just enough money to pay for everyone’s meal on the table and left. All I could think about was seeing Lola’s beautiful face again.
Lola
I had been tied down to this chair since we got here, and I couldn’t feel my body. I didn’t think I had the ability to feel anything anymore. My face was swollen terribly, my wrists felt as if they were going to break, my hair was dirty, and my clothes had accumulated all of the dust that filled this dirty room.
I was starving—starving and nearly dehydrated. I found myself praying to god and asking why was this was happening to me. Although I’d never been friendly, I wasn’t mean either. I was just always focused on myself. Was this what I got for worrying about myself? Or was this what I got for hanging out a drug-dealing billionaire?
The possibilities were endless, but I knew in that very moment that I didn’t care about what Arsen had done. I was still very hurt about what he had done to Anabella’s father and the possibility that he may have killed her, too, but all I wanted was to be in his arms.
The way things were going, I thought I would never see him again. Not him, not my family, and not even my best friend. I so felt completely helpless and hopeless, but if I had died right then, I couldn’t care less. I guessed this was what I had signed up for when I fell in love with Arsen in the first place.
How wonderful life would have been right now if I hadn’t skipped class to be with my best friend. She would have still been alive and we could have been having so much fun over the summer break. I would have never met him and I would have never fallen in love, but then again, I would have never remembered those moments of being young again. I would have never fallen in love. Who knew there could be two sides developing feelings for someone?
That feeling that went way beyond being friends or considering each other as family. The feeling of pure bliss and serenity while being around that one person. Being around someone who could bring back memories that you wished you could relive or create moments that you wished would never end. That's what I felt with him. Not with any of my ex-boyfriends, not with my family, and not even with my own best friend. I had known my relationship with Anabella was going to come to an end soon, but I had never thought it would end with her being dead.
This was not what I wanted. I never wanted her to be in pain, I never wanted to betray her, I never wanted to fall in love, and I never even wanted to meet someone new. I had thought my past would just stay in the past, but when it was brought back up, it felt so good that I couldn't deny it. I couldn't push it away. It had come alive in my mind and it was here to stay.
I had gotten so caught up in my love for a man who I barely knew that I was ignoring my best friend's cry for help. Although she had refused to tell me what was wrong when I was genuinely confused, I still felt like I could have tried a little harder to find out. It was too late now. She was gone and I didn’t think I'd ever be able to see Arsen again.
I was sitting there, trapped in a room, practically losing my mind and giving up on life. It had only been two days, but my life had changed drastically. My mindset was completely different from how it was before. If I made it out of there alive, I was going to live with no regrets and I was going to treat every day like it was my last. But, then again, who knew?
This day might really be my last day.
I felt the tears begin to fall down my face. The things that were going through my mind were sickening. My breath began to quiver and I became nauseous. The pain that was buried inside of me at that moment was unbearable. Death seemed like the only way out.
Arsen
When I got home, I changed into my sweats and decided to take a short nap. I knew that it would be hard for me to sleep because the thought of Lola was on my mind heavily, but I thought that the reassurance that I would have her back in my arms in just a couple of hours would help me rest a little bit. I closed my eyes and began to drift off.
"I love you with all of my heart, Arsen. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me," Lola said, stroking my hair gently.
She used her free hand to caress the side of my face. Her eyes stared deeply into mine and I felt my heart beat so fast that it began to melt. As painful as that sounds, it felt so good. It felt so right. Like we were meant to be here together, with one another. It felt as if we were already a couple. Like we had already made it official. Like we had already broadcasted it to the world.
I turned away from her for a quick second to admire the view of the sunset behind us. It was breathtaking. Truly stunning. But it wasn't as beautiful as her.
When I turned back to look at her, she was gone. The sky had instantly turned black and all I could hear were her screams in the distance. We were no longer on the beautiful and dreamy island. There wasn't even a "we" anymore. It was just me, standing in nothing but darkness. Pitch blackness surrounded me and engulfed me in its terror. I didn't know where to run or which way to turn, but I knew that I had to find Lola. And I had to save her.
"Man, get up." I heard David speak outside of my dream, waking me up.
I gave him a confused look, wondering what he was doing here and how he even got inside.
"Rose," was all he said, answering the questions that I hadn’t yet gotten the chance to ask. I nodded in response and sat up on the bed. I ran both hands on my face and then through my hair.
"What is it? What's the problem?" I asked.
"It is 9:15, man. How long have you been asleep?" he asked, and my eyes widened.
"Honestly, it felt like only a couple of minutes, but I guess in actuality it was a couple of hours."
"Get dressed, boss. It's time to go get your girl back." He smirked and left the room.
I got dressed in my all-black outfit. It was go time and I felt stronger than I was before. I was on a mission to get Lola back and that was just what I was going to do. I had made a promise to myself that I would keep her safe and under my watch at all times, but I failed and it was time for me to redeem myself.
I got my phone off the nightstand and headed out to get inside of the car with David. We sped off into the night, driving as fast as we could to make it to the clubhouse. It was time to prepare and get ready for everything that was coming for us. I had a strong feeling that they were going to try to pull some type of trick on us and try to kill us. We weren't going to let that happen.
When we pulled up to the clubhouse, we quickly hopped out and went inside. The rest of the guys were dressed in their all-black outfits and waiting for us. The bags were packed and loaded with guns. There was one specific bag for me that sat on the table. It was the bag that we were supposedly going to exchange for Lola.
I grabbed the box of gloves and handed them to everyone. They knew what time it was. We packed our things inside of the truck and were on our way. The street they wanted to meet us on was in the next town over, so we had to leave a bit early to make it there just in time for us to set up. The guys held great conversations with each other on the ride there. The funny part about it was that none of the conversations contained worry about what was about to happen in an hour.
When we made it to the street, we parked in the far corner. We left one person in each truck to sit behind the steering wheel for when the job was done. I stayed in the car with the bag so that I could see when the scumbag pulled up with Lola.
The other members checked their surroundings and made their way over to the buildings, where they cut the connections to the keys of these specific buildings so that they co
uld make it up to the roof. When they made it up there, they laid down and hid so that no one could see them. By then, I was getting anxious. I hadn't seen her face in two whole days and I was hoping that it looked exactly the same, or things might not get too pretty.
When I saw the car arriving, I placed a gun into the back of my pants and hid it beneath my jacket. It was a little cool out that night. I grabbed the bag and proceeded to walk toward their car. I stopped in the middle of the street and waited for them. When the driver's door opened, only one man got out, but I wasn't dumb enough to believe that he was alone.
He walked around to the back door of the car on the right side and opened the door. He grabbed a girl by the arm and pulled her out. But that wasn't my Lola. It couldn't have been. Her face was swollen and badly bruised. He had to hold her up because her legs looked extremely weak and she looked extremely pale and lifeless. Her hair was a mess and all over the place. This looked nothing like Lola.
"This isn't her," I said and a smile crept on his face.
"It's me, Arsen." I heard her speak. It was very low, but I knew it was her and my heart broke. I could feel the tears begin to swell in my eyes, but I fought them back.
"Give her to me," I demanded.
"Not just yet," he said. The smirk on his face was the most horrendous thing I had ever seen. "Give me the money and I'll give you the girl. It's a part of our deal."
I threw the bag of money toward him. When I went to go grab Lola, his gang came from around each corner, pointing their guns at me. There were about three on each side, which made it easy for my men to take them out.
"Do you really want to do this?" I questioned, while raising an eyebrow. A smile appeared on my face and I cleared my throat.
Just then, bullets rained down from the building tops, hitting each and every member, except for the man holding Lola. I pulled out my gun and aimed it directly toward him. I moved it over just a little and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Anabella's mother directly between the eyes, killing her instantly. She thought I hadn’t seen her, but I watched her as she looked through the window of the car the entire time.
His Beautiful Revenge: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 63
