Chapter 4 Taken

It was late. The streetlights cast a pale glow over the sidewalk as Emily walked home from her shift. Her bag was heavy with textbooks, and her eyes stung from lack of sleep. She was exhausted, but something in her chest kept her alert.

That feeling hadn't left her since the night in the alley.

Her phone buzzed. A text from Rachel.

"You home yet?"

Emily smiled softly and typed back:

"Almost. Five more minutes."

She slid the phone into her pocket just as she heard it.

Footsteps.

Quick. Sharp. Behind her.

She turned, heart pounding. But no one was there.

She walked faster.

The footsteps came again, closer this time.

Emily picked up her pace, her breaths getting shorter. She was only a few blocks from home. Just keep walking. Don't panic.

Then a black SUV turned the corner and pulled up beside her.

Her stomach dropped.

She turned to run.

The back door of the car swung open, and two men stepped out fast.

"No! Get away from me!" she screamed.

One grabbed her arm, the other clamped a hand over her mouth. She kicked, thrashed, tried to bite, but they were too strong.

Everything moved in a blur. The sound of her phone hitting the ground. Her scream swallowed by the night. Her eyes wide with fear as the world spun around her.

Then darkness.

A cloth over her face.

The sting of something sharp in her arm.

And then...

Nothing.

She woke up groggy, her head pounding and her throat dry. She was lying on a soft bed in a large room, walls painted cream, tall windows covered with thick curtains. The air smelled like fresh flowers and something expensive.

She sat up fast. "Where am I?"

The door opened.

And there he was.

Alexander Moretti stood in the doorway in a dark suit, his hands in his pockets. Calm. Cold. Watchful.

Emily's heart raced.

"You," she said, her voice shaking. "You kidnapped me!"

"I had no choice," he said quietly. "You saw something you shouldn't have."

"So you're what? Mafia? A killer? What was in that bag?!" she snapped.

He stepped into the room, unbothered by her rage. "I don't owe you answers. But I do owe you safety. You're here because if I left you out there, someone else would've gotten to you first. Someone less... careful."

Emily backed away. "You drugged me. You dragged me here. And now you want me to feel safe?"

"I didn't want to do it this way," he said. "But you forced my hand."

"You're insane," she whispered. "You can't keep me here."

Alexander tilted his head. "You're already here."

He turned to leave, then paused at the door. "There are cameras in every hallway. If you try to run, you won't get far. Stay in this room. Don't try anything stupid."

Then he left.

The door locked behind him with a soft click.

Emily stood frozen, her body trembling.

She was alone.

Trapped.

And completely at the mercy of a billionaire with a dangerous secret.