Chapter 1 The message

*Tessa*

The message I have been waiting for all night comes in.

"I just arrived at the location. You have roughly twenty minutes to be here before the doors close. Please try to make it this time."

And then, another one enters.

"I love you."

Marin peers at my phone from over my shoulders. "You should stop grinning so wide if you want your bodyguards to suspect your intentions."

The smile on my face dies immediately as my eyes scan the room, searching for them.

The first one is standing by the door, dressed in a dark suit that stands out so annoyingly in the loud club. Even the neon lights bouncing all around do nothing to change its colours.

"She looks so serious," Marin mutters, rolling her eyes. "Do you think she is as dumb as she looks?"

I giggle under my breath. "Shall we find out?"

Marin nods eagerly, falling into step with me as we sneak out through the side doors of the club. The doormen outside give me a look, but I tip them enough to let me off just this once.

Clutching onto my best friend's hands, we stay glued to the wall, our breaths raging all around us and our knees bent. We don't stop until we reach the stairs by the side of the building.

But rather than go up, we hide underneath it, finally letting our laughter out.

"That was fun," Marin breaths, holding on to her chest like we just ran a marathon. "Remember the last time we did this and your brother fired everyone? Do you think that will happen a second time?"

"I hope it does," I reply, pulling down my dress to reveal just the right amount of cleavage. "And this time, I hope he doesn't hire any more. I'm tired of them following me around like I am some President's daughter."

"You might as well be on the path to that," Marin reminds me. "If your brother wins the elections, he isn't going to stop at the Senate level. None of them do."

I groan loudly just as a shuffle of footsteps halts in front of us. A frustrated sigh follows next. Marin and I hold our breaths. The next few minutes will determine whether we make it out of here undetected.

"Shit! I can't believe you lost her again!" The leader of the security detail that protects me yells to the rest of them. They are ten in number.

Ten.

Who do they think I am?

"I'm sorry, Sir," the lady blurts. I would have felt sorry for her if she didn't scowl at me each time I asked to be left alone. "She was right on the dance floor with her friend and then, suddenly..."

"All your excuses won't matter if something happens to her!" he snaps. "Find the kid and take her home."

Instructions are belted out, and footsteps follow until I cannot hear any of them.

"Do you think it's safe to go out now?" I whisper, turning to look at Marin.

"All we have to do is make it out to the streets and flag a taxi. By the time they notice us, it will be too late."

"Okay," I say, excitement coursing through me. Wes, my boyfriend, has been waiting for us in the second location. Marcus has no idea he exists, and honestly, I prefer it that way. God forbid the boy gets scrutinized a million times because he's my boyfriend.

"On the count of three," Marin mutters, taking my hand. "One, two, three!"

We don't see him coming. One minute, we are bolting down the road to flag down a taxi, and the next, I am slamming into a brick wall.

"Hey, pretty girl," he sneers, a sick smile on his face. His friends are not far behind, flanking him like a pack of wolves. Marin stays glued to my side, her eyes jerking all around.

"Where do you think you are headed?"

"Don't touch me," I warn in a low tone. "My security detail is just around the corner. If you mess with me, I promise that it will be the last thing you do in a while."

"Oh!" He mock-trembles, wrapping his arms around his face. "I'm so scared. Please tell your security detail to go easy on me."

"They are big and scary, you know?" Marin mutters weakly, conveniently pushing herself behind me.

"Right." The man looks around pointedly. "So, where are they?"

He takes a slow step forward, and I take a corresponding one away from him. He smells of liquor and smoke in large amounts, and his eyes look unfocused. My gaze darts from where I am to the road, gauging how long I have to run and what my chances are.

Where are those bloody security details when I need them?

The man keeps walking until my back hits the wall. He presses his face towards mine, and I look away at once, shutting my eyes so tight and praying for a miracle that I have never believed in until tonight.

Marin's gasp echoes through the night, and next, I hear something slam into another body, hard and fast. My eyes crack open slightly just in time to catch the man standing in front of me drop to the ground with a thud.

The other men back off at once, but the other men in suits come out of nowhere, a minute too late. The man who attacked the one who was going to harass me takes a step closer, planting his imposing self in front of me.

The first thing I notice is his brown eyes, devoid of light and life. They seem to suck into my very existence, causing me to remain rooted to the spot. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.

Not even a whisper.

The stranger sweeps my feet off the ground abruptly without a word and stalks in the direction of a jeep waiting on the curb.

And the scary part? None of the other guards bats an eyelid.

"What the fuck is this?" I scream, my tongue finally working. "Let me go!"

But he doesn't budge, his feet hitting the terrace in a rhythm until he reaches the jeep and pulls the door open.

"What are you all doing?" I yell at the other security detail. "This man is kidnapping me. Marin? What the hell!"

They all stare at me in silence, with an indecipherable expression behind their eyes.

He pushes me into the back seat and holds on to my face firmly, forcing me to look into his eyes.

"Your brother might think you are cute, but I don't. So, if you don't want to get tossed out of a moving vehicle, shut the fuck up."