THE BILLIONAIRE'S HOSTAGE

Mia

This is it. I feel the butterflies flooding into my stomach as I take in the crowded airport. I look around the airport hoping to catch sight of my housing agent who is meant to pick me up from the airport and drive me to my new apartment. I dial his number and it goes straight to voicemail.

"Excuse me." a voice says behind me and I move away to let the woman walk by. I head to the waiting chair to avoid getting in the way of people who have places to be. The address of my new place is saved in my phone but I decide to wait for the agent for a while before heading out. My phone dings and I quickly check it only to see it's from Noah asking if I have gotten to my place. Although he is just a few years older than I am, Noah acts a lot like an uncle. He moved to the Rio Verde sometime last year and we quickly hit it off as friends. I'm here all thanks to him and I hope I won't go back empty handed.

I dial his number instead and he answers on the first ring. "Is this the next big author speaking?" He jokingly says and I scoff.

"I just got here." Even though I try to act indifferent, the thought of having my book sold nationwide gives me butterflies.

"What about the apartment? How nice is it?" Noah asks. I hear the loud bang of the trunk of his ancient trunk and shake my head. Noah will rather chew nails than give out his trunk to a junkyard. I sigh and stretch out my legs.

"I'm waiting for the agent. His phone is not going through." I reply.

"It should be 7pm over there. You have the address with you. Shouldn't you go there already? I don't think you should be walking around in the dark especially in a city you're new to." I can already imagine Noah dressed in his 1970s slacks shaking his head in disappointment.

"I'm going now. Don't worry." I assure him and I heard him sigh.

"Be safe." The call ends and I stand up and tighten the strap of my backpack.

My eyes wander out of the airport and truly, it is already getting dark out. I open my last message with the agent and check the address. The apartment number and door pin are all there so I decide not to waste any more time. Dragging my two suitcases behind me, I walk out of the airport was is hit by a sudden hot air. It isn't as hot as the air in Texas but it is hot enough to make me wish I'm not wearing a sweatshirt.

I flag down a taxi and thankfully, the driver helped carry my large bags.

"Where are you headed?" He asks and I call out the address the agent gave me. The driver furrows his eyebrows and glances at his wristwatch. "We should hurry."

I feel the air hit my face and we drive passed the fancy high rise buildings. There are a lot of lights so it doesn't even look like nighttime. The big city is surely different from my town, Rio Verde. I can already imagine my mom making dinner, the sheriff hunting down teenagers planning their next party, the small supermarket down the street playing soft pop music. The thought of it makes a small smile appear on my face but it is too early to feel homesick.

Soon after, the taxi enters into another part of the city that is less populated. The houses look broken down and in dire need of repairs. The alleys send shivers down my spine and I wonder how the apartment I'm to stay in fit into this part of the city. The taxi stops abruptly in front of a semi-decent looking apartment complex.

"Here we are." The driver looks a little troubled as he stares at the rear view mirror and the side mirror simultaneously. I alight the taxi, half hoping he will help me with my bags but the hope quickly withers when he speeds off the minute my second suitcase touches the ground.

I look up at the building and check the address yet again. It is correct. I pull my bags behind me and enter the building. I am greeted by a subtle smell of stagnant water and sweat. Rushing to the elevator before the smell gets worse, only to be met with a small cubicle that has a number of similarities with a high school restroom. The wall of the elevator has stains on them, stains that looks like they've been there even before I was born. I click on the floor number and the elevator makes a loud noise before it starts moving. My heart begins to pound aggressively as scenarios of suffocating flash through my mind.

Thankfully, the elevator gets to my floor and stops. It makes another loud noise before the doors open. Apartment number 12. I stop in front of my supposed apartment. The doorstep is littered with different footwear but I don't pay them any attention. I punch in the passcode the agent gave me but it doesn't work. My heart rate begin to slow down and I take a deep breath. I conclude that it's the nerves working. The passcode comes out incorrect again. I hear a loud cry from the apartment and I freeze. There should be a mistake. The apartment is meant to be empty. MY apartment is meant to be empty.

I slowly raise my fist and knock on the door. I check the apartment number for the fifth time in 3 minutes and it's still the same.

"Coming!!" A tiny voice yells. The door is yanked open by a child not more than six. The large brown orbs stare up at me and I let out a shaky breath.

"I've warned you to stop opening the front door." A woman appear behind the child, dragging him by his ear. "Go and turn off the heater." She says before focusing her gaze on me.

"Hey, good evening. I.. uh.. I'm looking for.." I have no words to explain what was going on.

"You're not from around here, are you?" The woman asks glancing at my bags and I shake my head.

"I paid for an apartment online through an agent and I was given this address. I-I.. the agent is not picking up his calls. I think I-"

"Have been scammed." The woman completes the sentence. Saying it out loud feels like I am being drenched in ice.

A loud crash erupts from the apartment and the woman sighs. "Milo!! I'll break your legs!!" She yells, "Look sweetie, I would advice you find somewhere to spend the night for now. Being out by this time is not the best idea." The door shuts in my face and the reality of the situation begins to sink in.

Maybe it is a wrong address.

Maybe it's a wrong apartment number.

It has to be a minor mistake that will definitely be fixed by tomorrow. I slowly walk back to the death trap elevator while searching for the closest hotel to stay. I guess this part of the town has no plans for strangers as the only accommodation available is an inn.

I use my phone's GPS to locate the inn. Maybe it's the fear or anxiety but I feel eyes watching me as I tug my luggage behind me. There's no sign of a taxi. The few people on the road hurry to their destinations. I say a short prayer and increase my pace. My arms aching from the large bags I packed. Some of my fingers are even becoming numb but the faint smell of weed tells me the source is close so I can't stop to rest.

Sheila's Inn looks just like I imagine it will: broken down, smelly and barely lit. The reception desk is empty and I wonder if I should've just begged the woman in Apartment 12 to let me stay the night but who will let a stranger stay in their place all of a sudden? No one. Two teenagers walk into the Inn chewing their gum loudly. One of them looks at me and smiles sweetly.

"Are you staying the night?" She asks and I slowly nod. The other girl looks at me head to toe and shrugs. "Sheila will be out in a second. She went to the bathroom. Just keep your stuff in the luggage cart and wait for her." The girl continues.

"Thank you."

I let out a breath of relief. The two girls help me load the bags inside the cart. I head over to the waiting area and try calling the agent but his phone goes straight to voicemail.

"Take more towels to room 2!" A voice orders and I look up to the reception. A woman who looks like she's in her mid forties is already sitted there with a nasty scowl on her face. I look at who she was barking at only to see a man identical to her already carrying the towels. "How many nights are you staying?" It takes me a while to realize she's talking to me. I shuffle my way to the desk and mumble a greeting. She raises her eyebrow at me impatiently.

"Just a night." She nods her head.

"That will be an eighty."

I open my wallet and take out a hundred dollar bill. She tears out a receipt and places a key on it.

"Take your stuff to the hallway by your left. Feel free to use the vending machine. Goodnight."

I nod my head and turn to the direction of the luggage cart only to see it missing. I close my eyes and count to five before looking around. I am really not imagining it. My bags are not there neither is the luggage cart.

"Sheila? Where is the cart that was over there?" I ask.

"Cart?"

"Yeah," I slowly turn to face her. "Two girls directed me to keep my bags there and wait for you and now..."

"Fuck my life." Sheila swore, "Marcelo!! Those brats have robbed another customer."

Robbed?

The man who was carrying towels rushes into the reception and looks at me with pity in his eyes. "I thought they were behind bars." He said. He and Sheila begin to mumble amongst themselves but I can feel the air leave my lungs.

"What do you mean robbed?" I ask. Sheila shakes her head.

"Those two girls you met have been terrorizing us for a very long time. First, it started with petty theft and they eventually started robbing customers. Especially that god forsaken one with her sweet smile."

Dread creeps over me like a cold blanket. My heart sinks, my stomach twists into knots, and my mind races with worst-case scenarios. My breath is caught in my throat as I watch the siblings mumble amongst themselves again.

A notification enters my phone and I overlook my mom's text.10:08pm just three hours of arriving and I have lost everything. I quickly rush out of the Inn hoping to at least see the girls but the street is dead. The only light available is the dull street light and the store at the far end of the street.

My bags not in sight.

11:45pm

I reload the housing website for the hundredth time hoping, praying that the error code will disappear. It's like the website never existed. The lights of the supermarket I ended up in blink before coming back on. The inn became suffocating and I decided to walk down to the only open supermarket down the road.

I still can't believe I lost my bags. Maybe it is a bad dream and I will wake up still in the plane. I pinch my cheek, waking myself up from the daydream. Instead of wallowing in self pity, I decide to make a list of things to do. First, I'll go to the nearest station in the morning and report the theft. The problem is my accommodation. I already spent my savings on the housing website that ended up being fake. Now, all I have is a couple of hundred dollar bills. It is not even enough to get half a decent place. I'm definitely not planning to even consider a place in this part of the city.

"Nice backpack." In a second, my bag is up in the air and in someone's arms. The teenage cashier laughs at the horror in my face before placing it back down on the stool beside me.

"Not cool. I have important things there." I say grabbing my bag and hugging it close to my chest. My backpack is literally all I have now. It only has a number of books, my laptop and passport.

"I'm sorry." He says, taking the wraps of chocolate bars I had eaten earlier and trashing them. "It's closing time. I was going to let you stay longer but my mom will have my neck." He says. He raises his phone to my eye level and I see the number of missed calls from his mother.

"I'm about to head out now. Sorry for keeping you waiting." I apologize, slinging the backpack over my shoulder. He nods his head as we both walk out of the supermarket. He turns off the lights and closes the gates.

"You're a new tenant, right? What floor?" He asks, nodding towards the building above the supermarket. He probably thinks I live in his building.

"Oh I'm staying at Sheila's inn. The one down the street."

"What?!" His eyes widen in alarm as he looks at the direction of the inn.

"What's wrong?" I ask. Fear slowly creeps up my spine.

"I shouldn't have even let you in when you came. I honestly thought you lived in my building." He explains.

"It's just down the street." I try to assure him or myself. At this point, I don't know what to think and the fear in his eyes isn't helping. He looks at me like I've grown two heads.

"Asher, get your ass up here now!" A female voice yells, making us jump. He quickly rushes up the stairs and looks at me one last time with pity in his eyes.

"Run to the inn if you can."

"Asher!!" The voice yells again.

"Don't stop for any reason." He disappears into the corridors of the building. I take a couple of steps back holding my bag tightly before dashing off. The words of the woman in the apartment ring in my head again. I shouldn't be out here by this time. The street is now dead silent. The only sound is the sound of my sneakers against the gravel. I can almost see the sign of Sheila's inn when I hear a gunshot.

The unmistaken sound of a gunshot. The sound of a woman screaming.

Almost all the lights in the street go out. Curtains close shut. Open doors shut immediately but my legs remain frozen. Something in me screams for me to keep running but someone is hurt, someone innocent maybe. I quickly dial 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"T-t-there's a gunshot. Someone's hurt." I can barely get the words out as I shakingly pressed my phone against my ear.

"A gunshot? What's your location?" I quickly tell him and he swears under his breath. "We'll be on our way." This time around, he sounds less enthusiastic than he was earlier. I have the feeling they are not coming any time soon.

I've done my best, haven't I?

I assure myself and am about to take off when I hear the woman scream again. This time, her voice is closer. I slowly walk towards the alley in front of me and a hand grips my left ankle. A shriek erupts from me as I look at the bloodied woman holding on to me.

"A-are you okay?" I stutter stupidly. She's obviously not okay. The relief on her face turns to confusion then she widens her eyes in alarm.

"What are you doing here?" She chokes out. "Get out!" She pushes my leg away from her and falls back to the pavement.

"I called the police. They will be here soon. Y-you'll be fine." I say squatting to her level. She rolls her eyes and pushes me away.

"Run.." she looks back at the dark alley before turning back to me, her eyes wide in fear. "Now!"

I scurry away from her and start running towards the inn. Just a few feet away from me. Just a few more steps. The glare of a headlight looms behind me and I run even faster. The car speeds up. My heart pounds faster as I draw closer to the inn. I look behind me and am blinded by the bright headlights of the car so close to me. Before I know it, my head hits the pavement and I see black dots.

***

Noises.

Machines.

Voices.

Those are all I can hear as I slowly open my eyes. The bright hospital light pierced my eyes and I shut them back.

"Are you okay?" A soft female voice asks. I open my eyes and see a middle aged woman looking at me with genuine worry etch on her face. Her brown hair is loosely tied and her lips are painted in the brightest shade of pink. She reminded me of my high school English teacher.

"What happened?" I ask, sitting up. The last thing I can remember is being so close to the car speeding towards me. From the look of things, the car didn't hit me which I'm grateful for. The question is how I got here and what happened to the other woman.

"Oh dear, I was on my way back from my shift when I saw you on the road. You were a bit bloodied but apart from a few scratches and concussion, the doctor said you're fine." She explains. Her hand absentmindedly goes to my hair and pats them down. I can only imagine the mess I look like. "Your hair is beautiful. Just the right shade of red." She mumbles.

"Thanks..?" I say unsurely. It isn't the first time I received compliments about my hair. Contrary to popular opinion, everyone liked my hair back in Río Verde even though it's an odd colour.

My phone!

I check the pockets of my sweatshirt but I can't find it. I look around for my backpack and realize it isn't here either.

"Are you looking for something?" The woman asks.

"My bag. Did you happen to see it last night?" I ask and she shakes her head.

"I just saw you alone on the side of the road. Do you have a family member to call? You can use my phone." She says and I shake my head.

"Where is the nearest station please?"

"I can drive you there." She offers and I give her a grateful smile.

"I'll just use the bathroom first."

"I'll be outside, okay?"

I head towards the bathroom. My head throbbing. Maybe it isn't a good idea to leave the hospital so soon but I didn't have a choice. I should report what happened as soon as possible and hopefully get my bag back at least. It has all I need.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror and cringe. My hair is all over the place, my eyes are bloodshot, lips busted and face full of dirt. I bent over the sink to wash my face and tears rolled down my cheek. This is not the plan. Less than 24 hours ago I had it all mapped out and now, I can't even recognize myself.

I'll be fine.

It shouldn't be hard for the police to find a backpack. All I need at this point is my passport.

I head out of the hospital and see the woman who brought me leaning against a blue minivan. She has her back turned to me and as I approach her, I realize she's on a call.

"Are you sure?" She asks whoever is on the other end of the call. Whatever the person replies pisses her off and she swears in another language. "I'll send you the address." She says and hangs up. She sees me and gives me a soft smile. "Let's go."

She opens the door for me and walks to her side. She is putting on a pencil skirt and white shirt that was all rumpled. My stomach churn in guilt as I realize that she has probably been here since her shift.

"I'm sorry for keeping you here." I say as soon as she closes the door. She looks at me in pity before letting out a breath.

"It's fine."

After a while, the car comes to a stop at a gas station and I wonder how far the police station is. I can't even see any houses along the road. Apart from the gas station, it is basically empty.

"Let me get something for a friend. I'll be right back." The woman says and I nod. "You can stretch your legs. Do you want anything?" She asks, looking at the direction of the tiny shop in the gas station.

"I'm fine." I replied. She jogs towards the shop and I alight the car. Surprisingly the air is clear and I take a deep breath. The pay phone in the corner catches my eyes and I wonder if I should just call my mom and ask for help. I shake off the thought immediately. Even a teenager that runs from home takes at least a week before returning. I have barely lasted 24 hours. Maybe I should call Noah. I try to remember the last two digits of his number. I walk towards the pay phone and punch in the first set of numbers I can recall before I realize I don't even have any money on me.

Footsteps behind me draw closer and I decide to swallow my shame and ask the woman for money.

"Can you lend me a few.."

The words hang in my throat as I look at the huge man before me. He grins at me but it sends shivers down my spine.

"Hey doll." He says and I take a few steps back only to hit a wall, a human wall. I turn around and see a smaller man staring at me. He doesn't have the creepy grin the other man has on his face. He just glared at me.

"You're coming with us." He says. Before I can register what he said, a sharp pain pierce through my neck and all I see is black.

"Couldn't you have just carried her into the car? She's too tiny for that drug." A voice says in frustration.

"Well forgive me for following the rules." Another voice says and I recognize it as the huge man's voice.

I'm currently blindfolded and tied to a chair. My hands are almost numb from the lack of blood circulation. I try to move them around but it's close to impossible.

"She's awake now." A voice says.

"About time." The huge man says in mock relief.

I hear footsteps approaching and the voices around become silent.

"How did it get to this?" A deep voice asks. There is a heavy Italian accent laced in each word this person said. Whoever this person is sounds pissed.

"Sir, we saw her with that bitch. I-I mean Jules. We were going to let her go but we saw the contents of her bag and she's clearly working with them."

Who? Me?

Working with who?

They can't be talking about MY bag. It only had a number of books and my passport in it.

"Let me see." The deep voice says. I hear the sound of a zip, probably my bag, and a few papers. The room became dead silent. I'm sure that if they listen closely they will hear the sound of my heart pounding. "Remove the blindfold and tape." He says. The tape on my mouth is ripped off immediately and I wince. Someone unties the blindfold and I'm met with darkness. The room is dimly lit but I can't even make out how many people were in the room.

The sound of a gun being cocked knocks my senses back.

"There has to be a mistake. I don't know what is going on right now. Please let me go" I immediately beg.

"I'm going to ask you three questions and you'll answer me honestly." The deep voice says lowly. "If you don't give me the answers I want, I can assure you that your body won't even make it to the morgue in one piece."

A lone tear dropped from my eye. From his tone, it is obvious that he means every word he says. How did I even get to this point?

"Please I-I.."

"Who sent you?" He asks and I shake my head immediately.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Please."

"How long have you been spying on us?"

Spying?

"I just got here from Texas!" I exclaim. I struggle against the rope holding my hands in place.

"Finally," I hear him take a deep breath. The gun is cocked again, "what is your next plan?"

"My bag was stolen. I was going to go to the station. I have no idea what is going on right now. Please, you have to believe me. You have the wrong person." My voice cracks as I begin to sob. Who will explain to my mother that I died in an unknown place? I doubt these men will even make my death known.

"John." The man says. I see a huge figure walk closer to me and I recognize him as the huge man from the gas station. He still had the grin on his face, this time a gun in his hands and he looks more than happy to use it.

"Sir!" A voice called. "Drew just called." The voice says. I hear whispers then a string of curses.

"John." The man calls again and the huge man frowns. He lowers the gun. I let out a shaky breath. My head feels light. I was a few seconds away from death and the huge man, John, doesn't look like someone that misses a shot. "Take her to the house."

"But sir, there's no space in the house for an extra person not to talk of a spy." John spits the last part glaring at me.

"To the main house. Ask Flora to keep an eye on her."

"The main house? But.." John starts but immediately shuts up. I hear footsteps retreat. At least, I'm safe for now. Someone unties my hands and I quickly rub my sore wrists. John turns back to me. In a split second, I was over his shoulder.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask in alarm. "Put me down!" I scream, pounding his back but it feels like I am hitting a brick wall. He continues to walk and we eventually get to a garage where a black van is parked. He drops me without caution and butt hits the metallic ground.

"Look doll. You are one lucky girl. Most people in your shoes would've gone back to their ancestors but for some reason you're still alive and whining." The huge man says. "Unless you want to be mistakenly shot," he emphasized, "get yourself inside the car now."

"You people have no reason to keep me here. I'm innocent. I just want my bag back and.."

"That's it." Another voice said from behind me and before I knew it, a familiar pain shoots through my neck and I drop.

***

"Take it easy John." A woman says.

My body swings back and forth before eventually dropping on a soft surface. I slowly open my eyes. Surprisingly, I'm in a sparsely decorated room. I sit up on the queen sized bed a bit confused.

"She's awake." I hear John say. I glare at him before noticing the woman beside him. She looks like she's in her late sixties. Her grey hair is tied in a tight bun. She's dressed in a white blouse and black long skirt. She looks at me suspiciously before shaking her head.

"I'll be going." John announces, "Keep an eye on her Flora. She's dangerous." He says and I roll my eyes.

"You all are making a mistake. This is basically abduction." I spat. John leaves the room, completely uninterested in what I'm saying.

"Mr Lombardi will be home shortly. You might want to.." she looks at me with slight disgust in her eyes, "clean up."

She walks to the couch and takes out clothes from the bag. "Change into this." She drops it on the bed and walks out.

In as much as I would've loved to run out of the room immediately, I agree that I must look like a mess. I decide to take advantage of the clean bathroom available and take a quick shower before heading off.

A few minutes later, I'm dressed in a random tracksuit pants and black tshirt. The outfit looks so random and I'm grateful for it. I rush towards the door and press my ears against it. When I didn't hear any noise, I slowly opened the door and creeped out. My jaw almost hit the floor as I took in my surroundings. One thing is to find the exit and the other is to even make it out without getting lost.

I wander around the hallway, completely absorbed in the beauty of the house. As I get to the spiral stairs, another door catches my eyes at the end of the hallways. Unlike the rest, this one has double doors made of thick wood and has a golden handle. Curiosity gets the best of me as I walk towards the door. I open it and I conclude that I opened a portal.

The library before me is huge. Straight out of a movie. The shelves are so high that there are rolling ladders on each one. I let out a sigh. I know I don't have the time to start going through the books. I need to find a way out of here but my feet move on their own accord and I find myself in a section filled with classics.

I'll just look at a few.

I remind myself not to get lost in the books. I have always known that books will be the end of me but I didn't know it was this soon. A few minutes later, I'm on one of the ladders reaching up to get a Jane Austen book.

"What are you doing?" A familiar deep voice asks and I jump in surprise subconsciously letting go of the ladder. I close my eyes and brace myself for the fall but I end up in warm arms instead.