Abduction

Chapter one: The Abduction “Elryne Thornton “ a man with a deep voice slides a picture on the glass table. “ I want her tied and gagged in Levington at eight thirty sharp!”, he commanded. Elias Braugh, one of the most wanted syndicates in the country just had an aggravating night. His smuggled cargo of illegal firearms were confiscated, and eight of his trusted men died in a crossfire with the police. All could have been avoided if one politician did his job right. The mayor of Oakenvale made a deal with the syndicate , money in exchange for safe passage for Elias's cargo. The contents of the countless crates were meant to be sold to the mafia family in the neighboring cities. The cargo was to pass discreetly but the mayor did not expect a surprise visit from the county sheriff who eventually discovered the illegal shipment. The sheriff is not bound with the mayor’s influence and so he couldn’t do anything as he only controls the local police. Now Elias curses in his mind as he stares at the picture on the table, “A pretty one she is. Minimize the damage, keep her alive until I say so”. Elias massaged his temples to loosen his nerves. “ I don’t kill women” replied a young man in his twenties. “ Well, not with the price you offered me” his green eyes scanned the picture on the table. Elryne Thornton is the daughter of Pete Thornton, mayor of Oakenvale, a small town near the sea. “The price will double if the killing is necessary” Elias tried to grin to mask his anger, apparently the hired assailant is pricey, but the money he spends on him is nothing compared to the billions he will loose if he doesn’t get his cargo back. “I don’t want to risk my men to go get the cargo so the mayor and I will bargain. I want what he promised me in exchanged for his daughter’s life!” Elias grits his teeth in anger. “Now are you up to the job or not, Luca?” Elias questions and the younger one threw a card on the glass table. “ I want the five hundred gran as down payment” the hired gun said curtly as he left the syndicate's vicinity. Elias fumbled on the card and sighed, the card contained the bank account for him to deposit the money into. The boy he had hired belonged to a special group of hitmen and he knows that Luca won’t disappoint him. Elryne taps the pen on the table matching the sound of the clock makes as she waits for the clock to turn at six thirty. “Three more minutes…” she hisses under her breath, three more minutes and she is out of the library. She loved the peace and quiet at her work as an assistant librarian but nothing screams delight when it is your last day of work, or for her, her last minutes. Ready to embrace the coming days off with her friends. Her father earns fortunes but she settles for the minimum wage in the library. She moved away from Oakenvale when her father remarried, short months after Pete divorced Elryne's mother. She got siblings from a union she did not approved and when she was old enough , that’s when she decided to live independently far away from her father. No one else in public knew she was the mayor’s daughter or one of his children as her identity was kept hidden, which she also preferred. It was to protect her from both the harsh judgment of the world and possible harm from enemies of her father. But no secrets are left hidden especially when the one who tries to uncover it is skilled. The simple and pretty brunette glees with joy when the clock strikes six thirty, the library was already empty, all books were arranged and she was already itching to go outside, eager to meet the evening sky brimming with stars already. Winter is fast approaching and the night was giving off the icy chill in the air. She rubbed her hands together as she crosses the busy street, a few more blocks and she will reach Sam's diner, where they serve the best soup in the city. She walks fast as her hunger grows, the amount of people walking along with her lessened as she sees the diner sign up ahead. She can hear her boots hit the pavement with each step and heard another pair of footsteps matching her pace, it seemed to be following her and somewhat copying the way she walked too. She couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, although this one is slick and somewhat has silent footsteps when the street she was about to cross went totally empty. She felt an odd gut feeling but dismissed it, convincing herself that the hunger is creeping up to her head. The other pair of footsteps finally went away and she sighed in relief. Only one more street to cross and she frowned when the stoplight hit green for the cars to cross. She stood at the side of the road and cursed when the harsh wind blew out of nowhere sending chills at the back of her neck. Her knitted hat fell and she had to crouch down to pick it up and that’s when she started hearing the familiar pair of footsteps again. She stood up and ignored the footsteps coming towards her and then the street went silent again, she mentally slapped herself of her paranoia and was about to laugh when she felt something hard pressed firmly on her back, angling to her spine. She tensed realizing it was a gun. This was the first time she felt danger in the city as no one ever tried to mugged her until now, she tries not to be nervous, her breath steady but her fingers started to tremble. “Don’t move.” The man behind her commanded, “If you make unnecessary movements, I will make sure that you wont be able to walk again if this bullet fractures your spine” His tone was serious but Elryne did not find it threatening, she guessed he is still a teenager or around her age going in for the first mug act of his life, and boy she thought wrong. “If you want my money then just go ahead and get my purse, no need for harsh actions!” she barks and she hears the man behind her chuckle. “Your money is no good miss, but it was brave of you to offer.” She heard him, annoyed and thinking that this man might be able to reason with she turned around slowly to meet the perpetrator's eyes, only to be stunned at how the pair of orbs pierced through her. He has the darkest hair she has seen and the most intimidating eyes, almost six foot tall with medium built, broad shoulders and even if his mouth and nose were covered by a black mask, she can tell that he is still young as she is. He was towering above her and she gulped. The gun that was firmly aimed on her back is now aiming at her heart. “In two minutes a van will pick us up here and you will enter it without any fuss.” He instructed, still aiming the gun at her. She tried to muster up her remaining courage she has left to call for help but a screeching car heading towards them indicated that she will be taken away. “Best not to ask questions, Ms. Thornton. You are in no position to make demands” he said icily under her ear as he pressed himself on her, a few people began to populate the area and he made it look like he and Elryne were embracing. Hiding the gun that is still firmly pressed on her, one wrong move and she can say goodnight permanently. “if you go nicely, then I wouldn’t have to kill you…” he threatens in a soft manner but made Elryne fight back tears, she doesn’t know what he wants but she knows one thing for sure, she wont be able to go home tonight or a couple of more nights to come. A van stopped a few meters away from them, he can feel her heart thump in fear through the thick layers of his jacket. His free hand combed her back hair upwards and tilt her head aside so he can gain access to her ear better, his hot breath hitting her back ear only made her shudder and widen her eyes. “I’d hate to dispose a pretty face like yours and throw in a trash bag after I dismember your head” the threat this time worked that Elryne felt her knees wobble. The van doors open and she pulled into the dark, a soft fabric hit her nose and mouth and her vision blurred in an instant. Only his green, bright eyes narrowing at her was the last thing she saw before everything went black.