RED NOTES AND KISSES-Chapter 91: FRIDA -

She opened her eyes, her skin bare, hands in chains.

"Happy now?" Jeff whispered...

"She’s the reason we are in this place again," Sniper said, painfully curled in a ball.

Ego was quiet—or maybe his mouth was too swollen to speak... they had hit him...

She blinked, looking at Laz, who was now awake, eyes red with tears and shame. "Why did you do that?" he asked, resentful.

She shrugged, and the shackles rattled. "To save you."

He laughed bitterly. "You did that to save me? You came here to save me? How can you save me?!"

Frida flinched, closing her eyes. "I know it was dumb... but I couldn’t let you suffer alone. I can’t leave you alone, Laz... It’s funny to you, but to me, you’re my first friend... my first playmate, my first bully, and my first smile... When I’m sad, you’re my first thought..." She sniffed, her body aching. "And maybe I don’t mean as much to you, but when I first opened my eyes, you were the first person I saw... and you gave me your doll..."

He blinked in surprise. "You remember that..."

She nodded. "I don’t remember anything from being a baby, but... when I opened my eyes, you were the first thing I saw..."

He blinked shyly. "Yeah, I know you’re hitting puberty, and boys are dumb during puberty, but I don’t care, as long as we’re still friends..."

"I can tolerate anything... and take anything... but I can’t be without you, Laz..." she said. "Because to me, you’re as important as breathing..."

He stared at her in shock. "I... I..." he tried to say before they were cut off...

"Who’s yelling down there?" His voice drawled from the top of the stairs.

"Oh no, your sappy friendship alerted him..." Jeff whispered in camaraderie, his chains rattling as he shifted into the darkness...

"I’m sorry..." Laz apologized, whispering as the footsteps echoed.

"I’m sorry I got you into this, I’m sorry for yelling at you," he sniffled.

Frida blinked as she hung opposite. "We are going to get out of here... I promise."

He now stood in the tiny, dark space, holding a long cane, the most painful kind. "What did I say about noise?" he gritted his teeth.

"Do you want someone to hear you outside??" he snarled, and Laz laughed, then spat in his face.

"Go to hell."

The man angrily whipped him with the cane, and Frida pleaded, trying to go to him, but the chains held her back. "Please stop! Please don’t do this! Stop, you’re hurting him... oh my God! Stop!"

Stop!

Stop!

Stop!

She cried as Laz bled from the marks, and her tears fell in endless pools. "It seems you have a lot of energy now, Frida... shall we go over the tests again? If I’m going to create the most brilliant prodigies that ever existed, surely it must be between the two of you, right? I mean, they’re paying good money?"

"I’m investing so much in both of you. If you just cooperate... I’ll soon let you free to study again..." he said in a kind voice.

"Doesn’t that sound amazing?" he snickered just as Laz’s mother appeared at the dark steps.

"Her parents are here with cops," she said, looking nervous.

"I’ll be right back... be good," he warned them and left with her. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Frida glared at his retreating back, hearing the chains click shut. She stared at Laz’s bleeding body. "How many men do you think are guarding this place?" she whispered to Laz.

Laz shrugged. "About thirty from my observation and calculations so far."

Frida pulled a nail and showed it to Laz. "How did you...?" he asked, perplexed.

"I’m getting us out of here..." she said with complete certainty.

----

"Just fucking act natural!" He snapped at her.

They opened the door to see the detective and Frida’s parents. "Our daughter is missing," she said, walking past Laz’s mother into the house.

Frida could hear their conversation as she undid Laz’s chains. "Our daughter has been missing for the past three months. We noticed that your son is missing as well, and you haven’t made any reports?"

Laz’s mother became defensive. "Um... Laz is with his father on a business trip in Beverly Hills, you crazy bitch," she spat.

"Oh really??? Shall we ask him then..." Frida’s mother spat spitefully, then called the number.

"Hey, it’s Frida’s mom," she greeted cheerfully, and Laz’s mom panicked.

"Yes, I just wanted to ask if Laz is with you? Frida misses him."

"Uh, no. Laz is with his mom back in New York. Is there a problem?" he asked, worry in his voice.

Frida’s mother smirked. "None at all." Then hung up. "You heard them, officers. She’s lying. Please search this entire house until you find my daughter!"

The smell of smoke made them cough, and they followed the trail...

Laz’s mother sat observing the scene with her boyfriend as the cops searched the house. "This is bad," she whispered.

He groaned in frustration. "You don’t say."

"Aren’t you contesting for a post in the government? You’re a politician, aren’t you?" one of the cops directed the question to Laz’s mother’s boyfriend.

His jaw ticked with annoyance at being recognized. "You’ve got the wrong guy," he simply said.

"Jesus Christ!" one of the officers snapped, and Laz’s mother clenched her boyfriend’s hands, muttering under her breath.

"Holy fuck, we are going to jail," she whispered, standing up and following where the police had exclaimed from.

Frida’s mother was vomiting into a potted plant, her husband had a repulsed look on his face as they took in the scene in the basement.

And Laz’s mother and her boyfriend stared in shock...

The basement was on fire, all the chains empty, thirty bodies of men lay dead in a bloody pile in the basement...

"What the fuck!" Laz’s mother’s boyfriend exclaimed.

"Officer it was all him I swear, he blackmailed me, how can I hurt my own child!..." She pleaded falling on her knees.

----

Frida held onto Laz’s waist as he rode the bicycle as fast as he could.

She leaned into him, and they watched the sunset as the wind whipped around them. "What did you write on the red note?" she whispered to Laz as they headed far away from that hell.

He gritted his teeth, he thought but said nothing...

That Your My First Too...

††††††

THE PRESENT...

Frida coughed, her face hurting so badly, and her head throbbed... from both the memories and the constant blows.

Most of her memories were still a blur, but at least she remembered them now.

She knew who they were now.

The children.

"What’s that look in her ugly swollen eyes?" Sniper snarled.

"Is that what I think it is?" Tim asked.

"Pity?" Jeff laughed, masking his anger as he dialed Laz’s number.

Jeff’s phone rang, and he answered, "Hello?"

"Where is she?" Laz’s voice rumbled through the speakers.

Jeff casually gave him the address with full confidence. "This place is guarded by fifty men, though... do you think you can make it before I blow her skull?" His words died in his throat as Laz’s voice rumbled back.

"I’m here." Their hearts literally stopped, followed by the loud, continuous barrage of bullets.

"Shit, the bastard’s actually here!" Sniper said, rubbing his face and clutching the glass cup in his hand.

Someone ran in, panicked. "Shit, he’s killed them all..." The person stammered before fainting.

"Shit, we’re screwed..." someone else exclaimed, and Jeff slapped him so hard his teeth fell out.

"Drag her out there and kill him now, this is our best shot!" Jeff ordered Sniper.

Sniper actually hated her the most. "I’ve been waiting for this day," he sneered in her face. Cutting the ropes, he dragged her away.

To the open doors of a balcony... She hadn’t realized they were upstairs... she didn’t realize anything at the moment, actually... it felt like they had drugged her.

As she looked down through her swollen eyes, she saw him down there on his motorcycle, his chest heaving.

Dead bodies on the ground in the snow, painting the white with red.

And the snow fell softly, contrasting with his dark features.

An angel coated in black and white, and he looked up with enraged eyes.

"Drop your weapon or I’m going to shoot her..." Sniper threatened.

"Drop your weapon and get on your knees, hands where I can see them, or I’m going to shoot her!" he barked at the top of his lungs.

A gun to Frida’s head, and Laz shrugged simply, looking up at him.

Hot tears spilled from Frida’s eyes. "I won’t repeat myself. One!"

She trembled, just looking down at the one person who truly knew her.

"Two!" he yelled.

Laz didn’t move a muscle or say a word as Sniper slowly pulled the trigger.

"Three!" A different voice said, and Frida flinched as she heard a loud gunshot by her ear. Her ears rang, partially deaf.

She touched her face, feeling the blood, her hands trembling, and collapsed, only to fall into someone’s arms. She looked up into the depths of his darkened gaze.

"Forgive me, sunrise... I hope I’m not late," he said, lifting her into his arms.

Her muscles ached as she attempted a smile. "You’re way too early..."