The CEO's Secret Affair-Chapter 27: Threats and Warnings

~Anne’s POV~

I woke up with a throbbing pain in my head. Everything was blurry at first, and my mouth felt dry. When my vision finally cleared up a little, I came to realize that I had no idea where I was. I couldn’t recognise a single thing in sight, and only then did the memories start flooding back.

The van from outside the café, someone had pulled me in before I even got the chance to run away. And it was obvious that they had drugged me. Panic immediately shot through my entire body. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and my first instinct was to run. I tried, but soon came to realize that my movements were restricted. I glanced down and saw that my arms and legs had been tied down, bound to the iron seat that I was sitted on.

My sudden movement alerted one of the figures nearby, and the moment he turned around and met my gaze, he quickly made an announcement to the rest of his allies.

"She’s awake."

One of the hooded men straightened up and looked at me. He didn’t say anything else, just turned toward the door. One of the two men remaining in the room walked towards me for a quick assessment. And the moment he confirmed that I was awake and healthy, he backed away.

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat, my heart pounding erratically. Who were these people, and what on earth did they want with me? Were they going to kill me? Or was this just so they could ask for ransom from my family?

If it was money, I didn’t mind giving them everything I had in my account. As long as it was enough for them to let me go without harming me, I would be satisfied.

The two of them watched me like a hawk, like I was some sort of monster they’d never seen before. They were silent, and that told me that they were probably waiting for the third guy, and whoever or whatever he had left to fetch.

"Please let me go..." I broke the silence and used the little strength I had gathered to plead for my release. Whoever the third kidnapper had left to get would likely be the ringleader of this small gang, and I knew things would get worse from there. If I could somehow appeal to the conscience of these two, bribe them quick enough to let me go, then perhaps I could escape the real danger.

But it was too late. Before I had the chance to say another word, the door swung open. And as expected, the third kidnapper returned with another figure, one that I failed to recognise even though he wasn’t hooded.

The air inside the room changed in an instant. The tension was palpable, and my entire body was soon engulfed with fear.

"Anne Allistair..." he called out my name slowly. His voice was deep and dry, probably caused by hours of smoking.

The man stepped fully into the light. Late fifties, maybe older. A scar ran from his left ear to the corner of his mouth, and he wore an expensive leather jacket over a silk shirt. He wasn’t wearing a hood like the others, and that made it worse. He wanted me to see his face. He wanted me to know he wasn’t afraid of being recognised.

He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a gold lighter, and took a long drag before speaking again.

"Do you know why you’re here?"

I shook my head quickly, the movement small because of the ropes. My voice came out as a whisper. "No. I... I don’t know. Please, if it’s money—"

He laughed, a short, rough sound, and walked toward me. His shoes echoed on the concrete. I tried to lean back, away from him, but the chair held me in place.

He stopped right in front of me, crouched down, and grabbed my chin hard with his rough fingers, forcing me to look up at him. His grip hurt. His breath, stale smoke and coffee, washed over my face.

I wanted to gag.

"Money?" he said, smirking. "No, sweetheart. This isn’t about money."

He let go of my chin but stayed close, studying me like I was a problem he was deciding how to solve.

"You’ve been messing around with one of our own," he said, voice low and cold. "We don’t tolerate disrespect to any of our people. Especially not from some little office girl who thinks she can play in waters too deep for her."

My mind raced. One of their own? Who?

I thought of Thomas immediately. But no, Thomas didn’t need gangsters. He wouldn’t send men in a van to tie me to a chair in a warehouse, he was fully capable of doing that by himself.

Was it Lisa? Was she the one doing this? She did threaten to make my life miserable if I failed to get Riccardo to cancel her transfer. But I didn’t fail, Riccardo had cancelled her transfer, so what could be her motive this time?

The man stood up, took another drag, and blew the smoke toward the ceiling.

"You’ll figure it out soon enough," he said. "Or maybe you won’t. Doesn’t matter to me."

He reached for his pocket, drew a gun and without warning fired it at the ceiling right above me. The bullet struck the concrete wall above, and little debris came pouring down on my head.

Now I was petrified. These people were dead serious.

"Maybe we should cripple a leg or two, or cut off an arm. The order only said to keep you alive, it never mentioned anything about leaving you in one piece—"

"Please!!!" I blurted out before he could finish. Tears streamed down my face, and if things got any worse I was certain I would pee my pants. "I’ll do anything, I’ll give you anything you want, please just let me go."

He chuckled once again, a sly grin spreading across his face as he fired another shot right above my head. Then he crouched low once again, took the cigarette from his lips, and held it between two fingers, the glowing tip inches from my face. I could feel the heat already.

"Anything?" he repeated softly, like he was tasting the word.

Before I could answer, he pressed the burning end against the inside of my forearm.

Pain exploded. white-hot, searing pain. A scream tore out of me as I jerked against the ropes, trying to pull away, but there was nowhere to go. He held it there for two endless seconds before lifting it away.

Tears blurred my vision instantly. My arm throbbed, and I prayed that some sort of miracle would happen.

"Anything?" he asked again, voice calm, almost curious, as if he hadn’t just branded me.

"Yes!" I sobbed. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, dripping onto my lap. "Anything! Please, just tell me what you want!"

He straightened, dropped the cigarette to the floor, and crushed it under his shoe.

"Good girl," he said. "It’s simple. You’re going to leave town. Tonight. Pack a bag, get on the first train, plane, bus doesn’t matter. You disappear. And you stay gone."

I stared at him through the tears, shaking. He leaned in closer, voice dropping to a whisper.

"I know where your family lives. Your family’s little house. Every fucking address. Tomorrow morning, my people will visit you, just to make sure you’ve left the city. If you’re still here... if you try to play smart, go to the police, set any kind of trap..." He smiled, slow and cold. "You’ll find your whole family dead before you even know what hit them."

My stomach lurched. I could barely breathe.

"And Anne?" he added, tapping my burned arm lightly, making me whimper. "Don’t ever think about stepping foot back in this city unless I personally tell you to. Because next time, I won’t be so gentle."

He stood, turned to the hooded men, and nodded once.

"Cut her loose. Drop her somewhere quiet. She knows what to do."

One of the men pulled a knife from his belt and moved behind me. In two swift motions I was loose. He threw my cellphone on my lap, and jerked me out of seat before I could regain my composure.

"Get moving already!" He screamed at me, and I finally found the courage to move my limbs. I could tell he meant every word he said, every single threat, he meant it all. It was clear what I needed to do, and I didn’t waste time with my conclusion. I was leaving town tonight.