A Foolish Abduction

A heavy cloth soaked in a sickeningly sweet chemical clamped down over Valerie's mouth and nose. The sudden attack came from behind, shattering her brief moment of triumph. One of the bleeding thugs had managed to struggle up from the asphalt, using his uninjured arm in a desperate, last-ditch effort to smother her face with a chloroform rag.

Valerie's eyes went wide as the pungent fumes flooded her senses. She had been too absorbed in her own gloating to watch her back.

*Damn it. I was way too careless.*

Her vision swam instantly. The potent chemical bypassed her formidable combat skills, striking directly at her nervous system. Darkness dragged her under, and her body went limp against the rough ground.

Footsteps echoed in the dingy alley just moments later. Tobias strutted out from the shadows, stepping into the dim glow of the streetlights. He scowled at the two men groaning on the concrete.

"The two of you are simply idiots. You cannot even handle a brainless dummy!"

The burly men swung their gazes toward him. Their faces twisted in excruciating pain and pure disbelief. They clutched their mangled arms, screaming internally.

*Are you sure she is just a dummy?*

Tobias had arrived late, missing the brutal display of martial arts entirely. To him, these hired street muscles were just incompetent fools who somehow injured themselves while trying to grab a mentally challenged girl.

He kicked the leader in the shin. "Why are the two of you still whining on the ground? Get up right now and stuff her into the van!"

The thugs exchanged a dark, humiliated look. They were seasoned enforcers. If word ever hit the underground that a tiny, supposedly slow-witted girl had snapped their bones like dry twigs, their careers would be over in a heartbeat.

Enduring the searing pain wracking their bodies, they kept their mouths firmly shut about Valerie's lethal skills. They awkwardly hoisted her unconscious form with their good arms and dumped her into the back of the waiting van. The engine roared to life, and the vehicle sped off into the night.

Meanwhile, a sleek Maybach tore through the wrought-iron gates of the Thorne Estate, its tires screeching against the pristine driveway.

Declan stepped out into the chilly night air. His mesmerizing face was carved from ice, radiating an oppressive, suffocating aura. Every bodyguard and staff member stood perfectly rigid in several rows on the lawn, holding their breath as they awaited their inevitable punishment.

Valerie had vanished. The estate's state-of-the-art surveillance cameras showed absolutely no trace of her leaving the perimeter. She had either evaporated into thin air, or someone had boldly snatched her right out of his heavily guarded fortress. The very thought of someone taking her right under his nose made a murderous glint flash in his dark eyes. The temperature around Declan plummeted to freezing.

Callum hurriedly approached his boss, keeping his head respectfully bowed as he presented a glowing tablet. "Mr. Thorne, this vehicle was spotted on the outer perimeter footage. It looks exactly like Mr. Tobias's car."

Declan lowered his sharp gaze to the screen. The license plate was obscured by mud and shadows, but the eye-catching purple and green custom paint job was unmistakable. It was the only car of its kind in the entire city.

He turned his lethal stare toward Arthur. "Did Tobias come over to the estate today?"

Arthur visibly swallowed hard before answering. "No, sir. Mr. Tobias has not been anywhere near the property today."

Declan's pupils constricted into dangerous slits. The puzzle pieces rapidly clicked into place.

He handed the tablet back with a swift motion. "Callum, tap into the intelligence network. Track down Tobias's current whereabouts at once."

Across town, the kidnapping van slid into the dark, secluded alley behind a luxury hotel.

Tobias threw open the trunk. A smug grin split his face when he saw Valerie lying motionless in the back.

He pointed a commanding finger at the gang leader. "You, carry her upstairs!"

The thug grimaced, his broken arm throbbing fiercely. He gritted his teeth and heaved Valerie over his uninjured shoulder like a sack of grain, silently following Tobias toward the private elevator. The second underling remained out in the alley to keep watch.

As the thug turned his back to the doors, Valerie's closed eyes popped open. She peeked over the thug's broad shoulder and flashed a mischievous, deliberate wink directly at the underling standing by the van.

The underling's face instantly drained of all color. His lips trembled uncontrollably as sheer terror gripped his throat. "B-B..."

The elevator doors chimed shut before he could scream, cutting off his panicked warning.

Minutes later, Tobias pushed open the door to Room 6806. The thug unceremoniously dumped Valerie onto the plush king-sized bed, eager to escape the terrifying girl. He quickly excused himself and bolted from the suite.

Tobias ignored him, pulling his ringing phone from his pocket. He answered the call with a wicked smirk.

"Yes, that is right! It is Room 6806. Come up quickly!"

He tossed the phone onto the nightstand and turned to admire his captive. Victory surged through his veins. He stood over the bed, deeply engrossed in his own twisted delusions.

"Not only does this brilliant plan avenge Camilla, but it also sullies Declan's pristine wife! I am truly too brilliant!"

He threw his head back, letting out a dark chuckle. He never noticed the soft rustle of the bedsheets behind him.

Valerie's eyes snapped open. She sat up straight on the mattress, resting her hands on her lap as she stared a hole right through his back. The cold, terrifying anticipation of her upcoming retaliation filled the deafening silence of the room.

Tobias slowly turned around. The jubilant smile on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by sheer, unadulterated shock.