Chapter 26
26:
In almost the blink of an eye, Christina found herself hauled into the back of a van, her mouth covered.
These kidnappers moved with chilling precision—their planning was evident in every lightning-quick motion, giving no one a chance to intervene.
Taking them down would have been child’s play for Christina, but she decided against it. Curiosity outweighed caution. She let them believe she was too weak to fight back, wanting to discover who had gone to such lengths to snatch her off the street. Why not turn a little danger into an adventure?
No sooner had she been tossed inside the van than a wad of cloth was shoved between her teeth and ropes cinched around her wrists and ankles.
With a fiery glare, Christina glowered at her captors, her performance flawless—outwardly furious, inwardly cool as ice.
“Mmmph! Mmmph!” Christina’s body thrashed, and her voice came out muffled, a perfect imitation of terror and rage.
To anyone watching, she looked like she’d been scared senseless—flailing like a fish dumped on a cutting board.
“Enough! Shut up already! Move again and I’ll slice you!” one man shouted, giving her a rough shove and shooting her a look brimming with malice.
Christina recoiled, letting tears spring to her eyes, her entire face the picture of utter despair.
Had Davina witnessed the scene, she’d have handed Christina an Oscar for her convincing display. On the inside, Christina was cold and unruffled—on the outside, she played the scared victim to perfection.
Convinced by her act, her captors lowered their guard and discussed among themselves.
“Women are always quick to start crying and making noise.”
“Yeah, what else could you expect? Completely worthless.”
“Don’t take your eyes off her. If she tries anything, you’ll answer to me.”
Christina let her eyes fill with tears, her lashes glistening and her chin tucked, the very picture of terror. Yet, beneath that shivering facade, an amused smile flickered inside her mind.
“Damn, look at this chick. Wouldn’t mind a turn…” one of the kidnappers said, unable to hide his leer.
A sharp elbow from the leader of the group shut the recent speaker up. “Keep your mouth shut! She’s marked for the Terrells. You know how brutal that clan gets. We’re not here to die.”
The man scratched his head. “They’re paying through the nose for this job, though. Makes you wonder what she did to get on their blacklist.”
“No clue about the specifics. Word is, she messed up Jacob in a bar—left him permanently impotent.”
“Holy hell! Never would’ve pegged her as the type to pull something like that.”
The group studied Christina with fresh suspicion, noting her tear-streaked cheeks and shaking frame, all an act for their benefit. It seemed impossible that someone so slight could have taken down Jacob Terrell and even destroyed his manhood. Their best guess was that Jacob had tried to force himself on her, never expecting a fight, and paid dearly for his mistake. Even so, the assumption left an uncomfortable tension hanging in the van, each man suddenly wary in his seat.
Bits and pieces of their conversation gave Christina all she needed to understand the situation. Apparently, that night at the bar, when those thugs tried to corner her, one of them—Jacob—had ended up permanently impotent after her attack.
The Terrells didn’t hold a place among the true upper crust, but their wealth and connections ran deep—both in the boardroom and the back alley.
Jacob, notorious for his arrogance, was the sort of predator who believed the world owed him everything, and that no woman could say no. Any woman who happened to catch his interest usually left the encounter scarred, especially if she dared turn him down.
A cold smirk tugged at the corners of Christina’s mouth. If anything, Jacob had earned every ounce of his fate by foolishly provoking her. Someone like him practically invited retribution. Looking back, she wished she could’ve gone much harder on him. Letting him live, even impotent, was almost generous. Yet now, he’d found the nerve to strike back? He was courting death. If the entire Terrell family wanted to join the fight, then they, too, were lining up for destruction.
Just for an instant, hidden behind the facade of trembling fear, a glint of something ruthless and deadly flickered in Christina’s eyes.
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