I suck my lip in between my teeth as the metal lock pins my hand in between the door and its wooden frame.
“Son of a bitch” I curse, pushing the door open quickly so I can rip my hand free, my fingers now thumping in pain.

“Valerie, you ok?” Simon asks, his face concerned as I turn to him.
“I’m okay” I reply sheepishly. I shake my hand trying to get rid of the pain as I use my right hand to lock the store’s front door.
“You sure?”
“Let’s forget it, please” I chuckle, handing the key over to him so he can open the store tomorrow on my day off.
“If you’re sure, see you next shift” Simon calls over his shoulder and waves as he heads in the opposite direction to me down the darkened sidewalk. 

I sigh as I shove my hands into my navy hoodie front pockets, the crisp breeze tossing my ponytail around, loose strands of my strawberry blonde hair falling occasionally into my face. I push them away as I peruse the shop windows, making my way down the dully lit sidewalk towards my shared apartment only a few blocks away. The moon shines brightly in the sky, illuminating my shadow on the concrete. I wave my arms around, watching as my shadow mimics me. I squint as my shadow suddenly grows wider and taller. I stumble as I turn, realising I'm not alone. A large man towers over me, staring me down.

“Can I help you?” I ask loudly, hoping a passerby might hear.
“Don’t worry about him,” a voice says calmly from behind me and I turn to see a trio of men in front of me, as if having materialised out of thin air.

The one who spoke stands in the middle, his hands hidden behind his back as his hands seem to be in his back jean pockets. I study his face, the angular face holding a narrow nose and full lips. His light blonde hair being thrown around by the wind, his grey eyes pinned on me. The two men on either side of him are larger than he is, bulky and intimidating.
“My apologies, I’m Brandon, and these two” the blonde man gestures to the two slightly behind him, “are Steve and Cash.” 

Why is this guy introducing himself to me? Alarm bells are ringing, my body beginning to shake with adrenaline.
“What do you want?” I ask, my heart beating in my ears. Whatever this is, it can’t be good.
“You are Valerie Saron, correct?” Brandon asks, his head tilting slightly, a slight smirk on his lips.
There’s something off about him, his mere stare making my skin crawl as goosebumps arise on my arms.
“Depends who’s asking” I reply, looking around rapidly to see if anyone is around to help me.
Damn it. Stupid late shift. The usual bustling street closed and empty in the early morning, making me completely helpless and alone.
Brandon chuckles as if I've said something funny. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He removes his right hand from his pocket and uses two fingers to gesture towards me, “get her.” 

I shriek as my vision is blacked out, a presumed bag thrown over my head. My arms are grabbed aggresively and I'm hauled off the ground. I scream as I kick out, panic overtaking my instincts to fight for survival.The sound of popping echoes around me before I'm suddenly weightless, my body falling, the arms no longer holding onto me. I gasp as I smack into the ground, my head cracking against the pavement with a spark of agony, a wave of nausea bursting forth. 

I struggle to my knees and claw at my head haphazardly, my hands trembling as I pull the hood off and throw it away. I can hear screaming and shouting but can’t discern their words as my vision struggles to focus. I nearly heave as I'm grabbed by the waist and thrown over a solid wall, the material beneath my fingers indicating clothing. I must be being carried over someone’s shoulder.
“Please, I’m going to be sick” I moan, digging my fingers in to keep from falling.
“Sorry, we can’t stop,” a male voice rumbles beneath me.
Just as I try to reply I'm thrown into an open car door, the man holding me and another scrawny looking guy entering from the other side.
“Keep your eyes closed” the scrawny guy says, as he covers my eyes with his hands, my own shaking as someone else grabs them and doesn’t let go.
“Get us out of here Marco” a female voice orders from the front seat of the car.
“Yes, boss” Marco, I assume, replies, my body thrown backwards as we speed forward.
“You’re fine, just breathe” the voice matching that of the one who grabbed me off the ground.
“Easy for you to say,” I mumble, “my head hurts.”
“You must have hit it on the sidewalk, it’s not bleeding so you probably just have a concussion.”
“Just a concussion” I chuckle, “and you know, the whole kidnapping thing too.”
“Keep quiet. Just get us home” the female snaps and the car falls into silence. 

The speed soon lessens, indicating we must have lost the others.
“Who are you? What do you want with me? Are you with Brandon?” I yell, trying to wriggle despite the thumping in my head. I’m not an idiot, I know I won't make it out of this car if I try anything so I may as well try and get as much information as I can before I attempt my escape when we stop.
“I said quiet,” she says angrily.
“We’re not with Brandon” the kind voice says to my right, the one holding my wrists.
“Jason, shut it.”
“Sorry, boss.”
“Can you at least tell me who you guys are? Where are you taking me?”
An audible groan comes from the front. “Just tape her mouth, would ya?”
“Wait!” I cry but I'm cut off by a thin sticky material pushed against my mouth.
“Sorry” Jason mumbles and I flip him off, knowing he can see it. A slight chuckle resonates before the silence falls. My body is swaying with the twists and turns the car takes. I try to stay awake, the darkness and warmth of the hand covering my eyes making it difficult as it beckons me to peaceful sleep.
I’ve gotten concussions before, when I played sports. I know I need to stay awake as long as possible so there’s no side effects. Last thing I need is to fall asleep and they freak out if something goes wrong. I need to keep my head on if I'm going to get out of this but my heart keeps beating rapidly, telling my body I need to escape, surging my anxiety on as the minutes tick by. 

I’m not sure how much time passes before the car comes to a halt, my body jolting forward at the sudden stop.
“Marco, you need to work on your braking” the unknown voice beside me says shakily. “I hate driving with you.”
“We made it, didn’t we? You’re welcome” Marco bites back.

“We need to get her inside,” the female voice says.
My vision is suddenly back and I rapidly blink my eyes as they readjust as I'm pulled out of the car by the scrawny guy. Jason comes around, a dark red car, illuminated by the warm street light. He grabs my free arm, and I look at Jason and find my gaze travelling up and up.
Jesus, how tall is this guy?
His loose shaggy dark brown hair nearly sweeps into his green eyes. It doesn’t take an Einstein to work out that this guy is thoroughly muscled, his biceps nearly larger than my own bloody boobs. 

Rude.
He looks at me and gives a wavering smile and I return it by using my eyes to indicate the tape over my mouth. He can be as hot as he likes but he is still a kidnapper.
“Ah, boss. Can we take the tape off?”Jason’s low voice asks, turning my attention to this ‘boss.’
Maybe it’s lucky i have the tape on otherwise i’m sure my mouth would be on the ground right now. She’s taller than me but shorter than the male’s around us except for the scrawny guy. Her deep caramel skin tone illuminates her hazel eyes and full mouth. Her hair is braided back into a rough ponytail, streaks of light purple and pink interlaced in the braids. She’s lean, like a runner or dancer.
Even though she’s smaller than the boys, I still take a step back ,her aura dark and menacing.
“If she promises to stay quiet” she says, a hand on her hip as she leans to the side and my eyes travel to her fingers on her belted hip, the gun holstered there taking my breath away and I gulp. I stare angrily at her. She definitely did that on purpose to warn me she’d shoot me if I tried anything. Her eyes shimmer with vindication as she picks up on my train of thought.
I reluctantly nod and my eyes instinctively water as the tape is ripped off by the scrawny guy. He’s only slightly taller than me, standing at about 5’7 to my barely 5’5.
I open my mouth but she throws up her own in a motion of stop. “We can talk once we’re inside. Take her to her room.”
“My room?” I gasp. They had already planned all this?
I’m pulled forward into the decrepit building, the front door groaning forward as we enter.

I feel the blood drain from my face as I'm taken deeper into the multi-level building, at least six levels from what I could tell quickly from outside. The doorway opens into a huge area to my right. I scan the area and can’t fathom a response. There's a pool table closest to the front of the building. Next to it is an unused large dining table, miscellaneous items scattered on it. Then there's a large TV in the wall that is opposite a huge sitting area with numerous couches, each varying in colour like a mismatched quilt. On the other side stands an older blue kitchen, clearly dirty with unwashed dishes and take away packages. I try to inch backward but Jason pushes me forward and I squeak.
Shit.