GINA
When Brando closed the door, Ace pulled her closer and held her in front of him.
"Gina, I'm really sorry--, be quiet and listen to me." Ace whispered to her harshly. "I'm a CIA agent."
She went rigid. "What?"
Ace let go of her and he backed away from her a little. "Brando Nicolas already knows my true identity. He just said that he didn't receive the money I deposited with him as an excuse to get rid of me. But what scares me the most is what he plans to do to you and he even abducted you at the same time."
She was confused by what Ace confessed to her.
"The GPS of the car and my cell phone should be ON, but when Brando blows it up we will lose the signal. But don't worry, we still have hope. Noel, the one who always follows you at school, is also an agent who is my colleague. He is in charge of monitoring, so there is a possibility that he monitored us on our way here. I just hope Noel transmits our satellite signal before Brando Nicolas blows up my car. But as I said, we still have hope, Gina. Our last hope is your necklace."
And suddenly...
They heard a loud explosion. That's why she's nervous.
She held tightly the pendant of her necklace and was amazed when its little red light came out.
"The device that's in your pendant is recharged by body heat, but it's also experimental. I checked it a few days ago and it was working, so that's a good sign. However, its signal is not as powerful as other devices. But don't worry because I did everything to keep you safe and to help rescue you, Gina. So have faith that they will find you soon."
She swallowed before answering. "How about you?"
"I always knew the risks."
"But--"
"Take this." Ace handed her a large piece of wood. "Let's hide here behind the door, if someone tries to open it, you will hit him with the wood."
"I'm scared. I can't do it." She said crying.
Ace pulled her towards the front door. "I'll take care of the rest."
She is scared but she has to do it if she wants to survive. She now tightly grips the large piece of wood like a baseball bat and she's ready to hit anyone who enters.
When they heard footsteps approaching, Ace got her ready. "You can do it, Gina."
She shifted foot to foot, finding a stronghold, then went still. She gritted her teeth. She lifted her grip on the wood higher. And she let out a deep breath.
Until...
The door opened.
And...
She quickly hit the person who entered first and hit him in the face causing him to close in pain.
It was only then that she found out that the person was Brando Nicolas. She stared in shock as Brando Nicolas crumpled. Blood spilled into the floor beneath his face. She seemed to faint when he saw Brando's bloody face.
She also lost her strength when she saw Ace being held by two of Brando's men and then Brando's bodyguards helped him beat him. They punched Ace in the face and stomach. Brando approached them and punched Ace in the face, body, stomach and Brando even stomped on Ace while still holding him in his hands.
She also could not move from where she was standing because her arms were tightly held by Brando's other two men.
"Stop it!" She shouted, but they continued to beat Ace.
She knew that her husband would be hurt by the punches and kicks he received from Brando and his men, but he didn't seem to care.
"Did you think you could get me easily? Well, you are very wrong, Durant. Which agency do you work for? Answer!" Brando yelled at Ace and he punched her husband in the stomach again.
But Ace still doesn't want to talk; maybe he's just protecting the agency he works for. It's painful to see the person she loves struggling.
"Stop it, Brando." She cried and cried.
She just cried because she couldn't do anything at that moment.
Brando stopped and approached her. She saw the reaction on Ace's face; he was struggling when he saw Brando approaching her.
"Please Brando, stop torturing my husband. I will do everything you want. Just let Ace go."
"Really, love?" Brando said with a smile.
"Gina, don't!, Don't do that. Brando, let Gina go." He shouted while struggling.
"And why should I let her go? I'm not that stupid, I can't let her go especially that I have now Gina in my hands."
"As far as I know, you don't like women who are already married. But why do you still like my wife?"
"She's exceptional, in fact. And I will continue to love Gina until eternity." Then Brando burst out laughing.
"You're crazy, Brando." She said firmly.
"Yes, crazy for you, my love. So now I'll show you my craziness."
Brando pulled his gun from his waistband, and pointed it at Ace. He raised the gun and was about to pull the trigger when she screamed.
"Noooooooo.....!" She screamed aloud.
"Bang! Bang! bwahahaha.." It was just a joke and Brando burst out laughing again.
"Don't worry, my love, I'm just about to pull the trigger of my gun. I'm not going to kill your husband right away. Because I'm going to kill him slowly."
"Stop it, Brando, please!" She begged. "Let him go now."
ACE
"Let go? I'm not that kind enough, Gina." He said, and Brando punched him again. This time in his mouth.
He just shook out the pain and spit blood out on the floor, grinning at Brando. His right eyelid had started to swell close. He was sure at least two or more ribs were broken or badly bruised by now, while his lips continued to bleed.
He knows that they will kill him, too. Death was always a possibility when he worked undercover, but this time, he wasn't only thinking about himself. He had Gina to think about. He might not survive, but he has to save Gina first.
"Come on love, they will take care of your husband." He heard Brando say that to Gina.
"I won't go with you Brando; I won't leave my husband here."
"In that case, I will be forced to drag you, love."
Gina didn't say a word so Brando dragged her by her hair towards the door.
"Ouch! What the hell Brando, I'm hurting. Let go of my hair!"
He saw Gina wince in pain while Brando was still pulling her hair.
"Don't hurt Gi-na, Ni-co-las." He said struggling because he was currently being beaten with wood on his back. He clenched his jaw for every blow, but he refused to cry out. The strips of wood pounding in his back broke, digging a splinter into his back so he is even weaker now.
"Ace!" Gina yelled at his name, which was now holding tightly to the doorjamb. And because Brando is strong compared to her, that's why he successfully pulled Gina out.
Come on Ace, don't die, because if you do, what will happen to Gina?
Brando's staff unleashed a strong blow on his jaw. It was already too much, but he was still fighting to live, and Gina should have too. She had to survive. That was all that mattered to him right now. Brando is a murderer and it is not impossible that he will do something bad to Gina.
GINA
Brando still dragged her and he held her hand until they got down the stairs. This man is really cruel, in her mind. She thought of a way to get rid of Brando. She needs to behave first, she thought. Even though she knew it was impossible for her to get out of that place because of so many guards. But she doesn't really have a choice.
So...
She bit Brando's wrist causing him to let go, so she happened to escape from his tight grip. She ran fast while Brando chased her quickly. When she found a place to hide under the stairs, she quickly hid in the cramped space there. It was suffocating from where she was hiding, but she endured it, rather than being seen by that animal man.
"Love, do you really want us to play hide and seek?" She heard him say. "Alright, I will play your game. But when I find you, I have a punishment for you. So it's better to show up...Okay, I'll count one to three, if you still don't come out, you'll regret it."
"One..."
"Two..."
"Three..."
"You've really worn out my patience, huh. But okay, I'll still play with you."
Her whole body was shaking with fear because she didn't know where Brando was. It was suddenly quiet. She was just surprised when she heard a series of gunshots, which she thought came from above. Oh God! What happened to her husband?
Ace can't die; she hasn't even said that she loves him yet. Her stomach tightened and twisted painfully at the thought of anything happening to him.
"Russo, Albert, look what's happening upstairs, hurry!" She heard Brando speak again while he was talking to his men.
"Yes, boss." His men responded.
In a few moments of silence, she no longer knows what is happening in the surroundings. She grew more and more tense. But she was really afraid to come out of her hiding place because Brando might see her.
She stiffened even more when she heard footsteps approaching from where she was. She felt like she was going to be sick. Oh God! Did Brando find her?
"Calm down Gina, don't panic." She whispered to herself.
She was shocked when something seemed to fall on the floor. Her whole body is shaking now. Then suddenly, two men burst in. They both rolled on the floor. She couldn't see it very well because a wide pillar on the opposite side of the stairs was blocking them. All she could see was Brando. He was on top of someone; he brought his arm up and punched the man in the face. The man groaned and he knelt him between the legs. God, she knows that voice. Ace is alive.
She almost screamed when Brando was going to punch his husband again, but she was very grateful when Ace got out of his fist.
When Ace got an advantage, he grabbed Brando's arm and twisted it around his back. She could clearly see Ace's face now because he was facing her. He has lot of bruises on his face.
Ace got revenge on Brando. He is now on top of him. He punched Brando in the face making something crack. Brando's nose was bleeding when it hit Ace's fist. Brando quickly regained his balance and threw a punch at Ace's face as well. Her heart seemed to stop beating as Brando retaliated against Ace. Her husband threw himself at Brando, making them both fall on the floor. Ace again dominated him, and repeatedly punched Brando in the face.
Brando took his chance to swing at Ace making him fall to the side slightly at the impact. Brando used this opportunity to roll them over so he could sit Ace's body. But before he punched her husband again, Ace quickly caught his fist with his left hand. They were now fighting for control but none of them was winning.
Then suddenly, Brando bumped his forehead against Ace's head, causing bleeding on his eyebrow. Their shirts were stained with blood as they both bled from their wounds. And seeing Ace's blood was like a knife to her heart.
*****