Lost Me Gained Regret

I heard Mark's gentle voice coming through my headphones. Jane, have you thought about that thing we talked about?"

I found myself smiling a little. "Not qu quite yet."

Then, a sleek black SUV rounded the corner, heading straight for me. Instinctively, I stepped back, but the vehicle suddenly sped up, stopping beside me.

Screech! The tires grated against the pavement in a jarring symphony.

Frowning, I was about to sidestep when a young man sporting a baseball cap swung the car door open and strode toward me. Before I knew it, he had clamped his hand over my mouth and nose.

"What are you..." It took no more than five seconds. I didn't even finish my words or have a moment to resist, let alone run.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

The strong scent of chloroform overwhelmed me. In just a few seconds, darkness. claimed me. My headphones dropped in their rough handling When I came to, my mind was foggy, my limbs weak. I couldn't even lift my arms. Barely able to pry my eyes open, I surveyed my surroundings. I was still in the black SUV, tossed into a corner of the backseat with my hands and feet bound. My forehead rested agains the window. It was dark outside, the streets barely visible.

But I could tell we were on the outskirts of the city. Four people were in the car, includ the driver. And the guy with the baseball cap was among them.

He was the first to notice I was awake, and his voice sounded raspy, "Finally awake, hu "I told you, this girl looked frail. She didn't need that much, but you had to overdo it. Luckily, she woke up, or it'd be on you, the driver, a middle-aged man, commented.

"A hindsight expert!" snapped the raspy-voiced man.

Struggling to muster my energy, I spoke with caution, "What... what do you want?"

It was evident these guys were trouble, and I'd never had any dealings with their alone any conflict. Why would they kidnap me?

kind, let

"What do we want?" The raspy voice scoffed, "Go ask your dear uncle. Don't worry. We won't make it hard for you. Just have your husband clear your uncle's gambling debts, and we'll call it even!"

I was confused "My uncle?"

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The raspy-voiced man stared at me. "Stop playing dumb. Allen, you know him!"

"I don't know him," I tried to bluff my way through.

The man with the raspy voice eyed me, his tone dangerously warning, "Enough, don't play with me. We've done our homework since our boss sent me to grab you. Don't games make this harder unless you want trouble."

I scoffed, "His debts are his own. Why come after me? I don't have any money!"

"If he could pay, would we be coming for you?" He continued confidently, "No money, no problem. Your uncle mentioned your husband is the CEO of the Ferguson Group, Mr. Bryant Ferguson. You may not have money, but your husband sure does. Get him to transfer the funds, and you're free to go."

I was furious, unable to believe Allen could stopp so low.

After a deep breath, I clarified coldly,

"Bryant and I have gotten a divorce. I e

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Don't believe a word Allen says!"

"True or not, we'll know once we make this call" He pushed a cellm phone toward me, displaying a number all too familiar. My heart skipped a beat.

"Do you have any idea who he is? He's Bryant Ferguson, not someone you with!"

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