"Where are we?" Genevieve asked as the bike rolled to a stop in front of a small building forty-five minutes later.
Her gaze swept the area, taking in the towering trees flanking the house on both sides and the unsettling distance between this building and the next one, which was actually connected to a street.
"What are we doing here?" she asked again, a flicker of unease creeping into her voice. When she didn't get an immediate response, her fingers curled slightly. "Adrian—"
"Take your helmet off and talk," Adrian cut in, his voice distant—nothing like the way it had resounded in her ears earlier.
Realizing she was still wearing the helmet, Genevieve hurriedly removed it, her breath hitching slightly as she saw that he had taken his off too and had his face dangerously close to hers.
"Can you get off on your own?" he asked, his gaze steady.
"Oh, yeah! I can manage." She shifted, crossing her legs before jumping down, wincing as her wet sneakers hit the ground with a squelch.
As soon as he made sure she was steady on her foot, Adrian dismounted from the bike and slipped the keys into his pant pockets before turning toward the eerie house.
Alejandro walked to them from where he'd parked his own bike a few metres away, ''Can I have my jacket back now?'' he asked, the question directed at his boss.
''Do I have my jacket back from her?'' Adrian said, shooting him a blank look, then added in a sarcastic tone, ''Don't bother attempting gentlemanliness if you aren't ready to take it all the way.''
''I'm so sorry, Al. You must have been cold,'' Genevieve apologized. She made to take off Adrian's jacket so she could return it, but Alejandro instantly stopped her.
''It's no problem, Miss..."
''Genevieve," she corrected. "That's my name."
''Ah…'' Alejandro hesitated for a few seconds like he wasn't sure he should be addressing her by her name. Then, as if he just realized something, he chuckled and continued, ''I meant to say it's no problem, Genevieve, I was just trying out my luck with boss.''
''Oh…'' Genevieve sighed, ''Then thank you once again.''
Ignoring the both of them, Adrian started on the short journey to the door of the small building, the view of his retreating back just as imposing and intimidating as it would have been if he was approaching.
Genevieve hurried after him, her legs quickening with each step that she took until she finally arrived beside Adrian.
''You didn't answer me earlier,'' she pointed out. ''I asked where this place is, and why aren't we going home?''
Adrian ignored her, paying utmost attention into separating the enormous lock hanging from the door of the house. Genevieve sucked a deep breath in and was about to ask again when a thought popped in her mind and the words caught in her throat.
A chill settled in her stomach. What the hell had she been thinking to miss this? She had been so focused on getting back home that she hadn't stopped to consider what Roberto thought about her escape and what must be waiting for her back at home.
Roberto must have thought she was at fault for escaping when his daughter and niece proposed it. Maybe he even thought she had coerced or threatened them into helping her escape.
It must have been the reason he sent his son and this other man to pick her up themselves; because he wanted to punish her… or worse, torture and end her life.
That must have been the reason Adrian had treated her slightly warmer than his cold demeanor portrayed, and the reason this other man had been acting nice. But then, if they wanted to kill her, why would they sacrifice their expensive looking jackets? So she could be warm enough for whatever method of punishment they'd planned? Or maybe it was something about never denying a dying man of his last wish.
In her own case, they probably thought her last wish would be to warm herself after standing in an heavy rain for minutes.
She shook her head, trying to clear the absurd thought, but she kept coming back to it the next second.
And there was no reason not to believe her intuition.
If these men weren't going to harm her, why else would they bring her to a place like this abandoned house and not take her home? They were also ignoring her questions about where they had brought her, so she was sure her suspicions were valid and not unfounded.
Her train of thoughts was cut short when Adrian successfully unlocked the door and pulled her inside with him, gripping her by the extra sleeves of her jacket. Alejandro stepped in right after her, and with one huge man in front of her while another huge man stood at her back, Genevieve's fear skyrocketed.
She had been pulled into a dark room, somewhere they were most likely familiar with, but which she knew nothing about. The perfect place to end her in. Unable to keep it in herself anymore, she blurted out, ''I'm sorry!''