CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER FIVE
“You made it!”
Cora smiled widely at her friend as she climbed from the car. A dismissive nod at the drive relieved him of duty for the rest of the night. The man gave her a slight bow before slamming the door closed and walking away. She turned back to her friend and accepted the hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Where’s your bodyguard?” Brown eyes darted around before glancing back at Cora.
“I left him at home,” she answered as they started heading towards the entrance. “I don’t need him to follow me around.”
Her friend laughed and wrapped an arm around Cora’s shoulders. Whatever she said next was drowned out but the loud chatter and music as they entered the new club. Cora’s eyes darted around. She took it all in a little dismay. Her friend had invited her as a VIP guest so she had just assumed it would only be a few important people. Instead there were about two hundred people from all ages mingling about. Her lips pursed when they passed a group of rowdy teens. This was definitely not what she expected, but it was too late to back out now.
Half an hour later Cora was a little buzzed and a lot less worried. She was laughing with her friends at a small table in the corner of the big room. The crowd had thinned but it was only because most of the older couples had already left. According to the big clock on the wall, it was almost midnight. Cora was suddenly dragged onto the dance floor. She wasn’t one for dancing but since her friend still had a firm grip on her arm, she swayed to the beat of the song.
Soon Cora was lost in the music just like everyone else. Bodies brushed against each other as the dance floor became more crowded. Cora lost track of time and people she danced with. She was barely aware of the hands that gripped her hips and the bodies that grinded against her. Her dry parched throat forced her to walk back to the table.
A drink was thrust into her hand halfway there. Without giving it any thought, she drank greedily until the glass was empty. Cora took a seat and leaned back to catch her breath. Her legs ached and so did her feet, but it was nothing a warm bath wouldn’t fix. The urge to use the bathroom became too strong to ignore any longer. The moment she got to her feet, the room swayed dangerously, making her reach out to grip the edge of the table. The tilting motion was making her stomach roll.
“Here let me help,” a voice suddenly spoke against her ear as hands gripped her arms, helping her straighten.
Cora felt sick and strange. Maybe it was because she had drank so much tonight. She has never been drunk before since she usually stayed to a certain limit of drinks. However that flew out of the window because of her father and that man. Cora was so out of it that she was barely aware of being led down a dark hall and towards the backdoor. Her eyes fluttered closed and the last thing she remembered was turning her head to look up at the man that was half carrying her.
Vlad muttered curses under his breath as he swerved sharply to the left as a car turned in front of him. His hands on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white. He should’ve known that she would try something like this. Cora wasn’t good at listening to anyone. Good thing he had installed the silent alarm system and small hidden cameras. Now he only hoped that he wasn’t too late. If something were to happen to her. . .
He quickly pushed the thought away and glanced down at the blinking dot on his phone. Only a few more miles to go before he reached her that’s unless she decided to start moving again. If only he had checked the camera feeds earlier. He was too preoccupied by the sudden thoughts of starting a family that he didn’t think about Cora sneaking out.
It was his own bloody fault. If something were to happen to her, Andrew Weber would definitely kill him. Vlad wouldn’t be able to live with himself either. There was just something about her even if she made him so damn angry. He turned the last corner and slowed the car to glance around. There were no open parking spaces. People littered the side walks—it seemed like they were standing in tow. He remembered Cora mentioning something about a new club.
The bright neon lights caught his eye, and so did movement in an alley as he slowly drove passed. Vlad hit the brakes and reversed. His eyes narrowed as he leaned forward to get a better look. He wasn’t mistaking the van he saw there after a brief glance in that direction. The van was parked close to the back entrance with one man leaning against it. Vlad caught the gleam of a gun pushed down the front of the man’s pants from the light above the door.
He hesitated. Clearly this wasn’t some delivery. Just as the thought flashed through his mind, the door was pushed open and a man came stumbling through. He had a firm grip on a pale arm of a stumbling girl. Vlad would recognize that hair anywhere.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. “I told her to do one fucking thing.”
He shifted the truck into drive and then turned the wheel before hitting the gas. The truck darted forward and right into the alley. The headlights illuminated the two men who had already pushed Cora into the back of the van. Vlad hit the brakes at the last second, almost hitting the back of the van. He put the truck in gear, and then stumbled out of it.
The door slammed shut loudly enough to echo around the brick walls.
“What’s up?” he slurred, as he stumbled forward. “Got sick waiting. I ‘ant enter here.”
They glanced at each other then back at him. He didn’t miss the hand slipping down to the gun in his pants. Vlad had his own gun pushed into the back of his pants and a knife strapped to his ankle. He wiped a hand down his face and stumbled closer. They were both alert, but neither of them were sure whether he was a threat or not. Vlad knew that once he got close enough, they would realize that he wasn’t drunk, and then he had to act fast.
“Yeah, you can go in through this door,” the one who had dragged Cora out muttered.
He turned and muttered something to the other man before climbing into the van.
“Just move your truck first man.”
“Right.”
Vlad moved as if he was going to walk back to his truck, but he quickly spun back around and hit the man with a fist. The man stumbled and then hit the van where he slowly slid down to the ground. Vlad spun but the other man reacted faster than he could. He stumbled backwards when the man threw a bunch at his middle. Ignoring the searing pain, he reached for his own gun, but a hit to his temple made him stumble again. Before the man could get another hit in, Vlad tackled him. They hit the ground with a grunt. A fist to the man’s gut made his hold loosen. Vlad threw his elbow up and hit the man on the jaw. His head snapped back and hit the asphalt. The body instantly went limb beneath his.
Muttering curses under his breath, he stumbled too his feet. Vlad gripped the door handle and pulled the back door open. Cora was lying in a heap amongst dirty blankets. He took in the roll of tape and the ropes off to the side along with the small bottle of chloroform. They came prepared so it was pre-planned.
Someone has been watching them. His eyes narrowed on the passed out girl. He was going to give her a piece of his mind once they’re home. With a loud sigh, he reached out and grabbed her ankle to drag her closer to him. His eyes dropped to the dress that had ridden up for a few seconds before darting up to her face. He could’ve gone without knowing that she was wearing red thong-like panties.
Gripping her arm, he pulled her up and bent slightly to throw her over his shoulder. Vlad wrapped an arm around the back of her thighs to keep her in place as he straightened. He took a careful step back and closed the door before stepping over the downed men. After carefully placing Cora in his truck, he walked back and hesitated by the men. He needed answers but then he also needed to get Cora home. He would drop her at home and them come back to get answers. With a firm nod he walked back to his truck and got in. One glance at Cora assured him that she was still passed out.