Chapter 108
Sofia’s already pale face immediately changed when she saw Miss Amores walk inside. However, she chose not to say a word as she did not want Lawrence to suddenly use the gun in his hand.
“Miss?” Miss Amores said. Her initial relief at seeing Sofia standing in the doorway evaporated the moment her gaze landed on Lawrence. Her eyes widened in shock, taking in the gun glinting menacingly in his hand.
“Throw your phone and bag on the floor and close the door…” Lawrence smiled. “Slowly…”
Sofia remained silent, her jaw clenched, her eyes pleading with Miss Amores to understand without words. The unspoken message was clear: don’t make a scene, don’t provoke him.
As if understanding what she wanted to say, Miss Amores clenched her jaw and slowly threw her phone and bag towards the floor.
“Slowly move towards the bedroom… both of you,” Lawrence said. “Do not do anything funny… I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot…”
Sofia nodded at Miss Amores and the two made their way towards the master bedroom where Lawrence instructed Miss Amores to put on a handcuff that he had and handcuffed herself into the bathroom. Again, Sofia only nodded. She did not want to rile up Lawrence and cause an accident.
Sadly, Miss Amores did something unexpected.
Miss Amores’s act of defiance was a blur of movement. One moment she was about to accept the handcuff, the next she was a whirlwind of limbs. With a strangled cry, she lunged for Lawrence, aiming for the gun clutched in his hand.
Caught off guard by the sudden movement, Sofia barely had time to register what was happening before the world seemed to tilt on its axis. She stumbled back, a gasp escaping her lips.
Surprised by the unexpected attack, Lawrence reacted with a snarl and a flailing arm. The gun went off with a deafening bang, the bullet embedding itself somewhere in the wall with a spray of plaster dust.
Sofia screamed, a primal fear tearing through her. This wasn’t a standoff anymore. This was a fight for survival.
175
Chapter 108
In the split second of stunned silence that followed, Lawrence roared with fury. He shoved Miss Amores back, sending her sprawling onto the hardwood floor. Before she could scramble away, he was on top of her, the gun pointed at her head with sickening finality.
“You stupid woman!” he bellowed, his voice tight with rage. “You ruined everything!”
Sofia’s scream ripped through the tense silence, a raw plea that echoed off the walls of the room. “Don’t!” Her voice trembled, laced with desperation that clawed at her throat.
“I will do everything!” Sofia choked out, eyes darting between Lawrence’s cold fury and Miss Amores’s terrified gaze. “Please don’t shoot… please… I will do everything that you
want!”
A flicker of surprise crossed Lawrence’s face, then morphed into a twisted smile. He glanced down at Miss Amores, who flinched beneath him, her eyes wide with a mixture of defiance and fear. “Anything?” he sneered, the gun unwavering in its deadly aim.
Sofia’s heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drum against the chilling silence. “Yes! Anything!” she cried, the words tumbling out in a desperate torrent. “Just put the gun down. Please.”
BO BAD HERE KJ Z Z
Lawrence considered her for a long, agonizing moment. Finally, with a slow, deliberate movement, he lowered the gun from Miss Amores’s head, but not by much. He kept it pointed at her chest.
“Then handcuff her,” he rasped, his voice cold and emotionless.
Relief flooded Sofia, so intense it almost made her dizzy. She reached for the handcuffs Lawrence tossed at her feet, her hands shaking so violently she fumbled for a moment. Miss Amores, understanding the unspoken command, offered her wrists, her face pale but resolute.
Sofia knelt beside her, the metal of the handcuffs icy against her skin. Each click of the lock echoed in the room like a death knell.
*BANG*
A fresh wave of nausea washed over Sofia as the metallic tang of blood suddenly filled the air.
She froze, her gaze snapping up to meet Lawrence’s. Her blood ran cold. A single red bloom stained the sleeve of Miss Amores’s blouse, spreading outwards with horrifying slowness.
Chapter 108
Seeing Sofia’s reaction, a cruel amusement danced in Lawrence’s eyes as he held the smoking gun inches from Miss Amores’s arm.
“Y-You-
“Flesh wound…” Lawrence shrugged. “Did you truly expect me to reward defiance?” he
2
asked, a twisted smile on his face. “Now… drag her towards the bathroom, leave the door open. One mistake and I will shoot.”
“She’s bleeding…” Sofia said. “She needs medical attention. I-”
“Defiance… will not be rewarded, Sofia. Unless you want the next bullet in her head…”
“Alright,” Sofia bit her lower lip. Bile rose in Sofia’s throat as she grabbed Miss Amores’s limp arm. Tears welled in Sofia’s eyes, blurring her vision. She couldn’t let them fall.
Not now.
With a strength born of desperation, Sofia hoisted Miss Amores to her feet. A choked moan escaped the secretary’s lips as her legs buckled beneath her weight. The metallic tang of blood intensified, a sickening counterpoint to the frantic hammering of Sofia’s heart.
Each step towards the bathroom felt like an eternity. Miss Amores’s weight dragged on Sofia, and the raw, exposed wound on her arm left a trail of crimson on the pristine white carpet. Sofia gritted her teeth, forcing herself to move, ignoring the tremor in her legs and the strangled gasps escaping Miss Amores’s lips.
Reaching the bathroom doorway, Sofia paused, her gaze darting nervously towards Lawrence. He hadn’t moved, the gun still a constant threat pointed at Miss Amores’s back. With a silent plea, Sofia met his gaze. The amusement had vanished, replaced by a cold, predatory glint.
“Just the bathroom,” he rasped, his voice devoid of any emotion.
Sofia swallowed the lump in her throat. There was no arguing. No defying him further. Not with Miss Amores bleeding out in front of her. With a herculean effort, she
managed to maneuver Miss Amores into the bathroom.
“Slowly come out of the room… place both of your hands on your head…” Lawrence said. Sofia gritted her teeth as she followed his instructions.
“She will bleed to death if we do not give her any medical attention,” Sofia said.
“Isn’t it entertaining how you thought I would care about such trivial matters?” he responded without batting an eyelid. Hearing this, Sofia’s gaze shook. She could only
Chapter 108
hope that Miss Amores would find a way to stop the bleeding.
There should be a first-aid kit in the bathroom and some medicine for the pain.
“Now… go out of the room. We are leaving.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear me?” he asked. “We are leaving.”
Her mind reeled with a horrifying question – where were they going? Escape? Another hostage situation somewhere else? The possibilities were as endless as they were terrifying.
Sofia complied. She stumbled out of the bedroom with Lawrence in tow.
“Open the door. Slowly,” Lawrence ordered.
Sofia’s hand trembled as she reached for the knob. Every muscle in her body screamed at her to run, to do something, anything to defy him. She could only hope that the person who informed Miss Amores about Lawrence and asked her to return would somehow find it strange that Miss Amores did not call them back and check the flat themselves.
That would be the only way.
Sofia’s heart raced against her chest as she took a step out of the flat. However, the world seemed to suddenly lurch sideways as a figure slammed into Lawrence, sending them both crashing into a heap on the living room floor. Sofia’s scream died in her throat, replaced by a gasp of stunned surprise. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drum solo threatening to burst out of her chest.
Through the haze of shock, she recognized the figure as Alexander, her husband. Relief washed over her, so sudden and intense it left her legs shaky. But relief quickly morphed into fear again. Alexander was unarmed, completely outmatched against a man with a gun.
“Alexander!” she shrieked, her voice cracking with a mixture of terror and panic.
Lawrence snarled a feral sound that sent shivers down Sofia’s spine. He wrestled with Alexander, his face contorted in rage. The gun clattered to the floor a few feet away, forgotten in the struggle. For a few seconds, the two started what looked like a fist fight with Lawrence being pinned down on the floor.
However, this was not the time for Sofia to blank out.
Chapter 108
Sofia didn’t hesitate. She lunged for the weapon, scrambling across the carpet on hands and knees. Reaching it, she snatched it up, her grip slick with sweat. Her finger hovered over the trigger, her gaze fixed on the two tangled figures on the floor.
“Get off him!” she screamed, her voice surprisingly steady considering the tremor running through her hands. “Get off him now!”
Lawrence, momentarily distracted by Sofia’s shout, managed to shove Alexander away. He scrambled to his feet, a murderous glint in his eyes. But before he could react further, Sofia had pointed the gun directly at him.
“Don’t move,” she commanded, her voice surprisingly firm. “One step and you’re dead.”
This wasn’t Sofia. This was a stranger, fueled by a primal urge to protect her loved ones. Lawrence stared at her, his expression a mix of surprise and disbelief. Then, a slow, humorless smile spread across his face.
“You wouldn’t shoot,” he scoffed, his voice laced with a dangerous edge. “You wouldn’t have the guts.”
Sofia gritted her teeth, her finger tightening on the trigger. The metal was cold against her skin.
“Don’t test me,” she growled, her voice low and dangerous.
“Test you?” Lawrence scoffed. “Your mother raised you to-
*BANG*
Lawrence was not able to finish his words as Sofia suddenly pulled the trigger.
