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Run.

Run and don't stop. Stopping is not an option, was all she kept telling herself. If she ran fast enough she might just make it some place safe.

Maybe.

Her heart pounded inside her ribcage, her lungs burned as she breathed in the cold night air, breathing hurt but she could not stop. The buildings loomed over her, casting eery shadows across the pavement, every dark space was sinister. At any moment someone might just leap out, take her by surprise and it would all be over.

The streets were deserted, there wasn't a soul to be seen and the only sounds she heard were her own ragged breath and the pounding over her feet on pavement, the rhythm in time with her heartbeat.

She crossed street after street, secretly praying that a car would show up so could hitch a ride somewhere, anywhere. But no luck. She had lost her captors a while back, near the tall abandoned buildings of what appeared to be an industrial district, but she knew they would not stop. Perhaps they were watching her now, just waiting for her to tire herself out, which just might be soon.

“Shit.” she whispered, her run slowing down to a jog as she made her way across another street, not even sure of where she was. Her mind racing, her eyes scanning all the while.

She turned a corner and headed past a Chinese restaurant, it's lights off, just like every other business she had passed along the way. She needed a phone, but there were no phone booths on street corners like there had been when she was growing up. She thought about perhaps breaking into somewhere, alarms be damned, and using a phone there and calling the cops. But she knew the moment she did, they would be on her, and it would be over. She couldn't let that happen.

She saw parked cars, wishing she knew how to hot-wire one. She read the street signs but they meant nothing to her. This was not her town. She had never been here. That mattered not, she was free and she would keep fighting, she wasn't going back.

She still wasn't sure why she had been targeted, why they had taken her, or what they planned to do with her in the long run, her mind could come up with scenario after scenario, each more frightening that the last, but she had escaped, she kept telling herself. Now here she was on these cold, unknown street, lost scared, under-dressed and running out of time.

She needed to get to a residential area, houses would mean people, and someone would help her.

She kept forward knowing eventually she'd run into somewhere people were even though it was the middle of the night someone had to be around. She was growing tired, her pace had slowed, and as she spotted a bar that looked as if it might be still be open, a bar with what was possibly an apartment above it, she started running towards it, across a street, but her path was suddenly blocked when her foot reached the curb.

As if out of nowhere he appeared.

He was in his mid-forties, average height, his short dark beard had flecks of grey, as did his close cropped hair, and his ocean blue eyes were calm. She knew him. Too well.

Her blood ran cold and upon seeing him she tried to dash back the way she had come but it was too late. There were two thickly built men in all black blocking her way. Where had they come from? She was trapped. She cursed her bad luck.

Turning back to face the man with the beard, who was closing the distance between them, she balled her fist in anger.

“My, my. I must say you gave us a run for out money, my dear. I applaud you.” he actually did clap and not mockingly, like he was truly proud of her escape. “But now the time had come for you to return home. Come.” he beckoned, “You've played long enough.”

“No.” she shook her head, “No. I'm not... You can't...” her voice died, hot tears filled her eyes. She had to find a way out of this. This couldn't be it. “That's not my home.” she whispered.

She thought about screaming bloody murder on the off chance the someone might here, but she knew that was along shot, and might just make matters worse.

The man took a step forward, his hands casually behind his back, “You know the last thing we want to do is hurt you. But we will if we must. Understand?”

His soothing voice had become hard. The gig was up. She knew he was not letting her get away a second time.

“It's late, and I'd rather not have my boys bloody their hands this early in the morning. I'm sure you're hungry and a good nights rest would serve you well.”

He held his hand out to her, waiting her her to take it. Her shoulders slumped. “Why?” she asked. “Why are you doing this? I've done nothing.”

“Oh dear, didn't anyone ever tell you? You're special, practically royalty, we're trying to protect you, is all.” What was he talking about? Royalty? Was he mad?

“You're lying.” her voice shook as she spoke. Her throat felt dry.

“No dear. I'm not. Come, there is a car waiting for us, to take you were you belong.”

“No, I want to go home, my real home, not with you.” she shook her head, her mind trying to figure a way out of this mess. She knew if she got in the car she would not get another chance at freedom. But she knew they would just take her by force. Was it better to go willingly or face the chance of a beating? It wouldn't be the first, she had been hurt before for her defiance.

It was cold, she had no coat, the sweat she had produced from her running wasn't helping and a light drizzle was coming down now, making her shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself. She felt so small.

His hand was still out, waiting. “Come.”

Reluctantly, she gave him her hand.

“That a girl. See, no harm no foul. We can put this ugly night behind us. How does that sound?”

She said nothing as he lead her down the street and around a corner to a town car that was idling by the curb. She felt so hopeless. Tears ran down her face, but she was silent. The man had wrapped his coat around her shoulders, it was warm and smelt of his heady cologne. The two bodyguards followed, making sure she didn't try to break away. What would be the point now? There was no getting out of this.

The bearded man opened the back door of the car, gesturing for her to get in. She handed him his coat and gave him a look of contempt, but she honestly didn't have the energy to do more than that. He only smiled in response.

She got in, defeated. Her captor followed her in while the two body guards took the seats up front. As if on cue all all the doors slammed shut at once, as if to seal her fate.