"Where is Luna?" Grandma Li's question in panic and upset tone was the first thing that welcomed Danish Li who just arrived at home with his perplexed face; his job stressed him out.
He was only some steps away from the door, not even having an opportunity to rest from his hectic schedule. His grandma added another pressure with her concern about Luna.
Undeniably, it was a part of his plan to teach that woman a lesson by letting her wait for him in that restaurant while he spent his time with Ana in another place. However, she should have been home this hour. Did she really choose to remain there until he came? If that was true, she was crazy. A disdainful sneer abruptly popped up on the corner of his lips.
"Danish, I am asking you where Luna is. Why are you sneering,instead? You don't do any harm to her, do you?" Her eyes squinted in suspicion which highlighted the wrinkles on her forehead and face.
"She should have arrived an hour ago."
"Why didn't you drive her home? You know she knows nothing about this city? What if she gets lost or the worst, she is abducted?" Danish almost burst into laughter listening to his grandma's speculations. His small chuckle left that old woman with wrath. "Do you think it is funny to lose her?"
"Grandma...don't overthink. She will be just fine. She is an adult woman after all."
"Now go find her!"
"But, I just...." His grandma's irritated look snapped him and cut his words. "I'll go searching for her." He gave in.
The first destination on Danish's mind was the restaurant he had booked for both Luna and him. To perfect the drama, he reserved the table on his behalf just in case his grandma would check it out.
In reality, Ana was the one who hired the driver to pick up Luna and dropped her to that restaurant. Danish put a hundred percent of his trust in his girlfriend to do his plan. Never did he think that Luna would stay and wait for him there until this hour.
Climbing out of his car and handing his car's key to the varlet parking officer to get it parked, he hurried inside the restaurant. The visitors filled all the space of the first floor in this huge building.
Danish's gaze explored each corner of the room yet Luna wasn't spotted anywhere. A couple of a young man and a woman had now even sat on the table he once booked.
Danish initiated to ask the waiters. Their answers flabbergasted him. Luna never visited that restaurant.
Various questions circulated his brain. Where did Ana take her to? What did his girl do to that poor girl? What if his grandma was right that she might be kidnapped?
It wasn't Luna he was concerned about but his grandmother's wrath toward him if bad things happened to that village girl.
Danish jumped inside his car and started the engine. The car pivoted through the main road under his control. He aimlessly drove the car sweeping the night street. In his confusion, it was only Ana that popped up in his mind.
Reaching his mobile phone inside his pants pocket, Danish contacted his girlfriend. He was curious where she brought Luna to. His eyes protruded out, disbelieving in her answer. His foot stepped on the brake all of a sudden that his forehead barely hit the steerwheel.
"What did you say? You hired someone to abduct her?"
***
Luna slowly got her consciousness back. The darkness that walled her obscured her sight. The tight knot on her wrists and ankles stiffened her body that she couldn't even wriggle. Her torso was stuck on the wooden chair. Someone had roped her arms behind the back of the seat. She couldn't even open her mouth as the duct tape glued her lips.
She tried to free herself from the rope. Her effort ended up in vain no matter how much energy she put in. It caused the red scratches on her wrist, instead. She grimaced, enduring the pain induced by the blisters on her hands.
Outside, the footsteps drew closer and closer. Luna forced her eyes close tight in fear. She surrendered to whatever perils that would come; it was only hopelessness that confined her mind now.
The last thing her brain could record was that someone in a hoodie promptly landed his blow on her shoulder when she was watching around in that desolate place. Who was that man? And why did Danish take her to that strange place? Was it a part of his plan to trick and put her into jeopardy? Why? How could he do this to her? Luna shook her head in refusal.
The footsteps outside vanished; the quietness created the horror atmosphere. The thumps on her heart gradually ceased along with the unheard steps. But, the chill coursed through her spine; she shuddered in agitation.
Who was the person out there? She didn't dare to speculate. Prayers kept escaping her lips, wishing that she was safe from whatever the danger that awaited for her.
Her head jerked up with wide-eyes when the door was slammed open harshly. A young man in his early twenty emerged at the gaped door. As if greeting her, his mischievous smirk shot Luna with an intimidation; she was on the brink of her death.
***
Being informed about Luna, Danish Li was bewildered and scared at the same time. Driving his car so fast, he could arrive at Ana's apartment in a matter of minutes, something he never did before.
"Ana…. You are not serious with what you said on the phone, are you?" He impatiently investigated Ana as soon as he stepped inside. That girl's silence confirmed that it was true. "What do you think you are doing?" Danish raked his hair in panic. His fingers scratched his scalp, hoping to find the solution to the problem. "I just asked you to leave her in that restaurant I have booked." He couldn't hide his ire.
Danish moved frantically from one side to another in Ana's apartment. This was not what he planned. All he wanted was to compel her to give up on the matchmaking voluntarily. Never did he think, it would end up like this.
"Babe, listen! This is the best way to save you from that arranged marriage. Isn't it what you want, ditching that woman from your life forever?" Ana ambled toward him ; her soft hands immediately reached his back and caressed it to sooth him. "I love you. Don't you love me too?" Her head rested on his right arm for his towering body didn't allow her head to get to his shoulder
To her surprise, Danish towed his arm off her hug. His irritated face worried her. Ana remained in her spot without a word.
"You know what the consequence of what you do?"
"Why do you feel so worried? You are not in love with her, are you ?"
"Don't get me wrong. If my grandma discovers that I am the culprit behind Luna's abduction, not only can it drag me into trouble but it can also worsen my relationship with my grandma. You know that my grandma is one of the most important people in my life." He said in high intonation. It was the first time for him to raise his voice in front of Ana. His expression was shadowed with regret in the next second. He should have been mindful of his tone. "Sorry...I don't mean…,"
"Who am I to you? Am I important to you?"
"Babe...Of course, you are." Danish grabbed Ana into his hug. That girl buried her cheek onto his chest. "However, we can't let Luna be in danger. Now please tell me where she is. I'll send my driver to pick her up." Danish persuaded her. Hearing the lower tone of his voice, she lifted her face. She looked up at him who patiently waited for her response.
"It's too late, babe. He might have raped or even finished her." Driven by his shock, Danish pushed her away from him. His stare at her contained rage.
"What do you mean?" His tensed low voice sounded ominous than the howl of the lion. "Ana, you are not killing her, are you?" Her jaw dropped; her eyes fell on the ground beneath her feet. "Ana…." His intonation got heavier, his woeful-turned eyes pleaded for her explanation.
***
That man in a hoodie cut the distance between them. The duct tape plugged the words that she tried to mouth. It was only her groan that flew from her masked mouth. Her body squirmed to release the rope. It was futile, it only gave her more pain.
"Don't waste your energy on something that won't work out." That man warned her. Luna kept striving to set herself free. "Well, I think I need to remove the tape on your lips." In no time, that young man unseal the duct tape.
"Please don't hurt me." Luna begged in her despair. That young man didn't show his sympathy at all. He sized her body from top to toe with his intimidating smile. His tongue licked her lips in tease. He looked like a beast who was ready to pounce on her in a minute. Luna quivered in dread as that eerie monster could shove her to her end.
"Please...h-help…"She yelled as strongly as she could. Her stuttering voice echoed across the room at the end.