Corporate Prince

Chapter 25: Pain

It hurt to breathe. Ana was pretty sure Ren broke one of her ribs. Half her face was so swollen one of her nostrils had closed up. Worse yet, she had to pee, and she was thirsty. How many hours have I been here? She could see the light through the top of the warehouse windows. Ren's foot was tapping insistently as they waited, and he kept glaring at the phone in his hand. Her shoulder was aching from laying on the icy floor, but she was too sore from the beating to move. When will this be over?

The guard who tried to touch her before seemed to grow impatient. He kept glancing at her. "You know, we could still have some fun with her without going all the way."

Ana froze as he licked his lips and inched toward her. She shot a glance at Ren, but he said nothing to dissuade him. NO! The guy reached down, sliding his fingers along her arm first and then slowly up her bare leg. Goosebumps crawled over her skin and she tried to inch away, but a pain shot through her chest. He stopped right at her skirt, licking his lips. She glared at him before she peed herself. It was something she'd wanted to avoid, but there was a reason she hadn't asked to go to the restroom this entire time.

"What, oh gross!" The guy smacked her in the face, right on top of the swelling. She tensed up and tried not to scream. "You little—"

Boom! The entire warehouse shook. Something crashed in through the windows. She saw a green canister bounce off the floor for a split second until it released smoke. The smoke quickly filled the warehouse. Ana recognized a chance when she saw one and kicked the distracted guard in the jaw with her feet. He cursed at her as she rolled away. Thankfully, the smoke filled the warehouse and the guard nor Ren could see to follow her. Her entire body ached, but she kept rolling until she hit the farthest wall of the warehouse. She could hear screaming and shouting. Blam! Blam! Ana tensed when she heard the shots, but quickly ignored them to focus on escaping. It was getting harder to breathe and her eyes were stinging from the smoke. I need to find and exit. She sat up despite the pain and attempted to stand, but it hurt too much and she slid back to the ground on her butt. There was more shouting, but she didn't hear anymore gun shots. I need to get out of here before the smoke clears. She froze when she heard footsteps. Someone was coming toward her. She held her breath and waited.

A hand came out of the smoke and reached toward her. She tried to smack it away, but couldn't do much damage with her hands tied.

"Chi-san."

She froze when she recognized Seto's voice. When she spoke, her voice came out raspy, "A-Amin-chan?"

Seto bent down so he was close enough to see and took off the gas mask he'd been wearing. The look on his face when he saw her made her shiver. It was murderous. He closed his eyes and seemed to reign his bloodlust in. Pulling out a knife, he carefully cut the ropes that bound her hands. He was about to reach for the ones on her feet when she realized the ropes were covered in her pee.

"N-No, wait, I can do it." She panicked. She probably smelled like pee too.

Seto paused before saying, "Shut up and let me rescue you."

Before she could stop him, he grabbed the ropes on her legs and cut them off. The smoke was slowly dissipating.

"W-we need to get out of here." Ana tried to stand, but Seto stopped her.

"It's fine. All the guards and your former fiancé have been taken care of... Though maybe they deserve a little more...." Seto was eyeing her face and the bruises on her arms and legs. "What else did they do?"

Ana saw the look on his face and realized if they had gone further that Seto might have killed them. "N-nothing. I told them if they violated me, they'd get half the ransom. So, they didn't do anything like that."

"Did they try anything else?" He growled.

"The-they were going to, but I..." Ana could feel her panties and skirt were soaked. "What are you doing here?"

Seto reached for her. It seemed like he intended to pick her up. She smacked his hands away, her heart racing. His brow furrowed as he looked at her hurt.

"D-Don't, I'm dirty," she looked at the ground feeling embarrassed.

He sighed and took off his coat, which he used to cover her with. Before she could stop him, he picked her up and princess carried her in his arms. "Put me down! You're going to..."

She started crying from a mix of the pain, relief and embarrassment. Seto sighed. He whispered gently in her ear, "Ana, you could have shit yourself for all I care. You're safe now. So just relax and let me finish saving you."

The tension drained out of her. It was such an Amin-chan thing to say, but she was relieved none the less. Seto carried her back through the warehouse. The smoke had mostly dissipated. The burly guards had been tied up and some men in black military uniforms guarded them. Ren was with them, but his entire face was bleeding and his arm was bent into a position it shouldn't have been.

"Wait." Ana said, and Seto paused. She turned to Ren, who flinched at her look. "I hope you're ready for what comes after this. If you really know anything about my family, then you won't be surprised when your life becomes a living hell."

The remaining color drained from Ren's face and Seto smirked as they exited the warehouse. "You know if you want him shot, that can be done right now."

"If you think I'm going to let him off that easy then you think too highly of me." Ana growled. Her tears were mostly under control now. Seto grinned at her and her heart skipped a beat. "Why are you here? How did you even know?"

"Your brother was calling everyone in your contacts, I'm surprised I'm still in them, that's how I found out." Seto walked her over to an ambulance that was ready and waiting for her. He gently laid her down on the gurney and sat down with her. The Female EMT checked her over and gave her something for the pain. The EMT had Seto close his eyes while she wiped down her legs. When she finished, Ana turned back to Seto who was staring at her intensely.

"So that's how you found out, but why are you here? Did you coordinate a rescue with my family? What's in it for you?" Ana wanted to know what she was in for. Seto seemed a little at a loss for words.

He recovered quickly. "I didn't coordinate with your family. We'll need to call them once we get to the hospital."

He didn't answer her other question, so she restated it, "Why did you rescue me? What's in it for you."

The EMT seemed to hold back a laugh as Seto looked like he wasn't sure how to answer her question.

"I can't just do something nice?" He asked.

Ana laughed and flinched at the pain in her chest. "We both know you can't. So, what is it you want?"

He sighed and looked thoughtful. "I need your help whenever you get better. Just for about a day. It's nothing hard, but it's important."

Ana sighed. "Is there a reason you can't just tell me what you want?"

"There is."

"Fine." She was too tired and in too much pain to push the issue. The rest of the ride was mostly quiet. She finally spoke up, "Amin-chan."

"Hm?"

"Thank you for saving me."

"... You're welcome."