Echoes of the Past

Chapter 10

I froze, terror seizing my throat. Then instinct kicked in, and I turned to run back up the stairs. I heard them behind me, their footsteps pounding in my ears as I raced to my room. I slammed the door shut and fumbled for my phone, but the door burst open before I could grab it.

One of them was on me in an instant, yanking me back with brutal force. I felt cold steel against my neck and a voice hissed in my ear, "Don't try to scream again, or I'll kill you!"

I swallowed hard, my breath catching in my chest. "Please," I whispered, barely able to form the words. "Please, don't hurt me."

"Shut up!" he snarled, tightening his grip on me. "Move."

I stumbled forward as he shoved me out of the room and down the stairs. The other two were already there, one packing my clothes into a bag, the other rifling through the living room.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Who are you?"

"I said walk and don't breathe a word, or else you'll never see your children again."

A wave of cold fear washed over me. "No... please, my children, no."

"Nothing will happen to them," he said, his voice low and menacing, "if you do exactly what I tell you."

I nodded, my mind spinning, desperate to think of a way out of this, but all I could focus on was the knife at my throat and the thought of my boys.

Cole's POV

I stood at the driveway's edge, staring at Ava's house. My heart was heavy with the decision I had made. Leaving was the last thing I wanted, but James had made it clear that I wasn't welcome, and after everything that had happened, I couldn't keep putting Ava in the middle.

I took a deep breath and started walking toward the house, determined to say goodbye to Ava, no matter how much it hurt. As I approached the front door, I heard a commotion coming from the side of the house. My senses immediately went on high alert. Something was wrong.

Rounding the corner, I froze in horror. Three hooded men, their faces covered, were struggling with Ava. She was fighting them with everything she had, kicking and screaming, but they were too strong. One of the men slapped her hard across the face, and she crumpled, her cries silenced as she fell unconscious.

"Ava!" I roared, my voice filled with fury.

Without a second thought, I charged at them like a lion protecting its pride. I landed a solid punch on the first man, sending him crashing to the ground. He groaned in pain, but before I could finish him off, the other two attackers turned on me.

"You're going to regret this," one of them sneered, pulling out a revolver and pointing it directly at my chest.

I didn't flinch. "Let her go," I growled, my eyes burning with rage. "Or I swear, I'll make you pay."

The man holding the gun narrowed his eyes. "Not a chance," he said coldly. Before I could react, the third man lunged at me from behind, injecting something into my neck. I gasped, my vision blurring almost immediately.

"Bastards..." I muttered, trying to stay on my feet, but the drug was too strong. My limbs grew heavy, and the world around me started to fade. I staggered, trying to fight it, trying to stay awake, but my body betrayed me. The last thing I saw before everything went black was Ava's motionless form being dragged away.

When I woke up, I was lying on the cold ground, my head throbbing. It took me a moment to remember what had happened, and when I did, panic surged through me. Ava. They had taken Ava.

I struggled to get on my feet, the effects of the drug still made me dizzy, but I forced myself to focus. I couldn't let them get away with this. I wouldn't.