An Echoing Race.

Chapter Forty-Four

#Chapter Forty Four#

"Drop the gun."

My eyes slowly strayed from the shiny black piece of metal that could end my life in one swift pull, to Ahmad, who had materialised out of thin air. His eyes locked upon mine for one second and I instantly sensed his message.

Don't move.

Which was extremely hard not to do when a weapon was pointed less than ten centimetres from my face. My heart was thrashing manically inside of me. I could hear the distinct thump thump sound through my ears. The blood was rushing through my veins at an unnatural pace, causing my face to heat up and hands turn clammy.

At the same time, I felt a surge of adrenaline course through my body as my mind went into flight or fight mode.

A deep throated chuckle penetrated the air and I snapped my head back to the man with the gun.

"Do you seriously think you stand a chance?" he asked in the most casual tone, turning half his body in the direction of Ahmad, his gun never steering clear of me. "This place is crawling with men. My men."

"I said," Ahmad grit out, "drop the gun."

He pouted his lips and sent Ahmad a calculating look. And then, to the surprise of us both, grinned and began to lower his gun to the floor. "OK." Ahmad narrowed his eyes suspiciously and tracked his movements carefully. He placed the gun flat on the floor and then stood to his full height again. "Now what?"

"Kick it to me," Ahmad ordered.

He kicked it. "And then?"

"Sam-,"

"No I know! Now this!" he said with a tone that was much too happy and proud as he pulled something out of his suit jacket.

"NO!"

The word had barely even left my lips before Ahmad was on the ground with blood pouring out of his side.

No, no, no, no, no, I chanted in my head as my legs finally decided to function again. I ran towards his body to check for a pulse but I was harshly pulled away by the edge of my hijab.

"Oh, no you don't. You're coming with me."

And just like that I was trapped.

One arm snaked around my waist and held me back firmly to his chest whilst the other held the gun, this time, pointed at my neck. I could feel his hot breath fanning my cheek and I had the strongest urge to barf out everything I had just eaten. As he began to pull me away, my eyes fell upon Ahmad's unmoving body and I began to thrash in his arms.

"STOP. LET GO OF ME!"

"You better shut it or another one of your men dies at my word. This time maybe someone a little closer to heart. Salem perhaps?"

That made me stop. "What did you do to him," I croaked out as my eyes blurred with new tears and my throat filled with bile. "Where is he?!"

"For now he's unconscious in a little room that could barely fit his body. Suffocation is a horrible way to die don't you think?" He chuckled again, as if he was telling a kid a funny bedtime story. "Or even if he did survive, the pain of having a mangled body part would surely send him to his death. How sad."

"You asshole!" I screeched, my mind and body going into overdrive as I began to thrash in his arms again. "Let go of me!"

"I should of just done this before," he sighed.

And with that he used his free hand to deliver a blow so strong to my abdomen, that I physically fell back against his body for support. I bit my lip from crying out in pain and closed my eyes so the unshed tears could slip away.