So This Is How They Met (Novella 2.5)

Chapter 1 - Bianca

They drag me by the hair up the stairs. I hesitate but I'm no match for these two bulky men beside me. I struggle as I try to pull myself back but I feel like a twig between them.

"Let go of me!" I scream.

The guy to my right smiles and I almost feel like puking when he shows me his yellow teeth.

I push and for one second, I feel like I'm free but then someone hooks their arm around my waist and lifts me up. I kick to try and get them to let go but we're by the door.

He swings it open and practically throws me in and slams the door shut. I hold my rib as I wince from the pain. That's going to bruise.

The noise of chains draws my attention. There's a guy chained to the wall who tries to look up when he notices me in the room. He has a purple eye and his clothes are ripped in all angles but it's not that that disturbs me, it's the blood all over his clothes. This is probably what will happen to me.

There's dry blood across the side of his face and it doesn't take long to realise that it's from the injury to his head.

The chains bang against each other as he rattles them to pull himself up. I watch him carefully, almost like I know him or seen him before.

My eyes drift to his lips as he mouths "help me."

I look around the room. There's absolutely nothing except a table and chair and obviously him chained to the wall on the left side of the room as I stand across from him at the right side.

I push myself up and walk over to him. "Are you okay?"

He squints as if to get better view of me and that's when I notice the blood dripping over his eye making it hard to see.

I grab the corner of my shirt and wipe at his eyes as I try to put two and two together. I've seen him before but where.

"Thank you," he says softly.

I nod and turn back to go to the other side of the room but I stop. "What's your name?"

"Max," he says.

I shake my head as if I heard it wrong. No wonder he looks familiar. This guy looks like Sam's younger brother. Though I'm pretty sure Sam's younger brother already died.

"Yours?" He asks.

"Bianca," I reply.

I watch him. The way his lips move, the way he looks at me. His eyes. His mouth. His nose. He looks identical to Sam's brother. With all the blood, cuts and bruise it's hard to tell but he definitely looks like Sam's brother.

"Do you know Sam Anderson?" I ask.

His face immediately clicks up. The energy that he didn't have before suddenly makes an appearance across his face. "Of course, how do you know Sam?"

My mouth feels dry. Is this a game? Are they all playing with me? Because I'm pretty sure Max already died. In fact Max was bad and turned on his family.

"Violet is my friend," is all I say.

He watches me. "Violet Jones?" He asks. "The one that's dating my brother."

He said 'brother.' I almost pause but I know there's something that we don't know so I nod.

I'm wondering why I'm grabbed and kidnapped in the first place. If this is Sam's brother and I'm here with Sam's brother then that must mean that all this relates to Sam some way and possibly even Violet.

"They're married, by the way."

Max's head shoots up. "Married?"

I nod. "And you're supposed to be dead."

He lifts his eyebrow, exactly the way Sam does it. They must be related even if I don't know whether he is the real Max or not.

"Dead?"

"Violet," I whisper. "She shot you when you tried to kill her."

He tries to shake his head but I can tell he's in pain.

"I've never tried to kill her."

"A year and a half ago," I say.

"I've been kidnapped for two years."

My mouth feels dry when he says that. I scan his clothes and body again. He looks like someone whose been stuck here for two years.