Abducted Rose

Chapter 8

A/N: I'm so sorry this has taken me so long to update but I think I will be able to get back on track now. Life is finally starting to sort of slow down again. Thank you all for continually being supportive! 💖

::

My ears were ringing and the world around me became blurry.

"Hey, you ok?" I could barely make out what Axel had said beside me. His voice sounded muffled as my hands started to shake in my lap. I was focused on a space on the wall across the room that seemed to be warping in front of me. My heart started pulsing in my ears as my body became weak. Suddenly my eyes flickered and I collapsed into Axel. I could feel his arms hold me tight and pull me onto his lap so I was looking up at him. The warmth of his hand pressed against my cheek.

"Focus on me, Rori. Look at me. Don't worry about anything else. Max, get me some water." I could hear shuffling but I listened to Axel's words and used all of my brain power that was left to focus on Axel's face. His dark brooding eyes bore into mine and his lips were set in a stern line with furrowed eyebrows of concern. I heard some more shuffling before Axel looked up for a moment and grabbed something from max. He placed his hand between my shoulder blades and pushed me up into a slight sitting position before placing a cool glass to my lips. I felt the slow trickle of a cold liquid slip into my mouth. I closed my eyes and concentrated on swallowing the water.

After the glass left my lips I opened my eyes and blinked a few times as my vision readjusted and I became more conscious of my surroundings. I sat up on my own slowly and put my hand up to my face, rubbing my eyes with my thumb and forefinger. As I tried to understand what just happened I looked up to see three sets of eyes focused on me. I turned my attention to Axel and tried to ignore how much focus was on me.

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure what all that was about." I mumbled and then looked down at my lap, fumbling with my fingers. I heard max clear his throat and I moved my line of sight to see that he was walking towards Kayla.

"I think we are just going to get some sleep now. Come on, Kay." He held his hand out to her and she finally removed her eyes from me. She took his outstretched hand and stood up, walking out of the room without another word.

"How do you feel?" Axel's voice brought my attention to him and I realized his eyebrows were still etched with concern as his eyes bore into mine. I moved my shoulders uncomfortably and avoided his gaze.

"I'm alright."

"You should get some sleep, it's been a long day."

"I had a nap in the car, though." I objected and looked up at him defiantly. A small smirk appeared on his lips as he bowed his head a bit he shook his head slightly.

"Can never just agree with me, can you?" He asked with a slight chuckle.

"Nope." I smiled a bit and shoved his shoulder lightly. He held out the glass of water to me.

"At least drink this then." I nodded and took the glass from his hands. I sipped on the water and noticed that the tv was still playing. I watched the flickering light for a while, trying to forget about what had just happened.

"Do you think it was really my dad?" I asked suddenly. I hadn't even processed what I had said before it came out. A little startled by my own voice, I looked over at Axel to see his reaction. His eyes were set on the television. However, his lips were set into a slight frown and his eyebrows furrowed, as if thinking deeply about my question. I waited patiently for his answer, preparing myself for the worst, at this point.

"If it were, I can't understand why he would do it. He wants you safe, of course, so why hire me? However, the man on the phone did say that he didn't want you harmed in the slightest." He paused for a moment and then turned to lock eyes with me. "The thing is, if he did hire me, then why? And who were those people that were trying to kill you?" He was looking into my eyes as if they held the answers to his questions and I couldn't help but suddenly feel uncomfortable under his gaze. I turned my attention to the glass of water in my hands and took another sip. After I had lowered the glass down onto the coffee table, I took a deep breath.