The Devil's Sweetheart

The clock ticked in the rythm, singing a lullaby to her sleep. A sense of relaxation filled as the aroma of the scented candles infused into her nostrils. Far more deeply, it felt unfamiliar. Unconsciously, her hands went to grip the bedspread. The silk fabric, soft to touch yet far to her liking, induced her heart to thump in anxiety. A realization dawned upon her that she was not resting in her bedroom.

Leena jerked from her sleep with a start. Like a scared bunny caught in the headlights, she moved her head in the room in all directions. The room looked cozy and decorated in all blues, her favorite color, but she didnot feel a single ounce of attraction to it. \'\'Where am I?\'\' Glimpses of the events that happened a few hours ago followed.

A few hours before....

Fear fluttered in her stomach in the dark living hall. She grabbed Nick\'s hand in trepidation. She shouldn\'t take the stress, not at this time. Her every action may harm her baby. Taking a couple of breaths, she calmed her erratic heart.

\'\'Why did lights go suddenly? Is something happening?\'\' Aunt Jalapeno came out of the kitchen. \'\'I heard the alarm?\'\'

Carrot barked at the door one last time before dashing to Leena\'s side. \'\'Nick,\'\' Leena called him. \'\'Don\'t open the door until we are sure of the safety.\'\' She tapped the flashlight icon on her mobile and flashed around the room.

With nothing danger so far, she dialed Devin\'s number without looking at the empty signals bars. The automatic voice-over dreaded her bones in fear. \'\'No..This can\'t be. It must be signal jammers! Someone is attacking pre-planned.\'\'

Nick pulled the curtains and tapped the flashlight button on his mobile. He found three guards on the ground lifeless. Coldness hit his core. How did this happen? All the bodyguards are trained who can take down at least a dozen men unless....something happened to them before they got the chance to fight. From a distance, Nick heard the sound of faint footsteps marching. Without a second wait, he galloped into his room and returned with a gun, and the bullets in his hands.

\'\'Get back to your room, and lock the doors, Leena.\'\' He ordered, loading the bullets into the gun. \'\'Don\'t come out until my orders.\'\'

\'\'No, Nick.\'\' Leena grabbed his hand. \'\'You are alone. We don\'t know what happened to the guards. Please don\'t go_\'\'

\'\'Trust me. I can handle this.\'\' He put on the flashlight on Aunt Jalapeno\'s eyes. \'\'Take her.\'\' He strictly ordered before slipping in the direction of the footsteps.

\'\'Nick!\'\'

\'\'Come, dear.\'\' Aunt Jalapeno grabbed Leena\'s hands, hiding her nervousness. \'\'Carrot, you too, follow me.\'\'

With each step Leena took, her heartbeat rapidly increased. Halfway to the room, Leena jerked when she heard the gunshot sound. \'\'Please, don\'t be Nick.\'\' She prayed desperately. A body came gliding down the stairs and went to a halt rolling back and forth a couple of times. In a split second, the lights turned on.

\'\'Nick!\'\' Aunt Jalapeno screamed in horror, trudging towards him. His abdomen ripped apart. Blood oozed out of his stomach, covering him in red. His consciousness was losing faster than he expected. Nick looked at Leena\'s teary eyes and then to her hands. She was pressing his abdomen to stop the blood flow with the utmost difficulty.

\'\'Leena..nose...cover...chemical...\'\'

He wanted to tell her the men were carrying a powerful spray to make the senses go numb. But before he completed his words, he lost consciousness. In the nick of time, men in black leather jackets with mouths covered descended the stairs and sprayed the house. \'\'Our target is you. If you come with us, there will be no more bloodshed.\'\'

Carrot barked in anger and sprinted towards one of the men in anger. \'\'Don\'t go, Carrot,\'\' Leena screamed to stop the pup, but a man had already kicked her stomach. The pup let out a plaintive whimper in pain. He lifted the pup and tossed her body on the floor. \'\'Quite a challenging dog you are!\'\'

Tears uncontrollably flooded down Leena\'s eyes, but she couldn\'t help. Aunt Jalapeno had already lost consciousness. Her vision was slowly beginning to fail as well. It must be the spray she inhaled, Leena assumed. Her senses numbed. 

\'\'Check for any trackers."

Using the tracking device, one of the men scanned, and found one in the ear ring, and the bracelet. Devin recently gifted earrings, and insisted her she wear them everyday. She did not know he had put a tracker until today.

"Remove it. Handle her gently. She is very important to boss.\'\' Were the last words Leena heard before her vision blacked out.

....

When the truth sank in, fear clawed up her throat. Why was this happening when my life was going perfectly normal? How do I go back to Devin? Nick and carrot are badly injured. Are they fine? She had an inkling that it was that faker\'s doing.

Looking around, Leena opened the cupboard, balcony door, but there was nothing useful she found to escape. While doing so, she heard the footsteps from outside. Spontaneously, Leena went back to her bed and closed her eyes.

\'\'How long has she been sleeping?\'\' She heard a woman\'s voice.

\'\'Since eight hours.\'\' Leena heard another woman\'s voice. \'\'Will she be alright? Enger sir is deeply worried about her.\'\'

Enger! Is that you bastard? Leena muttered inside her. How low can you stoop? She had an inkling that it was him, but the reality was hard to digest.

\'\'Let me check her pulse.\'\' A hand grabbed her wrist, and she felt the chest piece of the stethoscope on her heart.

\'\'How is she?\'\'

\'\'She will wake up in an hour. But I need to tell something important to Enger.\'\' A couple of minutes later, Leena heard the footsteps trailing off. When the door closed shut, she opened her eyes. 

How do I escape out of this place without letting this bastard know? If Devin had tracked her, she would be in the home by now. Which part of the secret place is this? Unconsciously, her hands went to clutch her stomach protectively. Did the doctor find out? Please, don\'t let anything happen to my baby. She can\'t sit here hoping for Devin to come and rescue her.