**Ch 16: Bailed out

"Come here, sweetheart, don't be shy."

I backed up into the gray stone wall, keeping away from the four malicious guards that entered my cell. Icy chills scorched my flesh right through the thinly layered prisoner clothes. Goosebumps instantly encased my body as each tiny hair stood high like a scared cat. My breath hindered, and my eyes filled with hot tears.

One guard locked the cell door, which caused that woozy feeling in my gut to churn the wrong way. Pools of lust drooled from their pupils as evil grins curved their lips. There wasn't any way to escape them, yet that didn't mean I was about to give up. One of the guards came to me before he coiled his sausage size finger around the tip of my hair.

"Don't touch me!" I smacked his hand off my hair, pulling it in the process.

Slam! A slap stung my cheekbone as my head toppled into the wall, causing my eyes to blur. I held my sore cheek after the man hit me, yet I heard what sounded like buckles being fiddled with. Once my vision returned, I noticed two guards undoing their zippers. Mentally, I prepared myself for what I knew was coming.

"If any of you gentlemen wish to keep your manhood, I suggest you keep your pants on." A strong masculine voice stretched out into my cell.

The men stopped dead in their tracks when someone opened my cell door. My assaulters stepped away, and I saw three dashing men in ritzy fashionable black suits had entered. One had frosty snow-white blonde hair, and the other man had lighter brown hair. Then the man standing between the blonde and brown-haired men was the only one wearing black sunglasses.

His smile lifted into an eerie grin to his ears. "It's your lucky day, darling. You've been bailed out." The man with dark shades dominantly revealed. "Get her for me, Ace."

Before I could fully comprehend what he had told me. Ace, the blonde-haired man standing from Mr. Shades's right, approached, grabbing me. By my forearm, he walked me out of the cell. My voice wasn't able to speak to ask what was going on. Many guards were scowling at me as we strolled the halls. Before I knew it, we were outside. Strong casting sunlight broiled my eyeballs blind and made them blurry for a moment from being in the dark for far too long. Angry outcries blast my eardrums for my execution, from the crowds of protesters that filled the streets.

"Get the door for me, Ivan!" Ace spoke over the rioting crowd.

Ivan, with the lighter brown hair, speeds ahead of us and opens the limousine door. Ace shoved me into this exceedingly rich interior. Lastly, Mr. Shades got in and took a seat across from me, sitting between Ace and Ivan.

Tons of people swarmed in, blocking the limousine. They screamed for me to be hung or cut off my head. I choked on this non-existent rock inside my throat. One teardrop slid down my right cheek. I didn't mean to cry, but I couldn't help it. This was an emotional situation for me, over crimes, I never once committed.

Behind my head, a window slid open. "Are we ready, boss?" the driver asked.

"Drive, Rome." The man wearing the dark sunglasses confirmed it coldly, which shocked me.

People were everywhere, he can't just run them over, I thought, having a sense of heart. Yet I stood corrected when Rome, the driver, put the pedal to the floor. People tried stopping us, but that didn't stop Rome. He hits the gas and drove right through the mob. If it wasn't for them getting out of the way, he would've run them right over without question. Behind us, they ran in a riot to catch up with us until I could no longer see them from behind this mysterious man, wearing the shades.

Nervously, I gazed at the intimidating man across from me. His raven black hair was neatly styled in a spiky messy design. The sides and the back of his head were perfectly buzzed and trimmed. He has an ideal narrow straight bridge nose, and his face appears to be square-diamond shaped. Also, he had defined heavy cupid bow lips, higher cheekbones, and a perfectly chiseled jaw, but I couldn't see his eyes because of the sunglasses.

"There is no need to cry now, Victoria," I trembled when Mr. Shades addressed me by name when giving me a half-grin.

"Who are you?" I say in a faint whisper.

His grin widened when he replied, "Kai Collin."

I was confused since nobody has ever mentioned any Kai Collin. "You're from the Collin family?"

"That is correct," Kai uttered in this sexy,

yet chilling tone.

I wasn't sure how he pulled it off to sound so heartless, yet also alluring. Somehow he kept this enchanting elegance about his composure.

"Then why haven't I or likely anybody else heard of you?" I distrusted him. "Everyone knows the Collin family."

I swear I could feel his baleful eyes piercing through those shades at me. "Unlike my father, I like to keep a low profile," Kai mumbled in a frigid voice.

"Did you bail me out?" I pondered audibly.

"I did, if I hadn't you would've been put to death," Kai told me a little too casually.

I was a bit perplexed by it. "You didn't think I was guilty?"

"I know for a fact, you aren't guilty," he admitted, keeping himself nonchalant.

"You know who the murderer is?" I pried since it felt like he wasn't telling me the full truth.

"Enough questions!" his voice amped in rage. "You should be grateful I saved you! Do you know how much it cost me to bail you out!"

My body jumped as Ace and Ivan felt me quiver. Kai's voice made the hair on the back of my neck spike straight up.

"Sorry, I am grateful. Just please let me use a cell so I can call my fiance. I know he'll pay you back for my bail." I implored, sounding desperate, but I didn't care. I want to be with Orlando.

Kai cocked his head as he seemed to look at my hand. "Engaged? Yet I don't see a ring on your finger," he presumed.

"That's because I took..." I stopped explaining. "Please let me borrow a cell."

"A cell?" Kai repeated like he didn't understand me. His lips remained flatly serious without any emotion.

"She means a cell phone, Kai." Ace sat on my left and informed him as if he had never heard of a cell.

Who is this man that claims to be a Collin? He must be lying. No one's profile is that low from not knowing what a cell phone is. He has to be playing me dumb.

"Please let me go!" I raised my tone, gritty.

"I don't believe you understand the condition you found yourself in. You are forever mine, and your fiance Orlando can't buy you off me." Kai's voice grew more formidable, and this crooked smirk curled his mouth.

"So you're kidnapping me!" I spat. "How do you know I'm engaged to Orlando?"

Kai mocked in amusement. "If that is how you wish to see this as. Then yes, I am kidnapping you." Yet he refused to answer how he knew about my engagement with Orlando.

I couldn't help but stutter. "Y-you can't do this! Orlando will find me!"

Kai snickered. "I just did," he mocked. "I'd like to see his futile attempt to try taking you."

My mouth parted speechlessly. Did Kai seriously challenge whether Orlando could take me from him? Before I had a chance to ask another question. The limo tinted into a darker haze, and I saw outside the window that we had driven onto this rather large plane. Large enough to fit a long limousine.

"Bring her for me, Ace," Kai ordered.

Ace opened his door and dragged me out by my arm. Next, Kai stepped out, and following behind him was Ivan, who then shut the door. Afterward, I saw Rome had darker brown hair when he locked up.

Everyone remained quiet while Ace hauled me along the cargo load from inside the plane. He opened a door that led us inside the center body that had rowed deluxe seats and a bar table.

I get gently pushed into a seat as Ace told me. "Buckle up, we're taking off."

Without arguing, I did as I was told as I heard the plane's engine start-up. Across from me, Kai took a seat at the bar table. Ace, Rome, and Ivan took seats too, but no one buckled up. The plane hit a higher speed and then lifted into the air. As it soared, the whole plane shook and rattled before it smoothed out.

Once it did, Ace, Rome, and Ivan started to strip their jackets off, and they tossed their ties. Kai took his jacket off, but he wasn't wearing a tie.

Afterward, I noticed Ivan looking straight at me. "Would you like a shower and a meal?" he asked.

I nodded yes. I've been fed extremely little. Likely I smelled since I only wore dirty cell clothing. I was hardly offered a shower. Not to add, I was only given a bar of plain scented soap to wash with.