The Kiss that Sparked it All (Ellinor and Theo) novel Chapter 2606

Victoria was anxious, her nerves frayed to their breaking point.

She nudged at Elton, desperate for some reassurance. "You alright?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Elton managed a wry smile. "As alright as one can be, sitting here chatting with you, which means I'm in one piece. Just got a good whack with a baseball bat—didn't even draw blood. Missed a chance, though. These thugs have got some nerve, setting up a trap for us and the police."

Balfour remained silent, deep in thought, trying to figure out how they could increase their chances of escaping. He knew they couldn't just sit around waiting for doom. He had faith his grandparents would come for him; after all, they always had his back. But he had no illusions about the kidnappers sitting quietly by. Every second they spent here, the danger amplified.

"Mr. Lewis, they didn't blindfold you, did they?"

Elton shook his head. "No, they just tied my hands and feet. Kid, you need me to look for something?"

Shifting closer to Balfour, Elton felt the weight of responsibility as the only adult in the room. He was as set on getting them out as they were. No matter how fast the police might arrive, it wouldn't beat the kidnappers making their move. Since they'd been thrown in here, his heart hadn't stopped racing.

"Yeah, Mr. Lewis, I need you to check if there's any other way out of this room."

Elton scanned the room carefully. The place was in shambles, reminiscent of an abandoned farmhouse. There was only one door, but behind them was a large window, barred with iron wires.

Elton's eyes lit up with a spark of hope. "So it's just six of them. If that's the case, there might be a chance to run for it."

Victoria gasped at the thought of facing six men. "But we're just three, and we're all a bit banged up. How are we supposed to run? Dad, maybe we should wait for rescue. If we try to escape and they catch us... I can't even imagine what they'd do to us. Can we just stay put, please?"

Elton understood Victoria's fear all too well but tried to comfort her. "Sweetheart, staying put is the real death sentence. We don't know when those thugs will decide to get rough with us! They didn't even bother to blindfold me in the van, which means they weren't scared I'd see their faces. Maybe they never intended for us to walk out of here alive. Think about it—what's scarier, the chance of getting caught and punished by them, or just sitting here waiting for the end?"

Victoria bit her lip and collapsed to the floor, her head bowed as she began to sob softly. "Why is this happening?" she whimpered.