Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well.

Here is a new chapter!

Enjoy!

*************

The pain was unbearable, and Anna struggled to steady her ragged breaths. She looked around the room, observed the yellowing walls and even inhaled the stench odour. Maybe, it would be the last time she can see the world and feel it. She did all she could at the moment to avoid looking at the blood oozing from her thigh rapidly.

At this rate, she will die before anyone comes to her rescue. The bastard stabbed her in a sensitive place and knew very well she won't last long. Anna wiggled her arms and stiffened. She cursed under her breath as she realised that the ropes Lucca used were made with the same material Jackson used on them in the training camp last summer.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember how Jackson instructed them to unknot it. Anna struggled to let her fingers touch the ropes. The way Lucas used them was tighter than Jackson. Her frantic movements resulted in the chair falling with a loud thud on the floor.

Anna's eyes enlarged in fear and anticipation. For a moment, she stopped breathing waiting for one of Lucca's men's entrance to see what the commotion was about. One minute passed without anyone bragging in which made Anna relax for the moment. The new position Anna found herself in wasn't very helpful and made the pain in her thigh intensify. Anna bit the inside of her cheek harder and willed her focus to be on the ropes only.

Thirty seconds later, Anna freed her hands and rubbed her wrists to alleviate the soreness in them. She moved to her ankles and freed them as well. She hoped Lucca wasn't as heartless as he let them believe because he would surely kill her this time if he found her free from his binds.

Anna knelt on her knees and tried to calm her speeding heart. By the way, the organ was beating, Anna feared it would burst in the confines of her ribcage. Anna sat on the wooden chair with trembling hands.

She wasn't a doctor or a lover of science but her injury didn't look well at all. She knew she had to put pressure on it, but she didn't have any clean clothes. Even the clothes she was wearing were dirty and would likely infect her.

Anna put her hand on the gash that was throbbing with pain and squeezed tightly. It won't change much, but at least, it would slow the quick flow of her blood. She stood up from her chair and looked around for any escapes, but nothing was available. The room was windowless apart from a small window at the top of the tall wall. The gap wouldn't even be enough for a small child to squeeze through. Anna sighed and wished for this nightmare to end.

Anna's breath caught in her throat as she heard the rattling of keys. She swallowed hard and sat on the chair with her hands behind her back trying to appear as normal as possible.

Lucca was the first to enter the room with two of his men behind him. One of them was dragging a bloodied Alex with him. Anna gasped as the burly man threw him at her feet. Lucca signaled for his men to leave them alone. He gave Anna a sick smile and shook his head.

"Tsk, tsk...I didn't know you are this stupid Alex. I was the one who helped you take revenge against the killers of your family. And how do you repay me? You went behind my back and snitched to them. You made the mistake of your life little boy." Lucca said and fetched his gun from his back, without even a blink, he shot Alex in the left shoulder.

Anna closed her eyes and willed the same could be possible for her ears so she could block the piercing scream Alex let out. She opened her eyes once again when she felt cold fingers touching her chin only to come face to face with Lucca's cold eyes.

"I know the Salviatti clan is coming for you, but you know what? It depends on when they will arrive. Will you and your dear friend here fight for your lives? Or will the world lose two stupid good citizens?" Lucca threw his head back and laughed maniacally.

"You know, it is really getting interesting, and I would love the show to continue, so I have a little fun." With those sick words, Lucca left the room and instructed his guards to close the door and don't allow intruders to enter even if the cost was their lives.

Anna waited until she heard the retreating footsteps of Lucca before she rushed to Alex's side. She crouched next to him and brushed away some of his blonde hair.

His face was swollen and he could barely open his eyes. He gave Anna a smile that resembled a pained grimace.

"I am so sorry Anna. I never meant for you to a part of my personal problems. I hope you will get out of here safely." Alex said faintly, the pain in his body was too much.

"Don't say this Alex. We will go out of this hellhole together. Did you forget that we will graduate side by side?" Anna said with panic visible in her voice. Alex looked like he was too weak, and Anna knew that if she let him go to sleep, he might never wake up again. She forgot her own pain from the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Hunter will come for you. You will survive this Anna. Your stubborn boyfriend won't allow you to die." Alex said with conviction in his weak voice.

"No, no, stop talking like this Alex. I won't allow you to do this to me." Anna pleaded with him while trying to keep her hot tears from falling.

"Anna, don't worry about me. Revenge for my family was my intention from the beginning, but unfortunately, I didn't gain anything from it. But I will make it up to you." Alex said and with a grunt sat on his knees. He took another deep breath and stood to his feet.

Anna looked horrified at the scene in front of her. What was the idiot going to do? She watched as he walked to the door and with the energy he still possessed started banging on the door. At first, the guards ignored him, but when he didn't stop and kept his assault against the metal door, one of the men opened it only to be surprised by the punch Alex directed to his face.

The muscular man dropped on the ground with a thud that caught his comrades' attention. Alex was outnumbered by them. He was an injured man against four burly healthy men. He put up a good fight, but it was obvious he was on the losing side. Anna winced at every punch Alex received. She couldn't believe her friend did something so stupid like this.

Finally, she allowed the stinging tears in her eyes to flow freely down her cheeks as one of the guards shot Alex in his side and threw him inside the cell once again and closed the door.

The huge men didn't even notice Anna sitting in the corner of the room. They were blinded by anger. She was losing a friend and the worst part? She can't change a damn thing about it.

Anna hurried to Alex's side and brought his head into her lap. She ran her hands through his hair and tried to keep him from closing his eyes. But this time Anna was unsuccessful as Alex's eyes closed. Anna sobbed hard as she saw her friend losing consciousness.

Where are you, Hunter? I don't know if I will continue resisting this torture until you come for me. Those thoughts dominated Anna's mind as she tried to wake Alex up. She wished he opened his blue eyes again. Why was life so unfair?

Anna scoffed at the thought. Of course, life was unfair to her. She never got what she wanted, and apparently, that won't change in the foreseeable future. Anna looked at the puddle of blood-forming beneath her indicating the amount of blood loss she was suffering from. With a sigh, she leaned against the wall that was near them and kept running her hands through Alex's blonde locks.

*************

"Can you speed a little? By the speed you are going, we won't arrive until the next decade." Hunter snapped from the passenger seat next to his brother who was driving. Ethan just rolled his eyes and chose to ignore his irritated brother.

"If I go any faster, we will be the ones in need of saving. Besides, father is after us, and he won't hesitate to have our heads if we broke his speeding rules." Ethan said emphasizing the word 'rules' with air quotes.

Hunter leaned back on the car's seat and closed his eyes. He didn't understand how life took a bad turn so suddenly. He was happy with Anna and everything seemed to be fine. The ringing of Ethan's phone brought him out of his reverie. Seconds later, Lillian's voice blared through the speakers of the car.

"Hello, cousin, I and the boys had arrived safely half an hour ago. I am at the airport with Jackson. We are still trying to contact the pilot, but nothing positive yet. I thought I will let you know since Jacob is reporting back to Damien. How is it going with you guys?"

"We are on the way to the location Alex told us," Ethan answered her while taking a sharp turn. "How about Nina, is she with you?" Lillian hesitated to answer his question but then sighed and spoke with defeat.

"you know her Ethan, she was supposed to come with us, but in the morning, it was like she vanished in thin air leaving behind her a plain note saying she would be there when it is the most important."

Ethan punched the wheel in anger and growled. "I can't believe her. She will drive me crazy before my time."

"I am sorry cousin; you know I can't stop her antics. She is so stubborn." Lillian spoke apologetically.

"It is okay Lillian. This is not the time for such topics. I will deal with her later. For now, we need to focus on the chaos we are facing." With those words, Ethan stepped on the gas and the car lurched forward.

"I see you are not caring so much about father's rules now, are you?" Hunter spoke sarcastically.

"I am not in the mood for your jibs," Ethan said angrily, Hunter smiled and raised his hands in surrender.

"Do you love her?" Hunter asked without beating around the bush.

"To be honest, I don't know. Nina is a complicated person. She drives me crazy most of the time with her tendencies of finding trouble and getting herself in unnecessary danger. But she is also so beautiful and determined to win every battle in her way, and she has a great personality."

"Just follow your heart man," Hunter said and looked out the window. It was time he goes and brings back his own girl.

Without waiting for the car to come to a full stop, Hunter jumped out and began checking his weapons. A furious Ethan slammed the car's door and went to his brother's side. He grabbed Hunter's shoulders and shook him forcefully.

"Don't rush like this again. Here, we are a team, and I won't allow you to face danger alone. Am I clear?"

"I am not going anywhere, Ethan. I am just eager to find Anna. She is injured and every minute counts." Hunter said calmly. Before any other comment from Ethan, multiple black cars with tinted windows.

"We have to go in as discreetly as possible. I don't want to grab their attention until it is absolutely unavoidable." Damien said to his men, as soon as they were all out of the cars and standing before him.

"Hunter, Ethan, Edward, and another four men will go directly to where Anna is kept while we divert the enemy's attention. Don't stop at any cost. Am I clear?" added Jasper with his strong voice.

"Yes, sir." The men answered in unison.

Edward took the lead of their small group and moved with agility. It was easy to enter the big mansion since it was strangely bare from any security. They continued their rapid walk and descended a couple of stairs. This time they were met with two men who were eliminated easily by an alerted Edward.

"The more we go deeper, the more we will face his men. Lucca is smart and wants to get us by surprise. Give the signal to the men so they follow us. We will need back-up." Edward instructed his eldest nephew.

The silence that reigned moments ago turned to utter chaos in mere seconds. Gunshots were fired from everywhere. Hunter and Edward dodged behind a nearby wall while their companions took refuge against another one.

"If they are choosing to attack now, I am sure we are near Anna's location. We need to move." Edward said to his nephew who nodded and resumed walking while firing his guns. The man and teenager entered a long hallway littered with iron doors that had small windows.

"We have entered a maze Uncle. Anna's body will be empty of blood by the time we arrive at her rescue." Hunter said in frustration.

"Calm down Hunter, we still had time. Anna's body will fight for her. The girl is strong, so hold your horses." Edward scolded his nephew as he surveyed the area. A gunshot fired breaking the silence in the air. Edward grabbed Hunter's arm and the two ducked behind a wall.

"The idiots gave up their location," Edward muttered under his breath.

"Let's go then, what are we waiting for?" Hunter said hurriedly.

"I am starting to think that all the training you went through was in vain. We are not moving from here until the backup will arrive." Edward stated sternly.

"Are you kidding me, Uncle?" Hunter spoke angrily.

"Do you see me laughing?" Edward shot back with his eyebrow raised challenging Hunter to disobey him.

Knowing that debating with his uncle at the moment would be like talking to a granite wall, Hunter nodded with his jaw set in a hard line. He kept his eyes forward ignoring the presence of the older man.

Not five minutes later, heavy footsteps were heard in the distance. Hunter sighed in relief as he saw his father and brother running to them.

"I believe that Anna is kept in one of the cells at the end of the corridor. We heard a gunshot coming from this direction. We need to move." Edward informed them.

"We will take the lead and eliminate any danger you may face. You and Hunter will move after us." Damien laid out the plan and started walking in the direction Edward gave them.

What happened next was like an action movie with bullets coming from every direction. The Salviatti men had the upper hand and were able to kill the enemy members without any problems. Edward was glad none of their men was injured since he knew he had to attend to Anna.

Hunter came face to face with an armed man guarding a heavy door. He didn't hesitate and put a bullet between the man's eyes. He went down on one knee and searched his pockets looking for the keys that will lead him to Anna. Once the keys were in his hands, Hunter didn't waste any time and opened the door.

The sight that greeted him stirred something deep in his heart. It was a mixture of fear, relief, and anger. Anna was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed and her face white as a sheet of paper. Alex's head was lying in her lap with his body covered in blood. What was the traitor doing with his girl? It was the first thought that came to Hunter's mind, but he dismissed it immediately.

He forced his legs to move in Anna's direction. He was afraid of what will he see. "Anna."

He spoke her name softly. He didn't get any response which made him sit next to her and shake her shoulders gently. The gesture startled Anna, and she opened her eyes with difficulty. When her blue irises landed on Hunter, she choked on a sob and shook her head.

The sight of Hunter in front of her was like a dream coming true. Hunter didn't waste any time and threw his arms around Anna and hugged her tightly even if it proved difficult with Alex's head on her lap. Anna sobbed against his shoulder as Hunter murmured sweet nothings in her ear trying to calm her down. She sobbed for the fear and agony she lived in for the past two days. She cried for Hunter as she missed him like crazy. She cried for her friend who was dying while she sat watching hopelessly.

Anna snapped from her dark ideas as the weight on her lap reminded her of Alex's situation. She pushed away gently from Hunter's arm and spoke urgently.

"We have to save Alex. He was shot two times, and he needs immediate attention," Anna spoke quickly trying to save time for her friend's benefit.

"And why would I help the one who is the reason for your suffering?" Hunter scoffed.

"Don't be like this Hunter. I know he betrayed me, but he is too the reason you are here now, and it is the same reason he is laying in his own blood. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have found me." Anna tried to reason with him.

"I am not helping him Anna, and it is final. If you want, I would gladly help in his burial." Hunter said sternly.

"What's going on?" Edward said as he entered the room with his suit still intact and his hair brushed to perfection as if he was going to a date. The man was an artist even in fighting and killing.

"Thank God you are here Edward. Alex needs your help." Anna said and lifted Alex's head gently from her lap. With the same delicateness, she put it on the ground ignoring the gasp Hunter let out at the sight of her thigh drenched in blood. Anna felt the room spinning before her eyes, but she willed herself to stay upright.

"Uncle, do something to stop her bleeding, please," Hunter said desperately.

"No, no don't listen to him I am fine. Just help Alex, please." Anna pleaded with her eyes filling with tears.

"Uncle, the blood loss clearly affected her brain if she...."

"Both of you stop this nonsense at once. Hunter, try to put pressure on her thigh to stop the bleeding while I check on Alex here." Edward instructed and got to work not waiting for Hunter's response.

With an angry growl, Hunter took off his belt and wrapped it around Anna's thigh. Hunter examined Anna with his eyes and cringed at the blue bruises marring her soft delicate skin. Her hair was a mess, her clothes stained with blood. It was a sight he never wished to see ever again. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and brought her near his chest. He kissed her forehead multiple times and tried to calm her down.

"Stop crying Anna, please. Your tears are killing me, ma belle." Hunter whispered in her ear.

"He is dying Hunter. Alex is dying because of me. I am the reason he was shot and beaten." Anna said rapidly nearly going into hysterics.

"No, no don't say that. Alex will live. You just have to calm down and you will see." Hunter tried to soothe her hoping the bastard will live. Scratch that, Alex will live; he won't allow him to die since it will bring Anna a lot of sadness.

"His pulse is weak, but he is still alive. We need to get him to the emergency room as soon as possible." Edward said and came near Anna. He checked her pulse and examined the gash on her thigh. "You are okay Anna. You lost a big amount of blood, but you will be okay once we stitch your injury."

Without any further delay, two men lifted Alex and exited the room. Hunter took Anna in his arms and started walking rapidly to the exit of this forsaken place. In no time, they were on their way to the mansion with Ethan as the driver while Hunter was with Anna in the back. He kept running his hands through her hair and encouraging her to keep fighting.

Halfway through their trip Ethan's phone rang, and Lillian's voice came, "Hello Anna, how are you? Jacob just informed me they saved you."

Anna smiled faintly at hearing her friend's concerned voice. She spoke tiredly. "I am fine Lillian, thank you for calling."

"Yes, thank you for calling Lillian. Since you made sure Anna is okay, you can hang up and stop tiring her." Hunter said with an annoyed tone.