Sophia

"You are not coming" he shouted on me. After Russo's call we are here at his office. I , Don, Ric , Enzo and Dr. Zack. Don told me there plan was that Ric will rescue Charles with Roscoe while he and Enzo will go in that factory to see Russo. No where in his plan was my role. When I asked what I will do, he looked at Enzo and then just said that I will wait for him here. Its been 30mins now and we are fighting on the subject that I will go with them. How can he think that I will sit back and relax when I know he is out there facing death literally.

"I will come with you" I said in a calmer but adamant tone. "No you are not." He said again. "Yes I am" I said irritated as I turned him towards me. "Sophia, I said no." He said sternly. "And I said yes". I retorted. "Sister in law I think you listen to him. It will be risky." Ric interrupted seeing we are trapped in a loop of yes and no. "I know it is risky and that's why I am not letting you go alone." I responded to Ric but was looking at Don. He let out a sigh and held me "Doll listen to me. I can't get distracted with your safety there. You can't come." He said almost pleading. "I won't be a distraction, I promise. But please take me with you. I can't stay back." He let out a frustrated grunt. "Fuck, will you give up already. What has gotten into you? Why are you being so stubborn?" He said turning away. "Soph listen to Don, let us handle it. Huh? We will bring Charles back." Enzo tried to convince me before Don looses more of his shit on me. "I said I am going and that's it." I said folding my arms on my chest.

"Ric we don't have much time. We only have one hour. Take Zack and meet Roscoe to get Charles." Don said to Ric ignoring me. "Wait you are sending Zack with Ric?" Enzo asked Don not happy for sure. "Have you seen the videos? He is severely injured, he needs a doctor." Don said. Though I can see even he is not happy to spare Zack. "But Ric would have Roscoe's men. Do you want to go against Russo alone? I mean we don't know how many men he has there." Enzo said and he is not wrong. They had done it once alone and Russo slipped from their hands. "Roscoe's men are not doctors Enzo." Don said loading his gun. I know he is right. Chuck needs a doctor. "Don, Ric can take Charles to my wife's clinic. You see Carol is also a surgeon. And no one knows the location of her clinic accept you. Charles will be safe there. And I can come with you." Don exchanged looks with Enzo. "Well man, we need more muscle." Enzo said agreeing to Zack. "Fine, Ric I sent you Carol's clinic address. Zack let her know." Don said pressing some buttons on his phone I guess sending Ric the address. "We need more men Don. How are we going to pick when a rat is around?" Dr. Zack said. "I picked you didn't I? I will pick them too." He said silencing him. His tone means all business. He was searching something in his drawer. I guess I know what he is looking for. It was kept on the other side of the table under a file. I picked it up and gave him his knife "Here, looking for this?" He looked at me and took it.

"Doesn't mean you are coming with us?" He said securing his knife. "I am" I said with conviction. "Donna I think-" I cut Dr. Zack before he could finish "Enough, I heard what you all think. But I am coming." I said quite harsh myself. "I am sorry Donna. I didn't mean to-" he said and I realized how rude I was and this man saved my life. "No Dr. Zack I am sorry. I was too rude. I should not have spoken to you like this." I apologized for my tone.

"But please Don take me with you." I pleaded with Don. "Sophia, we are running out of time. Stop arguing." He said I can sense his anger rising in his eyes and in his tone. But I am not letting him go alone. What if something happens to him? "Then why don't you stop arguing. For once be something but a stubborn pain in the ass and take me with you?" I said and everyone was looking at me with wide eyes for my pitch was a bit too loud, my tone was much rude than his and my words were harsh.

I gulped in fear for I know I have crossed a line. But I was not stepping down. He stepped towards me and I stepped back. He held me by my arm and pulled me closer and I closed my eyes in fear. "Look at me" he ordered and I obeyed. "Say that again. Same words, same pitch, same tone." He said with gritted teeth. "Don I-" "Say it." He pressed on it and on my already bruised arm. "Pl-please" "Say it" "Don let it go" requested Enzo. "Shutup!" Don shouted at him and I flinched. "Say it Doll." "I-I am sorry Don." I said "No, say what you said" he said stepping more closer to me as I stepped back more. "Don please" he raised his hand and I flinched but he didn't hit me. He brushed my hair. He touched my cheek I was looking into his eyes and tears were coming up. A fear was trapping my heart in its chains. For a moment I thought what if I never see these eyes again. I moved my hand to his face. "I will come back." He said sensing my fear and tears rolled down my eyes. "What if some-" he stopped me "Nothing will happen to me. I will come back to you Doll. I promise you " he said as he kissed my forehead and I hugged him. And he brushed my hair. He broke the hug and held my face in his hands. He looked at me and then turned around to leave. Ric, Dr. Zack and Enzo left first and Don was last to leave. I stretched my hand towards him but he wasn't facing me. Words chocked inside me I couldn't say anything. But he heard. He did. He turned to me and came to me in three long strides and kissed me hard. "I love you Doll. Wait for me" he said breaking the kiss leaving me breathless he stepped out.

I looked from the window of the study and saw them leaving.

I reached my room. I held the door knob and let out a sigh. "Donna, you okay?" I heard Alysia from behind. For a moment I wanted to tell her everything. But I remembered Don's instructions to not tell anything not even to her. "Yeah. Just having a bit of a headache." "Okay, I will let you rest then". She said. I entered the room and sat on the bed. I noticed the room is cleaned now. Soon the clock strike 12 and my impatience grew even more. I was breathing hard and shivering. "No I can't. I can't leave him alone." I changed into jeans and top. Picked up my phone and kept some money in my pocket and left.

I called a cab and left the house from the backdoor. I reached at the address. I left the cab as the GPS showed that the destination is two blocks away. I walked from there with my face covered with my stole. I hid behind the opposite building as I saw Don's car. I looked around to check if anyone is there. I reached closer to the factory and rounded to the backside.

There was an iron stairwell going down. I took those stairs and reached to a bricked narrow hallway. I could see a man with his headphones on. Guess someone Russo left for guarding. He seems too busy in his music or not. He is too still. The only way to the other side seems to go from him. I reached closer to him walking sideways holding the wall. I reached near him but yet he didn't make a move. Is he sleeping? I thought as I rounded in front of him and moved ahead but my foot touched his water bottle kept aside his chair. I closed my eyes and turned slowly to him but he still didn't open his eyes. That's weird, I thought but avoided wasting time and moved passed him to next hallway, I could see a door at the end. I was about to opened when I felt a hand on my mouth and I was dragged behind and pushed along the wall where that man was sitting. My eyes were closed in fear but soon the fear was gone.

I knew who it is "D-Damon" I said without opening my eyes. "Open your eyes" he said and I did. A wave of relief went through me seeing him safe. "Are you crazy?" he said in an angry tone keeping his voice more like whispers. "I-I told you. I can't stay at home knowing you are here." I said putting my foot down. "Oh Doll! Just give me a break will ya?" he said punching his fist on the wall making me flinch. "You got to be kidding me?" I heard Enzo behind us. Don let out a sigh and moved backwards. "How many men do we have?" He asked Enzo. "I can't spare anyone." He said. "Why would you spare one?" I asked. "To watch you, are your crazy Soph. He told you to stay at home. You should listen. Now one of our men had to stay to guard you. We don't even know what's inside yet." He said angrily to me. For the first time Enzo was being angry with me. But I couldn't let them do this alone.

"Please let me stay with you." I said to Don. "Why don't you understand?" I said in an irritated cry. Dammit I said as I punched the wall myself. "What are you doing? You will hurt yourself " Don said reaching me. He held my hand and checked. "I can't stay at home. What if something happens to you? I want to be with you." I told him almost crying. "Doll" he said letting out a frustrated sigh. "And I am not going back. If you are stubborn so am I. I won't leave you." I said putting my foot down. "Fuck!" He said as he took out a gun from his waist and gave it to me. "The safety is opened be careful." He said "Why are you giving me a gun?" I asked afraid. I am not here to kill anyone I just want him safe. "You are asking for it." said Enzo in an irritated voice. "Just keep it. For your safety. It will help you defend yourself because you wont be near me. I don't want them to find another leverage on me"

"Another leverage?" I asked and he exchanged looks with Enzo. "What?" I asked again. He pulled my hand and dragged to the stairwell from where I came. "Why is this man not stopping us?" I asked as we passed him again. "Because I killed him. He is dead." He said flatly. "Oh" I said shocked. I didn't realize this possibility. He stopped just at the corner before the first stair began. He nodded me to look inside. My eyes went wide on what I looked. It was Chuck tied to chair just like in the video. He is here. But Ric has gone to his apartment to save him. "Ch-chuck" he covered my mouth and dragged me back to Enzo. "H-he is here. Bu-but Ric has-". I said said scared. "Ric is coming." Don said to me. "With FBI team?" I asked. "No" he said and I nodded. "What's the plan?" I asked.

"You do not need to worry about the plan, you need to worry about staying alive. Got it?" he said angrily. "What do you mean? I am not going back." I said in a firm tone. I could see his eyes burning with rage as he stepped towards me "You will do what I will tell you to do Doll, have no confusion in that. If I am saying you will not go inside that means you will not go inside." He said in his deep angry tone. Where he talks in a low pitch, that makes me want to run and hide under bed. I gulped in fear but tried to not flinch or step back. I was determined. Like he cannot let me die and I cannot let him die either. He took my wrist in his death grip and dragged me from there "D-Don Wha-what are you doing? I-I am not leav-leaving" I was screaming in whispers. But he kept me dragging outside the factory gate and brought me to his car. "No Don" I was fighting so much, I never fought so hard with him. But my brother is in there and soon will be my husband too. He opened the driver's door without leaving my hand. He was shuffling inside the glove compartment God knows looking for what. I felt a tug on my wrist as he pulled me inside and then I felt something. NO! I felt nylon. He shove me in the car "No Don!" I cried loud. He fucking tied me with his tie to the steering. what the hell? "Don, what the hell? Are you crazy?" I said jerking my hand trying to untie me but it somehow tightened. Damon leaned towards me. "No Doll, you are crazy, if even for a moment you think you can go against me. Now listen and listen good, when I come back, you better be here just like this. Alive because if you risk your life and I loose you I will kill your brother and everyone you ever cared about with my own hands." He said with determination and warning in his tone. "Am I clear?" he said and I looked down hating him. He pulled my hair making me look at him "I asked am I clear?" he said again in a harsh tone and I nodded "Yes Don" I said and he looked at me for a moment and then kissed me with all the fervor. "Don't let these tears dry Doll, don't forget how much I love them." he whispered in my ear and left in a blink of an eye. "No! No! No!" I said agitated I jerked my hand. I opened the door, thank God he didn't lock me inside. I kept the gun on the dashboard and tried to untie me with another hand, what the hell is this? was he a bloody naval officer, I thought as I done numerous failed attempts to untie it. Dammit.

I sat with my legs dangling on the road. How could he do this? I was crying hard. God knows, what was happening inside. The night is getting darker by the minute. I heard some sound like a car halting, I looked feverously around but found nothing. In a moment I saw lot of smoke coming from the factory. I stood out of the car. A took a step forward but my hand stuck behind me reminded me I cannot move further. Fuck, I said as I pulled on it more. But the knot tightens even more and it seems like the blood flow will stop. Loosing the fight I let out a sigh and turned to look towards the factory.

I saw Doctor Zack with Chuck. "Chuck!" I screamed but he didn't hear. I saw him Doctor Zack taking Chuck to another vehicle round the corner. In few minutes I saw him came back. I guess he has send Chuck to his wife like he said to Don. Thank God Chuck is saved atleast. Damon, where are you?