"Leave my hands you jerk!"

Ruby spontaneously kicked her legs and felt the grip tightened around her wrists. She didn't care if it quakes to her very own marrow. All she wanted was to save her face for Joseph and his mother to recognize. That's it.

The left guy roped her legs in the loop of his arms. "Dare to utter a single word more and see what will do with your legs."

Ruby grunted, "Apply these tactics on anybody else. I'm not afraid of you and your loser boss."

In the meantime, Ruby realized that staying quiet would be ideal in such a situation. She directed her gaze to capture a landmark or anything through the black windows. If asked to describe, she would take the name of buildings, bulldozers, and concrete mixers. It looked like this area hadn't been developed. The place seemed very dry despite having reens running parallel. Everything was pointing toward rurality. Hell. There were no signboards because of this.

Where are these nitwits taking me? she thought and knew she was going to faint at any minute. She managed to turn her head and look at the sand settling down in slow motion. Will Joseph ever find me? Or see me?

The car halted and so did her heartbeat. Having a dearth of mercy, the white beard pulled her out; she even sprained her right foot.

Ruby groaned and her eyes moistened. In an uncivilized way, she dug her crescents in his forearms to separate herself from him, but it was a vain effort on her part. "Let go of me!"

"I will. But let me show your face to our boss first," he spilled the words like a demon.

She felt mawkish and wanted to throw up. Ruby termed the gray building standing tall as the 'death house' once her eyes formed a clear picture of it. Thinking in a hushed tone, she reminded herself, "I want to go back. I want to go back."

Like two peas in a pod, they dragged her to the basement in perfect synchronization. There was one more thug with a cut on his left cheek and a purple weft waiting for their arrival. Nobody could dare to imagine these well-dressed men could turn out to be fatal.

The same man was coming close, finger latched on her jawline; his voice was hoarse, "Tie her."

Ruby warned and tried to pull her hands with brute strength, "Hey! Don't touch me."

He lifted a hand in dismal and vanished off.

Ruby was tied to one of the large canisters. She felt an ounce of relief as her back slammed against the cold steel. Nevertheless, her eyes released the stream of tears of the memories she made so far with everyone.

There was silence.

A new figure appeared before her eyes. Arnold Garfield lit his cigarette and took a long drag. "I hope they brought you here by exercising extra care."

It elicited the guts in Ruby and answered, "So, it was your plan."

"Well . . . yes and no." He situated himself next to her. "If you wouldn't have lost the keys, or if you would have simply followed my commands and married Tasher right after Katherine transfers everything in your name; you would have been in your bed sipping on your orange juice."

Ruby laughed at his face. "Just look at your age, Arnold. Are you seeking revenge against a girl of your son's age? Does it sound good?"

Arnold's eyes widened and he grasped her mouth and jerked it. "It does. Or at least in my world. Do you have any problem?"

Ruby giggled, letting her anger smear under her skin. "I have. Why have you brought me in here?"

"Now we are getting on business. I need that phone in which you have recorded my voice."

Ruby scoffed and tried to move her jaw which had been hurting so badly. "I don't have it."

"Lucas, Mark, and Ten, can you please come here and give her an instant demo lesson?"

Her ears would have merely picked the signals from afar when she felt a metal rod directly hit on her head and her right ear from sideways. Soon blood pricked from her pinna and rowed down her neck. She was bleeding and sweating from her armpits, forehead, and body.

Her eyes snapped shut for a few seconds until a splash of cold water covered her body with goosebumps.
She shrieked, blinking her eyes to see what was happening.

"This girl has a serious problem. Firstly, she said that she lost the keys. I said okay." He added humorously, "And now, she's saying that she doesn't have her phone. Why─ I mean why can't she take care of her things?" He neared her. "Maybe tomorrow you get married to that . . . Joseph, and what will happen the next day?"

"──she will come with a disheartening piece of news that she had lost him to some girl," the scar-faced man filled in.

Intelligent enough!

A roar of laughter took place and Mr. Garfield kneeled, slapping his chest to express his joy. "Lucas Boy, I thought you can't hit the broad side of a barn, but you are something. You took a long time to prove it." This was directed at the same man.

Just after this, Lucas' smile vanished away as he understood it was an insult. What else could he expect from
Arnold Garfield?

***

"Arnold Garfield is a fuc─" Joseph refrained from pouring any profanity by placing a fist against his mouth.

Tasher cast a glimpse at Joseph who sat beside him in his Lamborghini. He huffed and said, "Go on. Joseph, it won't hurt my feelings. That person is a sinner."

"Why would he even kidnap, Ruby? Do you happen to know the reason?" Joseph was compelled to ask, given it was a crucial matter about his beloved Ruby. Otherwise, he wouldn't have killed his time chatting with Tasher unnecessarily.

"If I'm not wrong there is a recording on her phone where my father is found talking to her. It's like they have agreed upon some deal." He became skeptical and resumed, "Now you know that right?"

Joseph didn't reply and looked outside. He saw the same things that had been once witnessed by her eyes.

"Stop the car!"

"But, why? We haven't even entered──"

"──that's the same car, I guess." Joseph pointed at the black chair parked in a way that blocked the entryway of the building.

Tasher verified and nodded.

Joseph instantly got down and launched onward with a gun. Tasher clambered out and grasped Joseph's arms in time. "What the dickens is your plan, huh?

"Tasher. It's my battle," Joseph spat.

"I can't let you put Ruby's life on the line like that." Tasher paused and explained to him his idea, "I'm going inside to get her while you stay here. I don't want Dad to get a hint that you came here with me. For her safety."

Joseph shrugged and pursed his lips as he sat inside the car. As soon as Tasher turned his back, Joseph followed him secretly with his gun.

Word count - 1200

a/n; team Joseph vs team Tasher