Chapter 306: Still Inside

Lisa was staring at a passed-out Mina, whose head was hung so low toward her chest, that she knew it was impacting the woman's breathing. She would have been worried for Mina if she did not hate her so much.

Lisa knew it was the wrong time to worry about petty issues, but she had heard the men speaking about a woman with brown hair. She had missed the detail in the past because Ian had asked her to change her hair color before Mina came around. Lisa had assumed it to be a coincidence, women dye their hair often, but now she was not so sure.

Lisa was still wondering how long Mina had been in the picture when the door opened. The man rushed forward and checked Mina's pulse, sighing when he detected one. He made his way to Lisa and untied her.

"You've been ransomed," he said, and Lisa relaxed. She followed the man without a word.

Two men, Lisa recognized as her brother's hired guards, entered the room she was sitting in. One man threw a duffle bag filled with what she guessed was money, at one of the abductors. The man who was holding Lisa released her and she ran to her rescuers.

As they were leaving, Lisa passed the room Mina was in and did something unthinkable. She walked into the room and ripped Mina's shirt open, exposing the girl's chest and bra. Her brother's men looked to one another in shock. They knew the people who had taken the women were not upstanding, and a half exposed unconscious woman would be too much of a temptation for the men to pass up.

One of the men texted his boss, who replied with concrete orders to be immediately followed.

----

Kace found himself feeling guilty over his actions. He had been so consumed with trying to force his sister to confront the truth about Mina and President Lee's relationship, that he had not considered all the possibilities. It was highly probable that Mina was exactly who she had claimed to be and nothing more.

What was more irritating to Kace was Lisa. He could not believe his sister could be so disgusting. He had arranged for the women to be snatched, but not for them to be harmed. He had planned to 'ransom' Mina, then use her 'debt' to his family to convince the women to leave the country, but his plans had been ruined by his sister's attempt to have the girl shamed.

No matter how guilty Mina was, Kace was not a man who would set a woman up to be robbed of her dignity. That was precisely why he waited for both women to be together to order their abduction. That arrangement was made so that the women could both be each other's witnesses, but his sister was too stupid to consider the implications of her actions.

If Mina were taken advantage of, President Lee would assume the same was true for Lisa. The man was already trying to find a way out of the relationship, and Kace now feared that he had sent his sister down a path of no return. Angry, he swallowed back his pride and dialed the last person he wanted to speak to. He was surprised when the man answered with a reassuring statement.

"I will find Lisa," President Lee said matter-of-factly. Kace was surprised that Lisa was even on the man's mind. He was sure that Mina would have taken top priority.

"I was contacted. I've already ransomed my sister, but my men told me that they saw another woman being held captive." President Lee did not bother to hide his anxiety.

"Where are they?" He demanded and he was told.

----

Mina had only been missing for two hours, but Ian felt like an eternity had passed. Mina's most reliable guard, Dom, had been struck by a vehicle while chasing down the van that took her. The man had not finished describing the vehicle to the tracker before he was hit by a speeding car and lost consciousness.

Ian felt a heaviness in his chest that was threatening to consume him. Had he not summoned Mina to his office, she would have been safe at work, but there was also the issue with Lisa being taken as well.

The only person that knew enough about Ian to snatch both women was Cylus Rue. Desperation and anger fueled Ian to call the man, who was at some sort of gathering. Cylus told President Lee that he had been out of the country and had not spoken to Mina.

"Cylus, I am warning you now, if I find out you have any involvement, I will kill you." Cylus was taken aback by the turn of the conversation. President Lee was not just 'looking' for Mina. It was something more.

"What's going on? Where is Mina?" Cylus asked. "Did something happen to her?" Ian listened to the man's worried questions, but the back of his mind told him not to trust Cylus' words. It was no secret that he was heavily pursuing Mina, as was his friend Oric Lamar.

Remembering Oric, Ian ended the call with Cylus and demanded for someone to get him the contact information for Leading incorporated. However, before he was able to call the man, an unfamiliar number displayed on his phone. Thinking it was the kidnappers, Ian gestured for his people to trace the number, but it came back as belonging to Kace Anders, Lisa's older brother.

"I will find Lisa," Ian said as a greeting. He knew the man would only be calling about one thing.

"I've already ransomed my sister, but my men told me they saw another woman being held captive."

"Where are they?" Ian demanded; he did not care how anxious he sounded. He may not have wanted to be in a relationship with Lisa, but he did not want to see her come to any harm.

As Ian repeated Kace's words, Zane jotted down the coordinates to where Mina could be found. The speed at which both men entered a single car was near supernatural. They had never experienced someone they cared about being snatched, and they never wanted to experience it again.

----

When Ian and Zane pulled up to the warehouse where Mina was being held, they heard a car door open and Lisa came running out. Ian put away his weapon and pulled the woman into a hug. She was crying and her face was slightly reddened as if she had been struck.

"Are you okay? Did they touch you?" Ian asked. He was studying Lisa closely and she could feel his affection through his gestures.

"They hit me Ian. I was so scared. What took you so long?" Lisa questioned through sobs.

"Why did they decide to let you go?" He asked.

"I told them to call my brother and he ransomed me," Lisa replied. "I don't think Mina had anyone to call." Ian had not forgotten about Mina, but he assumed she was safe because of Kace's words.

"Where is Mina?" Ian asked. He looked around and saw no sight of the woman; he started to doubt Kace's assurances.

"She is still inside. We did not want to touch her." One of the men who was waiting with Lisa responded. Ian gently pushed Lisa in the man's direction.

"Take her to a hospital now," he said. Without waiting, he flew into the warehouse with his weapon drawn and Zane close behind him.