CHAPTER 8: The ultimate betrayal

Tanaka's gaze lingered on Mercy's peaceful face as she snored softly. She had been sleeping for hours. The drug he gave her was pretty strong. She looked so innocent and beautiful. She had always been beautiful. That's what made it easy for him to approach her and pretend all this while. When he first saw her, it was her innocence that caught his attention first. He almost had second thoughts because she was too innocent for him, but it had to be her. She was Victor's favorite and Elijah's princess. Getting her would be killing two birds with one stone, and that's exactly what he wanted. Those two deserved to suffer because of what they put him through. If it wasn't for them, then.... he shook his head. He was going to strip them off their power and wealth before making them watch as he tortured and killed their family members.

Tanaka sighed, then reached for her phone. It needed her fingerprint to unlock. He reached for her hand and placed her thumb on the sensor and the phone unlocked. He went to her messages and scrolled to Victor's contact first. He clicked on it and typed a message.

"Good night, bro. I love you." He pressed the sent button. He knew how she usually spoke to him. He made it his mission to know everything about her and how she usually spoke to her family and friends. He knew it was going to come in handy one day, and by the time they would be able to pick up that something was wrong, it would be too late. He didn't have to worry about her sisters because they were not that close. They hated the fact that she was closer to Victor than any of them. He searched for Elijah's contacts and did the same thing together with her mother. He put the phone away, checking his watch. His men were late, and that was making him angry. Waiting was not his strong suit, and he hated incompetent people.

Just as he was about to call them, three soft taps sounded on the door. Finally! He was getting bored of sitting and staring at the sleeping beauty in his bed. He got off the chair and went to open the door. Two buffed men stood on the other dressed in paramedics' clothing, their faces covered with surgical masks. Tanaka nodded his head and moved from the door, making a way for them. He locked the door as soon as they were inside and glared at them angrily, his hands inside his pockets.

"You are late." He said as a matter of fact.

"We were waiting for Sparks to hack into the lodge's system."

"I hate excuses." His voice was more deep and firm. The men kept quiet, not wanting to anger him further. Tanaka's gaze moved between them before he finally cast a glance at Mercy.

"There she is. You know what to do."

The men moved swiftly as they picked Mercy from the bed and carefully placed her on the stretcher. They secured her with straps to make it look like she was being transported to medical care. One of them took out a syringe and injected her, emptying the contents in her blood. They needed to make sure that she was unconcious during the journey. Tanaka watched as Mercy laid helpless on the stretcher. He should be happy, but somehow seeing her like that moved something in him.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He needed to focus on the job at hand. They wheeled her outside, Tanaka rushing behind them, shouting for them to help his girlfriend.

"What's wrong with her?" One of the people who were watching asked.

"She is not breathing. I came from the shower and found her asleep. I thought she was sleeping, but when i looked close, i noticed that she wasn't breathing. " Tanaka replied, his voice laced with pain.

The two men pushed the stretcher out of the lodge into the ambulance that was waiting outside. Tanaka climbed in behind them, his eyes fixed on Mercy's beautiful face. The ambulance's doors closed, and the vehicle pulled away from the lodge, disappearing into the night. Tanaka relaxed in his seat. It was finally happening.

**

Tariro walked to the bin and searched for the business card she threw in the day before. She had spent a lot of time thinking, and she realized that her thing with Victor wasn't going anywhere. They weren't even an item. She could really use the money. She would stop working in a club and finally do something for herself.

She released a relieved sigh when she finally found it. A small smile formed on her lips. She was going to call him maybe three to four days from now so she wouldn't seem desperate. She went back to her room, still smiling.

**

The ambulance pulled up at an abandoned warehouse. The doors opened, and the men got out, then removed the medical gear they were wearing and put on some black clothes and combat boots. A car pulled up just as they were finishing up. They quickly took Mercy out, who had a bandage wrapped around her leg where her tracker had been before they removed it and carried her to the car.

"Careful with her. I don't want even a single scratch on her." Tanaka warned. He knew he shouldn't care, but he just couldn't help himself. Maybe it was all the time he spent with her that he felt obliged to care for her.

Mercy was gently placed in the backseat of the van, and everyone got in, and the engine roared to life as the driver took off.

**

The next morning, Mercy slowly opened her eyes, groggily taking in her surroundings. She was in a luxurious bedroom, with a large bed and expensive-looking furniture. She rubbed her eyes as they felt heavy.

She frowned when she noticed that she didn't recognize the room. She quickly cast her gaze over the window where she expected to see the waterfall, but it wasn't there. How did she get here? Where was she?

Panic set in as she tried to remember what had happened. She remembered going on a trip with Tanaka, but everything after that was a blur. How long had she been out? She could feel her heart beating out of her chest. Had she been kidnapped??

"Tanaka?" she called out, her voice shaking slightly.

There was no response.

Mercy's heart raced as she threw off the covers and got out of bed. She stumbled to the door, and her leg was painful. She tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Hello?" she shouted, pounding on the door. "Is anyone there?"

But there was only silence. Deafening silence.

Mercy's eyes welled up with tears as she realized she was trapped. She had no idea who her captor was or where she was. She had never wronged anyone. Okay, maybe her father and Victor did. Could it be what it was about? If so, then where was Tanaka? Was he okay?

She limped back to the bed, sat down, her head buried in her hands. Just then, she heard a click on the door as it unlocked. The door cracked open, and Tanaka walked in, his hands in his pocket.

Mercy smiled, relieved. "Oh babe. Thank God it's just you. For a moment there, i thought i had been kidnapped. Where are we? How long was i asleep? Why didn't you wake me up."

Tanaka stared at her, his gaze cold that it sent shivers down her spine. He had never looked at her like that, ever.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Tanaka's gaze didn't waver, his eyes boring into her soul. "You are so naive, Mercy. You think you are so smart, but you have no idea what's going on, do you?"

Mercy's smile faltered as confusion masked her face. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"

Tanaka chuckled and moved closer to her. "You will find out soon enough, but for now, let's just say you are a guest in my house."

Mercy's eyes widened as she realized the truth. "No, you can't do that. It's me, Mercy."

"I know who you are. That's exactly why you are here."

Tears filled her eyes as her heart broke. She shook her head, failing to come to terms with her new reality. "No. There has to be a mistake. You... we... we have been dating for 10 months. You told me you loved me. You.." she swallowed as words failed her.

Tanaka smirked. "That was all part of the plan, sweetheart. You can imagine what i went through every day, pretending to love you, but it was all worth it because you are here." He winked at her then walked out. The sight of her tears disturbed him.

Mercy broke down crying as soon as the door closed. Her heart ached so much in ways she couldn't even explain. How could she not see it? How did she miss it? Tanaka? She cried harder, letting out all the pain in her heart.