The people in black pulled April forcibly into the van as quickly as they could manage.
There was nothing April could have done. She was gagged and blindfolded immediately. All she was able to do was cry silently while held down by two men sitting at both her sides.
Though the men never intended to say anything or give a clue on what their purpose was for taking her, April overheard one of the men in front of her call someone.
"Yes, boss, we got her already. We shall bring her to your warehouse, boss Vincent."
April heard it clearly. It was Vincent on the phone! She was shocked! Why would Vincent do such a thing? It can't be!
With this discovery, April felt the anguish of betrayal. She had never imagined that Vincent will do something like this to her.
They were traveling for quite a while. Where were they taking her?
Soon, the van stopped. The two men beside him held her in both arms. She felt their rough hands grip her tightly as they dragged her hurriedly out of the van. It was better that way because her legs would've given away. She was too weak to stand on her own from her fear and shock.
How can this be happening to her? She hadn't done anything wrong? What will these men do to her? What was Vincent's plan?
April realized that they were going down cemented stairs. When they stopped descending, she heard the clanging of iron bars. She was being dragged, then she felt a push from behind. She fell hard on tiled floorings. Afterward, there was the clanging again of bars being locked and retreating footsteps. She felt the coldness of an air-conditioner.
April strained her ears in an effort to somehow get a sense of what will happen next. She stayed still slumped on the floor for a while. She waited for a few minutes and when nothing else happened, she groped on her blindfold. She was grateful the men didn't tie her hands.
Finally, April gathered enough strength to remove her blindfold with her shaky hands. When she got it off, she stared around her.
She was in a tiny cell. There was a small bed behind her and at her left was a urinal. There wasn't any window. The place was clean but was still a cell just the same.
Where is this place?
April stood and walked towards the bed by the wall. She banged on the wall.
"Help! Help! Can anyone hear me?"
She shouted as loud as she can manage. But then, she was obviously in some kind of a basement room. No one can hear her even if she ran out of breath shouting.
With this realization, April cried and cried until she fell asleep from tiredness.
April woke up disoriented. She felt her aching legs. She sat up with a start. She stared at her prison once again, feeling the same defeat creeping up to her once more. She wanted to cry some more but she had cried all her tears already. What was left was desperation.
She was not even able to sense the time without any window to look on. She felt her stomach growl in hunger.
Like timing, she heard footsteps nearing. A man in a black suit came holding a tray of food in his hands. He was wearing a mask so she cannot recognize who it was. Maybe one of Vincent's henchmen.
"Who are you? Where is Vincent? I demand to talk to him!"
April shouted at the man but the man just slid the tray from under the iron bars without a single word. Then the masked man walked away.
She wanted to refuse the food but she knew her situation. She had to eat.
April ate hurriedly. She realized she was truly very hungry because she had not eaten anything since she threw up from the smell of the spring rolls from Johnson's family cook.
Her thoughts returned to Vincent. He recalled the party later, or was it ongoing right now? She imagined that Vincent was there at the mansion entertaining Doreen right this very moment.
Maybe that was why he held her in captivity! He wanted to be alone with Doreen! But why did he even bother inviting her? Wait did he know already what I was about to talk to him about?
After eating, April lay down on the bed. Although she came from sleeping, she still felt weak and exhausted. So, she closed her eyes again. She wondered how long she'd be staying in this cell.
In this way, April was imprisoned for several months. Her belly was undeniably huge by then. She got fed every meal but she never got any answers why she was held prisoner here. Maybe Vincent was guilty about having their baby. But why did he have to do this to her? However, April never knew the reason because Vincent never came to see her.
April was hoping that when it was finally time for her to give birth, Vincent would show up and release her and her baby.
By that time, she would tell him that she would live with her baby far away from Atlantic City. She would never bother him if that was what he was scared of that's why he hid her like this while she was pregnant. She would not ask anything from him either, not a single cent.
Her days and nights went this way. April's only prayer was for her to be free soon.
Just when her child was seven months old in her belly, the same group of men in black came in and held April down. They were all wearing the same masks and crept on her as she slept.
"What are you doing? Let me go! Please, have mercy for my baby."
She woke up as they all grabbed her. April pleaded in every way, hoping that these men in black suits would let her go. But instead, they injected something into her that made her lose consciousness. Afterward, she had no idea what they did to her.
Still, Vincent never came.