When Diana finally realized what had happened, with shaking hands she began to search frantically for her phone in her purse. She quickly dialed her brother's number and waited for his answer with panic in her eyes.
"Diana? What happened..." He didn't have time to ask when his sister shouted into the phone.
"They took her! They kidnapped Sophie! Darell! Do something!" Tears began to flow down her cheeks.
"Where are you?!" The man's panicked voice was heard on the phone. Darell was visibly shocked by what had happened.
"At the ma..market near my a..apartment..." She tried to choke out the words, which were getting harder and harder.
The call duly ended and Diana stared at her phone screen with watery eyes. Her finger slowly moved across the screen and she dialed Tomas' number. This wasn't how she wanted to meet him today. This was not what this day was supposed to be like.
"What's up? Are you coming to my place or I'm coming to yours?" His warm and low voice sounded on the phone. Diana couldn't contain her emotions any longer.
"Tomaaaas!" She cried into the phone, not caring about the passers-by who wanted to help her in some way.
"Diana? What happened? Where are you?" His voice quickly became serious.
"They took her, they took her and I couldn't do anything!" She howled into the phone. It was too much for her.
"Diana honey where are you" Tomas heard that she was starting to panic so he tried to calm her down. In a gentle and calm voice he asked her a question.
"Near the market, next to the apartment" She replied between sobs.
"Don't worry, I'll be there soon, don't hang up, everything will be fine" He comforted her.
She heard the door slamming and his hurried footsteps on the phone. He was in a hurry. Like every time she was in trouble. Whenever she needed him, he was there. Why did she notice it only now... At a moment like this where there is no time for joy and warmth in the heart, which appeared anyway. She sat on the sidewalk, listening to his quick breathing.
"Don't worry, I'll be there soon," He repeated. Her eyes wandered among the gathered people, searching for his silhouette.
"Diana!" She heard the voice of her brother, who, ignoring the people, ran up and knelt down next to her, checking if she was okay.
"What happened?! Where's Sophie?!" Seeing the panic in his eyes, she tried to remember everything.
"A black car pulled up and two men got out. Sophie wanted to protect me but one of them pushed me away. They grabbed her and dragged her into the car. They drove off in that direction..."
With a shaking hand, she pointed in the direction in which the kidnappers had left. Darell ran his fingers through his hair nervously and started to call somewhere.
At the same time, Tomas arrived at the place. As soon as Diana saw him, she reached out to him, seeking comfort. The man wasted no time in taking her into his arms and hugging her tightly.
"It's okay...I'm with you"
He stroked her back soothingly. Without waiting any longer, he took her in his arms and approached his friend.
"What now?"
"Take her to the hospital. I've already reported it to the police, they'll be here soon.
"Did you call Don?" He asked quietly.
"His people are already working on it. Whoever did this will regret it bitterly" His fists clenched tightly and a dangerous vein appeared on his forehead.
The men had no choice. They had to report it to the police because it happened in a public place with many spectators. Under different circumstances... it would have been much different.
After all, what Don was doing was not legal. But now there was no time to think. Someone brazenly took his woman right from under his nose. Their end was near.
After checking Diana out at the hospital, she gave a statement to the police and she and Tomas returned with her to her apartment. The man never let go of her hand.
"Do you want to take a bath? It'll help you relax a bit," He suggested, leading her to the bathroom. With her head down, Diana nodded without saying anything. Tomas ran water into the bathtub for her and prepared her clothes for changing. Leaving her in the bathroom, he went into the living room to call Darell.
"And? Do you know anything yet?" He asked when he heard the answered call.
"They're looking through the footage from all the nearby cameras. They found the car, but it was stolen. They lost them outside the city." The friend's dry voice was heard on the phone.
"Easy. You know no one can hide from Don. It's only a matter of time."
He knew all too well what Darell felt now. If someone kidnapped Diana, they would do anything to find her. The only thing left for them now is to wait for news from Don.
"What about Diana?"
"She's with me. She'll be fine."
"Thanks"
Finishing the conversation, he went to the kitchen and prepared something for Diana to eat. The woman looked as if all her life had been drained out of her. Slouched with her arms crossed, she sat on the sofa and hugged her knees. Tomas sighed heavily seeing her like this. He sat down next to her and, without asking for her consent, sat her on his lap and hugged her to him.
"It's only a matter of time. We'll find her safe and sound and you can be her nuisance again." Tomas kissed the top of her head, slowly stroking her hair.
"..."
"Diana. I know it's hard for you, but worrying won't help you. We have to be ready for her return. Do you want her to find you like this? You have to be strong. Do you think Sophie is crying her eyes out now?"
"No...Sophie is strong. She will fight" She replied quietly.
"Exactly. And you should fight for her too. Try to remember every little detail. Anything that will help us find her faster" He suggested.
Knowing a detail or what they looked like could make a big difference. Diana closed her eyes, rested her head against his chest and began to remember everything again. After a long moment, she opened her eyes and looked at Tomas sadly.
"Everything happened so fast. I can't" Her eyes filled with tears again. The man wiped away the first one that ran down her cheek with his finger.
"You should get some sleep. Maybe you'll remember something more when you rest"
Tomas picked her up and carried her to her bed. To her surprise, he lay down next to her and hugged her, rubbing her back soothingly.
"I'll be with you. Rest," He assured her quietly.
This day was really tiring for the woman. Feeling safe in Tomas's arms, her eyes quickly began to close. Literally a moment later, Diana was breathing calmly.
To think that at a time like this, he could finally approach her without any excuses. The man looked gently at his loved one, sleeping soundly in his arms.
"I hope that after everything I will still be able to have you with me and not worry about whether I should or not" He whispered, kissing Diana on the forehead.
He also hoped that when he woke up he would be able to remember something else. Not everyone knew it, but Diana had a very good memory of the surroundings she was in. She didn't have to look around to remember where everything was. She only had to look once and as soon as she concentrated she could recreate everything.
However, this was only possible when she did it calmly. In this state there was no way to talk about anything. That's why Tomas tried to calm her down as quickly as possible. Sophie was in danger. Every moment counted. Tomas managed to close his eyes for a bit. In the middle of the night, he was woken from sleep by Diana. She jumped up as if she had been burned.
"Arrow! They had a black arrow on their wrist pointing to the right!" She started shaking the man. Tomas grabbed the phone and called Darell.
"We have a lead! Black arrow, pointing right, on the wrist"
"Good job. Tell Diana I'm proud of her" The conversation ended quickly.
"I knew you could do it," Tomas hugged a surprised Diana.
"Everything will definitely go much faster now"
Somewhere in another country at the same time, the phone rang in a certain office.
"Speak" A firm voice spoke, belonging to a tall, well-built man with black hair and piercing green eyes.
"Boss, we received information that Miss Sophie has been kidnapped."
The man's eyebrows furrowed menacingly. "I give you two days to find her" His voice spat venom.
"Yes sir" They ended the conversation.
"I wasn't supposed to get close to you, but fate wanted otherwise." A menacing smile appeared on his face. "We will finally meet"...
"Don, I have a lead"...