chapter 32: Ending Before Beginning

Autumn
I was having a nice time. I didn't want to screw it up by a silly mistake. Why would I ruin our moments which would only remain as memories one day?
I was scared of the arrangements being messed up. I arranged a candlelight romantic dinner on the Summit for Ian. The employees said that they would place all the things there when I gave them a sign. So, one of the employees coming to me was a sign of a huge blunder.
"So, what's the problem?" I asked the woman who was standing next to me. She was the one who called me from the Summit. I didn't remember seeing her. But then again, I could never recognize all the workers here. We were heading towards an elevator.
"Mrs. Beckett, the problem is you not being in the elevator."
"What?"
She roughly pushed me in the elevator, and someone held my hands tightly. "Problem solved," the woman said with a devilish smirk.
I watched the elevator getting closed. I didn't miss the sight of Ian behind that woman.
"Ian!"
"Autumn!"
The elevator door closed. I tried to knee the person who was holding me. Screaming in the elevator was futile, so I didn't use that tactic. I was fighting with the person. I used my elbow and hit his stomach.
When I turned to see the face, it was covered with a mask. I was struggling to somehow pull my pocket knife. I hissed in pain when I felt a sting on my neck. Instantly, my vision started getting blurry.
"How are you, my favorite student?" this was the last thing I heard before the darkness took over me.
Getting electrocuted woke me up abruptly. I looked around and saw that I was in a darkroom. A small yellow bulb was above my head. I was entirely chained to a chair. A wire was connected to me, which was the reason I got electrocuted.
"I knew you would be alive again," the familiar dangerous voice spoke. "My favorite student."
Lennox approached me and held a stick made of metal on my chin, making me look into his brown eyes.
He didn't put a gag on my mouth. However, I couldn't speak a word. All I could think was how he got here. He was under Aubree's surveillance. No one could escape from Aubree, then how come he was standing in front of me?
"How did you..."
"Escape?" he completed my sentence and smirked. "I trained various types of people. I know the kind of Becketts. They wanted to torture me and give me a slow death. But Lennox Gibian has his own ways. He escaped right under the watch of the Silver."
"It can't be..." I murmured. Ian didn't tell me that he escaped. I was sure there had to be a reason. He wouldn't lie to me for no reason.
Lennox seemed to sense my thoughts. "Your Ian brought you to France, thinking I wouldn't be able to trace you. But so silly of him. It was his biggest mistake." Lennox took a blade and ran it through my arm. I closed my eyes and further spoke, "He was so busy that he never noticed me ruling two gangs."
I opened my eyes rapidly. "You rule two gangs?"
"After escaping, I decided to go slow. I thought of taking over two other gangs, before going for the well-known ones. And your gang is pretty much known to everyone after the Silver." He pushed the blade on my skin. "And you happen to be my favorite student."
I winced in pain. Lennox chuckled seeing my pain and he didn't remove the blade.
"Now, I am gonna take revenge as well. The way the Becketts tortured me when I was in the torture chamber would haunt me forever. I will make sure you don't forget as well, which is if you survive." He pushed the blade deeper into my flesh.
I cried.
"I happened to take over a gang here in Paris. Luck was on my side because I saw you in the mall with your fucking husband." He continued, "And I knew it was time to do the unexpected. What kind of husband do you have, Autumn? He didn't even share the important news of me escaping from his clutches to you. If he did, you would have been alert. Oh, it reminds me. I taught you well. You fought nicely in the elevator. If I didn't give you the drug, you would have even killed me."
"Lennox Gibian..." I hissed in pain because the blade was still in my skin. I said sternly, "I swear, I will kill you with my bare hands."
He let out a hysterical laugh. "Women are weaker than men. You won't even be alive to kill me."
"I wi��ah!" He pressed a button and I was electrocuted again. My whole body trembled.
"I have to make sure no one finds you this time. I gotta go." He pulled the blade out of my arm. I shrieked at his movement. He said, "See you later, my favorite student."
Lennox got out of the room. I stared at the closed door. I was definitely in the basement.
I continued crying. My arm was bleeding. But the pain was more emotional than physical.
Why couldn't Aubree or Ian just shoot and end him? Why did Ian hide the truth?
Even if there was a reason, Lennox was related to my past. I deserved to know.
Ian would come to save me. I knew that. But I just hope he didn't come before it was too late. Because this time, Lennox wanted revenge along with the gang.
I remembered the conversation we had that day when I was safe in Ian's arms.
"I heard Lennox coming to train Lia. The thought of seeing him again made me petrified." I let my tears out. "I don't want to see his face again. Thank god, Ev caught him. If Lennox tortures me again, I will just kill myself."
"Don't ever say that, Autumn," he snapped. "Just promise me one thing. If under any circumstances, you get in trouble, you won't lose hope. You will wait for me to come."
"What if I cannot tolerate it?"
"You just have to trust me."
"I promise." I added, "I have nothing to worry about as long as you are here."
The tears continued streaming like a river through my eyes. I had to trust Ian. He would come and save me. After all, he saw me getting kidnapped.
All I could hope was Ian controlling his patience. He couldn't think properly if he wasn't calm. And if he didn't think properly, it would be my dead body on the floor instead of me in his arms.
My heart started beating rapidly at the thought of Ian. How would he find me? The Silver or the Shadow wasn't here. It was just the mafia king and queen having their own vacation.
My worst fear came true. Lennox was released and he would make sure that I didn't get out of this place at any cost.
I usually wear my watch that has a tracker in it. It was only today that I wore a bracelet with my jeans and top. Everything had to go wrong today.
Was this a way of Montez giving me punishment before I started moving on in my life? Or was this a sign of me leaving Ian's life forever?
Was this the end before we even had a beginning?