14

<<Aiden>>
I walked into the abandoned building the GPS on Yena's phone directed me to. It's not surprising if someone would want to do a kidnap work here. It was already midnight when I arrived at the factory.
Racing against time, Aiden gathered his wits and courage to launch an unplanned rescue mission. With steely determination in his eyes, he set out to find the twins and their nanny, vowing to stop at nothing to bring them back home safely. He wanted to see Ryan smile.
The abandoned factory was on the outskirts of town, where they were safe from prying eyes. Little did they know that Aiden was already hot on their trail, his heart filled with a father's love and a hero's courage which he didn't know.
The moon cast an eerie glow over the desolate factory, Aiden stealthily approached the building, his every sense heightened with adrenaline. He knew that he had to act quickly and decisively to outwit the kidnappers and rescue Ryan loved ones.
Creeping through the shadows, Aiden spotted a lone figure standing guard at the entrance to the warehouse. With silent precision, he approached from behind and swiftly subdued the unsuspecting kidnapper, rendering him unconscious with a swift blow.
Moving quickly, Aiden made his way inside the warehouse, his heart racing as he searched for any sign of Rya, Dela, and Yena. The air was thick with tension as he cautiously navigated the dimly lit corridors, his senses alert for any danger that may lie ahead.
Finally, he heard muffled cries coming from a nearby room and his heart leaped with hope. Bursting through the door, Aiden's eyes swept the room until they landed on two kids with a girl slightly younger than Ryan tied to a chair and struggling to get off. The girl had a glint of fear in her eyes while the children had a ray of hope that Aiden was the good guy that is going to save them.
Aiden glanced at the three people in front of him and untied them. While untying them, more men came into the room. Aiden sighed and turned to hit him but the man dodged the blow.
"Watch it man," The man said
"Who are you? Why would you kidnap innocent children and their nanny? Have you no shame?" Aiden asked, frowning.
"Jeez. Well, how is that even your business?" He replied in a disdainful manner.
Aiden looked at his phone and signed. "You can come in,"
Ten men dressed in black came into the building and surrounded the man. He smiled mischievously and pulled put his gun. Before he could cock the gun, he was kicked on his knee and shouted in horror. His hand was immediately twisted, the gun snatched from him while he was tackled to the ground. He screamed in horror, holding his leg in pain.
The kids huddled against one another and watched in horror. Aiden moved closer to them and patted their head.
"Do you watch your cartoons?" He asked and they both nodded.
"Are they the bad guys in them?" Dela asked, pointing to the men.
"No. Those guys on black, are the good guys. The one on the floor holding his knee, that's the bad guy," he smiled at them.
Aiden signaled to two of his men to untie the kids and lady. The lady was mute throughout. She seem to be thinking about something. She stared at Aiden in surprise but said nothing. Aiden noticed her staring and gave her a reassuring smile without thinking much of it.
Then men untied them all and the Ray ran to meet Yena, while Dela stayed close to Aiden.
"Now guys, take him to the basement and make surd he tells you who sent him," Aiden said with a straight face.
The man was still in pain while being dragged out of the factory. Aiden frowned. The man was really an amateur.
"Thank you so much Sir," Yena declared gratefully but looked tired.
"No worries. You're safe now. You should thank Ryan," he replied.
"What about her? Is she fine?" Yena inquired, looking up to him with an interrogative gaze.
"Yeah, she's waiting for you all at home." Then he turned to the kids. "Are you ready to meet your mummy?"
The kids were elated. Aiden could tell they were tired as they drove. This kids were just five but thought this kidnap phase was just another adventure in one of their cartoons. The car was silent till they entered the mansion. Once they were inside, he carefully carried Dela while Yena carried Ray. As if knowing there were coming to his house, Yena asked no questions and just tagged behind Aiden.
Once there were inside the manor, because they were all tired, not even the kids or Yena could admire the view. Once the kids were tucked to bed, Aiden turned to Yena.
"I'll take you to your room now," He said.
Yena smiled softly. "Thank you for saving us sir. It was really hectic for the kids and I, and I'll prefer to stay here with them to watch them," She replied and Aiden nodded.
Aiden just nodded. "I'll let Ryan know you and the kids are back," He plainly said and left the room.
He went to Ryan's room and knocked once. When he didn't hear any reply, he opened the door and went in.
"Ryan?" He called out. He was met with silence. He searched the room and there was no sign of Ryan. And at the point, Queen walked into the room with a panicked expression.
"Where is Ryan?" He asked
At the mention of Ryan, Queen panicked even more.
"Speak to me," He commanded.
"She...she..she went out in rage. She was saying that since you couldn't save her children, she'd do it herself," She blurted out.
Aiden jaw dropped. He started making for the door.
"Where are you going to?" She questioned.
"Well, no person living in this mansion would be left outside by this time. Especially if the person is a female," He said and walked out.
Queen smacked her lips in annoyance. "This isn't going as planned,''

Meanwhile....
Ryan walked as far as her legs could carry her and cried. She wanted to run but the weather was too cold for something like that. Although she was wearing a draping Cardigan, she was still very cold. She couldn't feel her feet anymore and couldn't support her body from dropping to the ground. She waited for the pain that followed but none came. Instead, she was held by strong warm arms.
She looked up and whispered in confusion.
"Damien?" She asked and blacked out