I felt numb.

My body didn't feel like mine.

I could barely lift a finger.

And then my eyes.. fluttering open, my vision blurry at first and then my eyes connected with the light in the room.

I flinched, trying to get up but even if I tried a million times it felt so impossible.

The son of a gun beat me up pretty bad.

Where the hell am I?

I tried getting up again but ended up wincing in pain when the flood of pain came rushing in.

I groaned inwardly, couldn't find my voice any longer. I felt totally helpless.

My head was filled with a lot of thoughts.

For example who did this to me?

How long have I been here?

Why am I here?

Oh Dante!

Dante is waiting for me.

Oh God! How long has he been waiting?

Someone get me out of here please.

The croaking sound of the door and scraping sound of metal on the floor almost made me jump out of my skin.

I shut my eyes immediately, pretending to be asleep when I heard footsteps coming closer to where my form was laid across the floor.

Silence hit the room but just for tiny few seconds until I felt the splash of water hit my face.

I was shivering like a monkey shaved of every inch of hair on it's skin, left in some place as cold as Alaska to die.

The tall man in front of me was laughing hysterically while I was lying on the floor, my body shaking like crazy and my lips trembling.

I felt helpless.

Oh so helpless.

"Hello sunshine." the man said in his husky voice before bringing out a cigarette, lighting it immediately, taking a long drag and then released the smoke that almost made me choke to death.

Death.

At this point I think that might be inevitable.

He stared at me for a while as if deliberating what to do with me next.

The darkness in his eyes scared the shit out of every bone in my body.

He bent down, the cigarette still in his hand then he stared at my now almost ripped apart cropped tee. His eyes especially wouldn't move away from my breasts.

I tried to scream, to flee, when his hands started grabbing my breasts.

The bastard growled as he found pleasure in my pain and I felt suddenly sick in my stomach.

I couldn't move, couldn't find my voice and couldn't control it when I puked all over the bastard.

A scowl formed on his face as he took in the content all over him and then he saw the smug smile playing on my lips.

Serves you right you son of a bitch!

"You stupid slut." he growled before landing a hard kick on my stomach.

I felt the air leave my body.

He didn't stop.

Instead he continued until my body couldn't take it anymore and the next thing I knew, black dots were forming in my vision and I was there, lying there helplessly almost lifeless until all I saw was pitch black.

----------------------------------------------------------

(DANTE'S POV)

I felt my sanity almost being tossed off the cliff.

I was going freaking insane.

Ria was nowhere found for about a month now. We searched the whole of freaking LA and still she wasn't found.

It's been a month.

A whole freaking month!

Who knows who the hell took her and what the hell they've done to my Ria?

The thought scared every living cell in my body.

The thought of any harm happening to Ria tore my insides apart.

Since she went missing I haven't been eating or sleeping. I just couldn't. Not when I knew my Ria was somewhere alone and hurting.

The police stopped searching after a month had passed, giving lame ass excuses.

I almost punched one of them in the face when he said she might be dead as that was usually the case for most people declared missing.

I was going crazy as each torturous day went by without my love.

Without my Ria.

I was in my office in our home, raking my hair with my hands in frustration.

Our home.

It didn't feel so much like home since she was gone.

Every part of the house reminded me of her, of the memories we shared and it hurt like hell.

I had just gotten off the phone with the private investigators I hired but the feedback had been negative as usual.

I flung my phone across the room in anger and my eyes almost flew out of it's sockets when I saw Kayla dodge the hit, the phone landing on the other side of the wall and shattering on the floor.

Relief flooded through my veins and I wiped my face with my palms.

Kayla and Shawn entered my office and they made sure to look around as if wondering if something else was about to fly and hit them on the head.

"Woahhhh buddy! Your office does look like a pile of mess." Shawn observed.

Kayla sighed and that was when I realized I wasn't the only one looking like a mess.

When I took in my reflection in the mirror after washing up that morning, the dark circles under my eyes were staring right back at me. My skin had lost it's color, in short I looked like a total mess but it didn't bother me a bit.

Finding Ria was the only thing that still kept me sane. The only thing that still kept me alive.

Kayla walked to where I was and dragged me into a hug, patting my back as if reassuring not only me but herself as well.

She pulled back and I saw the eye bags under her eyes.

She hasn't been sleeping.

"She is a fighter Dante. She will be found and I strongly believe that." she choked before sobbing quietly.

I looked up at Shawn whose face was wearing a hurt look and he came to hug his girlfriend, placing kisses in her hair and muttering comforting words.

I was there on my feet, my mind going back to Ria and thinking of all she must be going through.

I felt my chest tighten in pain.

Kayla excused herself after nagging at me, emphasizing how I looked like shit and I almost scoffed because she looked exactly the same. She told me I needed my strength to find Ria and how Ria would be so devastated if she saw me like this.

So she excused herself from my office to make dinner for us all.

That moment I realized I respected her even more.

When she found out Ria was missing, she had cut her trip short and flew back home immediately. She had been so heartbroken and it had been really hard to watch her break down.

Shawn took his seat opposite mine and we discussed about the search for Ria.

"We will find her soon. I hired the best trackers from Asia. It's their job and their ratings are pretty impressive. I know we will find her." he reassured.

"Thank you Shawn. It means a lot." and I meant it. He had been of great help since the whole thing happened and I would never forget.

"How's Kayla holding up? With what I saw, she doesn't look so good."

He sighed, hurt evident in his eyes.

"She's strong. She will be fine. Everyone is hurting and finding Ria is the only solution."

I nodded in understanding.

"You remember my friend Ashton Lazer?"

I nodded and wondered why Shawn brought up his name.

From what I remembered, he was quite smitten by Ria and I never liked him or having him around her.

"Well I don't know if you know this but he joined the Air Force. I told him what happened to Ria and he will be coming down here soon with all the help he can come up with." he paused before speaking.

"Will you be okay with that?"

"He's trying to help and honestly at this point we need all the help we can gather so please tell him I'm grateful."

Shawn smiled and Kayla called us to have dinner.

My stomach cheered as I took every single bite.

When last did I have a proper meal?

"Thank you for doing this Kayla."

"Stop it Dante. Just eat and build up your strength."

I gave her a tight smile and she packed up the dishes to clean up after we ate even after my several protests.

"Did you speak to your Papa?" Shawn finally asked when we were alone again.

My jaw tightened at the mention of my father.

"For what?"

He sighed before speaking.

"You know how powerful your father is. He might be our strongest card in all these."

"I'm not asking him for help." I said through gritted teeth.

"I know how strained your relationship is with him but like you said we need all the help we can get. I think you should talk to him."

"As if he's going to help." I muttered.

"Try first."

After they left I did a lot of thinking.

Should I swallow my pride and ask my father for help?

But then what is pride if getting my pride stepped on is the only solution to having Ria back in my arms where she belongs?

I closed my eyes and groaned in frustration.

Ria's smiling face appearing in my vision. She looked so happy and I felt the longing deep in my heart.

I opened my eyes and the images of her were all gone.

I was determined to get her back at all costs.

Pride be damned.

I took out my other cellphone and dialed my father's number.

He didn't pick up his phone and I groaned in frustration.

I tried again and again but the results were still the same.

I guess I'll have to go to him myself because that is exactly what he wants.

I fished out my car keys and drove all the way to my parents home.

Immediately the car came to a halt in front of my parent's home I didn't wait a second before striding to his office where I knew he definitely would be.

I opened the two large doors and my father was there, right behind his desk with his back to me.

"And to what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

He turned around in his seat and I almost rolled my eyes.

With every last drop of force I could gather, I closed my eyes and muttered the four words I never thought in all my twenty-eight years of existence that I would say to my father.

"I need your help."