Stuck in you

Jack kicked the man hard. He dropped onto the floor, writhing in pain.

Seeing this, Rachel was overcome with emotion. Jack approached, bent down, and removed the tape which covered her mouth.

Both of her hands were tied behind her back. With a straight face, Jack carefully but swiftly removed the shoelaces that bound her.

When the laces were removed, an overwhelming feeling of relief came over her. Her eyes welled up with tears.

She felt so lucky. Jack had come just in time.

She remembered how terrified she had been when the three men had said that they would leave her here to die.

She thought about the horrible reality of being thrown away like garbage and with no one knowing where she was.

After successfully freeing her, Jack helped her to her feet. Rachel croaked, "Thank you."

In a low voice, he said, "Seriously? Why so formal with me?"

Rachel opened her mouth and looked up only to find his sour face. He put his arm around her waist, and together, they walked toward Michael. That was when he noticed that something was wrong with her feet.

Frowning, he asked, "What's the matter with your feet?"

Rachel tried to rotate one foot, and a sharp pain shot up her body. It turned out that she had sprained her ankle.

Determined not to be a burden, she clenched her teeth and tried to move her foot again. It hurt even more than it had moments ago.

Awkwardly, she explained, "I think I sprained my ankle. It hurts too much. I can't walk."

Michael kicked the man who was on the floor. When he was sure that the man was unconscious, he turned his head. He saw Jack putting Rachel's arm around his neck and then carrying her with both arms.

Although he knew that it was inappropriate at the moment, Michael couldn't help but let out a loud whistle.

'That's my bro. Way to go, Jack!' he thought.

"Let's go," Jack said.

"Are we going back the way we came?" Michael asked.

Jack replied, "That's our only way out. The gate is locked."

He had found out, while they had been searching for Rachel, that there was no way to open the gate.

"Let's go downstairs first."

assailants on the floor. Jack, still carrying Rachel, headed down

to the door of the

black smoke billowed around them. All the curtains that had been on the windows had burned and fallen down,

was now engulfed in flames. Choking on the smoke, Michael fell back in shock. Coughing, he yelled, "Damn it! What the hell is this? How

hold on Jack and

down and letting her stand on her feet. Holding onto his arm to

said, "I don't know what they've poured over here, but it ignites upon contact with fire. The three men

surely in flames. There was

back up the stairs. A worse fate awaited

still possible to go through the flames now. Let's go

lifted Rachel off the floor.

blush. She knew what she was feeling was highly inappropriate at the moment. In an attempt to hide her flushed face, she

was she

he could with her in his arms. When she

men. One of the men was conscious now and

three simply ignored him and

conspicuous balcony. Shards of glass, from the window they had broken, were scattered on the floor. Jack

truck sirens from a distance. Outside the villa, a crowd had formed and was steadily

was some distance away. The crowd could not easily see them, and there

took out

up and reached them where they stood. Choking and with watery eyes, they had to move backward. The fire was

realizing that Jack had been holding

low

right arm down toward the floor and supported her back with his left hand until she could steady herself. When it was clear that she could stand without falling back down, he let her

were in or for some

reached Marcus, he informed him that Rachel had been found. He then

narrow escape. The palm of her hand still hurt slightly. When she turned to

asked, "What happened to you? You are

had successfully left the villa. She was the only

lowered her head and looked at her hand. She said,

How careless of her!

away, and no one had known that she

words to express

talk about it now. Without a

arms and steadied her. "Your

crowd downstairs. He and those with him breathed a sigh of relief. The fire truck had arrived. Upon learning that they were fine, Rick felt glad. It was as if

phone as he held it to his ear. When he noticed the nervous look in her eyes,

Rachel? I want to talk to

and Rachel, who were leaning against each other.