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

get Rachel, the fire was small. It had only been burning up to the door of the banquet hall. Now, after the short moment that they had spent upstairs, everything on the

been on the windows had

now engulfed in flames. Choking on the smoke, Michael fell back in shock. Coughing, he

hold on Jack and said softly, "Put me

her stand on her feet. Holding onto his arm to maintain her balance, she said, "We have to go

poured over here, but it ignites upon contact with fire. The three men upstairs

that everything outside was now surely in flames. There was

run back up the stairs. A worse fate awaited

go through the flames now.

nodded. Without another word, Jack lifted Rachel off the floor. Together, the three rushed up

annoyance, Rachel could not help but blush. She knew what she was feeling was highly inappropriate at the moment. In an attempt to hide her

happening? Why was she feeling this

walked as fast as he could with her in his arms. When she pressed her face against

conscious now and

simply ignored him

they found themselves at the entrance to the most conspicuous balcony. Shards of glass, from the window they had broken, were scattered on the floor. Jack and Michael carefully made their way past the sea of glass and approached the

truck sirens from a distance. Outside the villa, a crowd

where they stood was some distance away. The crowd could not easily see them, and there was no

hurriedly took out his phone and called

where they stood. Choking and with watery

that Jack had been holding her this whole

low

supported her back with his left hand until she could steady herself. When it

the situation they were in or for some other unknown reason, but Jack's thoughtful gestures

him that Rachel had been found. He

her narrow escape. The palm of her hand still hurt slightly. When she turned to look at it,

her swollen ankle, Jack was alarmed. He asked, "What happened to

successfully left the villa. She was the only one who

her head and looked at her hand. She said,

How careless of her!

away, and no one had known that she was still here, she might have perished in

not find words to express his

it now. Without a word, he held her. Feeling nervous, she struggled

and steadied her. "Your feet hurt. You can lean

among the 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

phone as he held it to his ear. When he noticed the nervous

is Lea. How is Rachel? I want to

were leaning against each other. He cleared his throat and handed Rachel the phone. "Your friend