The Contracted Stripper

The tension in the room was palpable as the door burst open, and the police officers stormed inside, guns drawn.Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.

“Freeze!” they shouted in unison, their voices echoing against the walls. “Hands in the air, where I can see them!”

The bald man, who had been just inches away from undressing Ivy, froze. His eyes bore into hers for a long, uncomfortable moment before he slowly climbed off the bed. The room was thick with silence as he lifted his hands in surrender.

A police officer cautiously stepped forward, his eyes never leaving the man’s form as he patted him down, searching for any hidden weapons or illegal items. After a few moments, the officer shook his head. “Clean,” he muttered, stepping back.

“Put your clothes back on,” another officer ordered, his voice firm but calm.

The bald man did as he was told, slowly pulling on his shirt and pants. The officers didn’t take their eyes off him for a second, their guns still pointed directly at him. Once he was fully dressed, they snapped handcuffs around his wrists and shoved him towards the door.

“Move,” one officer commanded, pushing him forward.

Ivy, still shaken by the close call, rushed into Ryan’s arms the moment the man was out of the room. She clung to him tightly, burying her face in his chest as her body trembled from the adrenaline.

“You’re safe now,” Ryan whispered into her hair, his hand gently rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her.

Luca followed behind, his face grim as they made their way out of the hotel, trailing the police car that carried the bald man to the station. Ivy sat in the back of Ryan’s car, her mind racing with everything that had just happened.

But there was one thing that nagged at the bald man’s phone had been ringing non-stop ever since the police had arrested him. Whoever was calling him wasn’t giving up.

Once they arrived at the police station, the man was taken in for questioning. Ryan and Luca stood behind the glass, watching as the officers tried to get information out of him. But the man remained tight-lipped, refusing to say a word. His expression was blank, his eyes cold and detached.

One of the officers eventually grew frustrated and stormed out of the interrogation room, shaking his head. “He’s not talking,” he muttered to Ryan and Luca. “We checked his phone, though. There are some suspicious messages-one of them is identical to the one you found on Bella’s phone.”

Ryan’s brows furrowed at the mention of Bella. The puzzle pieces were starting to come together, but he still didn’t have the full picture. “What else did you find?” he asked, his voice low.

“Several other messages, all encrypted, but nothing concrete that we can use to identify who’s behind this,” the officer replied.

Ryan exchanged a glance with Luca. They both knew that if the police couldn’t get answers, they had other means at their disposal. “Can you release him to us?” Ryan asked, his tone sharp with purpose.

The officer looked hesitant for a moment but then nodded. “Just don’t make it official,” he warned. “We’ll let him walk, but after that, he’s on your hands.”

Later that night, Ryan and Luca dragged the bald man into an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. His hands were bound, and his feet shuffled across the dirty floor as they pushed him toward a single chair in the middle of the room.

“Sit,” Luca barked, shoving him into the chair.

Ryan walked around the man in slow, deliberate circles, his eyes never leaving him. “You’re going to answer our questions,” Ryan said calmly. “Or things are going to get very unpleasant for you.”

The man’s face remained emotionless. “You think I’m scared of you?” he scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt.

Ryan stopped circling and leaned in close, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. “I don’t need you to be scared. I just need you to talk.”

When the man remained silent, Ryan motioned to Luca, who pulled a bag from the corner of the room. Inside were various tools, each one designed to inflict pain in creative ways. The bald man’s eyes widened slightly at the sight, a flicker of fear finally crossing his face.

“Those aren’t meant for me, are they?” he asked, his voice shaky for the first time.

Ryan smirked. “Finally, you speak,” he said, stepping closer. “They don’t have to be for you. That’s up to you.”

The man clenched his jaw, his eyes darting between the tools and Ryan’s cold expression. “What do you want?” he muttered.

“Who are you working for?” Ryan demanded, his voice icy and controlled.

The man’s lips pressed into a tight line, refusing to answer. Ryan glanced at Luca, giving him a silent nod. Without hesitation, Luca picked up a pair of pliers and moved toward the man’s hand, gripping his pinky finger tightly.

“Last chance,” Luca growled. “Who sent you?”

Silence.

The sound of bone snapping echoed through the warehouse as the man let out a blood-curdling scream. His pinky finger hit the floor with a sickening thud, blood gushing from his hand.

“Stop! Stop!” the man cried, his voice filled with panic as he writhed in pain.

Ryan crouched in front of him, his face a mask of calm indifference. “All you have to do is talk,” he said softly. “Who sent you? Who are you working for?”

The man gasped, his breath coming in shallow, ragged bursts. “I… I don’t know who they are!” he finally spat out, his voice trembling. “They don’t tell me anything. I just follow orders.”

“Whose orders?” Luca pressed, his grip tightening on the pliers.

“I swear, I don’t know!” the man whimpered. “They contact me through an encrypted phone. I don’t even know their faces. I just do what they say.”

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “And what do they say?”

The man hesitated, clearly weighing his options before finally speaking. “I was supposed to keep an eye on someone… a woman. Pregnant. That’s all I know.”

Ivy’s eyes widened as she stood in the shadows, watching the scene unfold. Her mind immediately went to Iris-could this all be connected to her somehow? Her gut churned at the thought.

Ryan wasn’t done. “Why? What’s the plan? And what does this have to do with Bella?”

The man shook his head frantically. “I don’t know the full plan. Bella’s involved, sure, but she’s just one piece of it. They’re after something bigger, something to do with the child.”

Ryan exchanged a glance with Luca, tension thickening in the air. “What about the child?”

The man’s face paled. “I don’t know. All I know is that they want the baby… and

they’re willing to do anything to get it.”

Ryan’s fists clenched at his sides, his mind racing with possibilities. This was much bigger than they had anticipated, and the danger was far from over. If they were after the baby, Iris’s life and her child’s-were in imminent danger.

Ryan leaned in closer, his voice cold as ice. “Where are they taking the child?”

The man’s lips trembled as he finally broke under the pressure. “There’s a buyer. Overseas. That’s all I know, I swear!”

Ryan straightened up, his face expressionless as he turned to Luca. “We’re done here.”

Luca nodded and shoved the man’s chair, sending him sprawling onto the floor with a thud. The bald man groaned in pain, clutching his mutilated hand as blood continued to drip onto the cold concrete.

Ryan’s mind was already working through the next steps. They had to find Iris. Fast.

Back at the hideout…

Iris lay in the dimly lit room, weak and exhausted after giving birth. Her mind swam in a haze, the pain of labor still fresh in her body. She had been in and out of consciousness, barely aware of what was happening around her.

But one thing was clear: the baby was gone. She had only caught a brief glimpse before it was taken from her, and the emptiness in her arms felt like a gaping hole in her soul.

As she lay there, she could hear voices murmuring outside the door. Bella’s voice was unmistakable, cold, and calculating as she spoke with someone.

“The arrangements are made,” Bella said. “The buyer is ready, and the child will be gone by tomorrow.”

Iris’s heart pounded in her chest as fear gripped her. She had to do something. She had to get her baby back.

But in her weakened state, she didn’t know how.

She only knew one thing-if Bella got her way, she might never see her child again.