Rescue Mission
She was securely held by Arthur's arms, which, while not overly massive or bulky, possessed a terrifying, immense physical strength.
Stella, who absolutely hadn't eaten a single bite of food for two agonizing days and was currently incredibly weak, suddenly felt a massive, undeniable force she completely couldn't resist holding her securely against the freezing wind.
She absolutely hadn't had this kind of intense, physical contact with a man for many long years.
The only male she had ever had close, trusting contact with before was her beloved father, the legendary lock-picking master John Bridger.
The low, commanding voice of the man holding her right now was clearly, undeniably not Charlie Croker's familiar tone.
He was also significantly taller and vastly broader than Charlie.
Although Stella hadn't had much extensive contact with Charlie's loyal companions, her highly intelligent mind clearly remembered their general builds and heights from their brief meetings.
After quickly, frantically running through their physical profiles in her exhausted mind, she was soon absolutely certain.
It is definitively not Charlie or any of his heavy-hitting companions!
This mysterious person's towering height is much closer to Steve's imposing build.
Pressed tightly against him to survive the sheer drop, she could clearly feel his incredibly dense, well-defined muscles through his dark tactical clothing.
Stella absolutely wasn't sure if her current, overwhelming physical weakness was entirely due to not eating for so long,
Or if it was completely because she was being held so effortlessly by this powerful stranger as they plummeted down the dark cliff face.
She only felt her exhausted heart beating violently against her ribs right now.
Even her pale, dirt-streaked cheeks had miraculously become somewhat flushed and hot under the freezing night air.
"Who exactly are you?"
Stella finally found her dry voice and asked, the wind whipping her dark hair wildly around her face.
She was being held securely by him, and at this exact, terrifying moment, he was incredibly, skillfully kicking off the jagged cliff face to control their rapid descent in a series of flawless, calculated leaps.
Seeing through the darkness that they were absolutely only a few mere meters from the solid ground below, the terrified heart that had been lodged firmly in Stella's throat finally, slowly settled back down into her chest.
Arthur absolutely didn't answer her frantic question; his highly intelligent, tactical mind knew perfectly well it wasn't time to blindly pop the champagne just yet.
They absolutely had to successfully escape the lethal kill zone and reach a secure, safe location first.
Only then would it be the proper time to celebrate their survival.
Bang!
Furious cursing and loud, aggressive shouting could suddenly be heard echoing from the top of the cliff far above, and blinding beams from tactical flashlights started frantically shining down into the void.
Completely ignoring the highly dangerous fact that they were absolutely still two or three meters above the hard, rocky ground, Arthur directly, violently untied the heavy rappelling rope binding him and Stella to the cliff.
Then he simply leaped the rest of the way and landed flawlessly on the ground, his heavy tactical boots absorbing the massive kinetic impact with superhuman ease.
"Ah!"
Falling abruptly from a height made Stella cry out involuntarily in sudden terror.
Although Arthur was understandably somewhat repulsed by the strange, suffocating smell lingering heavily on her body right now, a man's primal, protective instinct absolutely still made him hold her incredibly tight and shield her from the impact.
He flawlessly ensured Stella didn't get hurt or even bruised during the sudden, heavy drop.
"Watch out!"
The absolute moment they landed securely, Arthur grabbed Stella's arm, sprinted a few frantic, heavy steps, and violently pushed her behind the thick trunk of a massive pine tree for cover.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Deafening gunfire immediately followed, and a lethal, massive hail of high-caliber bullets rained aggressively down from the angry mercenaries at the top of the cliff.
The heavy rounds continuously, violently pierced through the thick trunks of several trees in the surrounding dark woods, sending lethal wooden splinters flying everywhere.
Arthur remained perfectly still, his broad body shielding hers, and waited patiently until the suppressing gunfire from above finally thinned out as the shooters reloaded.
Only then did he aggressively grab Stella's trembling hand again.
"It is absolutely not time to relax yet. Excuse me!"
With that sharp, sudden warning, one of Arthur's muscular arms aggressively grabbed Stella's slender waist.
The sudden, terrifying feeling of weightlessness made Stella cry out in genuine surprise once again.
She completely didn't even have the necessary time to express any vocal dissatisfaction or fear,
Before she felt herself being violently picked completely off the ground again by the towering man who had just saved her life.
Then, exactly as if he were a literal, superhuman machine, he carried her effortlessly through the dense, dark night at an absolutely unimaginable, terrifying speed, his heavy boots crushing the underbrush as he quickly, flawlessly put a massive distance between them and the lethal cliff edge.
Thump, thump, thump!
Stella subconsciously hugged his broad shoulders vastly tighter; this desperate, clinging action allowed her to physically feel his powerful, steady heartbeat even more clearly through his tactical vest.
His raw stamina is incredibly terrifying!
His physical fitness is absolutely, undeniably extraordinary!
Stella was entirely still in a heavy, exhausted daze and genuinely didn't know exactly how long she had been carried through the dark, suffocating forest.
She only felt herself being gently, finally placed back onto the solid ground again, and then the mysterious man's low, commanding voice sounded directly in her ear.
"Wait securely for me right here for a brief moment!"
She subconsciously reached her trembling hand out to a nearby tree trunk, heavily leaning her utterly weak, exhausted body against the rough bark for physical support.
Soon, a deep, powerful buzzing sound came from the shadows not far away.
Stella's pale expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously used the heavy tree to force herself to stand up straight, her tired eyes scanning the gloom.
Then she saw a massive, sleek, high-performance motorcycle arriving smoothly right beside her!
"Get on!"
It was the exact same, low voice of the highly capable man who had just violently saved her from Steve's clutches!
Stella's miraculous, impossible ability to successfully escape from Steve's fortified luxury villa tonight was absolutely, entirely thanks to this imposing man's flawless actions.
Although she genuinely couldn't be absolutely sure exactly who he was beneath the mask, it was undeniably clear he bore her absolutely no lethal ill will.
So, Stella didn't hesitate for a single second to swing her leg over and it exhausted on the back seat of the heavy motorcycle.
Then, the towering figure quickly handed her a sleek, dark helmet.
"Put it on securely!"
"Okay!"
Stella took the heavy helmet with shaking hands and quickly, obediently strapped the protective gear onto her head.
She subconsciously wrapped her slender arms tightly around his broad waist, her hands locking over his stomach, and soon physically confirmed her previous, stunning guess.
Through the thin, dark layer of his tactical clothing, Stella could clearly, undeniably feel it.
Beneath those dark clothes, eight incredibly powerful, rock-hard abdominal muscles were perfectly, flawlessly formed.
Along directly with them, the dense, thick muscles on both sides of the man's lower back and ribs were incredibly well-defined, flexing powerfully as he balanced the heavy bike.
At this exact, quiet moment in the dark, Stella suddenly, desperately really wanted to physically see for herself.
What the rugged face hidden first by the terrifying tactical bandit mask, and now completely obscured by his dark motorcycle helmet, actually looked like.
She had organically developed a profound, intense interest in this mysterious man who had flawlessly saved her life and undeniably possessed such terrifying, amazing physical fitness.
"Hold on tight!"
With Arthur's sharp, final warning, the massive motorcycle soon erupted into the night with a terrifying, deafening roar of raw speed.
Stella was nearly violently thrown completely off the back by the motorcycle's sudden, massive acceleration and immediately, subconsciously hugged his muscular waist significantly tighter, burying her helmet into his broad back.
The heavy bike completely didn't have its front headlights on to avoid drawing any federal attention.
But Arthur, relying flawlessly on his supernaturally incredible night vision and heightened reflexes, quickly and aggressively drove the motorcycle forward along the dark, treacherous mountain road.
Before long, they successfully, safely reached the massive, paved state highway.
Only then did Arthur securely turn on the motorcycle's bright front headlights, and absolutely instead of slowing down on the asphalt, he aggressively went faster and faster.
He pushed the roaring engine to a staggering speed of well over a hundred and fifty miles per hour, slicing through the cool night air, and drove at this terrifying, high speed for a massive distance.
After constantly checking his mirrors and flawlessly confirming there were absolutely no suspicious vehicles or federal pursuers behind them, Arthur gradually, smoothly slowed the heavy bike down and finally picked a small, obscure dirt path to aggressively turn into.
Eventually, after traveling dozens of grueling miles further away from the city, the roaring motorcycle finally stopped near a quiet, desolate, neon-lit motel.
"We're here!"
Parking the heavy motorcycle securely in the dark shadows of the motel's empty parking area, Arthur absolutely still didn't take off his dark helmet.
He whispered softly to Stella, who was still hugging his waist incredibly tightly, her body trembling slightly from the adrenaline crash, "Exactly after your violent escape tonight, Steve will highly likely be aggressively watching your private home and your company building for a long while."
"Tonight, we will completely stay off the grid at this quiet motel."
"Tomorrow morning, I will securely take you to a safe, untraceable place."
Stella didn't refuse or argue in the slightest. "Okay!"
Since she had been violently, abruptly kidnapped by Steve's ruthless men yesterday morning,
Although she absolutely hadn't been sexually assaulted or permanently maimed by the sociopathic Steve, he had physically and mentally tortured her plenty.
In two agonizing days, Stella absolutely hadn't eaten a single, solid bite of food, only surviving by drinking a few meager cups of cold water forced down her throat.
Moreover, Steve was exactly like a complete, sadistic pervert.
Most of the agonizing time, she was either tied violently to a heavy bed, entirely unable to move a single inch, or tied aggressively up in the opulent dining room, forced to watch him eat lavish, expensive meals while she starved.
She even had the profound, degrading humiliation of having to take care of her basic, bodily needs right there in the chair.
Not to strategically mention Arthur's enhanced senses ,Stella herself knew perfectly well exactly how foul and disgusting she smelled right now.
So she desperately, absolutely needed a quiet, secure place to settle in for the night.
A scalding hot bath to scrub the nightmare away, some solid food to stop her shaking, and then a long, deep, unbroken sleep.