Chapter 5- Prisoner
2293 Words
Scarlett
"You!"
My eyes shot open and I quickly sat up, my forehead covered in sweat This was not my bed. This was definitely not my room, I decided after a quick assessment of my surroundings. It was a plushly decorated room in creams.
Definitely not my all white room!
But then where was I? What was happening?
I was glad that my memory hasn't deserted me like they show in movies because I remember exactly what happened. What I don't remember is how I ended up here? Whatever place this was. From what I could gather it seemed like a hotel room. But whose room was it? I glanced down to find myself fully clothed and instantly relief flooded through me.
As I sat trying to figure things out, the bedroom door opened making me almost jump. A guy entered the room muttering to himself and his eyes widened then rolled towards heaven as he spotted me.
"Ah! Perfetto!" He muttered. "The devil's up,"
"You!" I growled.
I remembered him. How can I not? He was after all the last person I saw before someone knocked me out. Damn, my head hurts now that I think about it. And he was the guy I saw with Duke Collins earlier that day. And he was definitely the one who killed the Nate guy with his bare hands. Just like that.
"Trust me the feeling is mutual," He grimaced. "I am Mario by the way,"
"What did you do to me?" I demanded.
"Knocked you out. I thought you might have figured that out," He replied plainly. "That's what happens when you go about snooping in other people's business,"
"You killed that guy!" I snapped. "Let me go or I will call the cops and tell them everything you did,"
"That's why I wanted you dead!" He half sighed-half threatened. 'There's no way I am dealing with you after no sleep all night. I am going to get boss, stay right here,"
Before I could say anything he was outta door leaving me bewildered and crazed. If he can kill someone without a hint of regret I don't even want to know what his boss would be like. I had to do something. I was not going to die in the hands of some serial killer cult out on a killing spree.
I looked around and my eyes landed at the lamp on the bedside table. This won't be much but I had to try. Grabbing the lamp, I climbed down the bed and quietly squatted behind the door. If I take the boss guy by surprise he can't defend himself. Then, I will run and scream the place down until the cops come along.
Good. This idea might work!
The door opened not two minutes later and taking the cue, I launched myself at the guy. However, to my horror he grabbed my arm roughly in the blink of an eye and with his right hand jerked me back bringing down my own hand around my neck in a choke hold. The lamp clambered on the floor with a thud.
"Let me go!" I screamed, struggling against his hold and pushing against his body.
"If I were you, I wouldn't do that," A strong voice said that instantly stopped me from shoving.
I knew this voice. It was very familiar. I whirled around and came face to face with my captivator. What the hell...
"Duke," I said, feeling both surprised and yet somehow not.
"My name is not Duke," He said. "Now, sit!" He pointed with his chin towards the bed.
"Let me go!" I hissed.
"I said, sit down," His voice was deadpan yet menacing and seeing no other alternative I obliged.
I couldn't fight him. That would be the dumbest idea ever. For one he was way too tall, probably 6'2 or 6'3 and even though he was on the leaner side, he was very strong, the veins- showing- taut muscles- strong. I didn't stand a chance. And somehow he scared me as well.
"Who are you?" I demanded quietly.
"I am not Duke Collins. My name is Dominico Elia Moretti," He replied, sitting down on the armchair in front of me. "Drink," I eyed the mug in his hand curiously and then looked away. Like in hell I would drink that, whatever it was.
"Why doesn't that surprise me," I muttered under my breathe.
"You can call me Elia," He said, ignoring the comment.
"I don't have to call you anything. I just want to go home!" I cried. "Let me go. What am I doing here?"
He eyed me with his dark predator like eyes and I looked away. It was unnerving and frankly intimidating and I didn't like it.
"You can't go home," He answered after what felt like an eternity.
What?
"Excuse me?" I exclaimed. "Are you crazy or what?"
"You saw something last night...something that you weren't supposed to see," He said, his voice calm and composed. "And now there will be obvious consequences,"
"Yes, your people killing an innocent," I spat, cutting him off. "I did see that,"
"You're a witness," He said, again ignoring my comment. "And we can't afford witnesses. We don't. It's against our rules,"
"Then kill me," I snapped. "Why am I not dead yet? Go ahead, kill me,"
"I don't want to kill you," He replied.
"Gee, thanks!" I hissed. "I saved your goddamn life and this is how you thank me? Knocking me down and bringing me to God knows what place this is, telling me I can't go back home!"
"Yes, this is how I am thanking you," He growled. "By saving your life. If I wanted you dead, you would have been dead. Period. I am trying to help you here, do you understand?"
"Help me how?" I asked.
"You are coming with us," He declared.
"Coming with you were exactly?" I demanded.
He eyed me long and hard as if weighing his words. I stared back at him, waiting. It was so hard to decipher what he was thinking. His deadly attractive face gave nothing away. So instead I turned my focus to his defined biceps and veiny arms visible because of the loose vest he wore and majority of which was inked.
"To Amalfi," He replied at last.
My jaw dropped open as his words registered my mind. I begged inwardly that he didn't mean what I was thinking. Because if it was then my death was eminent.
"Amalfi..." I squeaked. "Amalfi as in Amalfi Coast, Italy?"
"Precisely," He nodded.
"So you're suggesting that I move to Italy with you?" I said, trying to alter the meaning of this sentence. As if saying it out loud will change everything.
"I am not suggesting anything, Scarlett," He said quietly. "You are coming with us,"
"No!" I cried out. "No! No way. You're out of your f*****g mind!"
"That was not a request," He hissed. "In case you failed to understand,"
"I won't go anywhere with you," I snapped. "You can't make me!"
"I can and I will," He said, stalking towards me. "I am not going to jeopardize myself and my entire family for you,"
"Then just kill me," I hissed. "Because in case you fail to understand but I actually have a life here. I have my family, my job my everything...here. And you are suggesting that I freaking leave my life and go on a holiday with you? How inviting,"
"You don't have any other option," He said flatly, staring down at me.
"Yes, I have," I said. "You let me go and I swear on my mother I will never ever tell anybody anything. I swear. Just please let me go,"
"That's not possible," He answered. "The guy you saw was an FBI agent. They will track you down and track us from you. And if you think you can withheld anything from them then you are wrong. They will torture you until you break. Your life and anybody else's involved with you is not safe as long as you stay here,"
"You are lying!" I whispered, shocked at the tears that began to flow down. Shocked at situation that has risen just because I couldn't keep my snoopy nose out of others business.
"Your mother is in Maui with your aunt, right?" He said, staring out of the full length window.
I froze. How does he know that. What if....
"My mother!" I exclaimed. "What did you do to her! How do you know where she is?"
"Nothing," He answered. "She's safe and she will be as long as you agree to what I am saying. She lost your father right? Do you think she will be able to cope with the loss of her one and only daughter as well? If you stay here, you risk her life too,"
"She has nobody else," I sobbed. "It's just me. I can't leave her alone,"
"And dying will ensure that you leave her alone for good," He said. "Because if you don't agree to this I would have no other option but to eliminate you. The choice is yours,"
"I thought I didn't have a choice," I spat.
"You don't have the choice of getting out of this mess you have created for yourself and for us. You're knee deep in this s**t. But whether you want to live or die that's your choice," He replied.
"So many options," I grumbled under my breath. "Lucky me,"
"Make your choice Scarlett," Elia muttered. "It's not just about you anymore,"
I felt like someone has poured a bucket of ice water over me. I had two options- either I die or I leave everything behind and trust a complete stranger who go about killing people and move to an entirely different country with him. If I choose the former, mom would never forgive me. If I choose the later, I don't know what I was going to do then. What excuse will I give mom? What about my job? My career? Can I even trust him? Who was this Elia Moretti? But if I don't agree to his terms it will jeopardize my family's life. That was a risk I was not willing to take.
I was literally at crossroads with no reasonable way out. I felt like I was in a legit nightmare. Oh no, I was in a legit nightmare.
"How long will I need to be away?" I whispered after an eternity of silence.
"I don't know," He answered, lighting a cigarette. "It could be couple of weeks or months or maybe year...I have no idea,"
"And how do I know my mom will be safe here after I am gone?" I asked.
"I will make sure of that," He answered.
I sighed and wiped my eyes. The thought of not seeing my mother for months was killing me. But the thought of losing her for good...that was not an option.
"Why are you being," I paused, searching for a reasonable word. "So considerate,"
He turned to face me again and then stared at me with his unfathomable eyes, stowing the cigarette stub into the wastebasket nearby. I wondered what he was thinking. His weird going-all-silent-all-of-a-sudden attitude was frankly annoying and a bit unnerving. He was not predictable and that was what bugged me the most. It was what made him dangerous.
"Because you saved my life," He answered. "And I am indebted to you. So I can't bring myself to kill you,"
"So if I hadn't saved your life that day, I would probably be dead by now?" I asked, feeling disgusted.
"Probably," He nodded without any hint of guilt or shame.
"You are disgusting," I hissed.
"Suit yourself," He said. "And if you are done with your whining then we need to leave now,"
"Leave?" I cried. "I need to get my things. I have got nothing here and I need to leave my resignation at the hospital...talk to my mom,"
"Listen," He snapped, grabbing my arm with a jerk. "We don't have time for all this nonsense. Get yourself together and get going,"
"I need to go home," I said firmly, ignoring the pain in my hand. "I am not going anywhere before that,"
"Don't force me to do something I don't want to do," He growled.
"If you think I am going to do whatever comes out of that shitty mouth of yours than you are wrong," I retorted as gravely as I could.
"Don't push your luck," He whispered. "Scarlett,"
"Or what? You will kill me? r**e me? Do whatever filthy work you do?" I sneered, glaring at him. "Go ahead,"
He glared back at me, his dark eyes burning into mine. I stared back at him, holding my fort. If this is how things were going to be with him, I better start practicing to be equally defiant and rude. I was not going down without a fight. Not in hell.
"Ten," He hissed, almost chewing his words. "Ten minutes is all you will get and then I will drag you out of there myself and that won't be pretty,"
Hallelujah! I won!
"Okay," I nodded.
He glared at me a little more and then let go of my hand. I grimaced at the red welt that his grasp has made in my skin and felt like hitting him. I stared at his back as he threw orders at someone in Italian, wishing I knew how to speak the language myself. I wondered how one will say f**k you asshole in Italian because I really wanted to yell that at him.
Fuck you, asshole!
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A/n: Here's the Wednesday update guys! Hope you like it :)
- Writer
