Love Between Wars

Episode Two

Glancing the suitcase in her hands, she wondered what was inside it. She was on the way to her apartment from visiting her sister. She found the suitcase in the hallway earlier. No one was around the place and it was quiet in the afternoon. Taking a turn in that direction, she noticed a luxury van speeding in her direction. She attempted to walk faster but two pairs of hands grabbed her inside the car. She was trying to get rid of the grip when she inhaled a strong chemical which made her lose consciousness.

Remembering what had happened, she felt something was preventing her from plodding her hands. When she opened her eyes, a white fabric piece of clothes was tied to her wrist and ankles. There was a tape covering her mouth, her heart was rising in panic from the thought of being abducted. Her face was covered with her untied messy hair. She quickly moved her wrist from side to side, which made the tight tie loosen. The clicking of the doorknob catches her attention, she stays calm while being tied to the chair. Two people wearing clown masks entered. Their aura was screaming danger which made her forget to breathe naturally. She realized that the moment she picked up the suitcase she was in huge trouble.

One of them, with a blue highlight in his hair, grabbed a chair, and placed it in front of her. While the other one silently folded his arms and leaned toward the wall.

"Let's make this quicker shall we?" He was wearing a white mask and he settled in front of her.She did not create any noise when he quickly removed the tape from her mouth. The chemical she had inhaled earlier was making her nauseated. The room smells like rusty iron and stained blood. There was only one bulb hanging above her head.

The man took the suitcase and opened it. There was nothing inside. He placed it in his lap and smiled wickedly behind the mask.

"Where are the documents?" There was no hint of a joke in his voice. Jessy's mind got confused by his question. She never knew what was inside the suitcase as she did not get the chance to open it.

"I don't know what you were talking about" she managed to speak with her swollen mouth. The man viciously laughed, which echoed throughout the room. The next thing she knew, a .45 caliber was already pointed to her head. One more useless answer: it could blow her skull to death.

"Don't waste precious time here, woman. Where are the documents!" He became surly and eager. She wanted to say something but there were no words. Her heart began to beat in the race.

"Call Vincent." The man who was silent spoke stolidly. He moved in his direction with his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a black leather jacket and jeans paired with a v-neck white t-shirt.

"I like that." The other one lowered the gun and directed himself to the door. Removing the mask, he walked to the pathway while whistling.

There were two of them in the room. She could hear her rapid breathing in the silence. She raised her head and saw a cold pair of green eyes staring at her blankly. They were beautiful but like dead eyes without a hint of tiny emotions.

"You have 30 seconds." he dangerously stated, which made Jessy want to escape from pressure. She never knew what she had been herself into. Her innocence will not matter if she tries to insist it. She will be dead anytime. That's what had been running through her mind. But she wouldn't just wait for the moment without doing something.

She heard him take a deep breath and sit in the chair in front of her.

"You are a fractious one." She saw his fist clench and his jaw tighten, which meant she would be dead at that moment. With her remaining strength, she used her tied hands to hit the mask which it cast away from him and evince his unearthly looks. She was stuck upon seeing him. Fear creeped down to her bones when blood flowed from his unscathed nose.

He callously effaced it with his finger and looked at the blood. He stood up without saying anything and exited the door, leaving it open. She freed herself from breathing when she was all alone. Her knees were trembling and weak. She was about to stand up when two people - different from earlier - entered the room. They tightly held her and grabbed her outside, which made her whimper from the pain. She couldn't clearly see where she would be taken as her tears started to run down her cheek. Her vision became blurry when she was being thrown into another room. She hit the cold wall, which made her lose balance and she slowly lost her vision.

On the other hand, the Dolciano cousins were watching Jessy in the monitoring room, sleeping on the cold floor.

"We can just finish her." Teo Dolciano, impatiently suggested.

"She will be held prisoner until she tells us where the documents are." Samantha Dolciano, Teo's cousin, stated. He gave her a smug look.

They were the kind of people who aren't afraid to take anyone's life if they messed up with their clandestine business.

"Where is Greg?" He asked while lighting up the cigarette in his mouth.

"Personal business". Samantha shrugged her shoulders and left the room.

The sound of her heels echoed in the hallway when she started walking. She was humming a song with a key in her hands. There were strong armed people guarding every corner of the place. Steady and stolid.

Samantha opened the door and saw the woman with a messy look sitting next to the wall. She stopped for a moment when she saw her rare dreary eyes. With a smirk on her face she realized why her apathetic brother let the woman alive.

"I'm not surprised. I was even stunned for a moment.". she started while sitting on the floor next to the woman. She was referring to her brother. If this woman did not have such a rare look, she could be dead already.

Jessy was wondering why she was still alive. No matter how hard they would punish her, there was no answer to tell. She looked at the woman who was wearing a bareback dress. Her appearance holds power. She smiled at her, thinking how foolish they were imprisoning her being innocent.

"I have something to offer," Samantha stated while fixing Jessy's loose strands of hair. She looked at her with a hint of curiosity.

"Is that how I will choose my death?" she questioned, which made Samantha fill the basement with her wicked laugh.

" My. My. Such an intrepid woman. But that is not what I meant," she said and took her phone. Samantha smiled, she had something that would make this woman accede from her purpose.

Jessy's body became cold and began to tremble when she saw her sister's picture on the bed, smiling. Her breath was starting to race, she looked at the woman and saw her smirking.

"What do you want?" she whispered, which made Samantha smile.

She did not process what Samantha had been saying. She was full of thoughts about her sister. She knew that if she declined this woman, not just her life would be in danger, but also Jerra.

" What are the consequences?" trying to calm herself, she accepted Samantha's offer.

" The first step will be physically painful. The second one is a little bit harder and the last one will pierce your heart." Samantha explained like a psycho woman.

"You will swear you won't hurt my sister" Jessy gritted her teeth while her heterochromia eyes were raging.

"Not just that babe. Your sister's upcoming surgery will all be paid for by me, plus she will be provided a condominium together with her needs. Isn't that wonderful?" the woman states with a smuggling look at her.

"Why are you doing this?" She doesn't understand why this woman appeared and offers something that she needs the most.

"I love playing games" she simply answered with a broad smile on her face and left, which made Jessy dumbfounded.

Samantha came back in a minute together with Vincent- one of their trusted people - holding a glowing iron. It is a small circle with a capital D in the center.

"Could you please take off your pants? I need your right thigh." Jessy knew that this would be painful. It was an iron from the fire. But she had no choice but to obey, her sister's life was the priority. Awkwardly, she took off her pants, leaving her underwear and white sweater that covered her body.

" You can leave now" Samantha ordered Vincent and took the iron. She lowered her height and placed the iron on Jessy's right thigh.

Jessy's scream filled the basement. Her knees were trembling after Samantha pulled out the iron.

" I will send someone who will take care of you. " She said and walked out the door.

Jessy was enduring the pain in her thigh. So painful that she wanted to rip it. She tried to focus on her vision when it started to fade. Before she lost consciousness, two people entered the basement and took her out of the place.