365 NIGHTS WITH THE MAFIA KING

CHAPTER 2: THE DEAL

ELEANOR'S POV

It had to be the first time in a long while I felt so gripped by fear.

I was almost shaking, swallowing my saliva at intervals as I stared at the men in front of me. They weren't your typical thugs with failed attempts at looking rugged. They were the type of guys you didn't need to be told to run away from as they effortlessly managed to pull that very terrifying and intimidating look.

"I-I," I stuttered. The silence between us was deafening and with every passing second it grew more suffocating. I couldn't stand it. I just needed them to at least utter something. Declare their intention to kill me, maybe? "Who are you?"

It was a foolish question to ask but I asked anyways. Their masked faces covering revengeful looks and intimidating presence was more than enough proof for me to know they were sent by the mafia king I was on the run from.

"We," one of the guys replied me, immediately sending his hands to his waist. I watched him in horror as he raised his dark shirt to reveal a dark pistol nicely tucked into his Calvin Klein underwear. "Do you need me to seriously introduce ourselves?"

On asking his rhetorical question, he pulled the trigger of the gun and immediately pointed it in my direction. "How about now? Does this trigger your memory?"

Reflexly, I let out a yell and immediately got on my knees, sending my head to the floor. I had seen tons of guns- both in real life and in movies but never had I had one so close to me while knowing it could be fired at me any moment.

"Please!" I yelled out, rubbing my palms together as I pleaded. "Please, I'm sorry. Please spare me."

"Seriously," I heard him massage his wrists as he replied me. "It was such a hassle to track you down, do you have any idea?"

"I do," I cried out. "And I'm so sorry. So sorry for running. I'm sincerely sorry. Please forgive me. Please don't kill me. I beg you please do not. Please spare my life."

There was no limit to how far I could go to beg them. Not with my life flashing right before my eyes. It was terrifying. To think any moment I could be gone at just the flick of a finger from him.

I raised my head slightly and though I couldn't see their faces, I could imagine the smug look they had on. I could imagine them smirking and smiling to themselves before finally bursting into laughter then returning their attention to me.

"Eleanor," he called out my name and I shivered at his words. "You don't have to beg me or us to spare your life. We, in fact have no intention of killing you."

I knitted my eyebrows, finding it hard to understand his words. Of course they had every intention of killing me. Why else were they at my house so late at night pointing a gun at me if it wasn't to have me wasted?

"Actually," he resumed talking, dismissing my confusion. "Our boss, Marcus is very interested in you."

I swallowed. "In-interested in me?"

"Of course," he replied me. "You're quite something. Very unique, I have to tell you."

That was probably meant to be a compliment but at that moment I couldn't bring myself to smile or utter words of gratitude.

"Surprised, are you not?" He continued. "Understandable. I was to. You, Eleanor, are the first person to steal from our boss and manage to get away for this long."

I gulped and heard him let out a chuckle before continuing. "It's been over a month. Two months, I presume and yet you're still here, alive. Isn't that a miracle? No one has ever dared to steal from our boss and managed to last a week afterwards but look at you. Quite something, aren't you?"

"Um- I-"

"So it's simple," he cut me off. "Trust me, I'll have loved to get rid of you right now at this instant but I have no choice but to follow our boss' orders. You have to come with us now."

I wasn't given a chance to protest or argue as all I could recall next was the man moving closer to me to put a cloth over my mouth. I screamed and kicked as hard as I could but it was all useless as the next thing I felt was me getting lifted off the ground like a sack of potatoes and being flung around his shoulders.

"How much did you drug her? Why the f**k is she still unconscious?"

I winced in pain as I heard the unfamiliar voice. It was surprising how I had managed to remember the voices of the men despite the fact that they were masked.

My eyes fluttered then opened, revealing an unfamiliar looking room. It was dark in an odd red colour and looked nothing like my room.

I winced again, recalling my last memory of getting kidnapped by the mafia's men. Where the hell was I? What the hell did they do to me?

My vision was blurry as I managed to get up. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't tied or blindfolded. My arms, though felt numb from laying on them for hours, were free as I sat up using them to regain my balance.

"Oh, I see you're up now."

It was no exaggeration to say I literally shivered at the voice. My vision slowly became unblurred as I raised my head to meet a man seated in front of me, legs crossed, arms folded.

I didn't need to think twice to know who it was. He looked exactly like the rumors described him. Cold voice with an even colder gaze, dark clothes, long dark hair and heck, he was just as dashingly handsome as they said.

It was Marcus Reid. The Mafia king.

He stared at me with grey eyes like he could see through me. Unable to break free from his gaze, I swallowed, feeling goosebumps crawl towards my skin.

All it took for me to snap out of my trance was him getting to his feet and calling out my name. "Eleanor."

"s**t," realization immediately hit me as I heard his shoes hit the floor as he walked towards me. Immediately, I repositioned myself, falling flat on the floor to resume begging. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me!"

He remained silent and I took it as a cue to continue. He was probably thinking of what to do with me and just maybe, I could convince him to spare me if he realized how sincere I was with my apologies.

"I'm so sorry! I promise, I didn't mean to steal from you. It's all the devil's fault. No, it's my fault and I'm so sorry. Please I promise it'll never repeat itself. Please spare me. I promise to never come across you again. Please-"

"Silence!"

At his words, the whole room was covered by a blanket of silence. I froze, my words getting stuck in my throat as I felt him walk closer towards me.

I cursed underneath my breath as I felt him get closer to me. There was something different about the aura he gave. It was the dangerous and terrifying type. The type that made you cherish your every second out of fear of it being your last.

He knelt in front of me then raised my chin with his fingers, having our eyes meet. They still had the same burning intensity in them that made my skin crawl out of fear and nervousness. No sorcerer was needed to tell how scared I was as I was literally at the verge of peeing myself. "You're sorry?"

I couldn't give up though. Not that easily. My actions might have hinted otherwise but I very much still cherished my existence.

"Yes, sir. I am so sorry," I resumed begging. "I'm so sorry and I regret my actions. I shouldn't have been that stupid to mess with you and I regret it greatly. I'm so sorry. I promise it'll never happen. I'll never get in your way again. I'll never-"

"Of course, you wouldn't," he cut me off to reply. Staring intently at me, the corners of his lips curved into a smile. "By the time I'm done with you, you wouldn't dare steal from me or anyone else again. Trust me, it wouldn't be your choice."

I swallowed. "Please- please, spare me. Please do not kill me. I promise to do anything to do to make it up to you. Just please do not kill me."

"I won't kill you," he replied, with that odd smile still on his face. His words didn't come with any relief though as if anything, they simply intensified my fear. "Killing is a bit harsh, don't you also think so? You didn't kill anyone so you have no reason to be killed in return."

I tried to speak but my words simply came out as inaudible stutters.

"What I do to people like you who dare to steal from me," he continued. "Is simple. I'll just give you a reason to never steal again. It's a win-win situation, don't you think? You get to stop your bad habit and I return, get to do a good deed."

"It's simple," he resumed talking, earning chuckles from his little audience behind him. "Your hand's the one who committed the crime so it would be the one getting punished. I would simply chop off that hand you used to steal from me."

My eyes widened in horror as he dropped the bomb. Was he kidding me? To chop off my hands?

Shaking, I stared at my hands. It had to be the first time they looked so precious and delicate to me. No, I couldn't just loose them like that.

The pain. It was going to be so excruciating. How was I going to survive without my hands? It was shameful but I survived by stealing. Chopping my hands off was equivalent to him killing me. There was absolutely no means of survival for me without my hands.

"However," he resumed talking before I could utter a single word. Without my permission, he leaned towards me and forcefully took my hands in his. "You seem to be too pretty for that type of treatment. Your hands too. Though they've committed just a disgusting crime, they look too pretty to get chopped off easily."

Not caring about how I took his words, he continued. "So, I thought of giving you another punishment. That is of course, if you aren't willing to let you of your pretty hand."

I took myself by surprise as I nodded aggressively in return. I was going to do anything else. As long as I got to keep my hands and life, I was willing to go any length to get his forgiveness.

"For an entire year, Eleanor Young," he spoke. "You get to commit your body and mind to me."

"What?" Confusion was an understatement for how I felt. Whatever did he mean?

"In simple terms, I get to own you for an entire year," he explained. "You'll live with me under my own terms and your only desire would be to satisfy and please me. For an entire year."

Every single rumor I heard about him suddenly came flooding back. They were right. He was as cold, ruthless and evil as they all said. He lacked the slightest bit of empathy and human emotion.

"It's either you accept that or you lose your hands. The choice is yours."

I glared at him. How could he utter such words so carelessly? I was at a crossroad and a terrifying one at that.

Neither of his options seemed palatable. I wasn't willing to lose my hands and sure as hell wasn't willing to live with him.

"I'm a very impatient person," he interrupted my thoughts. "You don't have the whole day to decide. Make your decision now."

I could feel tears make their way towards my eyes as I looked away. Somewhere at the corner of my mind, I always knew stealing was going to get me into trouble but never did I imagine it was going to get me into trouble this deep. My wildest guess was me going to jail for it but heck, this was definitely worse than jail.

I had no choice though. I couldn't escape from it so easily. I had no choice but to make a decision.

With shaky breath, I spoke up and looked up at him. "I will-"

I couldn't lose my hand. It was going to be as good as losing my life and I simply couldn't afford that.

"I will commit my body and mind to you. For an entire year."