"Not so fast dear. You don't want to miss out on all the fun do you?", The big masked man said in an ugly gruff voice.
His companions began to gather around him. They were five in number and their faces were covered in the same mask. Judging from the way they gathered around the big man he seemed like their leader. He pulled out his gun and stalked slowly towards our direction. Dad rushed towards us and shielded us with his body and the big man guffawed at the scene unfolding in front of him.
"Please don't hurt my dad!! I'm begging you" I screamed, wiping my eyes with my hands.
"Roselle!! Royce!! Get the hell out of here! Now!! Go, daddy's gonna be just fine", Dad ordered with an angry expression
The big man gave a loud hearty laugh and his companions joined him.
"Isn't this a very interesting family drama", he said with an unmistakable note of sarc
I ran faster and harder. Fatigue settled hard on my muscles and I could barely breathe but I kept going. My pretty dress was ripped in multiple places and blood and dirt decorated the once flawless fabric. My ankles were sore and red from the exercise and pebbles rolled under my feet, causing the joint to twist in an uncomfortable manner. Pain shot upwards from my sprained ankle to my whole body. I grew light-headed, weaker and tired with every single step. My shoulders felt as if I was carrying a concrete wall, an invisible chain tugged at my calves and my loafers threatening to bring me down to my knees. I pushed myself, recalling my father's pleading eyes when he asked me to run and determination set in. I limped forward. The days event kept flashing inside my head. How did we move from being so happy a few hours ago to being...... Bile rose at the back of my throat and for the first time since I started run
Time seemed to move with speed. It's been seven years since my arrival at the foster care and I can still remember the day I arrived like it was yesterday. I stand up from my bed, get my toiletries and head for the bathroom. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I'll say I look exceptional for a fifteen year old. The splitting image of my mom or at least what she looked like when she was around my age. The prominent dark circles around my big blue doe eyes signified lack of sleep. I brushed my teeth and took a hurried bath. It was a general bathroom and I had to wake up early so I could get some privacy. Hurrying down the hallway, I slipped into my room, threw on some clothes and began to arrange whatever little possession I had.Today, my adoption process will be completed and I'll be moving into a new home. I must admit, I'll miss this place a lot even though I have no friends or even acquaintances. I clutched my locket on my neck
Adjusting to my new routine wasn't difficult. It turned out the Smith's were not as decent and respectable as they posed . I did everything a help would do and even more. The chores seemed never ending and Richard was a bigger pain in the butt. He tried forcing himself on me twice but I turned him down and that seemed to put me on his bad side.I would be beaten up, starved and made to clean up after their mess time and again. It was like reliving another nightmare. This time my body had a lot of purple and blue bruises to show for it.I was positive the Smith's were involved in a shady business. I had seen files with a weird logoof a monochrome skull in a bandana and two daggers placed in an opposite angle beneath the skull while cleaning Richard's room on countless occasions. At first I thought it was a research work project or something, until I noticed what a bloody creep he is.He was hardly at home and whenever he returned, he was m
RICHARD'S POV.I've never trusted that damn maid. She was adopted and the name 'Smith' was attached to her name by my father. I Know it's a cruel joke on his part or a smart attempt to keep our identity undercover. My real name is Richard Vladimir and myfather; Adam Vladimir has been looking for the Jackson girl for years now.About eight years back, my uncle Dimitri Vladimir, head of the Vladimir clan and boss of the most notorious and feared Russian syndicate entrusted a job to my dad. It was nothing new, just an order to wipe out the Jackson's for treason. That night, our men had handled everything as expected but the girl managed to slip away. Since then,we've been searching for the Jackson girl but she seemed to have disappeared completely and all our efforts were futile.
RICHARD'SPOV.The drive from my house to Dimitri's was a long one and throughout the drive, my thoughts were fixated on our most recent consignment. It was long past due for arrival and Dimitri was already running out of patience. The damn old man was too smart and unforgiving and the only reason he let papa get away with his many mistakes was because we were family."Boss? There's a call for you",one of my men said and handed me the phone."
RICHARD'SPOV.The anger of how things went down at Dimitri's was still fresh in my veins. That sick old disgusting bastard knew damn well how to rile me up, I needed to get things under my control soon and right now, I was so stressed out and couldn't focus on anything.I arrived home shortly and headed straight for the study, my personal haven. Finding the door to the study open again didn't go unnoticed. That maid was too stupid and very foolish. How could she think, she would sneak in and I wouldn't find out. She was definitely calling for trouble and this this time, I would certainly know if she took the bait because I had installed cameras two days ago and watching the footages seemed like a good way to lighten my mood after that bastard Dimitri ruined it.I scanned the top of the desk, the shelves and pulled out the drawers, everything was in place; exactly how I had left it. I put on my laptop and o
RICHARD'SPOV.The conversation turned out better than I had hoped. She was a good liar and an excellent actress. Too good for a seventeen year old and if I hadn't seen those footages, I would have believed the bloody bitch!!"Boss?"Nikolai my most trusted and loyal man interrupted."Высделалито,чтояпросилавассделать?",I asked.{Have you done what I asked you to?}"Да,сэр.Камерывидеонаблюдения
RICHARD'SPOV.I arrived at the scene a few minutes ago and watching my men kick and beat her up was entertaining. She was in a terrible shape, dragging her bloodied body on the wet concrete, looking for a way to escape. I stepped in front of her, blocking her path and she lifted her head, opening her swollen eyelids slowly. The look of shock and disgust present in those blue blazing orbs of hers made my body tingle with excitement."Where are you going to baby doll?' you look very bad."I mocked."You know, watching you search my study and trying to escape through the window was fun!!"I said, squatting to maintain eye contact with her.I grabbed her swollen face and
ACE'S POVI tapped gently on the door, patiently waiting for an answer but nothing came."Can I come in ma'am?"I requested, knocking a little bit harder."Yes you can"a soft voice replied.I pushed open the door and stepped in, staring at the tiny lady leaning on the window frame whose physique and voice didn't match that of a thirty year old."Was Snow just pulling my legs?? This lady looked small from behind and her pale white skin looked too young and youthful to belong to a lady in her mid-thirties"I thought."Hi!! I'm Ace, Snow's younger brother and I'd love to have a talk with you. That's if it's ok with you??"I requested trying not to sound rude to the woman."You sure don't sound anything like that grumpy brother of yours"she replied and turned around to stare at me.Time froze as I stared at those big bright blue eyes. My heart
ROSELLE'S POVI would have loved to stay with Kim today. He's in terrible shape and hasn't regained consciousness but Mr grumpy said I have to be ready in an hour. I hurried into the bathroom to freshen up then I threw on an oversized sweatpants and a hoodie and headed downstairs. Enzo was already waiting for me and a handsome blondie beside him who I assumed to be Stephan was smiling warmly at me."Bonjournobella"he said pulling me into a hug.I stared back at him in confusion, trying to understand what he was saying."Sorry.. I don't speak Italian"I said frowning a bit."Uhmm.. he means good morning"Enzo explained, giving Stephan a nudge."Good morning"I replied with a smile"We have to get going before Snow comes downstairs."Stephan said."Who's Snow??"
ACE'SPOVI had tried really hard to get rid of my anger last night but like always,I couldn't. For many years,I've learnt to put my blood lust in check because of this family; my family.Sometimes I feel that I am not being fair to Snow. He's being a true friend since my childhood, always fighting to keep me out of danger and a true brother even though I was adopted.I remember the numerous times I landed myself in trouble trying to start a mafia war with the Russians when papa was still alive, he always took the blame upon himself and bore the consequences for my rash actions. He'd made me promise him not to start a war because of our family and I know he wouldn't forgive me if I did anything that would hurt the mafia. I've considered leaving the mafia so that I can sate my thirst for revenge but the thought of leaving him alone without anyone to look after him or support him didn't let me.Dimitri Vladimir has never
I could feel Enzo's confused glare drilling holes at the back of my head. Can't blame the poor man, he's been on the receiving end of my temper for a couple of days. It's quite unfortunate he always comes around me when I'm irritated or annoyed.I stifled a groan as I walked into my office. Piles of paperwork and reports greeted me, throwing myself into work seemed like a good way to get my mind off things for a while soI settled in, determined to finish everything before day break.The gentle golden rays of the morning filled the study gradually. I hadn't slept a wink throughout the night, tiredness settled in my body and a thick migraine hammered in my head threatening to crush my skull. I had gone through reports and added some inputs on upcoming mergers with my assistant Vincenzo. I walked out of the study and headed for my room to take a bath and get some rest. There was no one in sight, actually this floor was meant for just me and now, Roselle.
SNOW'S POV I didn't let her speak, I couldn't answer her questions now. "Why the hell did I get so carried away??" My lips still tingled with the lingers of her kiss and I've been shamelessly adjusting my jeans for a while now, trying to hide the evidence of my desire.I remember the look on her face when she saw her accomplice, she was happy, sad, grateful and angry at the same time. "How the hell did she get under my skin??" The raging hormones in my body made me feel like a teenager again and I know there's no overcoming this, it has to be sated. "di cosa sento parlare??"A familiar voice startled me as I rounded a corner. {What is this I hear about?} "When did you get back?? How was you trip??"I asked, wrapping my arms around him. "It went well. I took care of the problem. Everything is running smoothly now."he replied breaking
DIMITRI'SPOV "скольковременинужно,чтобызаставитьегоговорить?You asked me to let you handle things and I did but as usual you couldn't even get the job done!!Doesn't he have a family or relatives you can use as an incentive to make him talk?"I questioned. {How long does it take to get him speak} "What do you think?? I have checked his records,every single thing about him,he doesn't have a family,nobody!! I have tortured the life out of him but he didn't speak.Увасестькакие-либопредложениядорогойдядя??"he asked mockingly {Do you
KIM'SPOVHow many times have I gone unconscious???I've lost count...How many times have I bitten down on my tongue to avoid ratting on Roselle???I don't even know...I miss her, I miss my family and I wish I could just sink into oblivion and never have to feel anything again but each time I go close to embracing death, I'm pulled away harshly and forced into reality; reality I was trying desperately hard to escape.My whole body was sore all over. My eyes were swollen, my lips were bursted open, my fingers were stripped bare of it's nails and ugly punctures from screws and deep cuts from a rusty scalpel decorated the flesh. Fever broke out all over my body, hunger and thirst threatened to rip my insides into shreds and the stench of ammonia and urine made my head hammer with a terrible migraine."Hey you worthless piece of shit, wake up!!"
ROSELLE'S POV I don't know why I did what I did.I don't know why I told him everything.I don't know why I decided to trust him.I could be putting my life and Kim's in more danger.He could be as vile and disgusting as Richard and his uncle Dimitri.But I also knewtelling him everything was my only chance of getting out of here.I couldn't even lie, he'd know.Maybe I was a fool for doing what I did, but every ticking second was a sharp needle pricking my conscience and reminding me of just how much I had failed Kim. I haven't even told Kim everything, if there's anyone who deserve to know the entire truth, it was him.He strived desperately to fix me, to knit my shattered parts together, he deserved it and I gave it to a stranger. Of course I knew he wasn't going to keep his part of the deal.I&nb
SNOW'S POV"Come with me!!"The command bounced in my head like a tennis ball." What was I about to do??"Seeing her thrashing wildly on the bed a few minutes ago unlocked a feral part in my heart, one that wanted to protect her like a fucking jewel.Her erratic heartbeat, her laboured breaths and the blazing fire in those blue eyes made desire wash through my body like a volcano.I know she is connected to Richard in someway or the other. She was begging him to not kill her in her sleep.I am also aware of the fact that most people relive traumatic experiences they've been through in their dreams.was she part of his soldiers ??That didn't make any sense. If she was part of his army she would not be after them.Maybe she was a partner that he offended ...Wait!! Had he tried to kill her???Was that why she was after the Russians?