Sarcasm

First thing she could register in her mind was the dull ache at the back of her head that was slowly getting worse the more she regained her consciousness.

Then, there was the scent of roses in the air, the scent was so strong that it felt like she was sitting in a field where roses grew and she was trapped there. Everything was still dark and Rain couldn’t move her body but she could feel the pain and she could feel the hotness on her skin.

Was she being taken to an oven?

Why was it so hot?

As her mind wandered through the endless possibilities of where exactly she was and why she felt the way she did, the memories of what happened before she passed out came rushing back to her and her eyes snapped open.

“F*ck!” she exclaimed.

It was so bright!

She couldn’t see anything!

She closed her eyes again and raised her hands up so she could run her eyes that were suddenly in pain from the exposure to light.

Her hands wouldn’t budge, they were right behind her and they wouldn’t move, they wouldn’t move from her back and wouldn’t move away from each other.

It was then she felt the tight binds around her wrists.

Did they take her after knocking her out?

She opened her eyes wider and looked around, it looked like a person’s bedroom, sitting up properly, Rain realized that she was tied close to the sofa.

She tugged at her restraints but it only made the thick rope dig into her flesh, the pain from it made her eyes water and she willed herself not to cry.

The bedroom was small, looked unoccupied but well arranged. There was no personal belongings around for her to even guess what the owner was like.

The floor was clean and there were clean white sheets on the bed, it looked untouched, almost like no one has been on it for a long time.

Her legs were tied as well, she could see the bruising around both her ankles because of how tight and thin the ropes used on her ankles were.

Rain began to regret her decision to walk down the stairs and try to defend her stupid brother who is now the person that has gotten her into her current predicament.

“You’re awake already?”

It was an unfamiliar voice, she turned her head in the direction of the voice. He was tall, at least over six feet and had dark eyes yet a warm smile on his face.

“Your brother was just speaking about you and the boss thought it would be a good idea to show you to him…maybe it give him some inspiration,”

Rain didn’t understand half of what the man was saying but all she knew was that her and Nicholas were now in deep shit, she wondered who the boss was and if she could convince him to let them go but that was just wishful thinking on her part.

“I’m Romeo,” the man said as he took slow steps to where she sat and the squatted down. He gave her a small smile before carrying her in his arms making Rain gasp in shock.

“What are you doing?!” she exclaimed and tried to struggle out of his grip but all to no avail because of her bound limbs.

“Stay still bella signora, you wouldn’t want the ropes to damage your beautiful skin now would you?”

She glared at him but stayed quiet, he gave her a small smile and made it seem like they were just taking a normal walk and she wasn’t in his arms with her limbs tied.

“Don’t worry I’m sure they won’t hurt you much, just enough to make your brother talk,”

“Gee, thanks. That puts my mind at ease,” Rain retorted. He didn’t say anything else as they left the room. There was a long hallway, expensively and extravagantly designed, it looked like a palace hallway, they passed by so many doors but despite how big the house was, there was no one in sight, not even a maid or a butler.

Rain’s plan was to scream for help but how could she do so if there was no one to scream to?

“The boss gave everyone an off day, so whatever you’re expecting isn’t what you’ll get,” Romeo chuckled like he had just told a funny joke. Rain chose to stay quiet despite her anger, she wanted to observe and get a better understanding of what was going on with these people and her brother so she would know the next step to take.

They walked for what seemed like hours but Rain knew it was just her mind’s reaction to the fear she was feeling. Rain couldn't lie to herself, No matter how calm she look at that moment and how well she relaxed her body just so he would have know what she was feeling, she was a mess.

Romeo didn't seem to notice her inner turmoil, rather he had a shit eating grin on his face that showed that no matter loud she tried to scream no one would hear her and no one would come for her.

Finally they reached the end of the stairs and down there was a large living area, She wished she had the time to admire the beauty of the place and the extravagance of the design but, as her eyes looking all the details of the living area she also noticed her brother tied the same way she was and kneeling in front of a man who’s back was the only thing she could see, from the back view of that black shirt alone was enough to send shivers down her spine, he looked like he was sorting out some things on a table that looked like a torture tool table. She saw weapons, sharp looking objects that she'd never thought she would come across in her life.

There were two men that sat on one of the black expensive looking sofas, Rain could recognize one of them as Vlad, the man who she pointed a gun at, the second one she could safely assume, was the man who attacked her from behind and ended her farce.

She swallowed nervously and felt her body touch the ground gently. Romeo had set her down right next to her brother who’s eyes were open yet he refused to look at her or acknowledge her presence. He had so many bruises on his face and his skin that made her heart ache and her eyes burn with unshed tears.

The place was bright and it had a lot of space, the expensive looking sofas didn’t take much of the space but something else did.

Rain wasn't sure if the term 'gun hanger' was the right way to describe what she saw. All three of them were as tall as wardrobes and they housed at least sixty guns in each compartment...All assorted by type. She could recognize a few because at some point in her life she used to obsess over guns but never had she seen so many guns in one place. One look at the compartments and she knew that the person was definitely a collector, most of these guns have probably never been fired before.

She was not sure if that was a reason to have hope or not but the thought having bullets from a brand new gun emptied into her brain didn’t appeal to her, not one bit.

“I see you know a good collection when you see one,”

Nothing…she meant it at that moment, nothing in the world prepared her for the sight her eyes met when the man who’s back was the only thing she could see finally turned around.

The first thing she noticed were his dark eyes that seemed like they were staring deep into her soul. It bothered her, it bothered her a lot.

His eyes were slightly slanted, he had a sharp jawline and soft looking pink lips that looked like they would feel like pillows against hers. His lips were curled into a cunning smirk as he looked at her, he tilted his head to the side as if to get a better look at her current pathetic state.

Romeo was handsome, like really handsome but this man with dark eyes…he was another level. She wasn’t sure if beautiful or sexy would be the right word to describe him, he looked as dangerous as he looked carefree. As he crossed his arms over his chest and continued to examine her, his biceps bulged through the black dress shirt that was tucked into his plain jeans.

For some reason she began to feel self conscious knowing that she was practically half naked in front of such a good looking man.

She swallowed nervously…hearing the slight whimper from her brother made her square her shoulders and tried hard not to show just how intimidated she was by the man’s presence.

One look at him and she knew he wasn’t just an ordinary man who collected guns because he liked them and had goons just because he felt like it.

“What can I say?” Rain raised her head and met his eyes, not backing down but also hoping that she was also playing her cards right.

“I am a woman that appreciates beauty and intelligence,” she hated how gravely her voice sounded because of her nerves, she also noticed that her brother’s body has gone rigid next to her, she wasn’t supposed to be talking to this man, it would cost her so much, she knew it deep down…but she was desperate.

“I can also tell you’re a very reasonable and sensible man, Mr…” her voice trailed off and she could see his lips curl up in amusement.

“Alexander,” he replied sounding amused like he was getting the best entertainment after a long and boring day.

“Alexander Guerriero,”

Rain exhaled, he didn’t sound like he wanted to kill her even though he was looking at her like she was a joke and the other men in the room including her brother were all looking at her like she was signing a death wish.

“Mr. Guerriero,” she had to commend herself for how fucking calm she sounded even when she obviously wanted to curl up into a ball and asked to be let go. Sometimes she hated the way her and her brother were raised by their parents…she has always taken their advice though, and has tried to talk herself out of countless situations…not that it always worked but she found out early in life that she had a way with words.

“I’m sure we can work something out, you and I. We’re both smart people and I’m sure in some way we both have things that we need from each other,”

She heard choked laughter disguised as coughs from behind her bit she ignored them and looked at the man she was having a conversation with instead. Now he looked genuinely interested but the look wiped from his face almost immediately.

“You’re not his girlfriend, are you?”

“What?” The question caught her off guard and she furrowed her brows in confusion.

“Nicholas…you’re not his girlfriend as we’ve all assumed,”

He smiled and tapped his chin “If you were his girlfriend, you would’ve tried to get yourself out of here…not try to negotiate a way for the both of you. You’re either his wife, or his sister,”

“The latter,” Rain pursed her lips, the first guess didn't appeal to her.

“Unfortunately,” she added with a heavy sigh that she showed she was being honest…she never wanted to belong to another family so much at that moment.

“Fascinating…Nicky never told me he had a sister,” Alexander said, he took a few steps forward and walked to where she knelt, he squatted down until both of them were on the same eye level.

“A very beautiful one at that,” he said in a low whisper that only the both of them could hear, Rain hated how that low voice affected her so she tried her best to mask it.

“Xander! Please leave my sister out of this, she talks a lot but she has nothing to do with any of this or this life, just let her go,”

“ He speaks!” Alexander exclaimed and Rain couldn’t help but feel like he took the words right out of her mouth. Nicholas had been so quiet the entire time, now he looked like he was a few words away from crying but yet he still couldn’t meet her eyes.

“Do you know what your brother did? Do you know what he did and why the both of you are here?”

Rain shook her head.

She had no fucking clue why someone was ready to kill her brother in his own home but she sure as hell was curious about it.

“I miss having siblings honestly…” Alexander said with a dark chuckle.

“You didn’t know what was going on but yet you didn’t hesitate to point an empty gun at my men just so you could scare him away from your brother,” Rain hated how sarcastic he sounded and how stupid she felt when he put it that way.

“Your brother stole from me,”

She had guessed it but hearing it directly from a man as dangerous looking as Alexander made her exhale shakily.

“Is this true Nicky?” she already knew the answer though even without seeing her brother’s quivering lips and ashamed expression.

Nicholas had always considered himself a risk taker and he did a lot of foolish things when they were younger and got involved in a lot of fucked up shit, thus why they both drifted apart the way they did.

“He thought he could get away with it, he thought he could come back to my house and lie to my face, telling me that he has no idea how my merch went missing,” Alexander laughed but it was humorless.

“A man I have grown to trust but alas, one can’t change the character of humans, we are all betrayers and liars one way or another,”

Rain’s body shook with fear. Her brother had really gone and don it this time...It didn’t take long for her to understand what was going on. This was a Mafia matter and Alexander was either the right hand man or the Boss himself...Something told her it was the latter and that made her shake in fear even more.

“I—”

“ –Nobody steals from me and lives to see the light of day afterwards,” Alexander interrupted Rain before she could speak a word.

“There’s nothing you can say that will make me change my mind,” He was being honest, Rain could see it in his eyes that had already began to darken even more with blood lust.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest and she feared her brother’s life. She turned to look at him, his face, his bruised skin. She hated the fact that she hasn’t seen in in years but yet this was the image that would be stuck in her mind for a very long time.

“Its okay Rain,” Nicholas finally met her eyes, he looked like he had made up his mind as well.

It scared her seeing that expression on his face.

“You’ve always warned me about my actions catching up with me...I should’ve listened more to you,” he gave her a shaky smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

Rain wasn’t sure when the tear escaped down her cheek. All she could feel was the wetness on the side of her face.

“Hm...” Alexander cleared his throat. When Rain raised her head to look at him, the first thing she was the gun in his hand. He had no remorse on his face whatsoever but yet what his eyes conveyed said otherwise.

“You can save your brother you know...”

“ How?” Rain asked immediately the words left his lips. She didn’t care how much money her brother was owing, she would work her ass off and empty all of her saving just so the would pay the man back...As long she could get her brother out of this mess and then kill him herself afterwards, it would all be worth it.

“Eager, are we?” Alexander chuckled and set the gun down on the torture tool table.

“It isn’t so hard really...” he smirked and for some reason her heart dropped.

“Come work for me,"