Chapter 4

Annamaria's POV

The silence that followed was deafening, and for a moment, I feared I might have also gone deaf too. I had no idea what was going on, but I didn't let that stop me one bit.

I stared at the men in front of me. They were nothing like Sarah had described, and the mere sight of them struck something in me.

The shorter one, who stood at my right, had a small smile on his face. It looked genuine, but I didn't miss the way his eyes wandered. With his black hair and brown eyes, he looked like a pretty normal guy.

I dragged my eyes to the man standing next to him and I would be lying to myself if I said I wasn't surprised.

No, astonished.

I wouldn't be kidding if I said he was over 6ft tall. His brown hair was slicked back, with just a couple stray strands slipping from their designated spot. I didn't understand what the kids meant when they'd told me about him, but as I stared at his icy blue eyes, it suddenly made sense.

They were icy blue chips that radiated an aura of power I'd never seen before. Black ink swirled around his body and I could tell thanks to the black hue peeking out from the collar of his shirt and the sleeves of his suit jacket. A lip ring grazed the corner of his lips and I wondered just how it would feel to run my tongue against it.

He was the human reincarnation of a Greek God, and despite looking so mean, I found myself being drawn to him.

Stop it.

“Mute?” The nice looking one echoes after what seemed like forever. I guess that tiny bit of information had knocked them off their feet. “Did you just say mute?”

“Yes.” Sarah nodded. We shared one more glance before she added. “Yes, she is.”

“Fucking hell!” I flinched at the loud tone that followed next. “What the actual hell!”

“Language, Ares.” The shorter one scolded. “Don't do that yet.”

Ares. The name rang a faint bell in my mind. I tried to reach out to it, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't bring myself to reach it.

“You didn't tell me she was fucking mute?!” Ares wasn't having it. At all. “What the hell are we supposed to do with her, Matteo?”

His words drove a pang of pain straight into my chest. I'd heard quite a number of people express their discomfort at my inability to speak, but somehow, his hurt more than I could have actually imagined.

“Ares, relax.” Matteo whispered. “Let's not jump into conclusions yet.”

“What do you mean by that?” Area wasn't having it. His once blue eyes were now a ghastly shade of red, and my stomach churned. “You didn't tell me she was mute!? How could you fucking miss that?”

“Gentlemen.” Sarah rushed in to speak. Her voice was wobbly, but it definitely didn't stop her. “Anna is my daughter and I don't appreciate you speaking to her that way.”

“Anna?” Matteo sounded genuinely shocked, while Ares scoffed out loud, a scowl etched into his face. He looked genuinely shocked, but he asked anyway. “Your name's Anna?”

I nodded, even though I didn't want to.

There was something about the both of them that just didn't sit right with me. While Matteo looked and acted like a genuinely good guy, the opposite could be said of Ares.

Everything about him sounded familiar, and his name….

“Ares!” The voice that had haunted me since that fateful night replayed itself in my head . “You know what to do.”

My eyes widened and suddenly, it all made sense. The name.

After mum, dad and Vivian's deaths, I'd taken it upon myself to find out who the killer was. I had limited information and no one to help me with it, but after some years, I finally got something.

Ares. It wasn't a particularly common name in the area and he was literally the son of the Mafia Don.

Ares was the murderer. He was the one who murdered my family ten years ago.

My breath hitched in my throat, and I felt every bit of blood drain out of my body. My knees wobbled, but it took everything in me to not pass out on the spot where I stood.

I fought the fear that spread through my bones, before casting one more glance at Ares. This time, I saw the resemblance to the little boy in my living room ten years ago.

Same eyes, same hair, same person, same murderer.

How could a young boy of that age be capable of such an atrocity? No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't fathom…

“We're really sorry for the mishap.” Matteo spoke up again. He smiled, but this time, it didn't quite reach his eyes. “It was none of our intention.”

“I don't think it matters….”

“We would like to take Anna with us.” Matteo continued and I froze. “I agree there's been a little bit of a misunderstanding, but I think it's nothing we can't fix . If you would just allow her come….”

“No.” I was well aware that my words were nothing but an inaudible gasp, but it was loud enough to show my displeasure. I turned to Sarah, and shook my head furiously.

Ares and Matteo stared at me and I was quick to catch the hate burning in the killer's eyes.

I pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen from the pocket of my jeans before scribbling something on it. Once I was done, I handed it over to Matteo.

“What do you mean no?” Ares read the note over Matteo's shoulder. “I'm the Don and no one dares tell me no. You will come with me and that's final.”

I scribbled a bigger no, before tossing it at his feet.

“Anna, If you would just…”

A loud bang cut Matteo off. Sarah yelped out loud, while I fell to the floor. My ears buzzed, but I caught a glimpse of the loud noise.

A gun. Ares had shot a bullet to the ceiling.

“I don't think I made myself clear.” His voice was an icy drawl. “You're coming with us. Now.”

Shit. I was in trouble.