Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

ARIA

I couldn't stop the scream from leaving my mouth as the second man Maximo killed dropped to the floor. Everyone turned to look at me, but I could only look Maximo in the eye. His dark stare terrified me, and I no longer saw attraction or desire in it. Instead, I saw unadulterated rage and fury. In that moment, I wished I could understand what the other man told him to make him react this way.

This wasn't the man that saved me from being raped or the man that had touched me and looked at me with so much desire. The man who stood before me was a monster.

"Who are you, and what do you want from me?" I asked with venom in my voice.

He marched towards me, and I subconsciously cowered to protect myself. He got to where I was and crouched down to my level.

"You really got yourself into trouble, Red," he growled as his hand reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. His calloused fingers touched my cheek, and goosebumps rose on my skin. I shivered as I wondered how many people he had killed with those hands.

My skin crawled immediately as I moved away from him. He chuckled darkly before he gripped my chin roughly.

"Don't f*cking touch me," I hissed as I tried to get out of his grip.

My efforts were futile, as I was literally chained to the floor. His eyes hardened, and he brought his face closer to mine.

"I was just inside you yesterday," he said as a sick, twisted smile appeared on his lips.

"You moaned my name, and now you don't want me touching you," he said in a mocking tone. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I wished I could kill him.

"You f*cking slept with her?" The same man from behind asked in anger. I assumed that was his brother because their resemblance was uncanny.

Maximo's jaws clenched as he stood up and turned to his brother.

"I clearly didn't know who she was," Maximo spat.

They had an intense staring battle before Maximo turned to his men, who were standing behind him.

"Unchain her," he ordered.

I watched as they searched my stepfather's dead body for the keys before coming over to work on the heavy metal that bound my limbs.

I still didn't know who he really was, but it was obvious he held so much power.

"Who the f*ck are you guys, and what do you want with me?" I screamed.

They all ignored me, and I felt like punching them in the face.

Maximo walked up to me and dragged me by my arm. I winced as I stood weakly on my feet.

"Where are you taking me?" I screamed again.

I was terrified, and I knew he didn't have anything good in store for me. I had faced death so many times in my life that I wasn't scared anymore. Dying was definitely better than facing any kind of torture.

"Just kill me here."

"Stop talking," Maximo ordered harshly as his icy gray eyes came to meet mine.

"I don't even know who you really are." I do..."

He gripped my chin again, this time a little rougher than before.

"Give me the duct tape," he growled to no one in particular, while still maintaining eye contact with me.

Without thinking, I raised my knee to hit him in the groin. I should have known that was a horrible idea, because he caught my knee with one hand and immediately had me against the floor.

I threw myself against his arm, and he easily pinned me down with his weight. Angry tears welled up in my eyes as I remembered how helpless I was.

"You shouldn't have f*cking done that," he tsked as he taped my mouth shut.

"Where are you taking her?" I heard his brother ask as he got up and carried me on his shoulder.

"She's mine to deal with."

My head spun as I bounced on his hard and muscular shoulder blade. I tried to protest, but I knew it was useless and would only cause me unnecessary pain.

I heard the sound of a door opening, and before I could realize it, I was thrown into a dark space. It took me a moment to realize I was in the trunk of his car—the same car we had sex in.

My breathing accelerated, and I began to sweat. The car started moving, and I felt like throwing up. I placed my tongue on the roof of my mouth as I tried to hold it back. Throwing up was definitely not a good idea in my situation, especially since I had duct tape over my mouth.

My breath became short, and my head spun as the car continued to move. At each bump or pothole, my body bounced and jostled, accelerating my disorientation and panic.

Slowly, the car came to a stop, and I heard the sound of the door being opened and closed. I squinted my eyes as the trunk was opened. Maximo roughly bundled me out of the dark space and onto his shoulders again. All my blood rushed to my head as it hung upside down against his body.

Fearful greetings met my ears as he walked into the house. From the flooring alone, I could tell that his house was a mansion. I bounced against his shoulder as he climbed the stairs. The sound of a door being unlocked filled my ears, and before I knew it, we had entered the room, and I was thrown roughly onto a soft bed.

I groaned as my eyes spun, while Maximo grabbed my arms and handcuffed them to the metal headboard of the bed.

Fury boiled inside me as he pinned me down on the bed with one knee and accessed my face.

"Scar!" His brother's voice boomed from outside the room.

They were going to discuss my death. My heart beat harshly against my ribcage as Maximo got up and left the room.

Harsh voices were heard from outside as they argued. My head spun, and I shut my eyes tightly as I tried to listen to bits of their conversation.

"Why are you keeping her?" His brother barked. "She needs to be killed immediately!"

"Even though you're my brother, you shouldn't forget that I'm still your Don. Never question my decisions!" Maximo growled.

My heartbeat stopped.

Maximo was a Don? A mafia don?

My father was killed by the mafia. My mother ran away and got into an abusive marriage, which eventually led to her death because of the mafia. I grew up with an abusive stepfather because of the mafia. My grandmother and aunt are still in hiding till this day because of the f*cking mafia!

My vision blurred as a seething rage bubbled up inside me. I zoned out and didn't get the rest of their conversation. My hands balled into fists as Maximo barged back into the room again. He headed for the bed and crouched beside me.

Suddenly, I felt sharp stinging sensations on my mouth and areas around it as he ripped the duct tape off my skin. Without thinking, I spat on his face. A little sense of satisfaction went through me as I watched the shock on his face. Calmly, he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face.

"You're going to regret doing that," he growled as his hand came around my throat.

His entire hand covered my neck, and I waited for the choking pain to come. He wasn't pressing hard enough, and I didn't like that.

"Is this the best you've got?" I spat as I looked him in the eyes.

"Just kill me now." "Don't waste my time," I hissed.

He growled as he pressed my neck harder and used his body to pin me to the bed. I could feel the hard ridges of his body against me, and my mind flashed to the way his hands touched me in sinful places.

"You're so f*cking clueless," he seethed as he brought his face closer to mine.

His warm breath fanned my face, and my skin tingled with awareness. I looked into his eyes and saw the desire brimming within them.

"You don't know how every single thing you do turns me on," he murmured against my ear. My body flushed as electricity zinged through my veins.

"You don't realize how f*cking weak you make me," he seethed, like he was angry with himself for feeling that way.

He quickly got away from my body, and I went cold from the lack of contact.

"You were a good f*ck," he spat, his voice suddenly turning cold. "And I would definitely love to f*ck you again before I finally kill you."

My breath hitched in my throat as he smirked darkly at me.

"And you're going to let me, because you want this as much as I do."