CHAPTER FIVE
ARIAI 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."CHAPTER SIXARIAI opened my eyes and immediately closed them again, wincing from the bright light that flooded into the room. I opened my eyes again and gazed outside. The sky was beautiful, and the sun’s golden light streamed through the window, casting long shadows on the floor.I would have smiled at the perfect view, but a heavy weight hung in my chest. I felt like Rapunzel—seeing the beautiful scenery through the window but never getting out.Except I wasn’t Rapunzel. I wasn’t a f*cking princess.I am a captive. A mere prisoner waiting for slaughter. The handcuffs that bound me to the bed were a harsh reminder.The door to my room opened and two young women stepped in, each carrying a tray. They both dropped the trays on a small stool at the foot of the bed, and I recognized the look of pity they cast me.I don’t need any fucking pity.“Your food,” the taller of the two announced.I scoffed bitterly. “Is Maximo such a pussy that he can’t even kill me himself? Instead, he’s reso
CHAPTER SEVENMAXIMOMy rough skin slid against her soft flesh as I undid the handcuffs on her wrist, and a strange feeling went through me as I saw the red bruise around her wrists.“I’m not fucking hungry,” she said snappily and a surge of annoyance welled up inside me.“You won’t speak when I don’t ask you to,” I said, gripping her chin roughly.She stared into my eyes and I could only see anger and pure hatred in her hazel orbs.I internally scoffed. It was nice to see that she still had some spark in her. Breaking her would be much more fun than I thought.She remained silent as I dropped the handcuff on the floor and dragged her up. I caught a whiff of her sweet fragrance. A mixture of strawberry and vanilla wafted into my nostrils and I instantly clenched my jaws tightly.“You know, you seem really weak for a Don,” she said. “You’re not as frightening as I expected a whole ass mafia don to be…”I made a low growling sound deep in my throat as I grabbed her neck.“What did I say
CHAPTER EIGHTMAXIMOThe dining room was still tense as Aria left. Lorenzo looked at me with a mixture of anger and disappointment and I found myself getting angry at the look on his face.“I don’t understand,” he started, dropping his fork on the table. The cutlery made a high pitched, tinkling sound that reverberated throughout the entire room.I rubbed my palms together and placed them folded under my jaw.“What don’t you understand, Lorenzo?” I asked, even though I knew exactly why he was acting the way he was.Aria’s father killed our youngest brother. And he wasn’t just some random rival. He was our father’s second in command when he committed the act. Although he had already been killed, it was basic knowledge that any offspring of a traitor should be killed as well.“You’re the don. You’re supposed to lead by example and do what’s right,” he gritted out in a low voice.I knew my other men were pretending not to listen, but I could tell that they were paying attention to every
CHAPTER NINEARIAMy heart pounded heavily in my chest as the cold barrel of Maximo’s gun pressed tightly against the side of my head. I pressed my eyes shut and tried to ignore the way my heart started to race.So this is it. This is how I finally die.At that realization, a cold sensation spread throughout my body, causing my breathing to become shallow and rapid. Fear clawed its way into my bloodstream and I couldn’t focus on anything else but the weight of the gun against my flesh.I heard the sound of the gun cocking and I realized how much I didn’t want to die. If I die now, there will be no chance of me escaping, or even trying to escape.I inwardly scoffed at the thought. Escaping from Maximo won’t be as easy as escaping from my stepfather. Maximo’s weight was pressed on my body, and there was no way I could ever overpower him.“All it takes is for me to move my finger, and you’re gone,” he said in a low growl.The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as a wave of terror
CHAPTER TENMAXIMOI sat in my office and stared at the laptop that was before me. I had been staring at the screen for some minutes now. I needed to be working, but thoughts of a certain redhead handcuffed to the bed in one of my rooms filled my head.I should have just killed her last night. That would bring an end to whatever this was.‘Nothing is happening,’ I said in my head. She’s just a captive who also happens to be incredibly beautiful and sexy.My Red.The door to my office was opened and I had never been happy to get distracted from my thoughts before.“Scar,” one of my men greeted as he walked into my office and sat on the chair before me.“Enrico,” I said in a gruff voice. As he sat down, he dropped the file he was holding on the table and slid it across the table and towards me.“What does it say?” I asked.“The law enforcement are on us,” he revealed and I chuckled.Enrico was a police officer and also one of my most trusted men. He also helped us get intel on what was
CHAPTER ELEVENARIAI woke up before the sun rose. There wasn't much sleep I could get, especially since I could only remain in a particular position due to the way my hands were handcuffed to the headboard. From where I was restrained, I watched as The sun filtered into the room through the window and the light rays fell on my skin. My heart tugged painfully. I don't know when next I'll be able to stand directly under the sun, under the moonlight or even in snow. I don't even know if I'll ever be able to do that.My thoughts were interrupted as I heard the sound of the door opening. Maximo showed up in my room more frequently now and I wonder why.I knew why, even though I didn't want to think about it. He liked seeing me like this; tied up and waiting. I inhaled a sharp breath as I remembered the way he confessed those words to me. I remembered the way his words made me feel things I shouldn't be feeling, and I became angry all of a sudden.“Shouldn’t you be at work?” I asked witho
CHAPTER TWELVEARIAA shocked gasp escaped my lips as Maximo’s lips covered mine. Everything in my head screamed for me to push him away, but the feel of his soft lips probing mine sent a hot sensation throughout my body.The kiss felt like I was being devoured from the inside. His tongue pushed its way past the barrier of my teeth, and soon, I was giving in to his every desire. He braced his hands on the headboard, hovering over me as one of his hands grabbed my thigh.A quiet moan escaped my lips and I desperately wanted to grab him before I remembered that I was handcuffed to the bed. My heart thumped against my chest as our mouths melded into one.His tongue explored my mouth and then trailed along my neck before dipping under my collarbone. He made small circles with his fingertip around the base of my throat and I couldn’t stop myself from shivering in pleasure. The sensation was overwhelming, making me forget about everything else. Making me forget that he threatened to kill me
MAXIMO Loud sounds filled the room as my fists hit the punching bag before me repeatedly. I’d been here for the past hour, and yet, I still had all the pent-up anger inside me. The look of betrayal in Aria’s eyes kept replaying in my head over and over again. It kept me awake throughout last night and unfocused in my office throughout today. My chest squeezed with a feeling I wasn’t used to. Regret. I hated it. I hated how I wished I could go back to change my actions. I hated how it seemed that I cared. I shouldn’t care. I didn’t earn the nickname Scar because I went around feeling bad for my actions and letting guilt eat me up. I also didn’t become the youngest Don in the Cosa Nostra through that means as well. All these new…emotions and feelings were because of one girl. One girl I should kill but just can’t. One girl who seems to have a strong effect on me. “Fuck!” I growled as my fist came in contact with the punching bag, swinging it in my opposite direction. My limbs felt