My mind kept on wandering around, thinking of who would be responsible for something like this, and only one person's name came to mind. Luna.
She was the only one I could think of; I knew how desperate she was. Her obsession with sin was something anyone could see. She didn't look like someone who would back off that easily. I'm sure this was all her plan. It has to be her.
I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of the door opening, and Luca stepped in. He had a worried expression on his face, and when his eyes found mine, it turned into pity. He walked forward, taking a seat on the couch.
"How are you?" He asked worriedly.
"Given everything that has happened this week, I would say not good," I responded blankly.
"I figured. The both of you are a mess; Sin won’t leave his office and keeps drinking himself into stupor, and Samantha told me about how you are constantly crying."
"Do you also think I cheated on him?" I whispered.
"I have seen the way you are with him; only a fool won't notice how much you love."
"Then I guess that makes your friend one."
"I guess it does." It was silent for some time before he spoke again. "Mani, Sin loves you, and he still wants you. I have seen it, after being with him this week, scared he will do something irrational!" He paused. "He is still the same old Sin who is crazy about you and who is ready to move heaven and earth just to make sure nothing bad happens to you. He is just hurt; he has every right to be."
I smiled sadly. "I would never do anything to hurt him, Luca, believe me."
"I know Mani. I find it strange how Luna came to the office with evidence of you and Jason together just for Sin to walk in on you both. It's too much of a coincidence."
I was right after all. It was Luna.
"Can I see the pictures?"
"Sadly, I'm not with them, but don't worry, I trust you. You've got to forgive Sin for not believing you; you know he's got a huge trust issue, especially after what happened between him and Lorenzo." I smiled gratefully at him.
"Thanks, Luca, I really appreciate it. It means so much to me that you actually believe me.
"It's nothing, Mani; there were just too many holes in the story." He stood up from the couch. "Eat healthy and quit the tears." He gave me one last look then made his way out of the room. I heard the sound of her door being locked again from outside, and I let out a sigh.
I just want this phase to be over.
After Luca left, I was able to get some sleep. When I woke up, it was already dark, and I waited for my eyes to get used to the dark. I saw a figure, standing just a foot apart from me; at first, I thought it was Sin, and until I looked closely and noticed, I had no clue who this man was because his face wasn't familiar.
A feeling of deja vu slopes in, and I hurriedly rise from the bed.
"Who are you?" I snapped out.
The man stepped forward with a gun raised toward me. I panicked when I noticed he wasn't one of Sin's men because he didn't have the tattoo that signified him being a part of Sin's mafia family. I took slow steps, looking for an escape route, but the more steps I took, the more steps he took as well.
" Move one more time, then you have a bullet attached to that pretty skull of yours," I stood rooted in my spot.
Who was he?
How did he get in?
He grabbed a hold of my hand, his face coming in front of mine. He had a disgusting-looking scar that moved from his left eye down to his cheekbone. I opened my mouth to let out a scream, but his gun moved from my head to my stomach. "I suggest you think twice before you do anything stupid." You don't want to end up losing that baby of yours. That would be tragic.
I was surprised by his words—how did he know about my baby?
"No, please. I beg of you." I sobbed, trying to free my hand from his strong grip.
"I wish I could, sweetheart, but I'm not the one calling the shots." His hand covered my mouth, and
I felt a needle pierce through my neck. Soon everything started spinning, and my body was getting weaker and weaker. My vision became blurry, and the next thing I knew, my body fell on his and I passed out.
♤♤♤♤
When I came through, my head was covered by a black bag with my hands bound tightly in front of me. I seemed to be sitting in the back of a car, and I felt two presences on either side of me.
I let out a scream, asking them to let me go. Panic rose through me. I spat at them every Spanish insult I could muster, demanding to be released, until one of them hit my head hard at the iron behind the seat and I could feel the blood dripping down my head.
I tried to listen to see if I could hear anything distinctive that would help me out when I planned my escape. I listened as the car soared over bumping paths, making its way down an unsteady route. It kept on moving for what seemed to be an hour and a half before halting to a stop.
My heart raced, and I felt my nerves surfacing even more when I was dragged out of the car. Two strong arms hoisted me up and carried me, bridal style, to what I assumed was their hiding place. I heard the sound of a metal door being opened, and whoever was carrying me walked inside, taking larger steps. He climbed a staircase before taking a turn to the left. Another door opened, and I was sitting down on a chair.
I moved my head frantically, trying to see if I could get a glimpse of how the room looked, but I ended up with nothing. I let out a deep sigh thinking of what to do when I felt a sting on my neck. My eyes started dropping slowly, and no matter how much I tried to keep them open, I couldn't fight the urge to close them and ended up welcoming the darkness for the second time that night.
I didn't know how long I had been out, but I was awoken by the darkness of the room surrendering me. My eyes were heavy as I struggled to keep them open, adjusting to the darkness. My hands were tied so tightly behind a seat that I was sure it would leave a mark.
I was cold.
There was no way I could scream for help since my mouth was gagged. My ear peaked, listening for any sound that indicated someone was here with me as well, but nothing. Total silence. I didn't know if I should be relieved that I was alone or worried.
But one thing was for sure—the fear was eating me up. My heart kept on beating fast at the thought of what may come. I gulped; my throat hurt, and my head was pounding like a sledgehammer was being hit repeatedly on it.
The fear was different from how I felt when Sin first kidnapped me; this was different. I wasn't taken for pleasure or an obsession; I was taken for revenge, and that was what scared me the most.
My body trembles. The image of Sin's beautiful face was locked into my mind, and the thought of him sent a pool of tears strolling down my cheeks. My heart raced when I heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming in this direction. I heard a man's voice muttering something in Italian as they got closer. I was able to understand a little bit of what they were saying since my Italian isn't yet perfect. I felt so useless.
The footsteps stopped at the entrance of the door, then I heard the knob turn, and the door opened. I saw two blurry figures walking in, and I tried to use all my senses. A bright light burned through my eyes when the room switch was turned on. I took
in the appearance of the room. It had four concrete walls with a tiny window by the side; it was filthy, and the walls were disgusting to look at as they were stained with what looked like dried blood.
Looking at the room made me want to throw up, but I had to force myself not to because I might end up throwing up on myself. I removed my gaze from the walls of the room, settling it in front of the bulky-looking Italian men. They both had tattoos running from their necks to their hands.
Their expressions were blank and ruthless, staring at me like I was an insect they could easily squash. My lips quivered and my heart beat faster when one of them began to approach me. I felt my body shake uncontrollably and my eyes water as he approached me.
"Look at her, Stefano, how she keeps trembling," the scary guy who stood in front of me said to the one behind her.
"Seeing you tremble, piccola ragazza, is quite the turn-on."
What
perverted old fart.
I should have really learned self-defense; maybe then I wouldn't be in this situation I'm in now; maybe then I wouldn't have been easily kidnapped. Sin was right; I can't really take care of myself when it comes to situations like this.
"Be careful, Marcus; you know the rule. You are not allowed to touch her or do anything that might harm the baby." The guy behind me, who was called Stefano, warned the Marcos guy in front of me.
"That's too bad; I could imagine the fun the both of us could have had." Marcos hummed, his eyes focused on my cleavage, his hands folded against his chest.