Mafia Obsession

I swallow hard, knowing this can’t be good. Bruce is taking me somewhere, but God knows why. I sit back and wait, hating that I’m so clueless.

THE car comes to a stop and Bruce yanks the fabric off my head. I blink at the blinding light flooding my irises, pain shooting through my retina. My body hurts despite being in the softest seat I’ve been in since I was dragged out Leo’s bedroom.

This is the first time I’ve been outside of a basement in two months and my eyes are sensitive as fuck. It takes longer than I’ve ever known for my vision to adjust.

We’re parked up outside an old abandoned warehouse. Bruce is outside, leaving me alone and untied for a moment. The prospect of trying to escape floods me with adrenaline. I reach out for the back door and tug on it, to find the child lock is on.

Fuck.

I had hoped Bruce was stupid enough to overlook that detail, but I underestimated his intelligence. Voices chatter away outside.

Are they intending to sell me for trafficking? It’s the only reason I can think of them bringing me somewhere like this.

The door swings open and Bruce drags me out of my seat, making me stumble to the pavement. My knees scrape on the concrete beneath me as he drags me, not allowing me a moment to get to my feet. Out of sheer will, I force my feet to the pavement and stand up, despite being dragged across the hard floor.

He steps into the building and we walk down a corridor with blood stained floors-it is even on the walls. The sight of the blood makes me shiver. There are loads of guys milling about, some I’ve seen before.

Jimmy and Ryan, the assholes who Leo beat up, are both whispering to each other and smirking at mefucking assholes. I’m not sure what they’re smirking at considering the last time I saw them they had their asses handed to them by Leo.

Bruce drags me to the center of the room. “What the fuck are you doing to me?” I spit, trying pathetically to writhe out of his grip.

Normally, I can put up a decent fight against Bruce. He’s not exactly the strongest man ever, but I’ve got no damn energy and my whole body hurts too much. “Shut it, sweet cheeks,” he says, gripping my cut wrists tightly and making me wince.

He forces me down onto the chair in the center and then fastens the bindings around my ankles and wrists. They’re so tight that the infected wounds bleed, dripping blood onto the floor. I can’t find it in me to care, though.

He fastens a rope around my waist, confining me tightly to the chair. All I want to know is what the fuck is happening. Honest to God, if I get my hands around Bruce’s throat, I will squeeze the life out of him.

I’ve got a terrible feeling deep in my gut about what is happening here

-this is different to the past two months. I’ve got a feeling a plan far bigger than myself is at foot, which sends shivers down my spine.

“Tell me why the fuck I’m here,” I spit, leering at the man who I hate more with every passing hour.

God, I’m embarrassed how long I stayed under his control, letting him treat me like shit. The guy was trouble from the start and I knew it.

Why am I attracted to the wrong guys?

Leo is the wrong guy too, even if he’s nothing like Bruce. He’s a murderer, and that’s a fact that I know for certain. He may not have been convicted, since he’s protected by their name, but it doesn’t make him any less guilty. Sure, I’m a thief, but his crimes are far more brutal.

“I told you to shut your mouth,” Bruce says, bringing the back of his hand down hard against my cheek.

I spit in his face, wishing I could kill this guy more than anything. I’m no murderer, but there’s only so much abuse from a person you can take before you turn into one. He brings his arm back again to strike, but Ryan stops him, eyes wide.

“Fucking hell, Bruce, did you forget what the boss said?” He shakes head. “Fuck the boss, she deserved it.”

Ryan forces him away, clutching his arm hard. “He isn’t someone to fuck with.”

Bruce sneers at him. “Don’t be a fucking wuss, Ryan, he’ll never know.” He shakes his head. “The guy isn’t even in Texas for fuck’s sake.”

Texas.

My stomach sinks and I realize how bad that is. Philly is over a thirty hour’s drive from here, at least. Leo is so far away. America isn’t exactly a small country. If by some small chance he was searching for me, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

I feel the despair grown inside of me like moss on glass, blocking out the light. The tiny ounce of hope I cringed onto no longer there. It’s been snuffed out. Deep down, I’d held onto the shred of hope that Leo might be looking for me and might still find me. But, this is real life and in real life there’re no unicorns, fairies, or happy endings.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Ryan glares at Bruce for a few moments, before walking away. I watch him walk over to Jimmy and whisper to him, glancing at me. Those guys are joined at the hip. Bruce leaves me tied to the chair and heads back out the way we came in.

I scan the room, trying to look for signs of what is coming. One man is lingering to the side, eyes fixed on me. I’ve never seen him before, but he seems fixated on me, watching me like a hawk. Then, I notice Enzo, the giant of a man that got in my way when I was trying to make off with the money.

If he hadn’t stopped me, I’d be away by now. Leo never would have caught me and I’d be living the life with a new identity, probably somewhere in South America.

Instead, everything went to shit. Other than the week I spent with Leo, a week of perfect bliss that makes all of this feel so much more terrible. It makes me long for what I can never have.

The tears prickle in my eyes again and I blink frantically, making sure they don’t fall. I can’t let Bruce see how much all of this has got to me. It will only give him satisfaction, knowing he broke me. That’s the last thing I want.

I dig my fingers into my palms, forcing myself to claw them back. It works and before long I can feel the pain of reminiscence fading. I force myself not to think about Leo and focus on the now.

My heart skips a beat as I notice Bruce drag two other women behind him, forcing them passed the room I’m in. Maybe my first inkling was right, and this is a sale. He didn’t exactly treat me well if he wants to sell me-I probably look like I’ve been dragged through a damn pig sty. Maybe that’s what these sick bastards are into, women that have been beaten up.

Bruce returns, eyes falling on me. He walks straight toward me with a menacing grin on his face. I keep my chin up, hiding my fear of this man.

“Why am I here, Bruce?” I ask, as he walks around the back of my chair and fiddles with the restraints on my wrists and around my waist. I struggle to breathe, as he tightens them even more.

“It’s sir to you, bitch. Don’t forget your manners now,” he spits, yanking a fistful of my hair. “And, all will be revealed in time. No more fucking questions or I’ll take my belt to you right here in front of everyone.”

An involuntary shiver runs down my spine at the mention of his belt. It’s his old fucking trick to get me to behave, beating me with a belt. The thought of him stripping me in front of all these men and doing it, is enough to shut me up. That’s saying something, considering I rarely shut up.

I keep my attention on my lap, as he tightens the restraints even more before tying them. This man will never tire of causing me pain, even more since I tried to leave him. He won’t rest until he breaks me, but I’m a stubborn woman.

If he’s selling me, I’ll fucking relish it. Anything to get away from my ex-boyfriend forever, even if my life won’t be worth living-it can’t be worse than this.