Chapter 04

Nathalia

There was one second of silence.

Then I lost it.

My life had barely started — I couldn't have a tragic ending.

"Help! Somebody help me!"

I screamed, pounding on the car window, yanking the door lock over and over.

"Shut your mouth! You're pissing me off!"

The driver yelled, but I ignored him.

"Please, let me go! I'm ugly — nobody's gonna want to buy me! If you let me go, I swear I won't tell the police!"

I screamed, desperate, but he wouldn't stop. He just called someone and said he had a problem.

I'd read too many mafia novels to know that if more people showed up, there'd be no way out.

I looked at the highway — nothing but dry grass. No cars behind us, none ahead.

The car sped up and I realized I was trapped. But I wasn't going down without a fight.

I threw myself forward and started mashing every button on the dashboard.

The driver tried to stop me, but I bit his hand.

"Bitch! Do something, you idiot!" he screamed at the charming guy, who tried to grab me, but I elbowed him in the face.

That set him off. He yanked me by the hair, trying to pull me away from the dashboard, but I held on through the pain, still hunting for the unlock button.

Then I heard a click. I lunged back, threw the rear door open, and hurled myself out of the moving car.

A searing pain shot through my ankle as I rolled across the asphalt, scraping my leg raw.

I staggered to my feet, limping, and didn't stop trying to run.

But they pulled over just ahead and the sketchy driver broke into a sprint toward me.

I tried to run, fighting through the pain in my ankle, but he caught up in seconds.

He grabbed me by the hair — and in that moment, I regretted ever letting it grow so long.

He jerked me backward so hard I fell, and then that disgusting man straddled me and pinned my arms down.

"Help! Somebody help me! I'm being kidnapped!"

I screamed, even though there wasn't another soul in sight on that road.

"Get over here, you moron!"

The driver yelled, and the charming one appeared with a roll of duct tape.

I fought them, but they were stronger. They taped my mouth shut, bound my wrists behind my back, and taped my ankles together.

I thrashed and kicked, but they overpowered me and threw me into the trunk.

Before slamming it shut, the sketchy one said:

"You're so goddamn stupid! You just signed your own death warrant!"

The handsome one looked at me with a flicker of pity.

"You sure they'll accept damaged merchandise?"

"Probably not! But we have to deliver her anyway. The boss'll figure out a way to make this bitch pay back everything we spent."

They didn't give me a second glance and slammed the trunk shut.

I cried, thinking I'd never read another mafia romance again.

Never again wish for a mafioso of my own.

If I survived this, I'd never complain about my parents' treatment or any bullying ever again.

In the darkness of the trunk, all I could do was cry. My body was tossed around for hours, with occasional stops along the way.

I was thirsty and starving, but nobody came to feed me.

I lost all sense of time. All I know is that after a nearly endless drive, they finally opened the trunk.

I saw the sketchy man handing a wad of cash to the charming one.

He counted it and said:

"This is short! That wasn't the deal!"

"The merchandise was damaged! What did you expect?"

"That wasn't my fault — this girl's insane!"

"If you'd done your job right and kept her entertained, she wouldn't have gotten suspicious!"

The handsome one turned to me, fury in his eyes.

"Bitch! I hope they kill you slow."

I shook my head, thinking I hadn't done anything wrong. I just wanted to escape. I just wanted to save my life.

"Get lost and wait for our call when new merchandise comes in."

The charming one left, and the mean one stared me down.

He hauled me out of the trunk, slung me over his shoulder, and carried me inside a house.

He dumped me onto a couch in a living room.

I looked around. Two other girls were huddled together, terrified.

They were plus-size like me, but they weren't bound and gagged the way I was.

"We're going to die!" one of them said, sobbing.

I tried to mumble through the tape, shaking my head. I couldn't accept this fate. I hadn't even had a good life yet.

I deserved a chance to be happy.

The third girl approached cautiously, then summoned her courage and peeled the duct tape off my mouth.

"Girls, you're not restrained like me! If we work together, we can escape!"

"Are you crazy? If we run, they'll kill us!"

One of them said, shrinking back with a terrified expression.

"We have to try!"

I said, but before I could continue, the lock clicked and several men walked in.

They dragged us one by one into another room.

A man was waiting for us there. White hair, razor-sharp eyes. He wore a tailored suit and sat in an armchair upholstered in red velvet with carved wooden accents.

Two men flanked him on either side — they didn't look like they belonged in that filthy place.

He studied me, appraising me from head to toe.

"Why is she like this?"

"She's unruly. Tried to run. Jumped out of the car and gave us trouble."

"She's no good!"

He barked, and the man who'd driven me said:

"Any idea what we should do with her?"

"I'm not wasting money on a rebel. Discard her."

I started to tremble.

"No! Don't discard me! Just let me go! I swear I won't tell anyone!"

I screamed, desperate.

The man returned my gaze with pure disgust.

"Make this bitch shut up!"

He shouted, and the trafficker slapped another strip of tape over my mouth.

Then he waved, and one of his men shoved one of the girls forward.

"Strip her!"

He ordered, and they undressed her, leaving her in nothing but lingerie.

The man examined her, then erupted.

"What is that on her arm? Is that a tattoo?"

The trafficker stepped forward, saw it was indeed a tattoo, and backhanded her across the face.

"You hid the tattoo in your photos?!"

"I'm sorry — I thought you wouldn't accept me as a model if I had a tattoo!"

"What a disaster! You've brought me nothing but damaged goods!" the man screamed.

"What do we do with her? Discard her too?"

"No! This one can still earn us something. Send her to the nightclub in Area C."

I watched the poor girl crying as they dragged her away.

The third girl was presented. No tattoo, no injuries.

I thought she'd pass inspection.

But the boss stood up and grabbed a fistful of her hair. He yanked it, then slapped her across the face.

"You're not a natural brunette! That's the worst kind! She's no good as a present!"

"I'll dye it again, I swear! Please don't discard me or send me to the nightclub!"

She screamed desperately, but they dragged her away too. The older man turned back to me, revolted.

"It'll have to be this one, until we find someone better! Take her to training!"

My eyes went wide. I didn't want to be the chosen one, but I didn't want to be discarded either.

Bound as I was, I didn't even have a chance to fight.

They carried me upstairs and cut me loose, but before I could try to run again, a tall man appeared and clamped his hand around my throat.

"So you're the rebellious merchandise? I love that. I'm going to enjoy breaking you in for the client."

"No! Don't do this! I still haven't proven to my family that I'm better than they think! I still haven't shown Fabio that he lost an amazing woman!"

The second I remembered my goals, a new strength surged through me.

In a burst of pure rage, I drove my knee up and nailed him right between the legs.

He crumpled to the floor, curling in agony, cursing me out.

I didn't hear a single insult. I was already searching for a way out.

The door was locked. The only exit left was the balcony.

We were on the second floor, and I knew it was going to hurt.

But Fabio had fallen from the second floor and hadn't died, so I knew I wouldn't either.

I might break a leg, but at least I'd have a chance to escape.

And so, in a burst of madness and desperation, I threw myself off the balcony.

The fall lasted one second, but in my mind, my entire life flashed before my eyes.

But I didn't feel my bones shatter.

I didn't hit the ground.

I landed in the arms of a man.

The most beautiful man I'd ever seen in my life.

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