A Beauty So Cruel Manuscript (2) Read online

  I had to at least bargain for my life.

  One of the men stepped closer to me, still pointing a gun in my face.

  “You can let me go, I won’t tell anyone,” I said with fear in my voice. “You guys are wearing masks. I can’t even see what you all look like!”

  “You heard our names,” a voice said.

  “No! I didn’t,” I lied. Even though I did. I had heard the names Leo and Vlad Vitalli.

  A tremor crawled up my body at the name, Vitalli.

  “Don’t lie to us. It won’t end well for you,” another voice warned.

  Their voices were all deep and scary. I was caged with nowhere to go.

  Just then one of the scarier one of the men took out his phone and dialed a number.

  “Don, we got a problem.”

  Don? Why did that sound so familiar? I was terrified, and my legs almost went limp. I tried to be strong, but it was hard when four huge men glared at me, holding a gun.

  I looked at the man with the phone. He was getting ready to shoot, his hand about to press the trigger.

  “Wait! Don’t kill me!” I protested. “I could give you money! Someone I know could bring it!” I was desperate now, clutching at straws. Then, another thought entered my mind. “What if you take me instead? Then I couldn’t talk! Ask your boss!”

  I cringed at how lamely I had worded it. Who the fuck said, take me? Goddamnit.

  The men fell silent around me as they stared at each other.

  I wondered if they’d ever encountered a situation like this before. I knew there couldn’t be any witnesses left behind, I wasn’t stupid! I wondered how many of their witnesses were willing to be a hostage though. A captive.

  There was a noise in the background, the sounds of someone exiting the nearby vehicle.

  I instantly knew who it was.

  The Don on the phone.

  I didn’t turn around to face him, instead I stayed still.

  Just then a voice from my left said, “And what makes you think I’ll want you?”

  His voice was cold and amused. So deep and masculine that it sent shivers down my spine. There was no mercy behind that voice. It sounded vaguely familiar.

  I was about to turn to face him, but instead he came level with me. My eyes stayed on him, on his silent lethal walk as he stood a few feet away from me. He seemed to move so quietly, as if he deliberately wanted to spook me.

  Vlad Vitalli.

  I knew I had to beg for my life.

  I knew it instantly.

  His presence said it all.

  My amber eyes met his gray, dangerous ones.

  The color was rare. Something that belonged on animals and not on humans.

  I’d seen eyes like those before… at the ball. He wasn’t wearing his masquerade mask now. His face was exposed. He was letting me see him.

  Glimpses of the man with the drinks hit me. It was the same man. Emilio had even called him Don Vlad. The man had sounded charming and even sweet then, now he was just scary.

  His eyes were framed over strong, arched, black brows. My gaze landed on his eyes again. Two pools of icy emptiness, but there was something lurking behind them. A glint of amusement. His eyes seemed to be laughing at me.

  His voice didn’t match his teasing eyes though.

  He had raven black hair that was messy now. It was clean and heavily slicked back when I met him earlier, but then he must have decided to mess it up on purpose. It looked like that polished look he had wasn’t really him.

  This is his true self.

  Rough. Scruffy. Unkempt.

  My eyes searched his face, memorizing his features. He was tall, lean, yet muscular. His nose was straight, and his mouth was full. He had distinct cheekbones and an angular, sharp jaw. He was clean-shaven but was already sporting a shadow. It reminded me of when I used to shave my legs, the stubble would return the same day. I tried shaking off my thoughts. Here I was thinking of shaving. Maybe I was traumatized.

  He moved closer to me but still maintained his distance.

  A slight breeze swept his hair to the side, his head turned with the wind, exposing a small owl tattoo on his neck. My eyes were drawn to that area. After a moment, the wind settled back, and his hair fell back into place. I wondered if the tattoo had really been there of if I’d imagined it.

  Well, at least he looks nice, my inner voice tried to reassure me.

  I ignored that voice, and I remembered his question.

  I had to try.

  There was no going back from this now.

  It was going to be tricky. I needed his attention. I wondered if I already held it? He seemed to be studying me. Maybe he thought of me as a ditzy, stupid girl, or he was waiting for me to present my case on why I deserved to live.

  I tried to calm my breathing down with steady, deep breaths.

  One breath, two breaths, three breaths.

  I was grateful now for the meditation and yoga I did.

  His posture was relaxed as he stared at me. One hand grazed his chin, and my eyes followed the movement. Then, a small smirk played upon his full lips.

  That’s when I knew it.

  I had him. He wasn’t going to kill me.

  He had approached me in the ball, but then he had backed off when Emilio appeared, leaving me confused of what he’d really wanted.

  I didn’t know where I found the courage in front of five strong and intimidating men, but I took off my mask, and threw it on the hard cement at his feet.

  It landed with a thud in front of him. The loud noise echoed in the empty parking lot.

  His gaze first took in the mask before it landed on me.

  I met his eyes head-on and let him look at me.

  He traced my features, and a shudder ran through me.

  He saw it before I even felt it.

  I knew what his reaction would be. His eyes were heated now.

  It only took one look. One look and I was doomed.

  There was an energy coming out of him, like something inside him had awakened as if scenting a prey. He was the predator, and I was his appetite. He looked ravenous as he tilted his head and studied me.

  My breathing hitched under his intrusive stare, daring me to look away from his intense eyes. I felt myself becoming overwhelm.

  I felt like I was going to become his toy, something to break.

  I’d unintentionally sent a message inviting him to sink his beast-like claws into me.

  I tried to swallow down my fear. My body recoiled at the thought of his touch. He was a stranger. I didn’t know him personally, much less like him. I tried to prepare myself, brace myself for the hurt and torture that I knew was coming later.

  I knew all about him though. Who hadn’t?

  It was kind of hard not to when you lived in the city he ruled. He was a dangerous man. He was young, in his early thirties, and the leader of one of the ruling families of New York, the Italian mob, La Cosa Nostra.

  The underworld Don.

  He was a monster.

  A trained killer and a cold-blooded murderer.

  He lived freely, walked among people because there was no evidence against him. No one dared to stand against him and his family. If there was ever a case about him, it was dropped because someone else, perhaps one of his men took the fall and never mentioned his name.

  He was known to have the most loyal made men.

  Made men. That’s what these men in front of me were.

  After a moment, the Don walked away without saying anything and returned to his car. One of the men followed behind him and sat in the driver’s seat. I didn’t understand what that meant. Had he agreed or were the men going to kill me?

  Just then one of the men’s phone pinged.

  My head jerked in that direction, eyeing the phone.

  Just then the man glanced up at me, “Well, it’s your lucky day. You’re going to live bitch.”

  Prick. I automatically decided I didn’t like him.

  A sigh of relie
f left from my mouth. I was going to live. Great. The Don clearly liked what he saw. He had clearly liked what he’d seen. What did that mean now? What happened next? Would I be his plaything? I really didn’t want to be. I offered myself to him, but now I thought of the consequences, they weren’t pretty.

  My fate was sealed now though, it was too late.

  Taken by the beast.

  The man in the black mask jerked the gun toward another car.

  Vlad’s car left first.

  The driver streamed through the parking lot, the screeching noise hurting my ears.

  I followed the black, matte Ferrari with my eyes.

  Another man stepped in front of me, and with the help of another guy, they picked up the dead man’s body and loaded it in the trunk. My eyes widened at what I’d just witnessed. They looked unphased, like they had done this plenty of times.

  Then, it hit me. Shit had just gotten ten times more real.

  I obeyed and walked with hesitant footsteps toward the car. It was black and expensive. A Mercedes. The seats were shiny, cold, and made from leather. Inside the car, it smelled like cigarettes. I tried not to cringe at the fact that there was a body in the trunk. Two men sat in front and the man in the black mask who had last spoken to me sat next to me. I still didn’t know his name.

  My phone was in my clutch, and I was itching to call for help, but I couldn’t take it out in front of them.

  My door instantly locked, and the car began to move. I stayed quiet, fiddling with my hands nervously. I should have been crying, but I wasn’t much of a crier. I gazed outside the car window as we were merged onto the highway.

  I tried to think of ways to escape from the moving car without hurting myself. Just as my hand was about to press against the doorhandle, the man next to me shook his head and pointed his gun at me.

  “I have a gun, baby. Don’t forget.”

  His voice was colder and crueler than the don’s. I didn’t think it was possible.

  I stayed still in my seat and didn’t move.

  “What’s going to happen to me?” I asked.

  “There are many options,” the man replied.

  Then, he took off his mask and discarded it to the side.

  “You’re going to be seeing me often. I’m Leo. It’s short for Leonardo.”

  I stared at Leo. He would be attractive if it weren’t for the ugly sneer that played on his lips. His features were too sharp and too bold. He was lean and stocky, more muscular than his don. Dark-brown hair and tanned skin. His hair was choppier on the sides and longer on the top. He had multiple scars on his cheek and neck that snaked lower into his chest. I could tell this was a man who lived by cruelty and torture. The devious glint in his black eyes said it all.

  Just then, he leaned close to me.

  I tried to move away from him, but he gripped my arm tightly, preventing me. I tried to exhale slowly and force myself to keep calm.

  Then, he grabbed my clutch and dug through it.

  My eyes widened when he saw my phone. I tried to snatch it out of his hands, but he turned his body away. Then, he bent my phone and broke it.

  He literally broke it in two seconds then he dropped it on the floor.

  My eyes took in what I had just witnessed. Leo was strong, very strong. Maybe he was planning on snapping me like a twig too. He caught me watching him and winked at me, then he leaned in closer to me, his hot breath stank of booze and the smell engulfed me.

  “Maybe Don will share.”

  My eyes widened and I stared straight ahead, so I wouldn’t have to look at his cruel, sneering face. I was afraid I would do something irrational, like punch him and then end up dead.

  I focused on my breathing again, one breath at a time.

  “Leave her alone Leo. Vlad texted me saying, no one can harm her,” the driver said.

  I hoped he would listen.

  “Your Don will probably flay you,” I shot back, not resisting my impulse to lash out at Leo.

  “You have a mouth on you. Interesting,” Leo replied.

  Leo’s stare burned into my side, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of letting him know how I really felt. Then, he grabbed my arm and proceeded to give me a pat down.

  “Let me go, jackass!” I snarled, trying to claw his face.

  Maybe he was searching for another phone?

  I highly doubted it.

  I heard him laugh, a deep chuckle before his hands roamed over my breasts and hips. His hand grabbed my dress’s neckline and he peered down at my chest. I stared at him, bewildered. I hated his touch, and it made my skin feel like it was crawling alive. I tried not to shake under him, even though I was terrified of what he might do.

  “You know, some girls do that, hide shit in their bra,” he said, staring at me.

  Does he check women’s bra’s daily?

  His hands brushed against the swells of my breast, and I tried not to cringe. I tried to wrench myself away, but his touch only tightened.

  It was my first sexual violation by them.

  I didn’t know how many more I would have. At this moment, I wished I was a male instead and didn’t have womanly parts. It made me sad that my appearance made me stand out, made me a target. It made me look weak and powerless, and I hated that more than anything.

  I didn’t trust Leo at all. His eyes were different, now full of lust. I didn’t want to know what he was thinking, even though he had made his interests clear. He licked his lower lip as he took in the sight of me.

  It was dark in the car, but the moonlight outside hit my skin, outlining my body. I moved to cover my cleavage, but Leo swatted my hand away. Then, Leo, pinched my nipple through the fabric making me yelp. That really hurt.

  I jabbed him in the stomach. He made a noise and let me go.

  Was he really searching me or was he just trying to grope me? I wanted to break his hand.

  “Are you Italian?” Leo asked after a moment.

  I stayed silent. I sure as hell wasn’t going to make conversation with this creep.

  Just then, his hand gripped my arm again. Hard. I gritted my teeth, but I knew his hand would leave a bruise. I was getting upset now as I scowled at him. He was being too touchy feely.

  “I asked you a question.”

  I flashed angry eyes at him, wanting to roar and lash out.

  “I’m Lebanese.”

  “Are you a lesbian?” he asked.

  I ignored his dig, the slur. I had heard that before.

  “So, you speak Arabic?” he asked then.

  “I speak, fuck you,” I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest.

  He was annoying, and I couldn’t help but snap at him. I had to tread carefully though and not provoke these men, but my temper was something I never could control. I should have known better. Bad-mouthing them wasn’t going to work in my favor. I would have kept my mouth shut if Leo hadn’t touched me.

  There was laughter from the two men in the front seats.

  Leo instantly lost his smirk. He reached out and wrapped a hand around my throat, choking me. I hadn’t expected that. He pressed down the middle of my throat, cutting off my air. I couldn’t breathe as his grip on my neck was too tight. It was painful. It wasn’t just a warning. He touched me like he wanted to kill me.

  My eyes widened, and I jabbed my elbow in his chest, trying to free myself. Just then I clawed my long, painted black nails on his cheek, scratching his already scarred face. He screeched at me like a dramatic baby and dropped his hand. I gleamed at the sight of his blood with the small victory egging me on.

  Score one for me.

  Stupid prick.

  Just then, the car pulled to the side and abruptly stopped, making me hit the seat in front of me. I winced when my forehead hit it. It felt bruised, but it didn’t hurt as much as my neck did.

  The driver quickly turned around and stared at Leo with a bored expression. The man in the passenger seat turned to stare at us too. Their masquerade masks were gone. Both men
had fine, Italian features. The driver had dark blond hair and icy blue eyes. At first, I thought his hair was light brown, but when I looked closely it had specks of blonde. I was surrounded by handsome men, but they were all cold bastards. Men who killed for a living.

  “Get your hands off, sicko.”

  He’s helping me.

  “You can’t damage the merchandise.”

  I take back what I said now.

  Leo backed off even though I could feel him watching me warily. I huddled down in my seat against the door, keeping my distance from him. I pressed a hand against my tender and swollen neck, wincing at the touch. A bruise was sure to appear soon. I glanced at Leo who held a napkin to his clawed cheek, holding his wound like I was holding my own.

  We then arrived at a large, silver gated mansion.

  It seemed more like a palace.

  Walled in like its own small world.

  The Hamptons.

  The estate area of Water Mill.

  My stomach churned at the obvious wealth that I was witnessing. I didn’t have this when I was growing up. Normal people never do. Only the privileged and rich did, not an orphan like me.

  There was security at the entry gate to the gilded golden cage. My heart sank a little lower knowing the appearance and beauty of this palace was stunning, but it was a cage none the less.

  I was going to be locked in.

  The mansion seemed to be built recently, and it was made from all things modern with its glass windows. I wondered how many people lived in this place. There was a mighty oak tree in the center of the grounds surrounded by nature. The area was tinted with gold and brown. My eyes soaked in the bold and homely colors. We passed a large, rose garden and a greenhouse. The weather was getting colder, and some of the roses had withered, and were no longer blooming.

  It somehow reminded me of my fate.

  It was surreal to believe this was the house I would be living in. At least, I hoped I would be living here. It could easily be the house of my dreams. It was like a palace, but I knew this was no fairytale. A massive water fountain stood in front of the mansion, and there were statues of lions and eagles with enormous wings.

  Once we parked, I was taken into the mansion.

  No one touched me since I walked on my own.

  Leo kept a distance from me now… as long as I followed orders.