I feel something hard pushing into my stomach. I try to push myself up, but my body doesn't answer my brain's requests. My eyes flutter open, revealing a blurred floor. With my vision dazed, I manage to register the large potted plants below me as I pass them.
I'm moving?
My head droops, and I make out a tall body, snapping me back to reality.
I remember everything: being taken and then injected?
Finding my body too heavy for me to move, my desperate fighting attempts come across as useless squirms.
"Put me down." I groggily groan.
The broad shoulder underneath me digs into my stomach, causing me to whine in complaint.
"Shut your fucking mouth." The man growls. I try to turn my head to see who it is, but my half-asleep body refuses to listen. "Be grateful I didn't kill your ass for laying your filthy hands on me."
Great, it's Nico.
I whine again, and my body starts to wake up. I manage to move my arms and use them to push his back, sending my body falling down him. I slip down his back, and he catches me by my legs as my upper body dangles down his back. My legs wake up, a tingling sensation running through them, before I manage to swing a foot up, kicking him in the face.
"Fuck!" He lets go of me to hold his nose as blood starts to trickle out of it, and I fall down his back onto the floor. "You fucking bitch!"
I take the opportunity to scramble towards the nearest plant pot, using all my strength to shove it on the floor. Nico starts to angrily storm over, while Johnny walks calmly next to him. The pot hits the floor and shatters, spilling soil and covering the marble floor. I quickly grab a piece of the broken ceramic and hold it towards Nico threateningly.
"If you even try touching me, I will slit your fucking throat. Now back the fuck up!"
"That won't be necessary, dear." I hear a woman's voice beside me, and I snap my body her way, pointing the sharp shard at her too. Her face is slightly wrinkled, with gentle eyes and a warm smile. "I understand you must be scared, but violence will get you nowhere. Nobody is going to harm you here, so please put the weapon down and we can have a civilised conversation."
"Civilised?" I scoff, feeling my eyes widening and my eyebrows raising as a mixture of emotions run wild in my head. I'm terrified and upset, but most of all, I'm fucking furious. Who the fuck are these people? Why do they think that they can play with me like some little doll? What the fuck is going on? "Nothing about this is civilised; you fucking kidnapped me!" I yell, the shard still threateningly pointed at them.
"We didn't kidnap you; we simply claimed your father's debt payment. He fucking sold you, sweetheart." Nico growls angrily at me.
I'm going to fucking kill him.
Without thinking, I hurl the shard at him and quickly bend down to grab more, staying down as I grab and throw more pieces of the broken ceramic.
His fists clench as he storms over, dodging my messy aims and ragging me up by my hair. He releases my hair and grips my shoulders firmly before slamming my back into the wall. I wince and desperately try to retaliate, but his grip on my shoulders immobilises my arms.
"Nico, let go of the girl now!" The woman shouts; I can't see her, but I can hear the panic in her voice.
I swiftly bring my knee up and ram it into his stomach. He growls and pulls me forward by my shoulders, only to slam me back into the wall again.
"You fuc-"
He's cut off by a tired voice coming from the staircase, and everyone looks over to see the source. He's massive, around 6'4. He's wearing a plain black top that hugs his body loosely but still outlines his obvious muscular figure, with grey sweatpants. His hair is black and messy, contrasting with his green eyes. He doesn't even look at us as he casually strolls down the stairs.
"Take your hands off the girl before I cut them off myself, Nico." He sighs, shaking his head, and then stands at the bottom of the staircase, an unimpressed look on his face.
Nico's grip on me remains as he stares stunned at the man, like a deer in headlights.
"Do I need to count down like you're a child? Get off of her."
My attention goes back to Nico; his grip loosens, and he takes a step away from me. I sigh in relief but keep my guard up. I study his face as he puts his head down to the floor, as if he were ashamed of what he had done, but that's not it. He's not ashamed; he's scared. His jaw clenches in anger, but he keeps his head down, refusing to look at the man or me. Honestly, the main question on my mind is, Who the fuck are all of these people? I should be asleep by now, so I'm awake for work in the morning, but somehow I find myself here, in this random place with these random people, with no idea what I'm doing or why I'm even here.
"Why are you just standing there?" The man scowls at me, and I raise an eyebrow out of confusion.
"What?"
"Oh my god, I'm surrounded by idiots. " He mutters under his breath, but everyone hears him. "Just follow me."
The man begins to walk through the hallway, and I stay still.
"No." I scowl, making him stop dead in his tracks. He turns around slowly and begins to come towards me.
"Excuse me?" His eyebrows raise as he walks over to me.
"I said no." I shrug. "Why on earth would I 'just follow you' when you, you know, kidnapped me? Seriously, why is nobody acknowledging the fact that I'm here against my will? Of course I'm not going to listen to a word you say; I don't want to fucking be here! I don't even know what you people want from me!"
The man looks shocked and slightly amused as he reaches me, pushing Nico out of the way and to the side.
"Princess, do you know who I am?" He asks, as if who he is will change anything.
"No?"
"That makes more sense." He chuckles, nodding his head with his hand casually in his sweatpants pockets.
"What?" I raise my eyebrow; his sense of entitlement practically radiating off of him.
"Nothing, princess. It's just that I doubt you'd be speaking that way if you knew who you were talking to, that's all." He smiles tauntingly, and all I can think about is slapping his stupid grin away.
"I don't care who you are." I challenge, laughing sarcastically.
"Is that so?" He raises an eyebrow. "You might want to put some more thought into your next words, princess."
His passive-aggressive threat and little pet name only anger me more, causing me to fire back at him.
"I don't give a shit who you are!"
"Careful now." He taunts, his irritating grin only growing. "You don't want to say anything you'll regret, do you?"
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" I narrow my eyes in disgust.
"More of a warning." He shrugs.
I've never wanted to slap someone harder. Instead, I clench my fists by my side and take a deep breath in, staying silent and trying to relax myself.
"That's better." He comments, satisfied at my silence, which sends me spiralling again, but I try my best to stay quiet, murmuring under my breath.
"Asshole."
He hears and chuckles, bringing his mouth close to mine. I feel his hot breath on the shell of my ear and find my body tensing up, heat rushing to my cheeks. Until he talks and I'm back to wanting to hit him,
"You've got quite the mouth on you, princess. Now I suggest you shut it before I put it to..." He pauses and traces a finger across my collarbone before continuing, "..better use."
I feel the words rising up my throat, telling my brain not to, but of course, it doesn't listen to me.
"Oh, fuck off, you insufferable prick!" I snap, and he sticks his tongue in the side of one of his cheeks while he continues to smirk.
"Ah, Aurora. You certainly know how to make an entrance." A deep voice comes from behind me. I turn around, but my entire body freezes when I see the man. "I'm Carlos, Carlos-"
"Gravano.." I say in shock.
Why the fuck am I in the same house as the most powerful mafia boss in New York? And why is he talking to me? Why does he know my name? What the fuck is going on?
"Precisely." A charming smile comes across his face. "I understand your reaction; you're probably very confused right now, and I promise everything will be explained fully in the morning once you've had some sleep. I see you've met my son, Cole." He gestures to the infuriating man from a second ago, whom I turn to and see the smuggest smirk on his face.
"Son?" I question, shocked.
"Yes? Cole's my son." He chuckles at my stunned reaction. "Anyways, he'll show you to your room, and we will talk in the morning; you need some rest. Goodnight Aurora."
"Um- Goodnight, Mr. Gravano?" I nod reluctantly, unsure of what to do.
He smiles at me and leaves the room. I turn around to see the man with his hand extended towards me sarcastically.
"Cole Gravano, princess." He taunts.