Ruthless Obsession

Chapter two

✧ si vis pacem, para bellum ✧

✧ If you want peace, prepare for war ✧

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I awake with a jolt, another nightmare. I await the day that one of these so called dreams kills me. I'll probably die of a heart attack in the late hours of the night, when I'm too old to prosper another day.

It's still dark outside. I glance at the green numbers on the nightstand-clock, rubbing my puffy eyes and squinting to see the glowing 3:36 on the screen.

I drag myself out of bed and into the hall. Of course, I don't know where I'm going, or maybe even where a bathroom is, but nonetheless I take my time appreciating the unique paintings on the walls and open floor plan of the kitchen. I browse the doors, stopping at the first one I see.

I don't know if it's the best idea to go opening random doors in the middle of the night, but I'm sure I'm not expected to wait until morning to pee.

I turn the handle, cracking it open and soon realizing, this is not the bathroom.

Inside are three men I don't recognize and Angelo, standing over a clear tarp, with an unconscious man tied to a chair. Blood has been spread all over the ground and all over some of the mens hands. The hostage wakes from his unconscious state, startled.

Angelo pulls out a handgun from his pants and aims it at the man in the chair. The man begs and pleads for his life, saying anything that could convince them not to shoot him. Angelo smirks and prospers at the mans whining voice, he almost enjoys it.

It all happens so fast. He actually shot him, and he didn't even feel bad. I scream and slap my hand over my mouth. Shit shit shit.

The men look up at me, surprise, and then rage after that, is displayed all over their faces.

I back away from the door hand still over my mouth. Angelo is the first to come out of the room. Grabbing my wrist, he pulls me back in the direction of my room. "Hasn't anyone ever told you not to eavesdrop?!" He yells in his deep voice.

"I'm sorry, I was looking for the bathroom!" I explain.

He stops, and looks at me for a moment, then pulls my arm the opposite direction. "What are you doing?" I ask alarmed. "Where are you taking me?"

He steers me toward a door and opens it. I look inside at the stainless steel sinks and the alarmingly huge, expensive, bathtub, breathing out a sigh of relief.

His annoyed form nudges me in and I take the opportunity to quickly shut the door, locking it from the inside.

I take one look at myself in the mirror. My face is red, panic splayed throughout my features, displaying what I just saw in that room. I can't believe he just killed someone. Actually, I can believe it, or rather I should believe it. I need to stop trying to see the best in people, especially this man.

I feel like I'm in shock, I've never seen someone die before. I wonder who that man was. Was he a criminal? A drug dealer? Was he an innocent man, with some information they needed?

When I open the bathroom door, Angelo is nowhere to be seen. So I naturally make my way back to my room. I notice my bedroom door is cracked open... not how I left it. I slowly, but cautiously open the door, flinching when I see a well dressed figure sitting on the edge of my bed. I recognize him as one of the men from the torture party. "Who are you?" I ask, positioning myself further away from him.

"I'm Louis," He says with a curious smirk. "Who are you?" He says, asking me the same question I just asked him. The question seems moot. He knows who I am, I can tell.

"Why are you in my room?" I say ignoring his fake curiosity. "I was curious who Angelo's father is making him marry," he says, splaying out his hands on the linen.

I pause, this is new information,"Angelos father's making him marry me?" I say. Suddenly I feel a tall presence behind me. "What the hell are you doing in here?" Angelo asks Louis with an edge to his voice.

I turn my face up in thought. Now I can see why Angelo hold such a displeasure in marrying me; this isn't his choice either.

"Nothing, I was just chatting with your fiance," He rushes his words out just like the man in the other room pleading for his life. Louis' face reddens as Angelo glares at him.

"Leave, now." Angelo states. Louis quickly rushes to the door, eager to obey Angelos commands, but not without a playful smile thrown in my direction.

I slowly turn around, Angelo stares down at me. His height is too intimidating. "You better get some sleep, we have business to attend to in a couple of hours." He moves to close the door behind him, "Who was that man, th- that you shot?" I say with a shaky voice, crossing my arms over my chest.

He shifts from the door and turns back around to face me. He looks like he's trying to evaluate what to say to me. For a long second he doesn't respond,

"He deserved what he got." Is all he says to me.

I look away from him disgusted. He doesn't even feel bad. He just shot a man and he doesn't even care.

"No one deserves to die." I half whisper, anger laced in my words. I don't get to say what I really want to say.

"He owes me money, and he refused to pay it back. So I did what had to be done." He says as if it's the most reasonable answer he could have replied with.

"So all he did was not pay you back?" I ask hoping that there's some other reason to justify what Angelo did to him. Not that he could justify it.

Angelo stares at me, obviously confused why I'm so upset. "Hasn't your father showed you how we do business? Surely you didn't think I would need a reason to kill him." He says, almost laughing. Cruel and cold, just like everyone says he is. "Trust me when I say he was devoid of any true human nature. He died the day he decided to borrow from me without paying me back."

I cringe at his words, not able to say anything else. I feel like I'm getting bullied.

"Go to bed, Ruth" He's not asking, he's commanding. My face turns sour, I close the door, and I get into bed, trying my best to not think about the fact that I live with a killer.

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