Art of Darkness

chapter 8

NATALIA ELYSE DELAVIN

Aries was looking straight into my eyes waiting for me to answer. It's been a year since that happened yet we never talked about it.

When I arrived here two weeks ago, we both didn't bring up the topic. Maybe because both of us don't have the courage to do it.

"I just want to know so I can fucking move on already." I heard him whisper under his breath.

"Because I want to. It didn't mean anythi—"

"Bullshit." He cut my words off hitting the stirring wheel in frustration.

If I tell him, he'd go on a rampage and I don't want that to happen. I've reached this far in protecting his life and I don't want things to go back to zero because of this.

But he also needs to know.

Fuck. Here goes nothing.

I took a heavy breath before I started to talk not sparing him any glances. "When I woke up that morning and you were still asleep, I received a message from an unknown number. It sent me photos of you, photos of us together when we were in New York for three months doing a job."

I stopped for a moment waiting for him to say something yet Aries remained quiet so I continued. "Then I received a video. It was a video of you walking in the streets of New York around 4 in the afternoon I think and there was a sniper aimed directly at your head. As far as I remember, we both split up that time to cover a bigger area."

He still remained quiet and I don't know if I should continue to tell him what happened next because things just got worst.

"Continue. I want to know everything."

I rolled my eyes and rested my back on the seat.

I woke up with an arm wrapped around my waist in a warm embrace. My legs felt sore as I noticed I'm wearing nothing and only covered with a black thick blanket.

Well, fuck me.

I slowly turned around and saw Aries, fast asleep.

I blinked multiple times as recollection of last night's events flashed through my head. My thoughts can't comprehend we just did that but I don't think I regretted him being my first.

I slowly turned around and grabbed my phone from the bedside table to check the time. I made sure to move slowly to not wake him up.

The first thing that popped on my lock screen is a message from an unknown number.

Unknown Number:
I see you returned to Los Angeles
I have three men following him every day you know since I figured he is important to you
Meet me at 352 main street at 6pm. Make sure to not bring anyone or else he goes bye bye

My jaw clenched at the photo sent.

It was a photo of us together walking inside his apartment building. Not just one photo but it came from multiple angles making me more pissed off.

I quietly left Aries' embrace as I find and started to weak my clothes and hurriedly left his apartment.

At around six in the evening, I went to the location with my weapons on me. I was greeted by three men who looked at me lustfully.

Without second thoughts, I shoot two of them in the head and slit the throat of the other one as I furiously entered the warehouse.

"Show your fucking self. I swear to god you'll be suffering the safe fate as those three men out there." I smirked playing with the knife in my fingers.

A man came out, all dressed in black came out from the shadow.

What the fuck.

I laughed loudly while looking at the man yet my heart was beating rapidly.

"I fucking killed you already!" I shouted.

The man laughed and it sent me shivers. That laugh was all way too familiar. It's impossible he survived those stab wounds. It's impossible he survived that fire because I was there and saw him slowly getting burnt!

"You're dead! Who the fuck are you?!" I shouted again yet he laughed like a mad man.

"Dear sweet Natalia. You didn't kill me. You never did."

That voice.

Impossible.

"Stop playing tricks." I pointed my gun at him and shot him in the leg. "Who are you?!"

"Unfortunately for you, you killed someone who looks exactly like me, not me. It's the magic of surgery. But oh well. He was no good use anyways," he smirked. "Now. How about let's continue where we left off eight years ago, shall we?"

I was about to shoot him again yet I felt a sting on my neck.

I didn't notice any other presence around here so where the fuck did it came from?!

"If you're wondering, I just created a device that shoots darts laced with a drug. When I saw you two years ago, I saw how strong you've become so I need to prepare. I need to make sure to put you in the perfect place at the perfect time." That was the last thing I heard before my eyes got heavier and slowly got myself unconscious.

Aries was quiet while looking at me in disbelief. "We didn't even reach the exciting part, Aries," I smirked looking at him.

Those events are way past me. It was painful, yes, but I really did enjoy killing ninety percent of his men.

"I woke up in a dark cell heavily chained up. He really cannot afford me to escape. He did the usual torture on me like before. Whip, stabs, punches, and even electrocuted but not strong enough to get me killed." I continued.

"Seeing his frustration of me not batting an eye, crying, shouting, or reacting whenever he tortures me really gave me a sense of pleasure, you know? I just laughed at him frustrating him more."

I remember those times when he stabbed my right thigh. I laughed at him loudly and taunted him even more.

He was physically torturing me while I was mentally torturing him.

"I keep on telling him that what if he was just torturing a ghost that's why he cannot see me in pain. It drove him crazy!" I laughed in amusement remembering the memory.

"I was held there for two weeks. I managed to escape because he made a stupid move to remove my chains. The moment I got free from them, I killed all of his men there and destroyed all his firearms, burnt all his money and cards. All his valuables were in that warehouse. Could you believe how stupid he was?!" I clasped my hands smiling like a psycho.

"When I escaped there, he was nowhere to be found. I don't know where he is but I have some of my men trying to find him for over a year now. I'm not wasting my time on a stupid idiot. If I see him, I'll kill him on the spot so he better make sure we don't cross paths. But all I know is that he has nothing. No power, no wealth." I shrugged.

"The threats?" Aries seriously asked.

"I immediately returned to Italy when I escaped but I was keeping an eye on you for three months. I managed to kill two men following you and made sure you were safe."

"You could have told me," I heard Aries whisper.

"Told you or not, there was nothing you could do because it was my problem. I didn't return nor got in contact because I got busy. You didn't call either so I thought it meant nothing to you." I softly said the last sentence.