TAINTED LOVE

A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL

BELLA'S POV

I just finished having lunch with Clara, who had been keeping me company for a while now, she had been saying a lot of things that I didn't pay attention to because my mind was elsewhere.

I was still struggling to comprehend Moreno. He was both hot and cold at the same time. There was a piece of the puzzle that I couldn't comprehend. I couldn't get anything out of Clara and Mateo was a no-go area not after what he tried to do to me.

I had planned to go grocery shopping with Clara, I had nothing to do in this house and shopping was a perfect distraction.

Clara greeted me with a smile as I came downstairs. She was already dressed and ready to go, her shopping bag in hand. "Shall we head out?" she asked and I nodded. We headed out the door together where we met Antonio.

"Need a ride, Ma'am?" Antonio asked me.  I was unsure of the distance to the grocery store from the house, so I turned to Clara for assistance. "It's not necessary. I'll be with her and we'll be back before you realize it. The boss wouldn't even notice she went out for a few minutes", Clara said, trying to convince him.
"If you say so," he said retreating

As we walked, I tried to avoid the thoughts that kept trying to invade my mind.
A chill ran down my spine as the hairs on the back of my neck stood. I had a strong feeling that we were being followed, but upon turning around, the street was full of people who were occupied with their daily activities. There was no one there. However, the feeling persisted and I couldn't get rid of the feeling of uneasiness.

I decided to express my emotions to Clara. "You're just being paranoid" she said, giving me a reassuring smile. "It's the first time you've left the house since... well, you know. You're just experiencing a slight nervousness. It's completely understandable". I tried to believe her, but the feeling of unease wouldn't go away. There was something off, but I couldn't pinpoint it.

The other shoppers at the grocery store were completely unaware of my discomfort. They went about their business by grabbing items from the shelves and placing them in their carts. The cashiers made small talk with the customers while smiling. It seemed like a typical day at the grocery store. But I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me.

We left the grocery store with bags of food in our possession. As we exited the building, a black car with tinted windows suddenly pulled up in front of us. The window rolled down, and a man in a dark suit leaned out. He was holding a gun, and his expression was cold and menacing. He told us to get in the car, gesturing with his gun.

When I turned to look at Clara, I noticed the same fear in her eyes that I was feeling. We were both frozen in place, unsure of what to do. I still couldn't understand what was happening, another man emerged from the car, also dressed in a dark suit and holding a gun. "I said, get in the car," the first man repeated, his voice like ice. We were aware that we had no choice. Slowly, we made our way towards the car. I immediately began to regret my decision to leave the house with Clara.

The moment we were in the car, a handkerchief was pressed over our noses. I felt a sudden wave of dizziness, and then everything went black. I had no idea how long I was unconscious, but when I woke up, everything was different. My head was pounding, and I was lying on a cold, hard floor. The world was swirling around me, and I was unable to comprehend what was happening.

I was overwhelmed by a sickening smell of smoke and blood. I heard voices in the background, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. My head was spinning, and I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. As my vision cleared, I saw that I was in a dark, dingy room, I was alone and Clara was nowhere to be found. There was blood spattered on the walls, and a cigarette smoldered in an ashtray. I felt a sense of dread creeping over me. Wondering who could have done this to me.