Kidnapped By The Mafia

What a night.

"Two shots of whiskey, please." I said, leaning against the counter.

The bartender, who's name I think is Matthew, sighed. "Don't you think you've had enough for tonight?"

"Matteo, please," I let out a sigh. Can't a girl just have her drinks in peace? "It's been a long ass day. I deserve a little peace and quiet, and maybe even a good dose of something strong."

A flicker of worry crossed Matthew's face, but after a moment's hesitation, he grabbed two shot glasses and a bottle of amber liquid. With a practiced hand, he measured the liquor, the clinking of the ice cubes against the glass the only sound in the brief pause.

"Finally." I smiled as I let the alcohol burn the back of my throat.

Matthew, however, continued to watch me with a furrowed brow. "Please, Miss Hart..." He pleaded softly, "don't make me involve Sir Marcellus in this. I can't handle it."

I couldn't help but laugh at the man's concern. This stranger showed me more concern than anyone in these ten minutes than anyone in this place ever did. The feeling almost felt foreign to me, the fact that someone was actually concerned.

I took another shot. "Listen, I appreciate it, really. But I can handle myself."

Matthew leaned closer, his voice barely a whisper. "This isn't about you handling yourself. That guy over there," He tilted his head discreetly towards a corner booth, "He's got a reputation. And Sir Marcellus...well, let's just say he doesn't take kindly to trouble in his bar."

Intrigued, I swiveled on my stool to see who he was referring to. A large man with a shaved head tattoos all over his arms sat, his gaze occasionally flickering towards me.

"So, what?" I said, trying to sound tougher than I felt. "Should I be scared of a random bar bouncer?"

Matthew's eyes widened. "Bouncer? That's Bruno Savarese. He owns half this city." The revelation hit me like a cold slap. Maybe coming here alone wasn't the brightest idea after all.

"Maybe I should just-"

"No, don't make a scene," Matthew interjected urgently, his voice barely a whisper. "Just finish your drink and go back. Just disappear into the crowd."

I almost offered him a reassuring smile, but before I could, a deep, husky voice cut through the air.

"Looks like you aren't letting the young lady enjoy herself."

Both Matteo and I froze for a moment.

I then turned around, still in my stool only to see the same man, Bruno Savarese, now towering over me, with an ugly smirk playing around his lips.

Disgust contorted my features. Scowling, I turned back to Matthew, a silent plea for help flickering in my eyes. Even in my drunken state I couldn't help but notice that he looked a little at edge. He visibly flinched, his hand instinctively reached for a rag to wipe down the counter, anything to avoid eye contact with the newcomer. He pulled out his poker face and got back to serving other people drinks.

Bruh.

I glared at him in disappointment. But then again, I wouldn't wanna get caught up in some stranger's mess either.

"So, what's your pretty name?" The man asked, taking a seat next to me.

This whole situation felt ridiculous.
With a muttered curse under my breath, I decided to cut my losses. "I'm sorry," I mumbled, pushing myself away from the counter. "But I really need to get going."

"Goodbye." I bowed to him and practically bolted away from the man. I have no energy to deal with the creeps Alex warned me about. Plus, I had started to feel a little bit scared too. You don't realise how serious someone's warning is until they actually start coming true. That man there looked like he could kill someone without second thoughts, and considering my current condition, I don't think I'm capable of making rational decisions, so the best thing to do is to go back to Xander's room and wait for him. He should be done by now, it's been an hour already.

I felt my body relax when I saw his bedroom door up ahead. Knowing he was on the same floor as me provided me with a small sense of comfort.

I fumbled slightly with the passcode (yes, he installed a code) before entering the room. As I reached out for the light switch instinctively, my hand froze in mid air. A pair of strong hands clamped down on me from behind, the suddenness of it stealing my breath. Before I could even register what was happening, I was yanked away from the doorway and shoved towards the bed. The reality of the situation kicked in and a scream ripped from my throat, only to be cut short by a hand over my mouth.

"There, there." The same deep voice from earlier growled in my ear, making me cry out more. I struggled, kicking and squirming, but it was of no use.

"You had quite the audacity to walk out on me like that, you little bitch." He spit on my face before throwing me on the bed, my head hit the edge of something hard.

The world felt like it was spinning, my movements were sloppy, I tried to run but it was of no use. I was way too sloppy to even get up without stumbling on my own foot.

"Stupid cunt." He laughed as he lunged for me, grabbing ahold of my legs and pulled me towards him.

He reached for the straps of my dress, a sick smile twisting his lips. With a loud rip, the fabric gave way, the front of my dress tearing down, almost exposing me to his filthy fucking gaze.

"Somebody, help!" I screamed again but no one came. He grabbed my neck, restricting my flow of air. It felt like I literally saw the bright light before an ear piercing sound came echoing in the room. A blinding flash of light filled the room for a brief moment a then the man suddenly fell onto me, a sickening thud echoing in the sudden quiet. I felt something wet oozing out of his head. I knew what it was so I quickly shoved him away from me and tumbled out of the bed, sobbing frantically.

I could feel the hot liquid dripping down my forehead too, from the impact I took before. I touched the cut and it was worse than I thought, my entire palm was dark red.

"Oh, fuck." I whimpered, sucking in a shaky breath to calm myself down.

I have to get out of here. I have to find Xander...

"Melena!" A familiar voice called out to me from the darkness.

My blurry eyes tried adjusting to the figure who was helping me get back up, he had his arms tightly locked around me to stop me from shaking and falling over.