The Black Dahlia (Cartel Series #1) ✔️

61. Learning the Truth

Gabriella

As I slowly open my eyes, the pounding in my head intensifies, like a relentless drumbeat echoing through my skull. The room is dimly lit, shadows dancing in the corners, and the air smells musty, like damp earth and decay.

Disoriented and disheveled, I struggled to make sense of my surroundings, the events of the day a hazy blur in my fractured memory.

Panic gripped my chest like icy claws as I realized the gravity of my situation. I was alone, kidnapped, trapped in a nightmare from which there seemed to be no escape. With each passing moment, the weight of uncertainty pressed down upon me, threatening to crush my spirit beneath its suffocating embrace. Fear courses through me as I take in my surroundings-a rundown, abandoned building, the walls covered in grime and graffiti.

A creaking sound snaps me out of my daze, and my heart lurches in my chest as the door swings open. A figure steps into the room, his silhouette outlined against the faint light streaming in from the hallway. My breath catches in my throat as recognition floods over me like a tidal wave.

It's him.

The man standing before me, his features obscured by the shadows, is someone I thought I knew-a friend, a father figure. But the look in his eyes sends a shiver down my spine, chilling me to the core. There's something cold and calculating in his gaze, something that fills me with dread.

I realize then, with a sickening sense of clarity, that he's not here to help me. He's the reason I'm trapped in this nightmare, the one responsible for my pain and confusion. And as he takes a step closer, a cruel smile twisting his lips, I know that escaping from him will be the hardest battle I've ever fought.

As I struggle against the restraints binding me to the chair, my heart races with a mixture of fear and desperation. Every movement sends sharp pains shooting through my limbs, a cruel reminder of my helplessness.

The man approaches slowly, his footsteps echoing in the eerie silence of the room. His eyes gleam with malice as he reaches out to touch my face, and I flinch away instinctively, the rough rope biting into my skin.

"Why are you doing this?" I manage to choke out, my voice trembling with fear.

He leans in close, his breath hot against my ear. "Because you know too much," he whispers, his voice dripping with menace. "And now, you're going to pay the price."

The pain of betrayal cuts deeper than any physical wound, a raw ache that gnaws at my soul. To see someone I trusted with my life now standing against me, their face twisted with malice, shatters my heart into a million jagged pieces.

Every word, every action feels like a betrayal of the bond we once shared. The memories of laughter, of shared secrets, now tainted by the cruel reality of his betrayal. How could he do this to me? How could he turn his back on everything we had?

As the man signals his cohorts to release me, my heart pounds with a mixture of relief and apprehension. The men emerge from the shadows, their faces obscured by darkness, and begin to untie the ropes that bind me.

With each knot loosened, a flicker of hope ignites within me, but as I attempt to rise to my feet, my legs betray me, buckling beneath the weight of my exhaustion and fear. I collapse to my knees, the cold floor pressing against my skin, as I struggle to find the strength to stand. Tears well in my eyes, a silent testament

The sound of his laughter cuts through the air like a knife, mocking and cruel. I feel a surge of anger rising within me, fueled by the injustice of his amusement at my suffering.

Despite the ache in my body and the fear gnawing at my insides, I refuse to let his laughter break me. Clenching my fists, I meet his gaze with steely determination, refusing to show any sign of weakness.
"Look, the heir to the Mendellin Cartel can't even stand properly."