𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐞 || A Mafia Love Story

xxxii

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Viktor lay in bed, his muscles aching, the soreness slowly easing as sleep overtook him. He had been out of town all day, dealing with business—hours of headaches and cleaning up messes left behind by the incompetence of those beneath him. His body was heavy with exhaustion, but his mind still buzzed with restless energy, thoughts of tomorrow carrying him through the haze of sleep.

The reason for his anticipation was simple—Marlee. He had spent the entire evening thinking of her, eager to see her again. Excitement pulsed through him like an undercurrent, urging him to fall asleep faster. If he could just surrender to it, morning would come sooner, and with it, the chance to see her face. He imagined her smile, soft and unguarded, like the sun breaking through clouds, and it pulled him closer to the edge of sleep.

His breathing slowed, becoming deeper and steadier. In just a few hours, the world would wake, and he'd be with her again. It was the only thing that made the chaos of his life bearable—the thought of her, waiting for him, always grounding him. With that thought, Viktor finally let go, slipping into unconsciousness, unaware that outside his world of calm, a storm was brewing, one that would shake everything he thought was secure.

Marlee jolted awake, her body drenched in cold sweat, heart pounding violently in her chest. An aching throb pulsed through her leg, sharp and relentless, her injured foot screaming in pain as the sensation shot up to her knee. Disoriented, she blinked into the darkness, her senses slowly returning in a disjointed haze. Her throat was dry, like sandpaper, and as she swallowed, the dull pop in her ears suddenly sharpened, bringing with it an explosion of sound—the steady roar of an engine. It filled her mind with dread as if her whole world had become a metallic cacophony of motion.

The ground beneath her swayed rhythmically, almost like the rocking of a boat, but the rumble of the engine told her otherwise. Panic clawed its way into her chest, forcing her breath to quicken as her heart pounded harder. She fought to remember, to make sense of what was happening, but all that came was a fractured memory—the slamming of a van door and a figure stepping out, a face she couldn't quite place but disturbingly familiar. She had been taken, ripped from her life without warning or reason.

Her eyes, stiff from sleep, fluttered open only to be met with a blinding grey light filtering through narrow windows. She instinctively raised her hand to rub the sting from her eyes, but something cold and heavy stopped her. A sharp, metallic clang rang out, sending her pulse racing even faster. Marlee's heart plummeted as she realized she couldn't move her arms—they were shackled, locked in thick metal chains that dug into her skin with every twitch of movement.

Panic surged anew, ripping through her chest as she yanked at her restraints, the motion causing the scabs on her elbows to tear open, sending hot stings up her arms. Her breathing grew ragged, almost suffocating as she blinked at her surroundings. The room was dim and unfamiliar, its walls stripped down to bare metal, the cold air biting into her skin like knives. She recognized it immediately—this was no ordinary plane. It was the hollow belly of a cargo plane, eerily similar to the one she'd toured with her father so many years ago, back when things were simpler... safer. But now, the nostalgia turned bitter, twisting her stomach into knots. Her father was gone, and she was alone.

A moan of pain escaped her lips as she shifted her leg, the agony in her foot intensifying with every slight movement. She clenched her teeth, fighting against the tears that threatened to spill. The freezing air inside the plane was unbearable; it seeped through her clothes and into her bones, making her tremble uncontrollably. This wasn't right. California never got this cold.

She winced against the harsh light streaming through the windows, the brightness piercing her eyes like needles. Slowly, she forced herself to focus. There—a door at the front of the plane. It led to the cockpit. Her captor was in there, surely. The thought sent a shiver down her spine, but she didn't have the strength to move, much less confront whoever had taken her.

Suddenly, the plane thrashed violently, shaking her whole body with terrifying force. Marlee's scream pierced the air as the plane bucked wildly, throwing her around like a rag doll. Her wrists, bound in cold metal, burned as they scraped against the chains, her body slamming against the unforgiving walls. The plane lurched again, then finally steadied. Marlee was left gasping for breath, her chest heaving as she tried to calm the panic clawing at her throat.

Her mind spun with terror—she was trapped on a plane, far from home, with someone who had torn her from everything she knew. The helplessness gnawed at her, growing like a festering wound.

Then, without warning, the door to the cockpit flew open, slamming against the wall with a heavy thud. A man stepped into the compartment, and the sight of him made Marlee's blood run cold. It was him—the face that had been lingering at the edge of her memory. A face she had once trusted. A face she had let in.

His sickening grin cut through the cold air like a knife, twisting her insides with betrayal. She blinked through the tears that pricked her eyes, her body trembling as the truth hit her with full force. He had used her, toyed with her, and now she was nothing more than a pawn in whatever twisted game he was playing.

"Why?" Marlee's voice cracked, barely a whisper as her lip quivered. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks, her heart shattering with every step he took toward her. She couldn't understand—how had this happened? How had she been so blind?

He crouched down before her, his sickening grin never faltering. He reached out with slow, deliberate movements, his fingers brushing her cheek in a mockery of tenderness. She flinched at the contact, recoiling from the man she had once known. His touch was cold, like death itself, and when his thumb wiped away one of her tears, it felt like the final severing of something she couldn't get back.

"You'll understand soon enough," he murmured, his voice a soft whisper that sent ice through her veins.