Mr. Ruthless

Prologue

I gasped in surprise as a pair of vibrant grey eyes met mine. Eyes as obscure and emotionless that it left a lurid feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Catching the vicious glare directed towards me, I took a startled step back. His eyes held a complete new level of intensity.

I looked away, his overpowering aura dominating mine into anguish and anxiety. My eyes fell upon his waist. His calloused hand playfully twisted beneath the side of his jacket. Catching my attention was the flash of silver that reflected from the light.

My throat closed up as I realized he was carrying a gun. My hands were shaking, causing the glasses on my platter to rattle against each other until gravity finally took over the weight. They shattered on the floor, people turned to look but no one noticed what I had.

"Just an accident," the quail man before me calmly announced before settling his menacing gaze back upon me. His words sounded foreign as they were masked with the thickness of his accent.

"Nothing to see here." The last part -almost like a whisper- was directed to me, his eyes silently challenging me to make a scene. I wanted to, but my body refused to move.

His eyes took on a daunting twist as they calculated my every move. His hand moved away from the weapon, agonizingly slow. He took a step closer, causing alarm bells to fire up in my head. He brought his finger towards his lips, his mouth curled into a wicked grin as if he had just told me a secret. My blood ran cold.

"You should have left while you had the chance bambina."

(Translation: child, baby-girl)

Before I had time to register it, everything around me had moved. Screams floated through the air, the sudden chaos had emptied the diner in all hysterics. Seconds, minutes, hours, it all felt the same.

As if snapping out of a dream, it finally seemed to dawn on me that shots had been fired.

I had unintentionally taken a step towards him, not realizing I had just walked straight into the daunting man's reach. A warm pair of hands circled around my waist, pulling me against a hard surface.

My head was spinning. Adrenaline pumping through my veins as I tried to comprehend what had happened. Seconds went by before I finally dared to open my eyes. Confusion consumed me as I searched for the source of sound but the diner seemed unrattled, beside from the sudden vacancy.

A deep intake of breath reminded me of the presence behind me. Slowly lifting my head to the side, my nose came in immediate contact with another one. I gasped as eyes as thick, prowling clouds bore into mine. A hot breath fanned over my glowing face.

"You shouldn't be this close to me, bambina." He simpered.

I couldn't suppress shivers from running down my spine. The warmth of his hands seeping through the thin fabric of my shirt as they rested om my waist. My body felt like it was set ablaze.

"W-what?" my brain was fogged. What was happening. The man pulled me closer, crushing me into his enormous body. A shiver raked down every muscle as I realized this man could pulverize my skull using his bare hands.

"I gave you a fair warning, you should have listened." He whispered, his mouth dangerously close to my face, yet his eyes were staring straight ahead of him.

"P-please let go." I whimpered. His tight embrace around my waist was starting to hurt.

"Are you scared of me bambina?" He loosened his grip. My heart stammered.
"N-no" Lie. Of course I was.

"No?" he chuckled, stroking my cheek with his thumb. "are you sure about that?" my eyes travelled towards the ground, goose bumps spread across my exposed skin as he tauntingly waited for my answer.

"Well you should be," he hissed.

"Cause I'm your worst nightmare."