Marrying the Mafia

A Hell of a Ride

Aria's POV:

My heart beats out of my chest as Derek falls limp in front of me. My only hope of getting out of this alive is blacked the fuck out in front of me, drugged, poisoned, I don't know! The man behind me takes a cloth and ties it over my mouth, gagging me to muffle my cries. I watch as the Main Man, the one who spoke to Derek, ties Derek's hands together as well. The Main Man, without skipping a beat, tosses Derek over his shuolder, displaying his muscles.

"Leave em in the back with me, I wanna talk to her," Main Man says looking at me with his dark, brown eyes. They're almost black. He has a short stubble and mustache along with a dagger-like jawline. I glare at him as the man behind me pushes me towards a waiting limo, Main Man following close behind.

Derek and I are pushed into the backsteat, Derek leaned against the door, me right next to him to stop him from falling.

To give myself some form of comfort, I gently grab Derek's limp hand and hold it in mine. As much as I fear him, I wish he was awake right now. I need him right now. I'm scared. I don't know if I'll make it through this alive. I saw that once you let a killer take you to the second location, you can kiss freedom goodbye.

Main Man climbs in the back of the limo and I stay as close to Derek as possible. Main Man sits across from me before waving to the driver to put the divider up. My heart-rate is so high I begin to feel dizzy and light headed.

"Alright, now that we have some privacy. My name is Vincent, and I'm going to kill you," Vincent introduces himself formally, his tone uplifting his negative words. My eyes go wide as I struggle against my restraints. "Easy there. Those knots were tied by a professional boyscout!"

I pause and just stare at Vincent. He looks at me, head tilted as he reaches out to my face. I back up as far as I can, but his hand still finds my face. He moves a strand of hair from my face and my tears start to spill again.

"So scared... you're like a lost bunny," Vincent comments. I shake my head 'no' and he nods his head. "Listen, Aria, I won't kill you under one condition."

I stiffen, listening carefully. "You marry Ryder Montgomery instead of this fool right next to you."

Agressively, my head flies back and forth. Vincent frowns at the action. "Listen here, bitch. I'm getting paid a lot of money for you. Either I put a fucking ring on your finger and take you to him, or I bring him your head along with Derek's."

I look at Derek and squeeze his hand for dear life. Vincent laughs at my reaction. "He'll be out for at least another fifteen-minutes. Now, there is one more option, Aria."

I look at Vincent again, holding back more tears. "You can out-bid Ryder and give me more money than he can, or you can find someone else who can do so."

I make a muffled noise and Vincent pulls the cloth down. "How much did he pay you?" I ask, people running through my mind. If Ryder paid a ridiculous amount, I'll need some help.

"Ten million dollars."

I stare at him, jaw agape. "Can I think about this?" I ask. Just as my hand starts to give out, Derek squeezes back, his head moving side to side as he wakes up. Vincent looks shocked as Derek sits up straight. He's obviously confused, but plays it off as he calmly takes in the limo.

"How are you awake already?" Vincent can't stop himself from asking. Derek cracks a smile.

"I've taken a fuck-ton of tranquilizers in my life. You should've chosen a bigger dose to keep me down," Derek replies, his tone casual and unfazed. "Now, what the fuck are you doing here as a member of the Ortiz family?"

Now I am so fucking lost. My hand is locked with Derek's, I'm relying on him, I got kidnapped twice in the past seventy-two hours, and Ryder still wants me to marry him. What the fuck?

"Business, Derek," Vincent replies vaugely. Derek chuckles at his reply as Vincent's expression hardens.

"You misunderstand, Ortiz, tell me why my wife and I are restrained in the back of a limo with you fucking harassing my wife or else I'll make sure your entire empire falls."

Derek's threat seems to sink in as Vincent sinks down in his chair. "Y-You're already married?"

"Yes. We signed a paper last night. I was on my way out to buy her a lovely ring this evening when a fucking hunting rifle was so rudely pointed at Aria's head," Derek's tone gets snippy as Vincent has no choice but to knock on the divider. The divider rolls down and suddenly the driver can see us again.

"Call Ryder and tell him we cut them lose. They're already married. He was too late," Vincent says hesitantly. I look at Derek, looking for an answer as to what the fuck just happened, but he just kisses the side of my head.

"I'm sorry, love. Our night wasn't supposed to go like this," Derek says sweetly. I expect myself to be digusted, my instead my heart skips a beat.

"It's okay..." I trail.

The car stops and Vincent gets out of the car. Something feels off though as he just walks away from the car.

Beside me, Derek starts panicking. "Aria, we have to get out of here now," He says frantically. Whatever he says, I obey. I trust him right now.

"Okay, turn around. I'm gonna untie you and then you're going to use your heel to break the window. We don't have much time," Derek instructs. I nod and turn my body. Derek takes all of three seconds to untie me. I decide not to question it during this 'life or death' situation.

With freed hands, I use my solid heel to break the window of the limo. It takes a few slams, but I get it just in time as I see a string of flames headed our way. Derek is close behind me, his hands somehow freed now as well. I'll ask questions later. I have to stay focused.

He pushes me out the car, following close behind. We make it about about six feet from the car before Derek tackles me to the ground and flames roar behind us. He sheilds me from all debris, taking every hit from stones and ashes. The smell of smoke fills my lungs as Derek slowly lifts his hand from my head.

Once it's safe, Derek sits up and faces the explosion. Vincent blew up the fucking limo with the intention of keeping us inside of it. This is too much.

Derek turns his attention back to me, lifting me from the concrete frantically as he examines my face. He runs his hands over my cheeks before bringing me to his chest. I wish I knew what was happening in his brain. I don't fight the hug, leaning into it instead. Derek's heart beat slows as he calms down. I no longer want to move. I just want to stay here for a moment, indulging myself in that warm feeling once again.