"Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power."
...
A slow smirk dances across his lips as he takes in the chained girl in front of him. A sight to behold, he thinks, a sight he is going to destroy, soon.
"Keep her chained." His command echoes throughout the room and for the next few seconds, the only sound which resonates are rattles of chains and sweet, innocent whimpers.
And then, he finally spoke, sealing the girls fate under their hold.
"Let's begin, shall we?"
...
Stephan Alonso Ortiz had never been the one to show mercy. The day he was born, he was destined to rule the throne of the Italian Mafia.
As he grew older, his tendencies and actions, only proved, fate had been right in choosing him as the Capo-Mandamento. When twelve years old, he made his first kill. He stood in front of his enemy and slowly watched them die. One would think he'd be traumatized by that memory, but no, he relives that memory with a smile on his lips and a sparkle of elation in his eyes, relishing the pain on his enemy's face, over and over again.
When he saw a helpless bruised girl lying in the basement of an enemy gang, he simply looked at her up and down and claimed that she'd be of good use.
And so he took her. People thought she'd change him, make him a better person, but how wrong they were.
...
21+
When Jane Madarang's neighbor Natalie kills herself and leaves behind cryptic instructions, it's up to Jane and her classmates to unearth deadly secrets.
*****
Natalie Driscoll is dead.
She threw herself out a window and left her neighbor Jane to unravel their town's darkest secrets. Following Natalie's instructions leads Jane to three other high school students who all have something to hide. The four of them must carry out Natalie's final errand while solving the mysteries written in her diary. But the secrets they unearth may be far more dangerous than what they ever imagined.
Content and/or trigger warning: This story contains scenes of suicide, violence and murder that may be triggering for some readers.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]