Page 24 of The Mafia And His Angel: Part 1 (Tainted Hearts 1)

“Get out. Call me when you have her in the basement.” They nodded, their faces impassive as they walked out of the room and closed the door behind them.

Placing my hands on the desk, I leaned forward and glared at the door. My knuckles were white with the pressure and my veins throbbed in my throat.

My jaw tensed, my teeth grinding in an attempt to control my fury. I wanted to strike something. Someone.

The beast inside of me was raging, demanding that I kill. Spill the blood of whoever betrayed me. Only then would I feel at peace.

I felt my eyes turned into slits as I continued to stare at the door. Slowly rolling my neck, I tried to release the tension.

Kitten, you might think you have fooled me, but this is my game now. One way or another, doesn’t matter how, I will get the truth out of you.

I hoped that for her sake she hadn’t truly betrayed me.

Because if she had, there would be no mercy.

Chapter 11

Ayla

My heart thrummed hard like the wings of a bird. I climbed out the window, and when I reached the ground, my legs felt weak. I stumbled for a moment. Looking around me, I didn’t see anyone.

Relief filled me and I took off running toward the woods behind the house. It was a long way, and the muscles in my legs burned as I ran full force.

C’mon, Ayla. C’mon. Don’t give up. Not now.

Suddenly, I heard shouts behind me and my heart stuttered. Turning my head, I saw a few guards running after me. I looked back toward the woods and kept my eyes focused on my escape.

I was almost into the woods when the steps drew closer, and all of a sudden, someone grabbed my arm. I screamed and tried to escape, but I was dragged down and someone sat on my back. My arms were pulled back and my attacker held on forcefully.

Tears streamed down my cheeks. It was no use. No matter how hard I fought, they wouldn’t let me go. He pulled me upward and I stood on shaky legs. Closing my eyes tightly, I sobbed and begged.

“Please. Please let me go. Please.”

My chin was grasped firmly by a rough hand, the fingernails biting into my skin. Whimpering, I tried to move away, but he held on hard.

“If you come with us quietly, we won’t have to hurt you. And I sure as hell don’t want to hurt you, Ayla.”

I let out a cry. I knew that voice. Opening my eyes, I saw Viktor’s angry expression.

I made a weak attempt at struggling. “Stop moving,” another voice growled in my ears. Nikolay. He was the one holding me.

“Do you understand, Ayla?” Viktor demanded. He always looked so scary, and a dangerous aura surrounded him, just like Alessio and Nikolay.

As he stared at me, I cowered back in fear. He looked murderous, and his voice was filled with fury. “Please,” I whispered.

“Ayla, do you understand?” Viktor snarled. Nodding, I let myself go limp in Nikolay’s arms.

“Good,” he said through gritted teeth as he let go of my chin. My skin was burning and itching where he had touched me. Moving my jaw around a little, I winced at the pain.

Taking a few steps backward, he nodded at Nikolay and started walking back to the mansion. He led the way as Nikolay pulled me forward. My feet were dragging behind and I resisted.

“Fuck, girl. You really don’t understand.”

He let go of me, but before I could run away, Nikolay wrapped his arm around my waist. Sending me a fierce glare, his hold was unyielding as he pulled me over his shoulder.

I tried to kick, punch, slap, scratch, and scream, but nothing worked. Nikolay kept walking, his body hard as a rock.

When we got inside, instead of taking me up, they turned to the left and walked down a dark corridor. The air was cold and it was dark. I instantly froze on his shoulder.

A feeling of dread crept up from the pit of my stomach, and a cold wave overtook me as the hairs rose on the back of my neck and my mouth went dry. I was paralyzed over Nikolay’s shoulder. A menacing aura gripped me.

We stopped for a moment, and then I heard a door squeak open and I shuddered at the sound. There was the rattling of a metal, it sounded like a heavy chain.

A shiver ran through me as I felt my blood run cold. My hands balled into tight fists and I closed my eyes in terror.

The door banged shut and I saw light underneath my closed eyelids. Slowly opening my eyes again, the first thing I saw was shiny white marble floor. I was placed on my feet.

My head spun at the sudden movement and I stumbled, but Nikolay caught me. Looking up into his dark eyes, I silently begged. Please let me go.