Chapter 3 CONFUSED FOR A WHORE
CHAPTER 003
JASMINE:
I obeyed, dropping my iPhone and slowly raising my hands in surrender as the cold metal pressed harder against my forehead.
“Stand,” the man ordered.
I nodded obediently, trying to steady my breath as I crawled from beneath the bed. Dust clung to my skin, my breaths shallow and uneven as I forced myself to my feet.
I fully faced the man for the first time. He was masked, dressed in all black, a muscular silhouette with a gun that looked far too comfortable in his hand.
Two other men stood behind him, scanning the room with military precision.
One of them chuckled, tapping his ear. “Found her boss. Hiding under the bed.”
I swallowed hard.
“P…please,” I stammered, stumbling back and trying to keep some distance, but the man only pushed the gun painfully on my forehead, causing me to stop any movement. “T…take whatever you want. I have money. Lots of it. I’ll give them to you. Just don’t hurt me.”
The man with the gun tilted his head. I couldn’t see his eyes through the thick black glass he wore. “You think we want your money? Cute. You’re the lover of the Moretti Don. What we want is your head in a case. It’ll be the greatest gift.”
My eyes widened.
Don? Like the Mafia?
“W…what? I don’t know any Morettis. Please, you got the wrong person.”
“Sergio, hold her still. We need a clean cut.”
It became harder to breathe as I remained frozen on the same spot.
I couldn’t think as my mind emptied: no thoughts, no plans, just raw, paralysing terror.
The man I could only guess is called Sergio stepped forward, cracking his knuckles as he reached for me. I whimpered, unable to move.
The familiar shrill sound of my ringtone became my saviour as the three men’s gaze shifted to the phone beneath the bed.
“What the hell…” The man holding the gun muttered. “I thought I told you to cut the line to this building?”
“I did, boss. I don’t—”
My mind zoomed out of their conversation. I was going to be killed. By three strangers. Because… because they thought I was the lover of a mafia Don?
What, Don?
Who was this Moretti?
I was never involved with any Mafia. Never again.
Get yourself together, Jasmine. You can escape this. You’ve escaped much worse than this!
Move, Jasmine. Now.
“Forget the phone, let’s be done with—“
I narrowed my fingers, jabbing it into the leader’s neck.
He stumbled; the gun dropped to the floor as he grabbed his throat, wheezing.
I wasted no time, kneeling to take the long gun.
My fingers curled around the cold metal, my heartbeat drowning all sounds. I aimed with shaking hands and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Click.
My stomach dropped.
I squeezed again, harder.
Click.
Still nothing.
“No… no, no. Why isn’t it firing?” I panicked as I checked the chamber.
Before realisation could settle, I felt strong hands yank the gun away from my grip, holding me tight against his body. Sergio’s breath hit my cheek. “You really thought you wanted to be a hero, huh? You didn’t even check if the safety was on.”
A hot rush of humiliation burnt through me.
Of course. The safety.
How could I be so stupid?
“Damn it,” I hissed under my breath, cursing myself as Sergio’s grip tightened around my arms, pinning them painfully behind my back. “Idiota… stupida, Jasmine.”
“Just be the helpless princess and let us do our job, okay?“
Not while I still breathe.
I smashed my head against Sergio’s face, causing a sharp cry to escape him.
The moment his grip loosened from my headbutt, I dropped my weight, twisting out of his hold.
“WHAT THE HELL? BITCH BROKE MY NOSE.” He roared, gripping his bleeding nose.
I pivoted, still on the floor, and slammed my heels against his nut.
He buckled with a scream.
I dared not waste a second. I rushed, grabbed the knife strapped to his thigh holster, ripped it free, and held it against his neck.
“SHOOT HER!” The leader barked.
I used Sergio as a human shield, the knife still dangerously close to his neck. “Not before I slice his carotid arteries open,” I snarled, breathing heavily as I held the man tighter. “Now tell me. What the hell do you want from me?!”
The leader took a dangerous step closer. “You know exactly why we’re here.” He sneered.
“I don’t!” I pressed the blade harder. “Tell me!”
“You’re the Moretti Don’s whore—”
The sound of sirens wailed in the distance, silencing his words.
Relief flooded through me. Finally, Tasha must have called the cops when I didn’t pick up the call.
“The cops are here. Leave, before things get worse.”
The leader only stepped forward silently until he stood only a few inches from me. His glasses had been pulled off, revealing his black eyes.
“Don’t… don’t come any closer. I’ll end him.”
“Let him go and I’ll consider letting you live.’’
I dug the dagger deeper into Sergio’s neck, enough to make him bleed. I thought the leader would back off on my warning, but instead, he rushed forward toward me, grabbing my hand.
Everything moved in a blur as I forced my hand out of his grip and moved backward.
The sound of gurgling pulled me back to reality.
Sergio was grabbing his neck, choking.
I looked down at the bloody dagger in my hand and back at him, a heaving ringing in my ear.
“Boss, we need to go now. The cops are here already.”
I watched as they ran off; the boss’s eyes never left mine until he left through the door.
The cops rushed in, their noise almost causing my brain to explode.
I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone.
“Are you listening, Ms Jasmine?”
I looked up, momentarily stunned. “Uh—what?”
“You’ve been zoning out since the inquiry. Do you need some personal time?” The Head of the Police Department, Officer Lawrence, questioned, looking visibly worried. “I understand the traumas you must have been in.”
I shook my head. The faster I am done here, the faster I leave this place. “No, let’s be done with this.”
He nodded, turning his computer screen to face me. “We watched the footage in your private penthouse. The criminals seemed to come from the front door.”
I watched everything unfold. How the men entered my building without a struggle despite the layers of security I had installed. I watched them enter my bedroom, and the scene replayed through the colourless feed.
“What I don’t understand is how you managed to take out one of these men on your own.” Lawrence leaned an elbow on the desk, studying me. “Meanwhile, these men are notorious criminals who work for the mafia and are trained in combat. We’ve been after them for years, but they manage to escape our grasp every time.”
I swallowed. “What are you getting at, officer?
“What I’m saying is that it should be impossible for someone like yourself, a supermodel, to even manage to hurt one of them. From the feed, you showed some skills of combat unlike an ordinary person. Is there something we should know, Ms Jasmine?”
I shook my head instantly. “No.” I said sharply, pursing my lips. “There’s nothing. I just had to defend myself in a life-or-death situation.”
No one can know what I’ve hidden so well for the past four years. No one.
Lawrence nodded, his gaze narrowed. “Then I guess that will be all. Sergio has been treated in the emergency department. We shall question him when he’s stable.”
I nodded stiffly, standing. “Please do. I’ll take my leave now.” I didn’t wait for his approval before leaving.
By the waiting area, Kelvin awaited. When he saw me, his eyes brightened as he rushed for a hug.
“Oh my God, thank goodness you’re okay. We were damn worried. What happened?”
The warmth of his body left as we separated.
“I don’t want to talk about it now; I just need to rest. Can you take me home?”
He nodded, carefully guiding me to the awaiting car. We got in and drove out of the station.
“You can stay in my apartment until the coast is clear.”
I forced a smile, hoping it’ll ease his worry. “You don’t need to do that, Kelvin. My home has been secured. It’s safe for me to rest there.” I knew how busy his schedule was, especially as he had a competition to get to in only a few hours.
Thankfully, Kelvin was understanding enough not to ask many questions. He stopped me by the penthouse.
It was dark, proving the long hours spent in the station.
I got in, watching the special agents I hired securing every inch of the building.
I felt a little safe and relieved of their presence.
I stepped out of the elevator and toward the penthouse door that led to my bedroom. I needed a long rest after today.
I pushed open the door.
The lights were low; the glow from the city bled through the glass wall, outlining a broad frame seated calmly on my favourite chair, legs crossed, fingers steepled.
I jumped as if shocked by a high-voltage wire.
It was him.
“You’re very bad at staying out of trouble, little princess. Especially one you created yourself.”