Chapter 17

Rosella....

3 years ago, if someone had told me that I would be handed over as a payment of a fake debt then sold to a sadistic mafia, I would have laughed in their face and called them crazy.

But right now, neither do I feel like laughing nor calling someone crazy. All I feel like is crying. Breaking down and bawling like a baby. I'm tired of feigning indifference, I'm tired of pretending that I don't care, like none of this is affecting me. I'm tired of trying to accept each and every situation without any protests.

Silent tears roll down my cheeks like a waterfall, continuous and unyielding. There's no pain left for me to feel, just numbness. A kind of emptiness that is darker than the night itself. My mind and soul has exhausted all the reservoirs of my emotions. I've been angry, upset, relieved, scared, mournful, wrenched and lost.

But most of all, I've been regretful.

I regret all of my decisions. Starting from the decision I made when I had ignored the alarms going off in my head and went to see my parents anyway and ending with the decision I made not to fight back when I was with Balthazar. If only I had shown some courage and tried to put up some protest, I might have been somewhere else instead of being locked inside this black Audi with dark tinted windows.

My so-called 'Master', Adrian Black is taking back to his place and away from the merciless Mafia, Balthazar de Lucas.

My 'Master' is on the driver's seat and his focus is fixed on the road, for which I am very grateful. I don't want his intense and knowing eyes on me. He makes me feel…. Things That I don't want to feel…. Like vulnerable and self-conscious. I hate feeling those things. Balthazar had never made me feel that and in fact, he hardly ever made me feel.

The only emotion Balthazar ever evoked inside me were different forms of anger. I never quite understood that man. He never touched me in the wrong way, nor did he ever tried to hurt me without a reason. Whenever he would hurt me, it was only to break through my weak resistance and to make me do as he wanted.

He never told why he went to such lengths, like faking a debt and manipulating my parents, to get me. Or maybe he had told me…. Inside that prison-like room when he had taken my blood samples.

He wants to destroy Master Black, through me.

But how is he going to do that now? He has already sold me to the man he wants to take some kind of revenge from.

I wish I had paid some more attention when he used to talk to me. If only I had known how all of this works then I might have never had to hear his voice ever.

I sniff softly and wipe my tears with the back of my hand. But my tears just won't stop falling. My mind is floating between clouds of memories and regretful thoughts. Whenever the silky fabric of my dress rubs against my skin, I want to rip it apart and throw it away. This bloody lacy dress is the most bitter reminder of the things that happened tonight.

“Stop crying now. There's no use for you to waste your energy like this. It's only going to make you feel more drained.” Mster Black addresses me, quietly then glances in my direction. “None of this is going to change anything.”

I keep my face averted and refuse to give him the pleasure to glimpse at my tear-stained face. He's a sadist, he must be a big fan of seeing crying and sobbing girls. He's just like Balthazar, a mafia, a criminal, a sick and perverted bastard. I shouldn't forget that, even for a second.

Clenching my jaw tightly, I snuggle closer to the door and rest my head on the cool window. My eyes fall shut and I will myself to stop crying. No matter what he has done to me, he's right. Tearing up like this is not going to gain me anything. So instead of giving into the emptiness of my soul, I divert my focus on my surroundings and path.

We have just passed through a tall iron wrath gate that's being guarded by four armed men. They all are dressed in white and black uniforms, unlike Balthazar's goons who wear nothing but red. I really can't understand his fascination and obsession with the colour red.

Still deep in my thoughts, I allow my eyes to roam over the sight through the tinted window. Clouds have started to collect over us in a large number, obscuring the darkening sky with the promise of a thunderous rainstorm. I don't know if Master Black has noticed the weather or not, but he has changed to the third gear.

I shift in the passenger's seat a little, so that I can see his face out of the corners of my eyes. Being inside the same space, I can feel the tension rolling out of his body. His still eyes are fixated on the path ahead and he's gripping the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip. From this angle, he seems to be deep in some troubling thought. I don't know how he's managing both the tasks, driving and thinking, at the same time. I just hope he wouldn't crash into something.

A sudden flash of bright light blinds me for a moment and I sit up straighter in my seat. What the hell!? I glance out of the window but find nothing. My eyes travel down to the side mirror and I catch a silhouette of a van that's flashing its headlights.

Are they following us? My eyes widen in horror and I turn to Adrian with a panicked look on my face. “Someone is on our tail. We're being followed.”

He throws me a quick look before checking his side mirror. “Don't worry. Those are my men.”

“Your men!?”

“Yes, my task force and sometimes defence force. They work for me.” He adds in a casual tone.

“How many?”

“At the moment, there are 20 men sitting inside that army van. The rest are spread outside Carson's Palace.” He tells me and for a moment I get the feeling like he's telling me the truth. But he can't be so stupid to let me in on everything, just like that. After all, I'm his ESCLAVE, not his girlfriend.

I decide to drop the topic there. I don't want to listen to anymore true sounding lies from him. But when two SUVs appear behind the army van, I can't help myself.

“Have you told the rest of your men to come back or something?”

“No.” He replies simply, confidently then looks at me with a perfect brow raised. “What's the matter?”

“Two more cars have come up behind the van. You sure you haven't called them back?” I ask and glance at the mirror again to double check. Yep, the cars are still hot on our heels.

His eyebrows pull down in a deep frown before glances at the side view mirror on his side. His expressions change in a split second. “Those are not my men.”

“Are we really getting followed?” The words catch in my throat.

“Yes. Now stop asking me the same question and put your hands to some work. Pick up my phone and search for 'Lucas Petrov' in my contacts then dial him up.” His eyes keep flickering back and forth between the road and the side mirror, but other than his eyes movements, his entire body is dead still. “Hurry up!”

I jump then grab his phone from the small rack above the rare view mirror and look up Lucas Petrov. I find his cell number immediately and call him up. He picks up the call after the first ring only.

“Slide my phone in the stand and turn on the speaker.” Adrian instructs me and I oblige quickly.

“Maître, those are Balthazar's goons.” A deeply accented male voice responds with cool confidence. There's not even a hint of hesitation in his gravelly voice.

“I had figured out that much. He wants her back. I knew that he would nob let me take her so easily.” Adrian says, his jaw clenched as he runs one of his hands through his hair. “I've got a plan. We can settle this without starting up a war.”

“But we're ready for that, Maître. You had told us that you would not let that fu—”

“I've changed my mind.” Adrian cuts off Lucas before he can complete the sentence. “I'm slowing down to a stop near the Highway conjunction. Meet me there and I'll hand over the girl to you. Take her back to Bert and tell him to lock her in my room. I'll take care of this.”

There's a long pause before Lucas finally replies. “You're the boss.” With that, he hangs up.

“Why did you change your mind?” The question tumbles out of my mouth before I can press my lips together. Crap!

“Because of you.”

I turn my head to see his expressions and check if he's kidding me. But except for impassivity, I find nothing on his face. He won't even meet my eyes now.

“You were talking about me, right? Why won't he let you take me?” I ask, again but when I hear my own words, they sound strange and wrong. “I shouldn't have asked that. Don't answer me.”

“I wasn't going to do so.” I catch his electric eyes before he steps on the brake and we come to full stop near a cross road junction. “Get out of the car.”

I do as he says and open my side of the door then get out of the car. The army van is waiting right behind us but the two SUVs have still got some catch up to do.

My eyes wander around and I find myself surrounded with a dark forest on either side of the road. The pitch black night and stormy clouds create a dark illusion near the edge of the forest that sends chills running down my spine. The strong crispy breeze keeps penetrating the thin material of my dress, every time it wipes past me.

Shivering, I wrap my arms around myself and watch Master Black walk up to the van. A tall man gets out of the back of the van and they both talk into hushed voices with each other. I glance over them, down the road and find Balthazar's cars less than a mile away now.

My eyes flicker back to the two men then return to the dark forest. I'm standing near the hood of Adrian's car and the van is standing a few feet distance from his car. Nobody's paying attention to me.

My arms tighten around myself as my eyes keep flickering back and forth, a ridiculous escape plan already conjuring up inside my head. I drop my hands then bunch up my long train and decide to test my limits.

I take a single step back. Nobody catches me. I take two steps back. Nobody sees me. I bend down then slip off my heels. Nobody even notices me.

I turn around with a sly smile and bolt for the dark forest.