LV *NOT EDITED*

Karma

My mouth is as dry as the Sahara desert, my eyes feel like they're being weighed down and I'm too weak to open them, my body's aching and my head is fucking pounding. I feel a weight next to me, I use all my energy to open one of my eyes to see the woman from the bar staring at me, I try to move away mumbling "No, no, please don't" But she shoves a handful of pills into my mouth and forces water in there too, I have no choice but to swallow them or choke to death, and this is what she's been doing for however many hours I've been couped up in here. I've lost all track of time, the rooms always dark and as soon as my eyes open she force-feeds me pills and I fall unconscious, over and over again. I've got no idea where I am, I can only hope I'm still in Italy. I fucked up. Fucked up big time and I don't know how I'm ever going to fix this mess I've gotten myself into.

I can feel hot tears roll down my face and onto the dirty pillow beneath my head, I feel worthless, weak, pathetic to say the least. How can a small pill hold such power over me? I can only imagine what is going on with Vincenzo, one thing I know for damn sure is if he ever sees me again he will kill me with his own two hands, and honestly? I deserve it, I should have just fucking listened, why didn't I fucking listen? The woman smiles at me wiping my tears away like she usually does whenever I come out of a drug-induced coma, "I'm going for a shower, and then we can go out and party some more! I know an awesome club in the city that will literally blow your mind" She hums as she stands up still staring at me. I don't move, nor do I try to respond, I'm reserving all my energy so I can try and escape when she goes to wash.

She blows me a kiss "I'll be back in 10 minutes". I watch as she turns on her heels and makes her way to the bathroom closing the door behind her. As soon as I hear the water start I force myself to roll off of the bed, my head and shoulder hits the floorboards and I hold in a groan even the smallest bump feels like a baseball bat to my body, I roll over so I'm laying face down, I manage to get onto my hands and knees and begin to crawl to the front door, this is the first time I've gotten out of that bed without the woman carrying me to the toilet or to shower. I can't even remember if she told me her name and I know she probably just wanted a friend to do this shit with but I'm not that friend, I know I put myself into this situation but I want out and she won't take no as an answer. Once I reach her front door I reach my arm up and try to unlock the door handle, I'll crawl all the way home if I have to.

I almost burst into tears when I realise it's locked, I don't have time to look for the key to unlock it, I wasted enough time crawling over here in the first place. I look to the window, it's my only other option. I use the rest of my energy to crawl to the window, I move the curtain and the sunshine stings my eyes making me groan out in pain, it feels like 1000 needles hitting them at once, I put my hands over my eyes and rub them trying to soothe the pain. The sound of the shower shuts off and I know this is my one and only chance to get out of here, I can't fuck around anymore. Pushing through the pain that's surging through my whole body I manage to get the window open enough for me to slide out, the only problem is it looks like I'm on the 20th floor and the only way down is a dodgy fire escape, but it's better than being here I remind myself.

"Almost ready" The woman calls out and my body fills with adrenaline, enough adrenaline to be able to stand up and possibly even run if I have to. I grab my purse and see all my money's gone, I don't care about that it wasn't much anyways, the Lamborgini keys are in there still and I say a quiet thank you to whoever is listening. I go back to the window ready to climb out when I stop and hesitate, I know I shouldn't be doing this but once an addict always an addict right? I grab an empty plastic bag on the floor and fill it up with all the pills and drugs lying around, whatever I can find that resembles some type of drug gets shoved into the bag before I climb out the window and close it behind me.

The fresh air and sun hit's my skin and I stop and enjoy it for a few seconds, just in case it's the last time I experience this. I need to get down to the ground before whatever she fed me starts to kick in, I slowly climb down the fire escape, some steps creaking under my feet, some actually breaking. I get down to the 5th floor when the window opens and the woman sticks her head out before she starts screaming at me, I need to get out of here and out of here now. It's around 20ft until I get to the road but I know she will get to the ground before me if I keep climbing, I need to jump. I look around for something to jump on to make less of an impact in case I don't stick the landing, I chose the large bin hoping that the lid doesn't break under my weight. I look back up and see the woman slam the window shut and I know she's coming for me so I say a little prayer and jump hoping I land on the bin and not the hard ground next to it.

By the grace of god I land on the bin but I don't stick the landing, my body rolls off on impact and I land on the ground with another blow to the head but I know I need to go, right this second. I pick myself and my bags off of the ground and begin to run, my ankle is killing me so I can only half run/limp away, I can feel my blood trickling down my head and face but I can deal with that later I just need to get to safety. People stare at me in horror as I pass them, I mean I don't blame them I must look like a zombie at this point, the ground under my feet make them ache with every step, I should have grabbed my shoes but I'm not thinking straight. I can feel the cocktail of drugs begin to work and I panic, probably making it work faster but I can't stop myself.

As I turn the corner I bump into someone but keep running/limping away, gotta get somewhere safe, gotta get somewhere safe, gotta get home. I see a hospital in the distance and smile, thank god, I'm going to be okay I think to myself but a hand slips over my mouth and pulls me back into someone's chest. I being to cry again and scream "HELP ME, SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME" But it's obviously muffled by the person's hand. I begin to fight as hard as I can, throwing my elbows back into the person's body, smashing my head against the person's face and biting down on the palm of their hand until they let go. The second their hands are off of me I continue to run whilst opening my purse, my hunting knife, I forgot about it.

I pull the knife out and turn around to see a man chasing me, I lunge forward and stab the stranger in the shoulder, he looks down at the wound before looking at me with dark eyes. He lifts his hand and backhands me across the face effortlessly knocking me to the ground busting my lip open. I try to punch, kick and stab him off of me but he overpowers me easily, my mind and vision begin to blur and my heart rate drops. "Fucking hell I knew Ace told me you were feisty but damn" The man says, did- did he just say Ace? "Vincenzo" I whisper as the man bounds my hands and feet together, "Uhuh sugar, he's been looking for you" He replies while laughing, "Vincenzo" I whisper again as the sound of my heartbeat takes over all of my senses. I close my eyes and it goes dark besides the slow sound of my heart beating, my last thought is Vin, does this man actually work for him or is he fucking with me? Either way he's completely in control of the situation and I've just gotta hope he will take me home.

The sound of rain hitting a roof wakes me up, it must be night because the room is pitch black besides the very dull moonlight that's peaking through the curtains in the room. I go to move but I'm handcuffed to the bed I'm on, my mind goes back to the thought of that man, he didn't take me home he took me somewhere else, and now I'm even more stuck, I think back to Las Vegas and sitting in the back of Ryan's police car, I can slip these cuffs, a weak smile appears on my lips when I realise I have a second chance, I need to get to Vin. I need to apologise. As quietly as possible I squeeze my hand out of the handcuff before getting off of the bed and tiptoeing towards the door, I slowly open the door out of the room trying not to make any noise, I have no idea where my knife, purse or bag of goodies are but I need to go. As soon as I'm in the hallway my stomach drops and my heart almost stops, this is my hideaway house, how did he know that this place exists? I can only hope that Vincenzo told him and that he hasn't been spying on me. I creep around the hallways looking for any sign of life but it's quiet, too quiet I think to myself.

After checking every single room I turn and go into the kitchen where I see that fucking man standing there with a smug look on his face, he's here and Vins not. I'm a hostage. My eyes go wide and I panic "GET AWAY FROM ME YOU FUCKING SICKO" I scream, my voice hoarse and sore, I turn and run without a second thought. Hobbling as fast as my weak body can go I try to get to the front door but the man is quicker than me, he tackles me to the floor, I feel my skull bounce off the ground on impact letting out a cry of pain, his body weight pins me to the floor but I need to fight, fight with every last bit of energy I have, so I go for the easiest weak spot. While he's somewhat distracted trying to pin my hands to the ground above my head I shimmy my body so I have enough room to execute my plan. I take a deep breath and use all my strength to knee the man in his groin, his face drops and he drops to the ground next to me curling himself into the fetal position while cursing me out.

I scramble to get back on my feet before taking off again, this time I go to the back of the house, so I can just run into the forest instead. As I get to the large glass doors, almost to freedom I see people outside, armed with AK-47s, I don't recognise any of them or their uniforms, can't go this way either. I turn and hobble to the last exit of the house, the garage. The hallways are dark so I'm going off of memory of the layout hoping I'll get to my destination, I keep kicking and tripping over shit on the floor, my hopes of freedom slowly fade the longer I take. The sound of heavy footsteps behind me makes me move faster, I finally reach the garage door but it's locked, my heart sinks and my blood runs cold "No" I sob out while trying to rip the door handle open. The footsteps get closer and closer and all I can do is cry and continue to try and open this door, "Please don't" I sob out before attempting to break through the door by slamming my body and shoulder into it.

The person wraps their arms around me and drags me away from the door and back down the dark hallway, I fight as hard as I can but I have no energy left, "Stop fighting, you know you're going to lose" The man speaks, I know he's right, but I don't want him to be right. He drags me back into the kitchen and throws me to the ground, landing on my ass and back, as I hear another set of footsteps approaching me, this is it, it's over. I try to pick myself off of the ground but it's no hope, I'm only a shell of a person now, I've got nothing left in the tank, until the sound of a gun cocking sends my body into shock, I look to the man in the kitchen who has an evil smile on this face while he aims his gun at me. Without a second thought, I get to my feet once more and run, run as hard as I can.

I only make it to the entrance of the kitchen before I bump into another body, but this body's familiar, the smell, I know that smell. With teary eyes, I slowly look up and see Vincenzo, he looks furious yet relieved. I take a few steps back but he grabs onto my hand and pulls me into his embrace and squeezes me tightly knocking the breath out of me, his breathing is erratic, his body is trembling, he runs his hands over my back like he's trying to make sure I'm real and not a figure of his imagination. He pulls me away from him and his warmth going away makes me want to cry, his eyes look heartbroken, his hand softly caresses my face running his thumb over my skin, I lean into his touch, I've missed it so much.

His eyes turn from sad to furious as his finger traces the cut on my lip and head, I dare not say a word until he speaks to me first. He grabs my hand and drags me back into the kitchen with the psychopath that kidnapped me, "No, no, no" I plead trying to pull my hand out of Vincenzo's grip, "No, please" I tear up. He stops and turns to look at me before looking back at the man in the kitchen "What the fuck did you do to her Tommy?" He questions pinning a death stare at him, the man looks at me before looking back at Vincenzo and his cocky attitude suddenly disappears. "I brought her here as you asked?" He replies watching as I hide myself behind Vin. "I told you to do what it takes but you fucked her up asshole, look at the fucking state of her" Vin roars, I peek out from behind Vin like a small child would and watch as everything unfolds.

"Do you know how fucking crazy she is? She's bit me, stabbed me, headbutted me, and kneed me in the dick" He explains, I feel Vincenzo take a deep breath before giving him a knowing nod. He throws a bundle of money at him and sends him out the door, hopefully never to be seen again. Vin stands with his back faced to me for a few more seconds before turning around to look at me, I feel so small and weak with the look he's giving me and I know I'm about to be put through hell. "What the fuck happened?" He asks grabbing my wrist and dragging me to the kitchen bench, "I fell... How long have I been gone?" I reply as he picks me up by my waist and sits me on the counter. He stares at me with disappointing eyes. "Almost a week" He mumbles in return, his look hurts my heart. He just stares and shakes his head before reaching for the first aid kit that the man 'Tommy' was using.

We both remain silent as he begins to get everything ready to clean my wounds, "I can do it" I whisper as I reach for some bandages but he smacks my hand away, hard enough for it to tingle my skin. I bite down on my lip and put my hands back in my lap, the one thing that's racing through my mind is if he found the- "The drugs in the bag" He speaks interrupting my thoughts "I flushed them" He finishes his sentence and I almost throw up "No you didn't" I laugh thinking he's playing some sick joke on me, but his face doesn't change, "No you didn't" I repeat shaking my head. I try to get off of the bench to search the house but he holds me in place "No you didn't" I say again this time I'm once again crying and hitting his chest, crying because I know he did but also crying because I know what I'm about to experience for the next fucking month.

"No, you need to get more, please, I can't go through withdrawals again" I plead, my visions blurred from the tears but I can make out that he has tears falling down his face too which makes me cry even harder. "Karma please" He speaks softly as I continue to try and fight him off "I'm not getting you anymore, but I am getting you help". My blood runs cold when he says he's going to 'help'. The last time someone tried to 'help' I was sent to a rehab to detox by myself, and let's just say it wasn't a good time. "Like fuck you are" I scoff before slipping out of his grip and running as fast as I can down the hallway to the front door, but he's obviously faster since my ankles fucked, I'm inches away from the door handle when his arms wrap around my body and pull me back away from the door.

"Let me go, please let me go" I beg, "No Karma, you need help, serious fucking help. But I'm going to be here, every step of the way I promise you, I fucking promise" His voice croaks "I'm not going away again, you can't send me away" I reply still trying to free myself. He stays silent and carries me into the main bedroom softly placing me on the bed he looks over my face carefully studying me. "I'm not going to send you away, where did you get that thought into your mind?" He questions, "Because whenever I need 'help' people lock me away with monsters" I reply sniffling and wiping away my tears. He begins to laugh which completely catches me off guard "Leonessa I'm not sending you away, you think I want to spend a second without you after this whole shit show? No, I've got the country's best doctor on call, he will help with the withdrawal process, and he's a licenced therapist" He explains, "So you're sending me to a quack?" I ask raising an eyebrow at him, "I'm not sending you there I'm bringing him here" He replies in a smart ass tone, I roll my eyes at him "You know what I mean... Aren't you going to yell at me for the drugs?".

"Yes I will eventually but tonight is not the night to do it, and I think he will help you, he helped my mother. But for now, my main plan is to get you cleaned up, fed and into bed with me for a good night's rest before we start this shit tomorrow... And Karma, I truly am sorry, I just wanted you safe and I fucked it up. I should have listened to you, I shouldn't have tried to keep you under lock and key, I fucked up bad, and I am honestly so fucking sorry" He sighs staring deep into my eyes, I can't stay mad at him, I get why he did it but I'm glad he's realised I am my own person and I don't need someone telling me what to do, "It's alright Vin, I get why you did it, just promise me it won't happen again, I cant deal with it, the constant fighting and feeling like a caged animal set something off in me. And I'm sorry for running off and causing all this havoc, I don't know what I was thinking, in fact, I don't think I was thinking at all. I'm sorry for doing what I did, for disappearing and coming back full of drugs, I was just being selfish, I'm sorry I put you, and your family through this, it isn't fair on any of yous. Maybe we need to learn how to communicate better or something".

"I promise Mi Amore, I love you, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make it all okay again, you've done this before it can be done again. And I think better communication will help, but at the end of the day were two strong individuals so were bound to argue about shit all the time, were also Italian so it's in our blood to argue, but no matter how many fights we have, it will never change the way I feel about you" He hums while planting a soft kiss being careful not to apply too much pressure to my busted lip, "I love you too Vin, more than anything".