Chapter 21 Dark Phoenix

Chapter 21 Dark Phoenix


The smell of dust mixed with blood seeped into my nostrils, my eyes hadn’t fully recovered from the hit. “Is this the man you think can protect you?” I heard from the darkness, that scrawny low voice, he was the one who ordered his men to put me in the van, next to him was Dante, his arms behind his back, his face bruised, his body looked awful. My heart raced at the sight of him.

“Please don’t” I pleaded, tears trickling down my cheeks. I had already cried so much it hurt my ribs and body. The hot sting on my face still very hurtful.

“Do you want to get hit again—”

“Lily—Lily don’t move, just stay where you are” Dante struggled to say. His clothes ripped apart, his face bruised, cuts and injuries around his eyes and perfect jawline. Even though his face was menaced with cuts and wounds, he looked handsome, his brows bled, blood trickling down his face.

“How low you have fallen Moretti” the scrawny voice echoed, then I could see him through a bit of light that shone through one of the barricaded windows, he looked like the real gangster, a scarred eye and lip, a missing finger, a deathly glare in his eyes.

“You remember when you made me lose a finger—that is something to remember” hechuckled, it was low, ensnaring and malicious.

“Pl—please, don’t—don’t hurt him, I beg of you!” I screamed, my chest tightening with fear, tears and despair. I was the reason he was in this predicament. If only I hadn’t run from the banquet. If I hadn’t been so stupid and reckless, maybe we wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t be seeing Dante’s face on the floor, this menacing man’s foot on his back, pinning him further into the ground.

“Oh—she’s a pretty nice one” he smirked

“Don’t you dare touch a hair on her head!” Dante growled. Tears in my eyes didn’t stop flowing, my heart wrenched at the thought of what might happen to him, to us.

“You’re in no position to give me orders, dark Pheonix—I guess you aren’t as good as you were before this thing!” He turned to me, walking over.

“Don’t touch her” Dante gruntled, trying to move behind him. It was no use, there were men right behind him, ready to put him down as ordered.

“You know—you’ll make a good deal for our brothels, she has a nice face—” he held up my face, I gritted my teeth as he turned to the man holdinginf onto my arm “doesn’t she look like she would bring an amazing offer?” He asked with a mischievous grin on his face.

“I swear to whatever you might serve, that it’ll kill you if even a hair on her head is hurt” he warned. There was no response, he let go of my face, pushing me aside, then he looked at Dante.

“Worry about yourself—so called Dark Pheonix” he kicked him in the gut,

“Dante!!” I yelped, pulling myself towards him. The man holding me had different plans, he pulled onto my arm tighter, drawing me backwards “No—I’m begging you, don’t kill him” I pleaded once more, my tears having no end.

The man who held me by my arm drew me to the far end of the room. I could still catch a glimpse of Dante but I couldn’t tell if he could see me, his body was crouched down on the floor, his face to the hard wooden ground.

“Can I take her instead boss?” One of the men asked. I turned to look at him, he was the one holding onto my hands, my freedom.

“You want her? You know you’ll have to pay—as you can see, I like her face, she looks, innocent, naive—” the scrawny man said. Are these people really human?

“Have you no shame? Im not some kind of produce you can sell off to another land!” I yelled in anger. I don’t care if they are the mafia, a bunch of thugs or flat out hooligans, I wasn’t going to stand and let someone put a bargaining price on me like I was some cheap food they hoped to deal with later.

“Shame?” He chuckled, putting his filthy hand on my face, squeezing my jaw.

“You’re affiliated with the Dark Pheonix, the once revered leader of the underworld merchants, the mafia lord, and you ask us if we have shame?” I couldn’t understand what he was getting at. Right now, I couldn’t care. I wouldn’t let anyone touch me.

“You’re going to mine!” He declared

“I’ll rather die than be yours!” I spat with anger. Since I was a child, mother had made me despise men, their ruthless behaviors and unruly actions. They had always been my subject for disapproval.

And when my first crush turned out to be a disgusting playboy who used girls for his own fancy, betting them off to his friends, I knew I wanted to stay away from them, I knew I wanted to be righteous and so I kept myself, from them, from it all and now, this filth, says things I’d only want to hear from someone else.

“You really always get the best girls Dante—you really do, I must commend you, it’s either they’re so busty and loyal or have pretty faces to make a man’s head and money sway—you’re something Dante Moretti—you are something” the man with a scarred said.

“Tell you what—you give me what I want and maybe I won’t take your girl” who on earth does he think he is bargaining with my life?

“I don’t know what he’s bargaining for—but don’t give it to him Dante—Don’t” I cried out.

“And who gave this puny btch the right to say that?” The filthy man asked, turning my face to meet his. I glared at him straight in the eye, spitting on him.

He didn’t hesitate, I felt his hand across my face “Lily!” Dante called out. I was on the floor, my arms on my back, tied like a war slave, my face on the ground. “Lily—Lily” his voice muffled whilst the only thing I could fully hear was my ears ringing like bells and the room spinning.

“Maybe I should make you mine before your cute little Dark protector” he gnashes his teeth, raises my head to meet his face, he places his mouth on my skin and I feel the hot stings on my face hurt even more than before. His lips feel like floppy fish on my neck, I try to move away but he persists, burying his face in my shoulder.

“Get off of me you bstard!” I used my forehead against him, head butting him out of my face. Maybe gnarly camp back in 11th grade wasn’t such a bad idea. That headbutt sent him down with his hand on his head.

“I’ll make you pay you—”

“Get away from her!” Dante yelled rushing towards him and throwing him off, pushing him aside. I wanted so bad to ask how he got free but that didn’t matter. I certainly didn’t want him bound again.

“Are you okay?” He asked hastily and just in a split second, he fell on my shoulder.

“No!!” I screamed, letting his body fall onto mine, there was a knife stuck to his side, “No, no, no, no!!” I screamed, tears flowing from my eyes.

“Dante please!!” I pleaded, my hands tied behind my back, his head buried on my shoulder. I noticed the knives on his skin. It went just one, there were two stuck to him.

Just as the scrawny man approached me, we heard a loud thud from the door.

“Step away from them!” There was a loud voice coming from the door.

“Why on earth would we wanna do that?”

Then I heard gun shots, loud, firing in every direction. I lied down, next to Dante who looked so unconscious. “Come on—I’ll help you out” a man rushed to my side, cutting off the ropes
binding my hands.

“Wh—who are you? Who sent you?” I asked quivering

“Claire”