Four

ESTHER

The next morning, I woke up alone, wrapped in silk, white sheets.

The finest sheets I had ever slept in. A luxury. I rubbed my skin against them, creating a soft, gentle caress. Every inch of this palace reminded me of the poverty I’d grown up in. The king-sized bed was on a platform. I wondered if it rotated. I took in the sight of the room. It was mainly white and silver. Chandeliers hung above me. The distance from the ceiling to where I lay surprised me. At least eighteen feet.

I didn’t belong here.

It was a room fit for a queen.

There was a balcony, but when I had tried opening it last night, I’d realized it was locked.

When I had tried the entrance door handle, I found that had been locked too.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes, and I glanced at the empty side of the bed. I had probably slept a lot, but I was restless. I’d kept waking up throughout the night, twisting and turning, waiting for Capo Petrov to show up.

It surprised me he hadn’t slipped in last night. Shocked me even. I thought he would have Capoe something by now. I knew it was coming though. I just didn’t know when. The Capo was a mystery, and I still couldn’t figure him out.

He seemed aloof and distanced.

Calm yet calculating.

Reserved yet ruthless.

Yet, I remember every time how he had looked at me.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

I jolted up from the bed and stared in apprehensive.

Is it him?

Why the hell would he knock anyway? It was his house.

It was the maid, Mrs. Margarita. She was an elderly lady in her late fifties with graying hair. She was short and plump, but she had kind brown eyes. Last night, she had given me clothes to change into, and she had given me a late-night dinner. It was roast beef with mashed potatoes.

“Little Sir has requested your presence in the hall.”

I glanced at her, surprised. Then, I glanced down at my clothes. I wore black, silk pajamas. Mrs. Margarita must have seen me looking because she said, “I will bring new clothes for you. You must shower and be ready in ten minutes.”

Ten minutes? I only nodded.

Moments later, she returned with a wine-colored cotton shirt and simple, baby blue tight jeans and new undergarments. At least Petrov wasn’t planning on parading me around like his personal whore. She had already given me a set of fresh, unopened toothpaste and a toothbrush last night.

I took the clothes and stepped into the white and gold-colored bathroom. I stared, blinking at the amount of gold. The wealth and riches in the room was astonishing if it was real. I didn’t even want to step into it. The tub was luxurious and spacious with a jacuzzi.

Last night I’d had trouble sleeping, but I hadn’t showered. Now though, I let the water cascade down my back, running down my shoulders and spine. My shoulders sagged as I breathed deeply under the flow of the water.

Dark thoughts entered my mind.

What was going to happen to me?

I had handed myself over to the cruelest beast in the kingdom.

I was well-aware what he was capable of after seeing him crush Tev’s hands. He was a man willing to hurt his own men to teach them a lesson.

That meant, I was nothing in his eyes.

I was only dirt.

I quickly hopped out of the shower and towel-dried myself. I changed into the clothes and went outside.

On the vanity table, lay some makeup utensils and a comb.

I skipped the makeup and brushed out my dark, black straight hair. When it was wet, it ended at my waist. I’ve always kept my hair long, ever since I was young. In foster homes, they would try to cut it, but I would always resist.

I didn’t have any family. I was a few days old when my parents had left me. Years later, when I returned to the mosque the religious preacher had told me an Arab woman had said my name and that she couldn’t keep me. She’d been Lebanese and was likely my mother, but that was all he could tell me. I had looked for my birth parents when I was older but had met a dead end.

It saddened me that my mother hadn’t even bothered to get me adopted. She’d simply shoved me into the preacher’s arms and ran away before he could follow her.

To this day, I still didn’t know why.

I didn’t remember my parents or what they looked like.

I only knew my name.

Esther Griffith.

I was taken into the protection of child services. From there, I bounced from foster home to foster home until the age of eighteen. I went to college, and I was waitressing until Matteo Constantino found me. He had met me and invited me to the masquerade ball. How stupid and naïve I was. I shouldn’t have ever gone to the ball.

Now, I was part of a horror film.

I exhaled slowly and stepped outside.

The hallways were long and endless. I was certain I was going to get lost as I began walking, until one of the men found me.

It was Alessandro. I recognized him from last night. He was the driver, and the man Petrov had ordered to do a background check on me. Tev was, thankfully, nowhere in sight. Probably hiding from his Capo.

“This way,” Alessandro spoke.

I glanced at him curiously.

He was taller than me, but he seemed less intimidating. Maybe it was his appearance. He had typical golden boy features, not the rugged ones his leader had. It made him look gentler, but then I ended up scoffing at that thought. He caught me staring, narrowing his eyes at me, and I looked away quickly, not wanting him to get any ideas.

Capo Petrov and Tev were already more than enough to deal with.

The mansion was endless with separate wings. Too complicated with its many doors. I didn’t know which one was the Capo’s. My eyes followed the long, gold, and white staircase. It was stunning.

When we reached the living room, Capo Petrov sat with another older man. To say a living room didn’t really do it justice though. The room was massive. Yesterday, I hadn’t really taken it in because I was too shocked by what was happening around me, but not today. Now, I took it all in.

The Capo was filthy rich.

Old paintings and photographs hung around the golden walls. The couches were traditional gold and silver. Antique pieces hung around. I glanced down at my bare feet as I stood on the cold marbled floor. I hadn’t been given shoes. Maybe because they didn’t want me to run. Mrs. Margarita had taken away my heels last night. I would have appreciated socks at least.

Before my eyes could meet the Capo’s, they landed on the older man next to him.

If the Capo was ice, this man was fire.

His gray eyes swept over me and his gaze burned me. Those were Petrov’s eyes. This man was related to him. His father. I had seen his photograph in the news too. A former Capo. They were notoriously famous. He was tall like his son, and his dark, black hair had some specks of grey, showing his age. He had a scar on his neck. It was strange. Petrov, Tev, and this man all had scars. A shiver ran down my spine at the lifestyle they must live. He was extremely good-looking for a man with an adult son.

Enzo Kotov.

The man seemed to be studying me intently in his black, shiny suit. “So, this is the new inventory?”

The man’s voice was low and commanding.

Even Petrov straightened his posture at the question.

I cast my gaze on the ground and looked elsewhere.

“Yes, Father,” Petrov replied.

“Have you decided what to do with her?”

Petrov was quiet.

“There’s always the whorehouse,” his father offered. I tried not to scoff at the words. “Or we could sell her.”

Fear hit me then, and I felt it right down to my soul. My eyes instantly jerked up. That couldn’t be my fate. I couldn’t be used and abused until nothing was left of me. I had offered myself to Petrov for his taking, but when I had, I hadn’t considered there might be other options. I thought I would his plaything, but now I wasn’t sure. Crap, I should have thought it through, but it was hard to think straight when you’d just witnessed a murder in the middle of the night. My instinct to stay alive had taken over more rational thought.

I glanced at Petrov who was staring right at me.

His hand rested on the couch’s arm rest, his fingers drumming against it, as if taunting me. I followed the movement nervously before I met his steel eyes. I tried to silently plead with him, hoping my message was heard. Capo’t sell me.

“She has a pretty face. Nice body,” Petrov’s father said.

I cringed now. I didn’t want to look at that man, so I kept my gaze focused on Petrov.

“We’ll see,” Petrov said.

“I have to get going. I’ll see you around, son.”

Then, the older man rose to his commanding height. He glanced at me again, his eyes sliding over me before he walked away, leaving me alone with Petrov.

Alessandro also disappeared.

For a moment, Petrov only looked at me, without saying a word. He was a sight to look at, an intimidating one. He wore his formal clothes again, fitted and molded against his form. I was in his house, at his beck and call, living under his command. I stood in front of him like a student in front of their professor. He would expect me to buckle under the weight of his presence but he was wrong.

“Are you going to sell me?” I asked, fiddling with my hands.

A nervous habit I’d recently picked up. I never fiddled.

Petrov looked at me, amused. Then, his expression dimmed a little. I caught sight of something I hadn’t seen before.

Pity.

It disappeared just as quickly as it had come though, leaving me questioning if I’d really seen it.

“You do have a pretty face. I wish you didn’t. It catches the attention of too many.”

The hope I had in my heart was slowly dying. I wished I didn’t have a pretty face. He might as well carve it up with a knife. I exhaled, before slowly calming down my breathing.

“But I offered myself to you…” my voice trailed off before I could continue.

Only to you.

Then, he stood up and walked slowly towards me.

His walk was predatory and powerful. I didn’t know if he was doing it on purpose, to make me afraid, but it was working. I knew he was the most powerful man around here.

“Did you think before you offered?” he asked.

Stupid girl. I bit my lip nervously. “I didn’t want to die.”

His gaze heated and it traveled to my lips. I stopped biting my lip now. His gaze made me nervous. He was silent as he stared at me. His eyes had darkened, resembling a stormy night.

“Will you do what he said?”

“I’m Capo. I make my own decisions.”

Hope filled my heart again. “So, you won’t sell me?”

He arched an eyebrow at me. “I probably should. I would get good money, more than what you promised me.”

Was he being serious? His face held no smile. He was a freaking billionaire. Even if I had a hundred grand, it would be pennies to him.

The hope that was battling in my heart was withering again. It was a constant battle.

“Please Capo’t sell me,” I pleaded with him.

I hated begging him. It made me feel pathetic, but I would get on my knees for him if it would make him listen to me. Begging for mercy sounded better than losing my dignity the hard way. I could put aside my pride, just this once.

Petrov came closer to me until he was just a few inches away. I tilted my head up at him to meet his eyes. His amused and pitying expressions were gone. Instead, they were replaced with something else that I couldn’t define.

“Say that word again,” he ordered in a dangerously low voice.

What word? I looked at him confused.

“Beg me again.” He clarified.

I frowned at him, then glared at him this time.

He seriously gets off on women begging him?

“No,” I retorted, but then instantly regretted using such a sharp tone.

I’d disobeyed his order.

Shit.

I froze as fear overwhelmed me. I knew first-hand what happened when someone didn’t follow his rules. I pressed my lips together and tried to keep my body from shuddering, wrapping my arms around myself, trying to holding myself together. Internally, I prepared myself, anticipating the blow he was sure to land on me.

I closed my eyes.

After three seconds, I opened them again.

His amused expression was back.

Maybe he was wondering what the hell was I doing?

He wasn’t going to hit me?

Then, he leaned in, closing the gap between us. I stepped back from him, but he only moved forward and so the little chase continued until my back hit the hard wall behind me. There was no lighthearted glint in his eyes, his eyes were darker now and vastly colder. They penetrated me without touching me, refusing to let me look away from him.

Now, I had nowhere to go.

I was caged in.

I thought if he had hit me, I would maybe at least get a punch in. Then, I silently shook my head. No, he had a gun and an army of men who were willing to kill at his command. I remembered how Tev had laid out his hands in front of Petrov for his punishment.

He was dominating, not even the king of his universe, more like the God. He wasn’t beautiful in the conventional, traditional sense yet he was alluring.

Petrov leaned in, looming over me. He pressed his arms against the wall, almost pinning my arms against my sides. I tried to shove myself further into the wall, but I was trapped. My heart leapt to my throat and my blood ran hot. Then, he rested his forearms against the wall bringing him so much closer to me. He still didn’t touch me, but his fire and his heat branded my skin.

I could smell cinnamon on his breath. His cologne was cedar-like, masculine scent, yet nice. I tried not to like it, but his presence and scent was overwhelming. His smell was right underneath my nose, basically asking me to sniff him. It engulfed my senses.

I’d never seen him up-close before. His irises had specks of honey and gold in them, resembling a wolf. They almost looked blue. He was like a chameTevn, changing colors right before me, creating a mystical and serene look. His longish dark hair was perfectly disheveled as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

Near his eyebrows, he had a deep, visible scar. A deep, jagged, brown scar that stood out against his golden tanned skin, marking him with an imperfection that he wasn’t born with.

I prepared myself again for him to touch me, violate me.

I’d been preparing for it since I had offered myself.

Maybe if I didn’t fight back, it might hurt less. Sex with him, couldn’t be that bad right?

It might be bad though.

Tev had tried it with me too, and I had no wishes to warm his bed. I tried not to gloat that his hands were broken because he laid his hand on me. He deserved it.

I peeked up and met Petrov’s sharp eyes. His gaze seemed to be searching mine. I didn’t know what for.

“Are you going to hurt me?” I asked in a small voice.

I hated the fear in my voice.

He tilted his head to the side, smirking now.

“Are you afraid of me?”

It was kind of hard not be, in front of a mafia Capo.

I didn’t answer and stayed still. Hopefully, he would stop asking me.

“I’ve said it before Esther, I Capo’t like repeating myself. I should have put you down already. You’re lucky you are still alive.” His voice was stern and aloof. It was the first time he’d spoken my name out loud. I tried not to like how it came out of his mouth.

“I’m not telling you,” I replied in defiance.

I looked up and a small smirk played on his lips.

“All I asked was for you to beg me.”

“And I said no,” I whispered, my breath landing on his lips.

He became still, looking deep into my eyes. I wished he would look away. It was hypnotic. His breathing was heavier and soon we were breathing the same air.

“How hard is it to say the word, please?” he murmured.

Oh. That’s what he wanted?

“Please Petrov,” I said softly.

It was the first time I’d spoken his name.

“You’re so pretty when you beg.”

My eyes widened.

Then, something changed.

He dropped his arms and stepped away from me.

So, he wasn’t going to touch me?

The heat that was radiating from him instantly disappeared.

“Does that mean if I say please, you won’t sell me?” I asked.

I tried not to be cheerful and hopeful, but I knew how I sounded. I was desperate, and even he knew that I was clutching for straws.

Petrov’s eyes changed then.

They turned from dark to soft instantly.

He smiled at me now. He looked so different now. I didn’t know something so small and simple could change someone’s physical appearance. It was the first time I’d seen him smile. A deep dimple appeared in his right cheek, something I hadn’t noticed before. I wasn’t sure what was the point of him having a dimple if he rarely smiled. The smile made him handsome.

Too handsome for my liking. It humanized him.

He was better off as a beast.

Then, he reached out and touched my neck softly.

I blinked slowly when his warm fingers traced a pattern.

“Your marks,” he whispered glancing at them before meeting my eyes. Then, he abruptly changed the subject and said, “You should eat breakfast.”

Then, he walked away.

A third time since yesterday.