4. Insurance

I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. Every time my mouth opened to utter something, my breath choked me. I sat helplessly in my seat, as the same man who had offered to buy me a cookie in a coffee shop glided towards the empty chair with such smug confidence, I was sure his head would explode.

The term "looks can be deceiving" had never been so appropriately applied to my life until this moment. As he sat in his chair, it took everything in me not to throw myself across the table and strangle him with the crisp, gray tie around his neck. Nicolo's eyes met mine, and they no longer resembled the gentle hazel one's I was familiar with. They were dark. Sinister. A twisted humor gleaming within the depths, like there was a hidden joke and I wasn't in on it. Hell, I was the joke.

"W-why?" I choked out. The words were caught on the lump in my throat, the pure insanity of it all began to consume me. I was dreaming. This had to be a dream. A sick dream, like the kind you have after eating something horrible right before sleep. His face remained impassive and if it wasn't for the twitch of his jaw I would've thought he didn't hear me.

"Why me?"

"You're very set on the idea that this is all about you."

"Um, I'm sorry if kidnapping me has me a little confused about my own involvement," I sputtered. The disbelief in my voice was insanely thick as I struggled to make sense of what was happening. I didn't know this man. Any sense of hospitality he had showed me in the coffee shop was long gone. The man sitting across from me was the devil. A hollow empty shell of a better human being and as he intertwined his fingers together and cocked his head to the side, I felt no less than a freak. An animal being observed in the zoo. A prey for a starving predator.

"You're speaking as if you have something I want," He countered, the Italian accent I once found insanely attractive, frightened the hell out of me. It made every syllable of every word thick, and daring. The tight dress on my body, rubbed angrily against my skin as I fidgeted in my seat.

"W-what is it you want?" I simmered with anger.

Relax Selena. Before you get yourself killed.

"What is mine."

I glanced helplessly around the table, watching as the faces of everyone remained the same soft, obedient shape. My mouth quivered with the urge to scream for help. Run for the hills and shout to the heavens if it would save me from this insanity. Without contemplating the consequences, I shoved my seat back from the table and stumbled sideways, before righting myself. The sound of chairs scraping against the floor, followed by footsteps hot behind me, echoed throughout the dining room as I pushed through the doors and out into the hallway. It was dark, but the faint light of the moon illuminated enough of the space to help guide me in a direction.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Someone called. The familiar scruffy voice reached me and I shivered but continued pounding my legs quickly. The high heels were not helping my speed, but I didn't have any time to ditch them.

I have to fucking get out of here.

As I rounded the corner, someone slammed into me and a twisted sense of Déjà vu overwhelmed me. My head spun as my vision was filled with gray spots. I rolled onto my back, biting the groan that threatened to escape my lips.

Ow. Pain radiated from my temples and neck. I swatted my hair out of my face and took a deep breath. My eyes shot open as a bulky frame hovered above me. The cynical laugh of one of the men who originally kidnapped me boomed off the walls.

"Rod – you get the bitch?"

"Yeah!" He grunted as his hands shot out to grab me. I flailed my legs furiously, kicking his leg and gaining a growl before I was lifted and hauled over his shoulder. "Keep fighting me. I like a challenge." I froze when I felt his meaty hand on my ass, massaging into it.

"Don't fucking touch me!" I screamed as he slid his fingers along the bare skin of my inner thigh. A sick feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I had never felt so helpless in the hands of another person. It frightened me.

"Oh, I'm just getting started baby." He pinched the flesh in between his fingers, and I whimpered as pain shot to the area. "Keep it up and I'll make sure to be rough."

I remained still as we continued down the hallway. The image of his sweaty body climbing on top of mine, while holding me down and forcing himself inside of me haunted me. With every blink and every closed lid, I shook with fear.

"Now be a good little girl," he muttered as we stopped in front of a door. I assumed it was the same door to the room I was in. "And heal."

The door was thrown open and I was tossed inside like a rag doll. When Rod shut the door behind him, and my eyes fleeted to his hands fumbling with his belt, I could've vomited.

"What are you doing?" I shot at him, shrinking back towards the wall.

"Just reminding you where your place is. Get the fuck on the bed. Now," he muttered, as his pants slid to the floor. This wasn't happening. How could this be happening?

"N-no," I stuttered, fear gripping my tongue, making it almost impossible to speak once again. His brows furrowed with frustration as he stomped towards me. His hand shot out and gripped my arm with enough force to break it as he wrenched me up off the floor and pushed me near the bed.

"No!" My cries were strangled as he shoved my head in towards the mattress and pressed his stiff member against my ass. "Please! No! Stop!" I tried to pull my head up and shake him off of me, but he was about 280 pounds of pure muscle, and a whole head taller than me. My head snapped back and forth as his lips left a wet kiss on my neck, followed by a sharp bite.

"Stop!"

"The more you fight, the more it'll hurt for you and the tighter you'll be for me," he grunted, and shoved his fingers up my dress, tugging the fabric up my thighs.

The walls closed in on me. Darkness shrouding any light, and hope. I struggled uselessly against him, as he tore at my panties.

"So fucking wet." His voice was distorted.

The cries began to die away from my lips, becoming small whimpers as I felt the tip of him poke at my entrance. His legs were pressed firmly in between mine to part them. I stiffened my body, preparing for the invasion of it, as he pressed his chest against my back. My eyes were shut tightly as I exhaled deeply. I prayed it would be over quickly, and just as he pulled his hips back to thrust in a knock on the door rang loudly.

Rod cursed under his breath and removed himself from me as the door opened and the man who called his name earlier poked his head in.

"Hey, Rod – DeLuca wants to see her."

"I'm sort of fucking busy, Hunter," he growled.

"Not my problem. He wants to see her now," Hunter retorted before slamming the door shut. The biggest weight was removed from my shoulders as the sound of him pulling up his pants met my ears.

"Fix yourself," Rod spat.

I slid off the bed and quickly fixed my dress.

"Don't think this is fucking over, bitch."

With his dark silhouette behind me, and the sound of his heavy breathing as we made our way out of the room and down the hall – I knew things weren't even close to over.

***

The room we entered was haunting. Silver, red and black were the color schemes throughout the room. The tiles on the floor were arranged in jagged patterns. The furniture throughout the room looked stiff, and unlived in. Behind a sleek, chromatic desk sat Nicolo. His green eyes were icy as they regarded me.

"Leave us," He directed to Rod, who dismissed himself without a word of dismay. My fingers fiddled with my dress, tugging it down my legs farther. I felt disgusting.

"Sit," he commanded. His eyes flickering to the leather chair in front of the desk. My muscles moved before I could react and I sat. The leather of the seat squeaked under my weight. My fingers gripped the arms of the chair timidly. I bit my lip as anxiousness bubbled in my chest.

A flash of something ran across his eyes but it was gone so fast I thought I imagined it.

"Selena..." He trailed off, as he crossed his arms over his chest. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His dark locks fell on his forehead, before he swept them back.

"Why am I here?" I blurted out and silently cursed myself for the outburst. I was not in control. He could kill me with the snap of his fingers. I was at his mercy and I continued to be a disobedient rebel. I was going to get myself killed.

"Collateral." He shrugged. Was I supposed to understand that. Collateral.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

He exhaled deeply, before his eyes traveled down to the dip of my dress that exposed an eye full of cleavage. I shifted uncomfortably in the seat and crossed my legs.

"Someone you know, has something of mine – he is in debt to me. You're my collateral."

"Who? How?" I blurted, as my own confusion scratched at my head. Anxiousness threatened to choke me.

"Joshua Lawrence took something from me and until he gives it back, you will be held as insurance."

"I-insurance?" I stammered. I was being treated like property or money for a man who cheated on me and owed some nutcase money. I dragged a shaky hand through my hair and scoffed.

"Well, if you haven't heard the news already, Joshua and I broke up. You're not going to achieve anything from this," I admitted, hoping he would take the bait and let me leave. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his tongue darted out along his lips before he leaned back in his chair.

"That's where you're wrong. I plan to gain a lot from you." He sounded certain as he stood from his chair and sauntered over towards me.

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Everything," He breathed, his face inches away from mine. His warm breath fanned my neck, leaving chills in its wake. My eyes fluttered closed for a moment, and I briefly forgot where I was.

"I -I wo –" I won't , meant to leave my lips but the words fell away from me. He clucked his tongue and shook his head, before his hand gripped my chin firmly, drawing my gaze up to look at him.

"And you may even find yourself enjoying it."

I doubt that.