Isabella

Time slowed to a halt as his words played over and over again. My mind was a jumbled mess as I tried to recall where I’d met this man. Of course, I’d met him, or else, how could he have known that which was personal to me, almost secret even? No one knew; they couldn’t.

Sometimes, I even forgot until it was time to face it again, and it was always in the dead of the night, away from the prying eyes of nosy busybodies. I was only accessible to those who had something to hide like me, a secret they would rather carry to their grave than let slip out, except my patrons weren’t exactly like me.

They were ruthless, heartless, blood-sucking beasts who only came there to spend their ill-gotten wealth and wave it in the faces of struggling girls just for the fun of it…

Wait.

My surprise must have cut through my confusion and exhaustion, hence the wide grin he was now sporting. A sudden wave of unease seeped into my bones through the metal chair I was occupying as I tried to figure out how it came to be.

“Do you remember now?” I hated how his voice was sexy and dangerous at the same time. “Tell me you remember me now.”

I stayed mute. What could I say? I couldn’t say anything. If the memory popping up in my head was thorough, then I was done for more than I originally was.

“Cat got your tongue, mi farfalla?” I winced at the sound of the nickname. Under normal circumstances, it would stir me to do my thing, but now, definitely not now. “How about I jog up your memory? Will that help? I think that’ll help.”

He was mocking me, and he was enjoying it too. I watched as he rose to his normal height, towering over me. He was 6’10” if I was calculating correctly, and I wasn’t even certain. He seemed taller than that, way taller.

A clap stopped my quick assessment of him. I watched as he clapped again, his eyes still fixed on me as I anticipated his next move.

The red hue blinded me immediately, and I blinked twice, trying to get the harsh rays of light from my eyes. It didn’t work. No matter how hard I blinked, I couldn’t get my eyes to stop seeing the color red. It took a while till I realized the red light had something to do with the mystery man in the room with me. He’d changed the lights from white to red, and I wondered why until I glimpsed at his face again.

A gasp slid past my lips as his face came into view. If I wasn’t bound to this chair, I would have slapped my palm over my lips and probably fallen out of my chair in shock. Never in a million years did I think I’d run into him again. I mean, what were the chances? Apparently, they were a lot, or I was just really unlucky.

“You.” I had no words. What could I say to someone whom I’d cursed his entire generation and wished him death in the most painful ways? “You, how…”

“Sí, mi farfalla.” His tongue seemed to roll over the nickname, which made him sound like he was purring or giving a low growl. “It is me, my butterfly.”

“How did you find me?” Quenching my thirst was no longer my priority. Hell, the realization of it all was more than enough. “Why am I here?”

“You owe me,” he hissed, a low, dangerous sound. He wasn’t loud, but his authoritative aura was there nonetheless. “I own you now. You’re my property, mi propiedad.”

“You have no right to keep me here!” I barked as I struggled against my constraints.

I had no idea why I was suddenly fiery. A couple of minutes ago, I was weak and basically pleading, and now, out of nowhere, I could feel a newfound burst of energy pulsing through my veins. All I knew was I didn’t want to be in his presence any longer.

“Let me go! I want to leave now!”

“Is it time for your shift yet?” he teased. “I can assure you, no one will be waiting for you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I let out through gritted teeth. “Just let me go. You have no right to keep me here!”

“On the contrary, you belong to me now. I thought I already made that clear.” His tone turned bored. “You don’t have a hard time understanding, do you? No? I thought so, too.”

“You do not own me!” I shot back, wiggling my arms and legs. A sharp pain cut through my arms, but I bit down on my tongue instead. “Once I get out of here, I will report you to the police and…”

“Bold of you to assume you’ll ever leave here.” Something about the way he said those words struck something in me, fear that spread through my body. “And the fucking police can’t do anything. They work for me, too.”

“Who the hell do you think you are to…”

“50 million dollars.” It was so low I almost missed it. But I didn’t because the goosebumps that crept up my skin were not normal. I stared at him, not a single emotion written on his face as his words seeped in. How could he have known?

It was a closed auction and there was no way he could have gotten this piece of information unless he was amongst us. But the faces that filled the auction were the ones that belonged to old men who had responsibilities to take care of but would rather spend their ill-gotten money to satisfy their sexual perversions. There was no way I’d have missed him unless…

“Seven million dollars.” There was nothing to confirm, but I still wanted to hear it anyway.

“Yes, mi farfalla roja. I’m the Black Don.”