SNIPPET/ CHAPTER ONE – THE HUNT

SNIPPET – MIRA

I stare languidly at the man before me, trying and failing miserably to calm my raging heartbeat and contain my fury.

How dare he?

Mason Lachlan has gone too far this time. There is always a limit to what a woman can take.

He takes his precious time to shut down and put away his MacBook, straightening imaginary papers here and there on his already pristine, glass desk.

Then he finally looks at me. I suck in a breath at the searing intensity in those stormy gray eyes. Eyes the colour of frozen graphite, they make my heart beat out of tune.

"I believe you have a suitable explanation for barging into my office and interrupting my conference call, Mira. Let's hear it. And on God who made me, princess, if your reason doesn't add up, I will take you over my knee right here."

My core clenches involuntarily at his obscene words. His smooth, deep baritone washes over me, sending a thrill of electricity up my spine.

Focus, Mira! My subconscious yells. I cannot afford to be distracted by the dark angel before me. It has already cost me more than I can bear.

I ruffle through my bag with short, jerky movements and withdraw the offending documents that came by the mail this morning. I slam them on his table, giving him my wildest look. To his credit, he doesn't flinch. He doesn't even blink.

He just keeps those icy, gray eyes on me, making the confidence I came with through those doors expire with every passing second.

"What is this?" I seethe.

He doesn't spare the paper a glance.

"You must have read it so I'm assuming you know exactly what those are, Mira." He says quietly.

He looks so unaffected, so composed, like the hotshot billionaire he knows he is. A billionaire who thinks he can go around disrupting the normal agenda of other people's lives.

"Cut the smart mouthed crap, Lachlan. Who the hell do you think you are…?"

I startled squeak escapes my lips as he abruptly gets to his feet, slamming his fists on the table so hard, it wobbles.

His eyes spark with a dangerous gleam, one I recognise as slow burning fury.

"You are in my territory, Mira. My fucking empire. I suggest you watch that mouth when you speak to me. Am I understood?"

I stand there, staring him down with my lips stubbornly closed. He shrugs.

"You can either say yes, Mira, or I’ll call security and have you escorted out. Your choice."

I tighten my fingers on the hands of my tote bag, trying to get a rein of my anger. This is not the time to let emotions get in the way. I have a lot to say and I very much intend for him to listen to every single word.

"Yeah, okay." I mutter and he sits back down.

"You were saying?”

I lift the papers.

"I had this specially delivered by an Agent Wilson this morning. You know him?" I ask sarcastically.

His lips tighten at my tone but he doesn't call me out on it. Instead, he says calmly.

"Yes, I believe I sent him."

Oh, just dandy!

"What is this, Mason?"

"Exactly what you read." He deadpans.

"Well, help me understand."

He heaves a heavy sigh and tugs at his perfectly symmetrical tie.

"That document contains a contractual agreement, miss Fernandez. It only requires your signature."

“What kind of contractual agreement?” I seethe.

"One that ensures that you remain mine and only mine for the next two years. Physically, sexually, emotionally and otherwise, you will be bound to me. Those documents ensure that you do not go back on your word. It makes you completely and irrevocably mine to do as I please and treat as I see fit for as long as is stated there. Have you signed it?"

I stare at him, shock slowly replacing my anger.

"You can't be serious." I whisper.

He eyes darken into an expression I know all to well…determination. Once he gets that look, he becomes a power horse on a mission…one that can never be stopped.

"I will have you know that I am extremely serious about this, Mira. You have denied me what I feel is mine for so many long years. You have spurned me, toyed with me, fucking played me. Not. Any. More.

Starting from the date written on that contract, you become mine. No more games."

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" I screech, not caring if I am violating some kind of sacred billionaire code by raising my voice at him.

"My name is Mira Estella Fernandez, and I am a property of no man. I belong to no one! You can take your papers and shove it up your arse, Lachlan. I will never agree to this. I will never be yours!"

My chest heaves rapidly after my violent outburst, anger burning so strongly in my veins, I almost choke from it.

After what feels like a lifetime, Mason gets up from his chair for the second time. He rounds the opaque glass table slowly, the frozen icicles of his eyes firmly affixed on me.

I startle with the realization that he means to touch me. That cannot happen.

I have learnt from previous experiences that my brain turns to a pile of mush whenever this man touches me. A slight graze of his fingers against my skin and I loose the ability to think properly…and I need all my wits to deal with him today.

He comes closer and closer and I look around the room frantically for anything…anything at all to use as a shield – or weapon.

My gaze lands on a sleek, black umbrella hung on a drying rack, attached to the glass wall and I leap towards it, positioning the make shift weapon before me as a shield.

"Stay where you are, Mason. I swear if you take another step, I will not hesitate to use this."

To my relief, he pauses, amusement lighting his eyes.

What the hell is so funny?!

He takes another step and my heart falls to the bottom of my shoes. I wave the umbrella desperately.

"I'm not playing around, Mason." I warn, "I could seriously harm you with this."

He comes to a stop just before the printed tip of the umbrella and I stiffle s breath of relief.

Then he begins to shrug out of his sleek, navy blue suit jacket and I freeze.

"Wh…what are you doing?"

He drops the jacket to the floor, his gaze still burning holes into me. Then he splays his arms wide and cocks his head to the side. The movement makes a lock of straight, brown hair fall over his forehead.

God, he's beautiful. So beautiful, he makes my breath hitch.

"You want to hurt me, Mira? Go for it."

Wait, what?

"I will count ten seconds, princess. If by the end of ten seconds, you do not stop me, I will touch you." His voice turns hard and cold "Any way I please. So I suggest you act quick."

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Ten"

I gasp in disbelief. The brute is serious!

"Nine."

"Stop this madness, Mason. I am done playing games with you."

"No, Mira. Seven."

I will my body to move; to attack him, deck him, anything at all. But my feet remain stubbornly rooted to the marble floors, and my fingers refuse to listen to the frantic urgings of my mind.

"…seven…six…five…four…"

My head spins with a million emotions and I feel faint.

Do something, Mira!! My subconscious yells. But I am not capable of moving an inch at the moment. I am frozen still, rooted to the spot under those intense, stormy gray eyes.

"Three…two…one…"

He gets to zero and the reality of my situation crashes upon me. Before I can raise a finger in protest, I am pinned to the glass wall by two hundred and fifty pounds of heavily muscled male.

It all happens in a blur. One minute, I was in full control of the situation and one hundred percent ready to defend my stand, and the next, I am reduced to a quivering heap of nerves by New York's dark god himself.

I try to shove him off. It is almost equivalent to trying to shoving an extraordinariky huge mountain, or a brick wall. My hands are pinned uselessly above her head and my legs are trapped between the heavy muscles of his thighs.

We are mashed together, chest to chest, groin to groin and for a moment, delicious spasms of electricity shoots to my girly bits at the feel of Mason above me.

But that does not replace my terror…my anger. I narrows my eyes at him, preparing to give him a piece of my mind.

"How dare you…"

"Hush!" He barks, slamming one long tapered finger against my lips and I fall quiet, my eyes wide with shock.

Then he traces those fingers softly, from my lips to cheeks and back, all the while pinning me in place with those intense, gray eyes.

"You know what this means, don't you, princess? You had your chance to stop me, but you didn't. Why?" He says softly, so softly, if I wasn't he hanging onto his every word, I wouldn’t hear him.

I open my mouth to argue but he interrupts me.

"No. You had your chance to speak. Now, I'll do the talking."

He presses harder against me and I clamps my lips shut to stiffle a moan of pleasure.

What is it about this man that turns my head to mush every single damned time?

His eyes light at my reaction to his touch and anger shoots through my veins. The pompous bastard!

I freeze as his head lowers until his lips lightly graze my ear, sending hot tendrils of electricity up my spine.

"You want me, princess. Just as much as I want you. Your body desires the release that you know only I can give you. And it can all be yours. All you have to do is surrender. Sign the contract, Mira, and let me give you pleasures that would last a century. You only have to say the word. Say you will be mine, Mira."

The heat of his minted breath plays havoc to my senses and my core clenches involuntarily at his words.

Oh, how easy it would be. To give into my body's demands and have this man take me to pleasurable heights I never even knew existed.

My body burns with the need to give up this silent battle and let him take the lead.

But reality intrudes like a warning bell and I shove him…hard. Hard enough to have his eyes widen in surprise.

"I am not a pet that can be bought and owned, Mason. Neither do I desire to become just one more of your numerous mistresses. I will not sign your contract. I will not surrender to you, and most importantly, I will never be yours. Mira is a property of no man."

His eyes morph into a cold, inscrutable look and he steps back, giving me the much needed space to breathe.

He picks up his jacket like nothing happened, drapes it behind his chair and sits.

The air in the room suddenly feels too tight.

He stares at me for long moments, like a predator cornering it's prey, then his eyes drop to the files on his opaque glass table and he begins to flip through them.

Just like that, I’m dismissed. I should be relieved, happy that he finally gets the point. Instead, I

I struggle to keep my expression from morphing into that of disappointment.

Then he speaks up and I freeze.

"You should know, Mira, that you do not have a choice."

"What do you mean by that?" I ask, my my stomach tightening in unease.

His eyes are cold, so cold, I feel the temperature in the room drop by a few hundred degrees.

Something's not right.

"You see, Mira" he says in a dangerous tone. "I always make sure to be two steps ahead of my opponent every damned time, and it wasn't any different with you."

He moves a chess piece on the glass board affixed to his desk.

Dread descends on me, hot and heavy. Mason Lachlan isn't called the most dangerous billionaire in New York City just for the fun it. Something's definite up here.

"You know I thing I always loved a out you, Mira?" He doesn't wait for my reply, not that I would have provided any.

"Your stubborn streak. You just way too stubborn for your own good. That fire that burns in your eyes is one of them."

He plays with the chess pieces, his eyes firmly fixed on me.

"I will very much enjoy watching that fire slowly burn out as you continue to defy me. You see, Mira, you were mine from the very beginning. I just decided to give you the courtesy of saying yes…and you denied me once again.

But there is one thing you do not know, princess. You will sign this contract, I do not care how many pieces I have to eliminate from the fucking chessboard to make sure that happens."

Those softly proclaimed words mark the beginning of my destruction.

***

CHAPTER ONE – THE HUNT

MIRA

I stand behind the shop counters, watching Momma and Papa stress over the long list of bills that just came by the mail.

Momma has emaciated horribly over the last few weeks, and Papa is just recovering from a heart attack, now this.

Added to Papa's hospital bills and the money for Anna's schooling, we barely have enough to feed, talk more of paying off thousands of dollars as shop rent and other taxes to the owners of our grocery store chain.

I feel my heart sink as I watch Momma bury her head in her hands, the frustration from trying to pay off last month's debt still very much evident on her worn out face. Papa collapses on a chair beside her, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

The air in the room is so heavy with despair, I almost choke from it.

I quit pretending to wipe down the already spotless counter and walk over to them, my steps slow and measured.

"How much are they asking for this time, Momma?"

She jerks from her slumped posture on the chair, quickly wiping at her eyes before turning to me.

The tears swimming in her eyes are like a thousand little pin pricks through my already shattered heart.

I hate seeing my parents in pain. I hate this feeling of helplessness that consumes me as I continue to watch them crumble beneath the weight of all these bills.

"It's nothing, bebita." She gives me a wan smile. "You do not have to worry about it."

Papa struggles to sit up and tears prick my eyes.

"How long?" I whisper brokenly. "How long will you continue to let them cheat us like this? We all know that they overtax us for this store. Surely, asking for a seven thousand dollars per year is outrageous. Why do you continue to sit back and let this happen?"

Tears fall down my cheeks in torrents but I'm past caring at this point.

"Come here, sweetheart. Come here."

Papa extends an arm to me and I run to him, burying my face in his neck. I breathe in his comforting sandalwood scent, trying to stiffle my raging hiccups.

"Hush now, dear. Hush." He pats my back with a soothing rhythm.

"But it's not fair, papa." I sniff. "Can't anything be done about it? The government can't help us?"

Papa smiles – a sad, defeated smile.

"Let me tell you a little story, dear. It's about a man named Escobar Scuderi. Wanna hear it?"

I clean my eyes and look up.

"Mm-hm." I love Papa's stories.

"You see, princess, Escobar Scuderi is a very rich man. He owns millions of stores and restaurants both here in Italy, and in New York as well. We over here are just his minions because we rent his stores. If he decides to increase the rent to ten thousand dollars by the end of the week and tells us to pay monthly, we'll have no other choice but to pay. That's just the way it is. The government cannot do anything about it because Scuderi is an extremely powerful man, you see."

"Even more powerful than the government?" I ask.

"Let's just say that Scuderi is the boss of the government, sweetheart. I know you worry about us and the store, but worrying is our job, not yours. Try not to stress about this. Now come on, your Momma and I have alot to discuss. Why don't you go up to the house and check on your little sister, okay?"

"Okay, papa."

I leave the store on shaky legs, but with anger and determination burning a destructive hole through my heart. Escobar Scuderi has made my family suffer for far too long. It is high time somebody stood up to his reign of tyranny.

If my parents feel too intimidated to solicit for their rights, then I will just have to do it on their behalf. I refuse to stand back and watch Momma and Papa continue to fade away under the weight of thousands of illegal debt.

Escobar Scuderi will have me to contend with because his reign of cheating the poor and innocent ends now.

***

I hurdle beneath my hoodie, trying to escape the cold and cursing myself every single minute for choosing a seat close to the window.

My grip around the battered backpack I had grabbed from home before making my hasty escape tightens until the zipper begins to hurt my palm.

This is it. Today is the day I meet Escobar Scuderi.

I have absolutely no idea on how I'm going to meet him, or if I'm even going to be allowed to see him, but one way or the other, I'm not leaving Sin City until he cuts our shop rent by half.

My stomach growls and I wrap my fingers tight against my middle to stiffle my hunger. It wasn't lunch time yet when I left home so I had nothing to eat. I only have twenty dollars on me, and that includes my bus fare. I cannot afford to be hungry right now.

After Papa sent me back to the house, I just knew that I couldn't continue to sit back and watch as Scuderi persistently make our lives hell. I had to do something. So I stuffed a few clothes into my backpack while my younget sister, Anna, watched me with wide eyes, and snuck out the back door.

I ran all the way to the bus stop, praying fervently that no one discovered I was gone until I was well on my way to Sin City.

My heart sinks with the realization that Escobar might not even be at Sin City today, or tommorow. I just read on one of the bills that was sent to Momma that Scuderi Holdings headquarters is in Sin City and I hopped on a bus. Fingers crossed.

My eyes are permanently glued to the window as I watch the beautiful city fly past. However, exhaustion and hunger weigh me down quickly and soon enough, I'm dozing in my seat.

"Sin City!"

I jerk awake at the bus driver's voice. We're here already?

I peek outside , a hand over my eyes to shield them from the sun's blinding rays. It must be high noon by now. I fold my thick, heavy tangle of red curls into my baseball cap, pick up my backpack and alight the bus.

Once down on the curb, I look around beneath the safety of my cap. Momma and Papa come to the city alot for one work or the other. I cannot afford being recognised by someone that knows either of them.

The entire street is so busy. Why the hell is everyone in such a hurry anyways?

"Hello, excuse me?"

The middle aged man stops and I heave a sigh of relief.

"I'm looking for Escobar Scuderi of Scuderi Holdings. Where can I find him, please?"

I watch as the man's face morphs from that of a friendly stranger to an angry troll.

"Please get out of my way, miss. I have important things to attend to." The man shoves past me so hurriedly, he barely replies to the thank you I throw at him.

It goes on like that for everyone I stop. I try to stop a few passersby to ask for directions but they just brush me off. The few people I've been able to ask about Scuderi look at me like I've gone mad. But I've come too far to give up now.

I walk farther into the city until I come across a small diner. I'm starved. Perhaps they'll have some information to share…and hopefully a few free crumbs to spare.

I walk into the diner with both fingers crossed. The little bell above the door jingles, signalling my entry, and the lone barista behind the bar gives me a tired smile.

She's a very beautiful young lady with sparkling, bright blue eyes.

"Hello and welcome to Sam's Steak House. My name is Vanessa, what would you like to have?"

The delicious smell of over greased steak hits me and my knees almost buckle. Oh, Lord. What I would'nt give to have a few extra cents to buy lunch. I embarked on this mission totally unprepared. I miss Momma's special apple pie so much right now.

I lick my dry lips and try my best to produce my brightest smile.

"Just water for me, please."

Vanessa narrows her eyes at me.

"Are you sure, sweetheart? You don't need anything to eat?"

My parents have always instilled a sense of pride in Anna and I. We are taught never to beg for anything unless it is absolutely necessary. Right now, I can go with my stomach empty for a few more hours. Just until I finish my mission.

I walk over to the bar with unsteady legs and climb into on of the stools.

"Just water, please." I repeat.

She smiles again.

"Alright then. I glass of sparkling water coming right up." She winks "That's Italian for water from our cleanest tap."

I chuckle at her attempt at a joke and she disappears through a door which I assume is the kitchen. She comes back a while later, a glass of water and a plate of burgers in tow.

I stare at the food and I almost weep. Was my hunger really that apparent?

"I…I'm sorry but I didn't ask for this…"

She gives my shoulders a friendly pat.

"Don't worry. This one's on me."

I look up at her uncertainly.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, sweetheart. Eat up."

I do not wait to be told twice, I pick up the thick, juicy burger and bite off a huge chunk.

"This is so good." I tell her between bites.

"Glad you enjoy it."

She keeps on working on the ledgers while I make quick work of devouring the burger. When I'm filled to the point of bursting, I push the plate away.

"All done?" She asks.

"Yes, thank you. I can't possibly take another bite."

"Glad I could help."

She clears the dishes and comes back to work on the ledgers. I take that moment to look around.

The dinner is shabby, almost decrepit. The wooden floors are chipped, the paint is peeling. It is in awful need of some repair work. I wonder why the owner hasn't fixed it up yet. Maybe he's planning to sell out.

A few tables and chairs are shoved haphazardly at the windows and the middle of the diner. The linoleum covered counter is also gradually peeling away.

Something's off about all of this.

"Uh…" I begin. "My name is Mira. Mira Fernandez. How about you?"

Her soft blue gaze lands on me again.

"I'm Vanessa Collins. Nice to meet you, Mira."

I give her a small smile.

"Likewise."

"So, Mira. I get you're not from these parts, and you look lost. What are you doing here? Why's

a pretty girl like you roaming about the city of predators?"

City of predators? That's a first.

"I'm looking for someone." I start slowly.

Her eyes widen and she begins to drum her blue painted finger nails against the counter.

"Cool. How old are you, Mira?"

"Uh…uh. I'm twenty."

It's not entirely a lie. I'll be twenty in the next few months.

"Sweet! I'm twenty two. We can be good friends."

Her enthusiasm is infectious.

"So, who are you looking for?"

I clench my fingers as my anger begins to resurface.

"Escobar Scuderi. I have a score to settle with that cheat."

Vanessa's eyes widen and just then, the little bell jingles, signalling the arrival of a newcomer and I feel the temperature in the room drop by several thousand degrees.

The pen in Vanessa's grip slips to the ground with an empty echo and her mouth goes slack with shock.

What the hell?

I raise a questioning brow at her but she doesn't look at me. Her entire attention is on the door, and whoever just walked in.

I pivot slowly on the stool and come face to face with four huge, heavily muscled men.

And they look like they're out for blood.

"So you have a score to settle with our master, eh?" One of them asks. His heavy Russian accent and gangster look sends fear running up my spine in torrents.

"Vanessa." I whisper. "Do you know these people?"

"Yes." She equally whispers. "Those are Scuderi's enforcers. They deal with the city's debtors."

Just the mention of the word enforcers is enough to turn my knees to jelly. I have read all about them. Evil men that carry out their masters' dirty work. They can go to extreme extents like murder if they are being opposed.

One of them motions to Vanessa.

"Your boss has been owing his rental taxes for the past one year. The master has been patient enough. He requests his money today and not an hour later."

Behind me, Vanessa begins to visibly tremble.

"Please. Give us one more week. My boss isn't feeling well. He was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago and can barely afford his medication. Please, I beg you for a few more weeks."

I watch the exchange as if in trance. This is my entire life playing before my eyes, but with different actors. And I thought my family was the most affected by Escobar Scuderi's greed.

I watch as Vanessa continues to beg while the enforcers threaten to set fire to the store, and rage, venomous, burning rage, shoots through my veins.

I leap to my feet, blocking the path between Vanessa and the men. Barely above five feet, I cannot be considered as huge or scary. But Papa once said that I have a fury that can rival a tornado in motion.

"Stop this right this instant!" I scream. "Stop this!"

I turn to their leader and poke my finger in his face.

"You and your greedy, money hungry master have succeeded in making life miserable for so many people in this city. Enough!"

The goon's face twists in surprise, then anger but I cut him off, my eyes blazing fury.

"Can't you see how your master exploits the masses? Do you think what he does is right? Well, if you do, then you all are disgusting. Every single one of you.

Now, take me to your master. I have a few things I would love I say to that monster." I seethe.

"Mira!" Vanessa screams.

I hear it before I feel it. Pain explodes in my right ear. For a minute, all I hear is a screeching, deafening sound.

I fall to the ground as my vision turns blurry.

I hear faint laughter in the background and something about the boss' nephew liking "this one."

Then I fade into oblivion.