LOGINVALENTINOI stare at the girl laying on the slab in the autopsy room, lifeless. On normal days, I wouldn't be in Brooklyn because the Romanos run this area and other parts of Southern NYC. But this is a call for concern. I knew it was urgent and had to do with bodies when I received Dominic Romano's call about the bodies found littered all over the place. A few was found in Manhattan this morning as well. Whoever it is going on a killing spree definitely has no intention of hiding the bodies due to how they are carelessly discarded. " They all seem to have common physical appearances,” Valiente observes. Black hair, green eyes, petite stature and average heights. The killer, whoever it is seems to have a specific taste in its victims. " They were all brutally tortured as well,” Dominic says, pulling the sheets off the girl's body completely so we can get better view of the killer’s work.She's got bruises and burns all over her body. The marks on her wrists and ankles show that s
VITTO Killing people who only beg and whine is sometimes so boring. They don't give you the answers you need, all they do is plead for their fucking useless lives, like they have anything better to do with it than be a pain in everyone's else's ass.I turn around to face the man tied to the chair in the middle of my torture chamber and sigh. " Marky, Marky. You would make things easier for both of us if you'll just tell me what I want to know.” " I don't what you want from me, damnit!” He cries, struggling against the restraints like he actually has a chance of escaping. “Why did you follow Nooria home from work last night? And why did you take photos of her? Who were you going to send the photos to?" I ask for the third time. I twist the knife in his thigh and he cries in anguish. “I'd think carefully before speaking, if I were you. I could do this all day." “I…I…I didn't see his face, I swear to you,” he says sniffing, tears and snot creating a disgusted mess on his face. " But
NOORIA The sound of my mother's voice opens the door of panic that I've been trying to keep shut since I stepped out of the car. I claw at Hussain's hands, my eyes silently pleading with him to let me go. “Nooria?" Mama's knock came again, louder this time and more urgent. “Your husband is here! You didn't tell us he will be coming and Assad is seconds away from killing him." Valentino is…here? Oh fuck! “Le…t…me go…y…you mons…ter!” I manage to speak trying to get his hands off me. The freak doesn't move, he barely chuckles and leans in so close that his lips almost touch mine. I try to shift my head away, but his grip on my neck makes it impossible to move and I'm stuck with the horrible possibility of kissing him. " Don't you think this is fun?” He asks, darting out his lips to lick the corner of my lips thesame way he did years ago. " Your mother walks in and sees her all so righteous and holy daughter in the arms of another man, her sister's fiance at that.* He laughs lowky li
NOORIA I hate Saturdays. There's this nervous feeling in my stomach that refuses to leave whenever the clock alarms five am on a Saturday morning. It's not because of work or anything out of the ordinary.No.Saturday is the day of the week where we come together as a family to have dinner and bond. It was Mama's idea and I hate it with everything I can muster. The other days of the week, I could avoid seeing and speaking to Baba. I leave early for work, or school and return home before he does. I head straight to my bedroom where I spend my time till next morning. But on Saturdays I can't. Baba would be at the table, his chair directly opposite mine as he asked me highlights of my week and the things I achieved, then his gaze would drop to disappointment because I didn't say what he wanted me to, or I didn't achieve what he expected me to. But today in particular, I'm wishing this Saturday never arrived. I stare down at my phone, at the message from Mama saying that Faiza should
NOORIA “I am sorry, but I couldn't find anything regarding the number," the man I'm assuming to be Carlos says, shaking his head. “It's an encrypted address and no matter how hard I dig in, I meet a dead end." I wrap my arms tighter around me and curl up further into the sofa. I couldn't go to bed alone knowing someone wants to kill me so I pleaded with Valentino if I could stay in his office while he works. Surprise, surprise, he actually said yes. Now I'm curled up in a scared little ball on his sofa watching him work. This is my first time in his office and I must say, I'm a little impressed. I expected his office to be all bland and boring like his heart. But it's rather fascinating to look at. There's a medium sized bookshelf with rows and rows of books I doubt he even reads. The sofa I'm sitting on is placed at the left side of the office, pushed to lean against the wall, directly opposite the bookshelf.His large mahogany bed is placed in the middle of the room, filled w
NOORIA Hussain stretches out his hand with a smile. Every thing in me screams at me not to accept his greeting. To turn around and bolt out of that place and never return. But with the way my mother and sister are staring at me, it's a huge doubt they won't ask questions if I do what's on my mind. I reach out against my better judgement and take his hand. He squeezes and gives me his signature smile. The one that would come off to anyone else as innocent, anyone but me. I know very well what that smile means. “It’s nice to see you again, Nooria,” Hussain says smoothly, his voice polished and charming. His thumb brushes the back of my hand in a way that looks innocent to outsiders but feels like a deliberate reminder. “You look even more beautiful than the last time we met.”Faiza’s eyebrows shoot up. She glances between us, curiosity sharpening her features. “You two know each other?”I pull my hand back as quickly as I can without making a scene, forcing a tight smile onto my fa
NOORIA “What the actual fuck, bitch!" Fiona walks into our shared office, a look of disbelief marring her pretty face. “You got married? To Valentino Delucca? And you didn't tell me?" I sigh as she flops into the one of the seats opposite me. She doesn't look happy and honestly, I didn't expect h
NOORIAI stare at the marriage license in my trembling hand like it’s written in a language I no longer understand. *Nooria Delucca.* The ink is still fresh. My signature sits there, shaky and small beside his bold, arrogant one. Married! Legally bound, to someone I'd rather stay the hell awa
(NOORIA)I wake up slowly, like surfacing from deep water. My body feels heavy, foreign, every muscle aching in a way I’ve never known. Between my thighs burns, a dull, throbbing soreness that makes me wince when I shift. My ass stings with every tiny movement, the skin still hot and tender from hi
(NOORIA)I clutch my diploma like it’s the only thing keeping me upright. The auditorium lights fade, applause dies, and I scan the crowd one last time. No Marcus, no roses, no proud smile from the man who said he loved me. My chest tightens. Faiza waves from the front row, phone raised, snapping







