Gracie Miller's father is a big time fraudster— scamming rich people for a living. At least until he crosses the wrong people. The infamous Black Silver Cartel with control over the European black markets. A mafia cartel. To prevent her father from being killed, Gracie is taken as hostage by the leader of this cartel, Raymond Silver. But then when sparks begin to fly, can Gracie overlook the fact that— she's falling for her kidnapper?
view moreMy father is at gunpoint.
"You owe us a total of 102 million dollars. Do you have the means to pay, or are you ready to die?"
The bald, 6 foot tall henchman clicks the gun, tapping my father's forehead with he metal.
My heart is racing and I don't know what to do.
Earlier on, father had been rejoicing to me about the new scam he had pulled on a gullible project manager of a big firm.
He had good skills- commiting crimes that no one could trace.
To him, this was the easiest scam he'd ever pulled.
Father had even gone ahead to purchase an exotic home worth 70 million in Milan.
We were both rejoicing- well I was joining in because that's the only way he can be happy these days- before our door was broken down.
Father pushed me to the closet and made me hide while they rushed in.
Now, I'm sweating in the midst of coats and boots, watching these men with criss crossed knife tattoos on their necks point a gun at my father.
Black Silver.
The only gang I know with these tattoos belong to the infamous mafia cartel, Black Silver.
Did father really cross these people? Did he not know that company was owned by them?
Knowing these men are even more dangerous than I thought, my body goes cold.
I'm sweating profusely, but I am freezing from fear.
"I-I can pay...I can pay. I will just need s-some time. The M-"
Before father can get his words out, the man whoops him with the gun across the cheek, flinging his face to the side.
I hold in my gasp and clutch my lips with both hands.
My body is shaking; the closet feels too small.
"Can you pay now, or not?" The second guard asks. His voice is monotone, just like a robot's.
Father raises his head. I see tears in his eyes; he knows I'm seeing all this and he's trying desperately not to look afraid.
Ever since mom died from a minor kidney illness we couldn't treat because we were poor, father went money crazed.
He did everything for it- and he was scary good at it.
He robbed and scammed, swindled and gambled.
Anything at all to make sure we had more than we needed.
As though he was apologizing to mother for not having enough.
But now- father has gone absolutely insane.
How did he even end up stealing from Black Silver?
I watch him bow his head, dejected completely. "I don't have the money..." he says.
My heart drops.
"You spent it all didn't you? Mark, you know what to do." The first guard says, stepping aside for the second one with a loaded gun.
Click.
Time stops as he gets ready to pull the trigger.
I don't know when my body moves, but in the next second, I've flown out of the suffocating space.
"Stop! Stop it please!" I cry aloud. Father turns to me in alarm. The first guard immediately points a gun at me.
"Gracie, what are you doing?!" I hear my father cry.
I ignore him and raise my hands up. "I-I...we don't have the money but...we will soon. My father is quick...he'll find something. But please don't kill him."
My voice is shaking the whole time; I'm feeling quite light headed.
"Gracie, you're insane. Why did you come out?!" My father's face is already swollen from that hit and it's making me extremely pained.
And to think they were about to shoot him dead.
The guard tilts his bald head at me.
"Our orders are to take payment and leave. If no payment is offered, death is next. Appeals will not work."
I shake my head profusely and instantly fall to the ground to beg. "Please, sir! Please. My father will truly pay you back. If he doesn't, you can find us and kill me yourself! But please let him go."
My begging doesn't move him one bit and the other guard raises the gun again.
"My apologies, girl. Our orders are final."
The barrel is pointed at my father's forehead. My world is shattering and there's nothing I can do but watch.
I beg and scream as he places his hand on the trigger.
However, at the last second, a static sound covers the living room.
The first guard tells his companion to pause and takes a walkie into his hand.
"Yes boss?"
"Leave the man alive and bring me the girl," comes a low, menacing voice. The static makes the man sound like a snake.
My heart drops.
Bring the girl?
My father's eyes are peeled open in shock and he's shaking his head. "No, no. No! You will have to kill me. Don't touch my daughter!"
Before I know what is happening, the second guard takes out another gun and shoots something sharp at my father's arm.
It's a tranquilizer.
"Dad!"
They don't let me get close to him, dragging me from the ground where I'm kneeling.
In one swoop, I'm in the man's arms, kicking and screaming.
My father's eyes are gradually losing focus. He's reaching an arm out to me.
"Gracie-"
He falls down to the ground, unconscious.
"Dad!" My voice is hoarse and my tears scorch down my face.
I kick and try to wiggle my way off the guard's shoulders but it's to no avail. They take me out the broken doors and outside of my residence.
"Please! Please let me go! Father will pay...he'll pay you, I promise! Let me go! Let me go!"
Without caring for my screams, the guard tosses me into the backseat of a sleek black car. The two of them sit on either side of me while I cry loudly.
As the car zooms off, an injection is stabbed in my arm.
I instantly lose consciousness.
When I regain myself, I'm on a bed, in a dimly lit room smelling of expensive silk and cedar.
"You're awake, bellissima." Comes a familiar menacing voice.
It's him. My kidnapper.
The warehouse still reeks of gunpowder and blood. Corpse lie strewn across the earth, motionless. The atmosphere is heavy with smoke, and the sounds of gunfire continue to resonate in my ears. But none of it is important-since I am in his embrace. Raymond grips me firmly, his fingers digging into my back as if to confirm my existence. His heartbeat is rapid and erratic, resembling a person who has nearly lost something valuable. However, I am the one who ought to be scared. I ought to be frightened. I ought to view him as if he were a monster. Instead, I am holding onto his shirt tightly, clinging to him as if he is the sole thing preventing me from breaking down. And perhaps he is. His hand reaches for my face, raising my chin upward. His silver eyes glow with an enigmatic darkness, something elusive. His jaw is tight, his lips a bit open as if he intends to speak but is unsure of how to express it. I am the one who speaks first. "You ended their lives." It is not a query.
The evening atmosphere is calm. Excessively motionless. I perch by the window, observing the far-off city lights flicker like scattered stars. The mansion is hauntingly quiet, and it sends chills down my spine. Raymond has been out taking care of business, and I ought to feel grateful for the time I have to myself. However, something feels off. A brisk wind stirs the curtains, and I tremble, even though the air is not chilly. It's the type of quiet that signals an approaching storm before it arrives. I brush away the discomfort and rise, extending my arms. I'm feeling paranoid once more. Existing in a Mafia environment has caused me to doubt every silhouette. However, I feel secure here. Nobody can get through Raymond's guards. At least that's my belief. Just as I face the door, the power goes out. The room is engulfed by darkness. My breath sticks in my throat. I wait, wishing it's just a brief blackout, but deep inside, I realize it's not. This is something different. Some
Raymond arrives late that evening, his arrival resembling a tempest battering the estate's walls. I can hear his footsteps before I spot him, heavy and intentional, resembling a person bearing the burden of a hundred wrongdoings on his back. Upon entering the room, his shirt bears stains-not from wine, nor from ink, but from blood. I become immobile. Not that I'm unaccustomed to this view, but each time I see him in this manner, it triggers my memories. It makes me remember who he is. What he performs. Whom I am falling for. Initially, he ignores me, going directly to the whiskey decanter at the bar and pouring a glass with the effortless skill of someone who has done this countless times. The space between us grows tense like a bind. I inhale unsteadily. "Did you... commit another murder tonight?" Raymond halts his drink momentarily, his gaze darting toward me. His face remains unchanged, yet the room's temperature decreases. He places his glass down gently with a subtle c
I'm uncertain about how long I remain there, gazing into Raymond's eyes, my breathing still irregular from the kiss. The outside world seems distant from this room, like a dream that has faded from my memory. The only sounds I perceive are my heartbeat pounding in my chest, his calm breathing, and the lasting resonance of the moment we just experienced. An embrace. Not merely a kiss. A kiss that transforms everything. A kiss that leaves a trace-an unseen wound I know I can never remove. Raymond observes me intently, his deep eyes shimmering with an emotion I can't identify, something that should instill fear in me. However, fear is the least emotion I experience. I sense- God, I can't even identify my emotions. I ought to distance myself. I need to create space between us, act as if this never took place, act as if I don't have these feelings. However, I am unable to. Since he continues to hold me. The heat of his hands on my waist makes it hard to forget that he just kis
The initial sound I perceive is music. Not the gentle, remote melody of a tune coming from the radio. No, this is boisterous, forceful, intense-a fusion of trumpets, drums, and voices merging into a magnificent symphony that shakes the surrounding atmosphere. My eyelids blink open, and for a brief moment, I'm trapped between the blurred traces of slumber and the strange reality before me. The door opens wide. The unexpected light bursts in, exposing a procession of musicians entering my room. The profound, resonant thump of the drum reverberates in my chest, the victorious sound of trumpets cuts through the air, and a vocalist's voice ascends above everything else. "Wishing you a joyful birthday!" The noise is overwhelming, yet I hardly register it. Due to the emptiness of my mind. Totally and absolutely empty. I rise, the gentle sheets gathering around me, my breath catching as my eyes scan the room. And that's when I notice it. The sheer opulence-the stunning view-renders
The impact of his words remains in the atmosphere long after he has departed. My lady. Who is talking? Or am I just imagining this? Could this be Raymond, my dear, how? I don't understand. The manner in which he expresses it... assured, definite, unquestioned. As if it's a truth, as if it has forever been a truth, as if it will eternally be a truth. I grasp the window sill, my hold so firm that my knuckles hurt. My heart is pounding within my chest, and regardless of how many breaths I draw, I can't calm it. I feel a warmth throughout my body, as if it's turning against me, responding to something I ought to resist. Since I ought to decline it. I ought to have yelled at him more, should have tossed something at him, should have clarified that I am not his. However, I didn't. For the reason that the reality is... I'm uncertain about what I am now. A Battle Within Myself I walk around my room with my arms crossed, feeling frustration building up within me. This is insane. I
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Mga Comments