Chapter Three

Chapter Three 

“Where are we going?" 

"Move!” The guard instructed and pressed the barrel of his gun to Elena's side. 

Scared shitless, Elena did as she was told and soon enough, they'd gotten to a room. The guard pushed the door open and nudged her inside. Six individuals stood, waiting for her. Two were tied up just like her, while the rest were clearly a member of the Mafia.

Elena’s eyes scanned the room. The man and the woman from last night stood next to a guard and seated in the center of the room was a man. Dressed in a dark grey suit and a stern stoic expression, he was easily the most intimidating person in the room.

They locked eyes. Elena didn't break eye contact, much to his surprise. 

The guard nudged her towards the others and went to join the rest watching from across the room.

“What is your name?" The man asked and one after the other, they introduced themselves. 

" Lily”

"Timothy.”

Elena stared at the boy who looked younger than she was but the fierceness behind his eyes was nothing like she had seen before. Half naked and left only in a pair of khaki shorts, the boy had dark brown hair, pale skin that helped to highlight the scars and bruises on his body and finally a dark pair of eyes. 

Next to him was a young lady. Lily. She was pretty. Light brown hair, tanned skin spotted with freckles on her face and a slim petite build. She looked like she had been crying.

Suddenly, a bottle zipped past Elena's head and shattered on the wall behind her. “Are you deaf?!" The man in suit snapped. “What is your name?!’

She swallowed and managed to keep an unfazed expression. Who the hell did he think he was?

"Elena. Elena Brusso.”

“This one, she's very stubborn," someone commented. 

“Victor, you can go ahead," The man instructed.

The man from the previous night, Victor, cleared his throat. 

“I'm sure that by now you're all aware why you're here." His eyes shifted between all three of them. “This isn't some random selection. All of you are here because someone you cared about and trusted thought you were worth nothing to them." 

Elena's stomach twisted at the thought of her father. 

"You were signed as collateral and now you belong to the Romano family,” he added. 

Lily began to sob and shake her head. “Please… Please, I can't." 

Victor smiled. “There's no need to beg Ms.Lily. You're already here and I assure you that there is no way out." 

Her cries worsened, which only seemed to aggravate Mr.Romano even more.

"There's no point crying either, Ms.Lily. The sooner you make peace with your new reality, the better for you.”

"I don't accept this,” Timothy spoke up. "I don't want to be a part of whatever nonsense this is.”

Victor’s expression changed. "Nonsense?” He narrowed his eyes into slits. "I'd be careful what I say if I were you.”

"I don't give a fuck. I want out,” he demanded.

For a second, the room went silent and even Lily stopped crying as she stared at him with wide eyes. 

"Is that right?”

Timothy didn't break eye contact with the men. He stared them down until Victor had sincerely had enough. Victor served him a sickening smile. 

“Alright then, Timothy. If you want your freedom so bad. You're going to do exactly what I tell you to do,” He said. 

"I want out too,” Lily said, her voice small but firm. "Please.”

The silence stretched a little longer and all eyes shifted to Elena, as they patiently awaited her response. 

"Me too,” she said and Victor smiled.

He snapped at one of the guards, whispered something into his ear and watched the guard walk into anothet room and return with a body bag. The problem was, it wasn't empty.

"What the fuck is that?” Timothy asked, staggering back.

No one gave him a response.

The guard returned with another body bag and then another. By then, Lily was already sobbing and backing up behind Timothy who equally looked scared.

Mr.Romano stared at Elena. She didn't look as terrified as the rest. Instead, she looked puzzled. 

“If you want to leave, you’ll do as I say." Victor took out a gun from his jacket. 

“I'm not getting in that." 

Victor laughed. “Who said anything about getting in?" 

He extended the gun to Timothy. “Shoot whoever's in the body bag and you're free to go." 

Confusion danced behind Timothy’s eyes. 

“Come on, they're already in a body bag. They're already dead. Shoot them and you're a free man, well that is if you want to be free. The ball is in your court.”

All eyes remained focused on the three of them. 

Elena waited to see what Timothy would do. If whoever was in those bodybags were truly dead, then this was an easy one.

Timothy nudged the body bag with his foot. There was no movement, nor sign of life from whoever was inside. He stared at the gun and glanced at the bodyguards, the only ones who were openly armed.

Victor saw the look in his eyes. 

“Whatever you plan on doing won't work. One wrong move and it'll be you in this bodybag." 

Timothy’s hands shook. He grabbed the gun and aimed at the first body bag before him. 

“Go ahead…" 

The gun went off and the girls jumped back. One after the other, they took turns. 

Lily aimed and fired after what felt like forever and when she'd eventually passed the gun to Elena, she was trembling. 

All eyes were now on Elena. 

It wasn't her first time handling a gun. Her father had thought her what he knew, which honestly wasn't a lot, still it was something. 

She aimed and glanced at Mr.Romano who's attention hadn't shifted from her by the slightest. He was intrigued by this one. 

Elena pulled the trigger. The sound was deafening in such a small room like this one. Silently, she handed the gun back to Timothy.

Victor applauded, a sly smile on his face. “Congratulations." He turned to the guards. “Open the bags." 

The guard started with the one Elena had shot. Inside was a man, bound up by his wrists, his eyes blindfolded. She frowned and watched them take off the blindfold.

“Surprise, Elena." 

A piercing scream tore through her mouth.

" Dad!"